Installed on new laptop. My options and formatting are different. (Was: Proofing Issues in Word 2501)

Question

Hi,

I’ve just migrated to a new laptop, and have installed my Microsoft 365, and I am using Word 2501 and Windows 11 on an AUS Vivobook.

It looks like Word reverted to default everything, so I have been through and changed the Options/Proofing/Autoformat etc., to the settings I was using on my old PC. Everything should run the same, right?

Wrong. I have issues I've not been able to resolve via reading community posts and searching. Can anyone help with these?

1. The font changes when I copy and paste from a document created on my old PC to one created on my new PC.

Example: The original doc is in Times New Roman (my normal template font), but when I copy it in, or insert the file, the font changes to Aptos (body).

TRIED: I have changed settings in File/Options/Advanced... proofing, autoformat, copy/paste… Everything is now ‘merge formatting.’ As I understand it, merge formatting means ‘adopt the font of the doc you are pasting into.’ Is that right?

If so, why does the font change?

1a) Similarly, when I create a table, the font becomes Aptos even though I am in my normal template which I have customised to run everything in Times New Roman.

I can’t find a setting which lets me command what font is used on tables.

2. If I start a new line with a quote mark, the initial letter is not capitalised.

Example: ‘Hello’, if on a new line, will come out as ‘hello.’ It’s fine if I press the shift key. But if I miss it, the first letter after the ‘ is not automatically capitalised like it used to be on my old PC.

TRIED: Changing whatever looked appropriate in the options menu. No joy.

Any ideas on how to change that?

3. Autocorrect and Autoformat with quote marks.

Again, I have been through everything I can find about this, but when I add a new autocorrect that contains an apostrophe, the apostrophe comes out as a straight quote and not the desired curly quote. This happens if I right-click a misspelt word and add it that way, or if I add it by hand.

How do I make autocorrect accept and use curly quote marks?

I must have sorted these issues on my old PC at some point in the past (same OS, same version of Word) and I have compared one PC’s screen/settings to the other. Exactly the same, yet not.

Any help with any of these issues would be gratefully received.

Thank you

James

Answer 1

Thank you Suzanne.

@James

I again refer you to Change Default Settings by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP.

You can change the default fonts under the Design tab. Under Fonts, go to the bottom of the drop down to Custom.

Saving that creates a file in your User Templates Folder in the Document Themes Folder in the Theme Fonts folder.

I opened a new document and first applied the Office 2007-2010 theme to it. Then I changed the fonts using the dialog above. Finally, I saved that as the Office 2003 theme. You are welcome to download and use that.

Here are temporary links to that theme:

• Bare .thmx file
• in a Zip folder (In case you have difficulty downloading the thmx file)

You can copy that thmx file into the Document Themes folder in your User Templates Folder.

Rename the Office.thmx file in that folder to Office2024.thmx.

Then rename the file Office 2003.thmx to Office.thmx.

[Quick] Style Sets and Word Themes in Microsoft Word

Answer 2

Hi, and thanks. Yes, I did, but for some reason, Word/Windows keeps creating a new one, as if it won't accept mine. I copied the old one over from my old PC, but the same thing happened.

In the end, I've modified the normal template by using the 'set as default' option in Font and other places where I can, which has helped a little.

Only Word can create a fully-functioning Normal.dotm template.

Where the template is stored may not be where you are looking.

See: Where is the Normal Template / How to Find the Normal Template

Here is my writing on the nature of the Normal template: Normal Template (https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm#Normal)

When you copy your old Normal template you need to put it in that location. However, AutoCorrect/AutoFormat settings are not stored in the Normal template (other than formatted AC entries).

See Change Default Settings by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP

See also: Word 2007 & Later Key Data File Locations

How formatting works depends very much on styles and their relationship to defaults. Take a look at Theme fonts and colors, and Quick Style Sets. [Quick] Style Sets and Word Themes in Microsoft Word

The styles in the Quick Styles Gallery on the Home tab are, by default, tied to Theme fonts and colors. These are the basic built-in styles in Word.

You should be very conscious of the styles being used in your documents (and should be using styles).

The Importance of Styles in Microsoft Word

I think within the last couple of years, Microsoft changed the Office Theme to use Aptos without any notice. To my knowledge, it has not used Times New Roman for many years, if it ever did. It was Calibri, I believe, most recently.

MVP Doug Robbins has an archive of older Themes: Word Themes - OneDrive

You can, in your Word, under the Design tab, modify the Theme body and heading fonts to Times New Roman if you want. (I use Garamond for body and Cambria for heading fonts, myself.)

Save the Theme, overwriting the one being used (probably Office). Save those changes to the template.

Every document has styles and a Theme derived from the its template, but which are then part of the document.

What is the relationship between a Microsoft Word document and its template?

If things in existing documents are changing, it is possible that the document is set to update styles upon opening.

What happens when I send my document to someone else? Will Word mess up my formatting? by Shauna Kelly, MVP

Answer 3

I think within the last couple of years, Microsoft changed the Office Theme to use Aptos without any notice. To my knowledge, it has not used Times New Roman for many years, if it ever did. It was Calibri, I believe, most recently.

Word used TNR as the default body font (Arial for headings) from the earliest versions (I started with Word 2.0, and it was used there) up through Word 2003. The change came with the Ribbon.

Microsoft 365 shows these font themes:

Answer 4

Thanks for getting back to me.

I’ve yet to try the process for the first couple of problems, but I wanted to say, for number three, I have already done that and the ‘Straight with curly quotes’ option is switched off in autocorrect and correct when you type etc.

What seems to be the problem there is, the normal doc reverts to the original every time I restart. I mean, I set up my preferences in the actual normal template document, but when I restart Word, those 'replace straight quotes...' commands and others have reverted to being checked and switched on again.

Maybe the problem is in the normal doc?

Answer 5

Hi, JamesCollins.26

Welcome to the Microsoft Community. Thank you for sharing your issue. I understand that you are experiencing a correction issue in Word.

Regarding your question, your understanding of merging formats is actually correct. Merging formats means: 'This option changes the formatting so that it matches the text that surrounds it.'

Additionally, I tested your issue on a test machine, but unfortunately, I was unable to reproduce your problem.

You can try the following steps:

Exit all Office programs.

Ensure there are no files in the following folders:

Navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP, press Enter, and check if there are any files. If there are, please delete them. If not, close the window.

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\STARTUP or C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\STARTUP, check if there are any files. If there are, please delete them. If not, close the window.

Press the Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

Navigate to the following keys and rename the Word folder (right-click it, select Rename, for example, rename Word to WordOld):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word

Click Start, type %AppData%\Microsoft\Templates in the search programs and files box, and press Enter.

Back up and delete files with the .dotm extension, such as Normal.dotm.

After completing the above steps, check if the issue persists

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click 

http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-back-up-and-restore-the-registry-in-windows-855140ad-e318-2a13-2829-d428a2ab0692 to view the article. 

Regarding your second question: On the test machine I used, when typing 'helllo', the AutoCorrect feature does indeed capitalize the first letter, changing 'h' to 'H'. However, after adding the '' symbol, AutoCorrect does not take effect. I noticed that on your old computer, AutoCorrect worked as expected. This could be due to design changes in the new version. Newer versions of Office may temporarily suspend or remove some features from older versions, which might be reintroduced in future updates. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

For your third question, you need to go to 'File' > 'Options' > 'Proofing' > 'AutoCorrect Options' and ensure that 'Replace straight quotes with smart quotes' is checked

I hope the information I have provided has been helpful to you, please understand that our initial response may not always resolve your issue immediately. However, with the help and more detailed information you subsequently provide, we can work together to find a solution. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Allen L- MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist