What is AutoText? How can I Copy AutoText entries between computers?
If you use any version of Microsoft Office 2000 or better chances are you have seen the AutoText feature before. You might not have know what it was or how to manipulate the entries but AtA is here to show you how!
You can get the menu on the left here by going to anything that uses word as its editor and choosing Insert – AutoText. Check it out, I’ll wait for ya!
I have added some of my commonly used phrases to the list here so you can get an idea of how to use it. :)
Now that we got you hooked and all into it, We know you are loving how it “Completes your words before you finish them” it might be time to look for a significant other…
Just kidding (no I’m not!!). Let’s see how to copy them from one machine to another. The only requirement is that office is already installed on the new machine (mainly word).
Microsoft describes AutoText as:
AutoText provides a storage location, and ease of insertion, for text or graphics that you want to use repeatedly. Examples of typical AutoText entries include contract clauses or long distribution lists. Each AutoText entry is assigned a unique name.
So it seems that all your entries are stored in your normal.dot file. So by simply replacing your new normal.dot file with the one off of the old machine you will be auto-completing your own sentences again in no time!
Microsoft recommends copying the file to a floppy disk (what is that?) and transfering it but of course we all know you have usb
NOTES: Complete these steps on the source computer, the computer that has the AutoText entries that you want to copy. If the search returns more than one Normal.dot file, select the one that appears in your user profile directory.
- Insert a formatted floppy disk into the floppy disk drive.
- Click Start, and then click Search.
- Click All files and folders.
- In the All or part of the file name box, type normal.dot.
- In the Look in list, click Local Hard Drives, and then click Search.
- When the search has completed, right-click Normal.dot in the results pane, point to Send To, and then click the floppy disk drive that contains the formatted disk.
- Remove the floppy disk, and then label it.
- Close the Search window.
For more detailed (and less humorous) information check out Microsoft’s Word MVP website here.
April 18, 2008 - 6:49 am
It is my understanding the Auto Text feature was removed from Office 2007. Have you come across any viable alternatives?
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April 18, 2008 - 7:00 am
AutoComplete has been disabled in Word 2007 due to the enormous quantity of Building Blocks (the expanded successor to AutoText) that would otherwise cause AutoComplete to occur just about all the time.
Now, what can you do?
To force completion after typing the first four characters, you'll need to press the F3 key. This will work with any Building Block, not just AutoText. But, it will work only if there are no other entries that begin with the same four letters.
Some users are finding it useful to use AutoCorrect entries instead of AutoText entries as a work-around, and to purposely create short names that match what they were typing in Word 2003 and earlier.
There is still no AutoComplete display, but typing any Word separator (space, period, comma, etc.) will trigger that automatic change from the short name into the expanded form.
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April 18, 2008 - 7:50 am
THAT IS GREAT! Thanks man.
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April 25, 2008 - 6:19 am
That is a great screenshot!
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April 25, 2008 - 6:30 am
Thanks! The funny thing is that email didn't bounce back to me either! I got more than one email asking me what a dipwad was though!
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