How do I change the default formatting in Microsoft Office Word for Mac?

Question

In Word when I press the return key it puts a big 10pt font space. I looks like a double space and I don't like it. I looked in Format >> paragraph and there is an option to have that extra space there between paragraphs. I can change ti but it does not save for the next time.

Answer 1

Here's how I would do that for Windows Word versions prior to Word 2007 (2008 for Mac) (that version follows):

1.Click in an affected paragraph.

2.Click on the Format->Styles and Formatting menu item.

3.In the bottom part of the sidebar that pops up, the style for your paragraph should have a bold box around it.

4.Hover the cursor over the style. A listbox arrow should appear. Click it.

5.Select Modify from the list box.

6.Click the Format button and select Paragraph.

7.Perform the adjustments you want in the Spacing section.

8.OK out of everything.

All paragraphs in the document with that style should adjust themselves.

Now, if you want to carry this one step further and fix the style on the template your document is based on (probably Normal.dot, but not necessarily), do this:

1.Click the Tools->Organizer menu item.

2.In the left-hand list box, find and click on the style you changed.

3.Click the Copy button between the two list boxes.

4.Click OK.

When you close your document, you may see a warning message asking if you want to save the changes to Normal.dot. This is an anti-virus measure, intended to alert you that something has changed in Normal.dot. In this case, you made the change, so you want to accept it.

And for Word 2007 (2008 for Mac):

1.Click in an affected paragraph.

2.Click the Home tab on the Ribbon.

3.Click the arrow in the lower right corner of the Styles section.

4.The style for your paragraph should have a bold box around it.

5.Hover the cursor over the style. A listbox arrow should appear. Click it.

6.Select Modify from the list box.

7.Click the Format button and select Paragraph.

8.Perform the adjustments you want in the Spacing section.

9.Click OK.

10.If you want this to carry forward to other documents based on the template this one is based on, click the radio button for New Documents Based On This Template.

11.Perform the adjustments you want in the indentation section.

12.OK out of everything.

Hope that helps.