# Help word MS Word please **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181 "2021-08-19T23:24:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/1 "2021-08-19T23:24:30Z")
I have an issue that’s driving me crazy and I’m hoping someone here can help me solve it. For work I’ve created several worklists in Word. They are basically running, numbered lists. Example: 1. Blah blah blah 2. Blah blah blah 3. Blah blah blah… This worked well for months until a few days ago. Now, this new thing happens. When I try to put the cursor on line 9 (for example) to update that entry, it drops the cursor 4 lines up on line 5. VERY frustrating. But here’s the weird part - it only does it about half the time. Sometimes when open the doc, it works normally, and sometimes I get the 4 lines above thing. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/2 "2021-08-20T00:16:19Z")
What version of MS Word do you have? One possibility is that you are running the current version and there is a new update out–which messed things up. [the solution would be to revert to the previous version.] ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/3 "2021-08-20T01:16:08Z")
Is your zoom setting on something other than 100%? Sometimes Word messes up screen refreshing if the zoom is more or less than 100%. I’ve seen duplicate lines of text displayed that weren’t really there; just shown that way on the screen. Just a guess. Oh, also try the same thing in print layout view, page layout view, web view, etc. Maybe it will work properly in one of those views. The view switching buttons are on the bottom right of the window. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/4 "2021-08-20T01:24:35Z")
Sounds like a corrupted file. One thing you can try is do a Save-As and save in .rtf (rich text format). The rtf document will probably be ok. And then try a Save-As back to .docx (word document format). If it’s a simple document (no headers, footers, section setup,etc) you won’t lose any formatting, or at least it will be easy to fix up. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/5 "2021-08-20T03:09:07Z")
I’ll have to look it up tomorrow at work. I will say up front, I’m not really a computer guy and I’m certainly not a Word guy. I’ll look at the suggestions given here. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/6 "2021-08-20T15:29:29Z")
Not likely, but a possibility especially if having a bit of mouse pointer problems elsewhere in your computing is that your mouse needs replacing. They can do weird things during end of life throes. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/7 "2021-08-20T15:35:10Z")
What **blabbermeister** said is probably the most likely cause, so check that first. If your computer is like mine, hold the Control button while turning the mouse wheel and you’ll zoom in or out. But since you mentioned numbered lists, what **K364** said could very well be the problem. Word files will very often become corrupted when you make undue use of numbered lists or bullet points (which are basically the same thing), and by “undue use” I mean bullet points within bullet points and possibly bullet points within table cells. Corrupted files will become increasingly wonky and eventually won’t even open, and when that happens you’re usually screwed. One sign of a corrupted file is that it will increase in size when you open and close it without saving any changes. Another is that, if you save changes, the increase in size will be disproportionately large. You can sometimes repair a corrupted file by using the “open and repair” function of the “open” dialogue box. There are several ways to open Word files, but that function is only available through said dialogue box. If you click on “open” and are shown a list of recent files, you’ll have to click on “browse” to get to the dialogue box. Once there, you should see another “open” button with a little arrow on the right-hand side. Click on the arrow and you should see an option to “open and repair.” It can be a real nightmare as corrupted files will very often be lost forever, so good luck to you. **Keith1** ’s suggestion is also worth considering. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/8 "2021-08-20T17:32:02Z")
Another thing you could try - copy all and paste into a new document. Sometimes that will work. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/9 "2021-08-20T18:00:11Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Another thing you could try - copy all and paste into a new document. Sometimes that will work I’m going over Alovem’s post, but I did C&P into a new doc and it took the issue with it. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/10 "2021-08-20T18:31:29Z")
I’d copy and paste it into a Notebook (.txt), and then back over. It’ll strip out all the formatting, but also any issues. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/11 "2021-08-20T18:42:14Z")
I’m more of a Mac person - we have PCs at work. Where would I find this Notebook? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/12 "2021-08-20T18:47:05Z")
That’s the generic Windows text editor. I think you’d have a better shot saving from Word in rich text (.rtf) format. Copy/paste to Notepad, and you’ll probably lose bullet points; definitely lose numbering as list numbering (i.e. you hit [enter], and it won’t bring up the next number in the list). Another possible way to find the problem - turn on display of special characters. Make sure there aren’t hidden tables, pictures, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/13 "2021-08-20T18:50:29Z")
On the desktop (where all the icons are after you minimize all your windows/screens), right-click on the background picture, select “new” and choose either “Text Document” or “”Rich Text Format”. I usually go with Text Document, and reformat the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/14 "2021-08-20T19:06:46Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I did C&P into a new doc and it took the issue with it. Hey, great. Keep an eye on the file size. If your list isn’t fancy, the file’s not going to turn on you. If you prefer Word, it’s not too hard to maintain a document like that without format. On my computer, there’s a button to delete format under Start (first menu option across the top of the screen). It has a capital A and what looks like the eraser-end of a pencil. Another way to do that is through the format options. Not sure if any of that’s going to be the same on your computer. It’s useful to know, especially because AFAIK it’s not possible to paste without format in Word. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/15 "2021-08-20T21:04:58Z")
Copy all _except for the very last pilcrow_ (¶, you need to be able to see formatting symbols) and paste into a new document. For whatever reason, Word stores all the formatting and track changes info in that symbol, so if you don’t copy it you find you’ve cleaned the document up considerably. The other thing, especially in a long or complex document, is to set up named styles for everything, _especially numbered and bulleted lists_, and never, ever, **never** _ever_ **never** ever, use the ribbon to format on the fly. See [Shauna Kelly’s excellent write-up of how to create styles for numbered and bulleted lists](https://shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/outlinenumbering.html). The information for creating in Word 2007 and Word 2010 are still applicable. > [@alovem](#): > > It’s useful to know, especially because AFAIK it’s not possible to paste without format in Word. You can. Right click and select the button with the plain A to paste plain text without formatting. It’s usually on the far right of the possible “paste special” options. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/16 "2021-08-20T21:12:48Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > On the desktop (where all the icons are after you minimize all your windows/screens), right-click on the background picture, select “new” and choose either “Text Document” or “”Rich Text Format”. > > I usually go with Text Document, and reformat the whole thing. I managed to to get that done and so far it looks like that might work. Thanks everyone for taking the time, appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/17 "2021-08-20T21:20:11Z")
And if all else fails, try Libre Office. It’s free! > **[Home | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Based on OpenOffice - Compatible...](https://www.libreoffice.org/)** > > Free office suite – the evolution of OpenOffice. Compatible with Microsoft .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx. Updated regularly, community powered. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/18 "2021-08-20T23:35:04Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > You can. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/19 "2021-08-21T15:25:02Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > When I try to put the cursor on line 9 (for example) to update that entry, it drops the cursor 4 lines up on line 5. I’ve read through this thread, and I’m baffled. I don’t think it’s a corrupted file (if it was, I think you’d have other problems besides this cursor location issue). I don’t think it’s a version or update issue, as **PastTense** suggests. Of course that’s worth considering, but I’m not aware of any version or update issues, and I would be, if there were any significant problems. **blabbermeister** suggests that it may be a zoom issue. I haven’t seen zooming cause serious problems in Word documents. It can in Excel, for sure, but that’s a whole other issue. > [@Morgyn](#): > > The other thing, especially in a long or complex document, is to set up named styles for everything, _especially numbered and bulleted lists_ , and never, ever, **never** _ever_ **never** ever, use the ribbon to format on the fly. See [Shauna Kelly’s excellent write-up of how to create styles for numbered and bulleted lists](https://shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/outlinenumbering.html). The information for creating in Word 2007 and Word 2010 are still applicable. This is very sound advice. Direct formatting, with everything still in the “Normal” style, will _always_ lead to problems. The only thing I can think of, without seeing the file, is this – First of all, always work with show/hide on, so you can see all formatting marks. And, once you can see that, is it possible that you used a line break, rather than a hard return, at the end of each of your bullet points? If you did, Word is going to see the whole list as a single paragraph. Which is wrong, and will cause problems. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181/20 "2021-08-21T15:45:57Z")
Thanks for all that. The problem did show up in another Word file that I had created. I tried as best I could to check all the advise in this thread. It was 100%, etc. As I explained earlier, I’m not a computer person. I’m forced to spend a large portion of my day on the computer due to the constraints of my job. The Docs I’m talking about are the most basic. I open word, click on new document, and just type my (basically) to-do lists. 1. Call Bob. 2. File report abc 3. Call property owner And I don’t format anything other than the default numbering system. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-word-ms-word-please/949181.md?page=2)