# How does Microsoft Word know.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 18, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577 "2012-06-18T22:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/1 "2012-06-18T22:40:28Z")
How does Microsoft Word know what it is I am trying not to do? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/2 "2012-06-19T00:37:32Z")
They got so much backlash from Bob and Clippy “It looks like you’re writing a letter!” that they are slyly doing the opposite now, but not using a cheeky mascot to tell you about it. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/3 "2012-06-19T00:53:22Z")
Microsoft’s hotmail is also getting creepy. It keeps stopping and saying “It looks like you mentioned and attachment, but there are not files attached? Do you want to send anyway?” Except that I never said anything about attachments in the email and why the heck are you reading my email anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/4 "2012-06-19T21:08:33Z")
If it would just stop assuming I wanted a 6 pt space every time I hit the return key, I would be a happier man. Please, Word. Just do a normal carriage return to the next line. If I want to double space, I’ll hit carriage return again. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/5 "2012-06-20T11:48:06Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > If it would just stop assuming I wanted a 6 pt space every time I hit the return key, I would be a happier man. Please, Word. Just do a normal carriage return to the next line. If I want to double space, I’ll hit carriage return again. You can set that, you know. Change the normal style to turn the “space after paragraph” from 6 pts to 0. If you’ve set your word options to check “prompt to save normal template,” then you can quit Word after the above change, say “yes” to saving the normal template, and it will make all new documents without that 6 pt space. (Exact menu steps for doing these changes depend on your version of Word.) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/6 "2012-06-20T13:37:49Z")
It looks like you’re composing a reply to a post on the SDMB! Would you like to: [ol] [li]Make a joke about 1920’s style “Death Rays”[/li][li]Insert a reference to the Marianas Trench[/li][li]Irritate everyone by saying “Hi Opal”![/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/7 "2012-06-20T13:50:58Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > You can set that, you know. Change the normal style to turn the “space after paragraph” from 6 pts to 0. > > If you’ve set your word options to check “prompt to save normal template,” then you can quit Word after the above change, say “yes” to saving the normal template, and it will make all new documents without that 6 pt space. > > (Exact menu steps for doing these changes depend on your version of Word.) Actually, if I plan to change the normal template, I’d open it (changing file types to templates in the dialog usually brings you to the templates folder) and save changes. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/8 "2012-06-20T15:23:32Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It looks like you’re composing a reply to a post on the SDMB! > > Would you like to: > [ol] > [li]Make a joke about 1920’s style “Death Rays”[/li][li]Insert a reference to the Marianas Trench[/li][li]Irritate everyone by saying “Hi Opal”![/li][/ol] (Green “grammar error” squiggly under item # 3.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-microsoft-word-know/625577/9 "2012-06-20T15:45:16Z")
Remember when you clicked one of those ‘I agree’ boxes without reading what you agreed to? That’s where you agreed to have an implant installed in your brain while you slept that tells Microsoft what you are actually thinking, all the time.