The Problem:
Sometimes the Style drop-down list contains a really short list of styles, and usually the style I want isn't there. Other times, the list is way too long and I have to scroll for miles to find the style I want.
The Solution:
Word is set to show only the styles used so far in the documentthe idea being that these are the styles you're most likely to want to apply next. To display the full list, choose Format » Styles and Formatting and then select "All styles" in the Show drop-down list in the Styles and Formatting task pane. Click the X button to close the task pane, and then try the Style drop-down list again. To switch back to the shorter list of styles, choose "Available styles" in the Show drop-down list.
In Word 2000, the Style drop-down list shows only the styles used so far in the document. You can't change this setting, but you can force Word to display the full list by Shift-clicking the Style drop-down list.
Even if you press Ctrl+Shift+S to select it, the Style drop-down list tends to be a clumsy way of applying styles to a document. To apply styles quickly, create a custom menu (perhaps called Style) or toolbar that contains the styles you use consistently. Also consider creating keyboard shortcuts for the styles you use the most.
Quickly Change One Style to Another
The Problem:
Our annoying affiliate has sent us a slew of documents that use the wrong styles. I need to change all the styles to the right ones for our marketing communications template.
The Solution:
Word's Replace feature can change the styles for you, and a macro using Replace can whip through all the documents in less time than it takes to make a cup of decent coffee. But Word 2003 and Word XP offer another possibility that you should know about: choose Format » Styles and Formatting, click the offending style name, click the drop-down arrow, and choose the "Select all instances" option. With all the instances of the style selected in the document, click the style to which you want to change these items. You probably won't want to use this feature for changing entire documents, but it's good for lighter-duty work.
