Changing default settings on office for mac?

[sunshine1686]

Is there a way to change the default settings without having to make the same changes each time you use MS office? For instance whenever I paste something into a word document the font is always really big and not the font I want. Is there a way to change the settings so that each time I paste something it pastes in the font and size that I want?

I hope that makes sense...lol

Thanks!

 

[MartinS]

I think with the first question what you want to do is paste special - unformatted text. To do this you need to set up a little macro. Mine's set to alt-option-p. Alternatively, you can paste-match formatting.

Here are the macros you need. Just create new macros and copy/paste.

Paste plain text
Sub PasteUnformattedText()
'
' PasteUnformattedText Macro
' Macro created 27/6/06 by Martin Sketchley
' equivalent to Edit>Paste Special>Unformatted Text and to using
' the smart button in Word 2004 to select "keep text only"
'
Selection.PasteSpecial datatype:=wdPasteText
End Sub

Paste match formatting:
Sub PasteMatchFormatting()
'
' PasteMatchFormatting Macro
' Macro created 29/6/06 by Martin Sketchley
'
' equivalent to using the paste options clipboard in Word 2004 to
' select "match destination formatting" after pasting
' will not work in versions before Word 2004
'
Selection.PasteAndFormat (wdFormatSurroundingFormattingWithEmphasis)
End Sub

Can't help you with the margins, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you can set default setting that will change in normal.dot.

 

[Sherman Homan]

You can do it with macros or you can modify the "normal" file in your User folder --> Documents --> Microsoft User Data. Set up the document the way you want, do a "Save as..." Change the format to Document Template, name it Normal (do not add the .dot extension). Make sure it replaces the existing Normal. Live happily ever after!

 

[sunshine1686]

Set up the document the way you want, do a "Save as..." Change the format to Document Template, name it Normal (do not add the .dot extension). Make sure it replaces the existing Normal. Live happily ever after!

Set up what document?

 

[Sherman Homan]

Any new document opens with the settings from "normal". To change "normal" launch Word, set up the new document and save it as "normal". That will replace the original "normal".

 

[sunshine1686]

I think with the first question what you want to do is paste special - unformatted text. To do this you need to set up a little macro. Mine's set to alt-option-p.

So if I set up a macro then I can just press alt/option + p to paste unformatted text?

 

[MartinS]

Yes – that's what I do. It comes in very handy, as Word doesn't recognise the paste and match style keyboard shortcut used elsewhere in OS X.

 

[MartinS]

By the way, I should say you don't have to use alt+option+p – that's just what I use. You can set any key combination you like. Just make sure it doesn't clash with anything else.

 

[sunshine1686]

By the way, I should say you don't have to use alt+option+p – that's just what I use. You can set any key combination you like. Just make sure it doesn't clash with anything else.

Isn't alt and option the same key?

 

[sunshine1686]

I think with the first question what you want to do is paste special - unformatted text. To do this you need to set up a little macro. Mine's set to alt-option-p. Alternatively, you can paste-match formatting.

Here are the macros you need. Just create new macros and copy/paste.

Paste plain text
Sub PasteUnformattedText()
'
' PasteUnformattedText Macro
' Macro created 27/6/06 by Martin Sketchley
' equivalent to Edit>Paste Special>Unformatted Text and to using
' the smart button in Word 2004 to select "keep text only"
'
Selection.PasteSpecial datatype:=wdPasteText
End Sub

Paste match formatting:
Sub PasteMatchFormatting()
'
' PasteMatchFormatting Macro
' Macro created 29/6/06 by Martin Sketchley
'
' equivalent to using the paste options clipboard in Word 2004 to
' select "match destination formatting" after pasting
' will not work in versions before Word 2004
'
Selection.PasteAndFormat (wdFormatSurroundingFormattingWithEmphasis)
End Sub

Can't help you with the margins, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you can set default setting that will change in normal.dot.

So what exactly and I copying and pasting? And where, like I go to add new macro, and then where do I paste this stuff? Thanks

 

[MartinS]

You need to create a new macro from scratch first. It's ages since I've done it so I can't help with the specifics without spending ages trying to work it out. Try recording a new macro and setting it to function with the keyboard trigger you desire. Stop the recording immediately, then copy everything between "Sub" and "End Sub", and paste it into the macro pane.

You might need to Google – that's what I did to find the above macros, because there's something different about Office:mac to Office for PC (can't remember what, although I think it might've been something to do with past special, which is what this macro does).

Sorry I can't be more help. If you tinker around for a while I'm sure you'll work it out.