Some folks love it and other folks hate it. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, Overtype was easy to use and did not take long for folks to figure out how to use it. By default, MS Word is in insert or normal mode which means that as you key in text, what you are keying in pushes text to the right or left, depending on your language setting.
Overtype mode allowed you to replace existing text. All that is necessary is to click on your Insert key to enable Overtype mode.
If you notice that you are suddenly replacing text, rather than adding it, take a quick peek at your Status bar which will reveal the problem. It will clearly show that the OVR indicator has been turned on because you more than likely accidentally hit the Insert key while keying in your text. In previous versions of MS Word that Insert key was used as a toggle for the Overtype mode. It was very easy to use which is why people love it and it was also very easy to accidentally enable the feature which is why people hate it.
In Word 2007, however, all that has changed. By default, the Insert key does not toggle Overtype mode, which is why I have had subscribers writing to me to ask where to find Overtype mode. The answer is that you must flag a setting for it.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
- Click the Office button.
- Click the Word Options button.
- Select Advanced in the left-hand pane.
- In the Editing Options section, check the Use The Insert Key To Control Overtype Mode option.
- Click OK.
If you want to work solely in Overtype mode, check the Use Overtype Mode.
You could also just learn how to access it the new way, which is quicker and you know how I feel about that!
- Right-click the Status bar and check Overtype.
Doing this, displays the Overtype/Insert indicator. You can then just click the indicator to switch between the two modes.
I think you will agree with me that this is definitely a change for the better!