If necessary, to pause the macro while recording, click the “View” tab of the Ribbon. Instead, try to use the keyboard keys to do things like move the insertion mark cursor and select text as much as possible. When recording macros in Word, avoid clicking with your mouse into the document to do things like select items or move the insertion mark cursor to avoid creating unexpected results when you run the macro later. Then click the “OK” button to start recording. So, if the macro is one you want for all documents that use macros, then selecting the “All documents (Normal.dotm)” template choice is a good idea! Otherwise, just select the template or file to which to attach the macro. A macro can only work if it is attached to the actual document in which it is used, or if it is attached to the document template from which the current document was produced. It defaults to the “Normal” macro-compatible document template (.dotm), which is the document template upon which all new macro-enabled documents are based. Then select the template or document to which to attach the macro from the “Store macro in:” drop-down. Record a Macro in Word – Instructions and Video Lesson: A picture of a user naming a new macro in the “Record Macro” dialog box.

Note that macro names cannot contain spaces!

In the “Record Macro” dialog box, enter a name for your new macro into the “Macro name” text box. Then select the “Record Macro…” command from the drop-down menu that appears to open the “Record Macro” dialog box. Then click the drop-down part of the “Macros” button in the “Macros” button group. To record a macro in Word, click the “View” tab in the Ribbon. This lesson shows you how to record a macro in Word using the commands in this button group in the Ribbon. You can also use the “Macros” button group on the “View” tab in the Ribbon to both record and play recorded macros. You can see advanced options for creating macros on the “Developer” tab in the Ribbon, if it is enabled. It repeats the exact same keystrokes you entered, instantly repeating the process.

You can then run the recorded macro later to do it again in future documents. To do this, you record a macro in Word as you enter the information once. This is why they are great for automating repetitive tasks.įor example, you could record a macro in Word that places your company’s name and address information in the upper-left corner of a document. When you run the macro later, it repeats your keystrokes, thus repeating your actions. It then saves the actions you perform as a Visual Basic Module, which is a type of program file. Macros are small programs that record your keystrokes as you perform a task.

Insert macro button word