Restore Factory Settings in Microsoft Word

After using Microsoft Word for multiple different projects, you may notice that the program no longer runs quite the way it did when it was first installed. The default settings for one or more features-- for instance, styles, fonts, autocorrect options and/or toolbars-- may have changed in undesirable ways, requiring extra time for re-formatting or troubleshooting. In these (and numerous other) instances, you might want to simply re-set Word to a pristine, first-installed condition. But before you go digging for the original software installation disc, try the simple steps below to restore factory settings in Microsoft Word for either PC or Mac computers.

Steps

1. Go to the Tools Menu, then Customize, then click options.
2. Choose the option for "Reset menu and toolbar usage data". This will put your toolbars back to the original settings. If you would like to reset your settings further, move on to the steps below.

For PCs

1. Choose the Run option from the Start menu. This displays the Run dialog box.
2. In the "Open" box, type in "regedit." Click "OK" to start the Regedit program.
   • If you are using Word 2010, select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/14.0/Word <keychoice>.
   • If you are using Word 2007, select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/12.0/Word <keychoice>.
   • If you are using Word 2003, select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/11.0/Word <keychoice>.
   • If you are using Word 2002, select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/10.0/Word <keychoice>.
   • If you are using Word 2000, select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Office/9.0/Word <keychoice>.
3. Press the Delete key. A prompt will ask if you really want to delete the key. Select "Yes."
4. Close the Registry Editor.
5. Restart Microsoft Word. It should now be restored to default settings.

For Macs

1. Quit all Microsoft Office applications.
2. Using your "Finder," navigate to the "~/Library/Preferences" folder ("~" is a shorthand for your user account name).
3. Drag all of the files for Microsoft Word to the desktop. These files will differ depending on the version of Microsoft Word you have:
   • For Word 2008, select:
     ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.Word.plist

     ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.office.plist
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office 2008/Office Font Cache
   • For Word 2004, select:
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/com.microsoft.Word.prefs.plist
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/com.microsoft.Office.prefs.plist
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office Font Cache
   • For Word X, select:

     ~/Library/Preferences /Microsoft/Word Settings
     ~/Library/Preferences /Microsoft/Microsoft Component Preferences
     ~/Library/Preferences /Microsoft/Microsoft Office Settings
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Carbon Registration Database
     ~/Library/Preferences/Microsoft/Office Font Cache
4. Microsoft Word should now be successfully reset. If everything works as expected, you can delete the files you dragged to your desktop.

Tips

• Understand that when you make all these changes, there are still a couple of settings that can then only be changed by a complete reinstall. For instance, the company name you entered when you first installed Word is actually stored in the Word program file.
• Remember that you cannot reset Microsoft Word while the program is running. This is because Word saves configuration information as it exits. If you make changes while the program is still running, exiting the program afterward will overwrite the re-set.
• Find additional tips and troubleshooting information at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822005 (for PCs) and at http://mac2.microsoft.com/help/office/14/en-us/word/category/ab015645-0081-4177-b11d-742cfdbc9366 (for Macs)

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