Dear Microsoft Word, STOP HELPING ME

If you’re like me, you appreciate the spelling and formatting help MS Word provides, except when you don’t. Fortunately, you have a surprising amount of control over how much, and what kind of, help you get.

Read on for some autocorrect/autoformatting tips.

Go to Options (The location of this depends on the version of Word. In 2010, it is under “File.” Regardless of version, it is called “Options.”)

Choose “Proofing” (Again, the location within “Options” will vary with version. In all versions, it is called “Proofing.”)

 Choose “AutoCorrect Options…”

Look at all the stuff you can change!

You can uncheck any of the boxes to stop Word from correcting things that you don’t want corrected.

What’s that “Exceptions…” thing?

Using this, you can make Word stop capitalizing after common abbreviations.

Take a look at AutoFormat, too.

And AutoFormat As You Type.

This is where you can tell Word to stop automatically making numbered lists. You can also stop web address from becoming hyperlinks.

These are just a few of your proofing options. Take a look at Options -- Proofing and see what you find!