When adding new text to existing text, you normally want to insert the new words. Sometimes your typing just types right over the existing words, erasing what you had! What happened?? You had overtyping turned on. Whoops!
How do you tell if Overtyping is on? Look at the Status bar of the Word
window. Do you see Insert
or Overtype
?
Clicking the word toggles typing to the other mode.
If
neither of these show (and it is off by default), you can make them
show. Right click on the Status bar. A list of items that can show on
the Status bar appears. Click on the item Overtype to put a check mark
by it. The current status of most items shows at the right of the list.
Confusion: INSERT key
Pressing
the INSERT key on your keyboard in previous versions of Word toggled Overtyping on and off.
For Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016, this is not the default action. That means you do not have to worry about accidentally hitting the Insert key. The Word Options dialog has a setting for this feature on the Advanced page in
the Editing Options section.
![]() |
Step-by-Step: Add Text |
![]() |
What you will learn: | to set up the Status bar display to add a paragraph to insert text what Overtyping does to toggle Overtyping on and off |
Start with: ,
, trip.docx from resource files
World Travel Inc. wants to create a document to help customers plan their Special Anniversaries trip to Tahiti.
If you do not save your files as docx type, some features of Word may not be
available for this document.
Message when saving: You may see a message about saving as a new file format, even though the downloaded file has the newer extension. Click on OK. The message tells you what to do if you want to keep the older format, which you do not want to do this time. Apparently there are minor differences even among versions of Word that use the docx extension. Confusing!
The Status Bar shows some information by default but you need to add a few features for these lessons.
Right click on the Status bar.
A list of items that can show on
the Status bar appears.
A check mark means that the feature is
displayed on the Status bar.
The value at the right shows the current
status of the feature.
If necessary, click on the following to add them:
If necessary, click on the following items that should show by default:
You need to add a paragraph.
To help us finish planning for your trip, you need to make some choices. Please choose one of the packages below. Some changes can be made. Just let us know as soon as possible if you have special requests.
Problem:Wrong font showing
You opened the file trip.doc instead of trip.docx.
The document is in Compatibility Mode which blocks new features.
Solution: Close the document without saving and open the correct startup file.