keeping my frequently used fonts at the top of the drop-down menu

[phimes]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

In other, PC versions of Word, it would keep track of your favorite fonts so you didn't have to scroll through the entire drop-down menu each time you wanted to switch to a different font. How can I get the Mac 2004 version of Word to do that? I'm working on a project where I have to switch back and forth between two particular fonts (Times New Roman and Symbol) quite frequently and it's a little frustrating to have to keep scrolling through the menu. Thanks for your help.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

In Word 2004, the main font menu won't do this. But if you View |
Toolbars | Formatting, the font menu on the Formatting toolbar will pin
your recent fonts at the top.

You can move that Font menu onto another toolbar via Tools | Customize,
then hold down option while dragging it to your preferred toolbar.

Even better, you can use Tools | Customize to drag the two fonts you
frequently use onto a toolbar, and then access each one in a single
click, or build a short font menu of selected fonts.

You can also create a style to apply a bunch of formatting in one click,
including font.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Yes, further to what Daiya has said, whenever you get beyond using Word like
a typewriter -- and I'd suggest that's so if you are "working on a project
where I have to switch back and forth between two particular fonts (Times
New Roman and Symbol) quite frequently" -- you need to save yourself lots of
work and invest a little time learning to use styles.

Take a look at "Styles and templates ‹ the keys to consistency and saving
time", starting on page 89 of some notes on the way I use Word for the Mac,
titled "Bend Word to Your Will", which are available as a free download from
the Word MVPs' website
(http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Bend/BendWordToYourWill.html).

[Note: "Bend Word to your will" is designed to be used electronically and
most subjects are self-contained dictionary-style entries. If you decide to
read more widely than the item I've referred to, it's important to read the
front end of the document -- especially pages 3 and 5 -- so you can select
some Word settings that will allow you to use the document effectively.]

I suspect if you are using Symbol you need to use AutoCorrect or AutoText
too, but I don't have enough information from you to be sure. AutoCorrect
and AutoText are also covered in "Bend Word to Your Will" -- and of course
in Word's "Help".

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from the Americas and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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