The 7 Most Annoying Word Problems—And How to Actually Fix Them

Struggling with Word acting up? From broken bullets and drifting styles to chaotic track changes, this guide tackles the seven most annoying Microsoft Word problems and shows you exactly how to fix them.

    1. How do I fix bullets & numbering in Word?

    The pain: Indents jump; numbering restarts (or refuses to); outline levels don’t match headings.

    The fix (fast):

    • Use one multilevel list linked to Heading 1–9 (Home → Multilevel List ▼ → Define New Multilevel List → More → link each level to a Heading style). This prevents “freehand” lists from diverging.
    • If a list breaks: right-click a number → Restart at 1 or Set Numbering Value / Continue Numbering.
    • Stop surprise lists: File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type → uncheck automatic lists.

    Enterprise tip: Bake list levels into your corporate template and discourage on-the-fly numbering.

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    Doco can sweep, relink levels, and standardize indents across the whole doc.

    2. Why won’t my Table of Contents / cross-references / captions update?

    The pain: TOC is stale; figure/table numbers are off; “See Section 3.2” links point nowhere.

    The fix (fast):

    • Update everything at once: Ctrl+A → F9 (fields). Consider auto-update before print (File → Options → Display → “Update fields before printing”).
    • Use References → Insert Caption for figures/tables so numbering stays consistent.
    • Create Insert → Cross-reference links to headings, captions, etc., so section renumbering follows. (Microsoft Support)

    Enterprise tip: Standardize labels (“Figure”, “Table”, “Exhibit”) and case. Mixing labels is a silent source of errors.

    3. Track Changes overload & merge chaos—how do I get back to clean?

    The pain: Balloons everywhere; co-authoring conflicts; locked files.

    The fix (fast):

    • Triage after each review cycle: Review → Accept ▼ → Accept All Changes (or Reject All). Don’t carry yesterday’s markup forward.
    • Make co-authoring work: store in OneDrive/SharePoint; use .docx; avoid “Marked as Final” and unnecessary check-out; IRM-encrypted files need specific admin enables. (read more )

    Enterprise tip: Document a cadence (green team = accept, red team = reopen) and minimize “require check-out” libraries.

    4. Styles look right but aren’t right—how do I stop style drift?

    The pain: Text looks like Heading 2 but is Normal + manual formatting; brand styles go off-spec.

    The fix (fast):

    • Reveal and clean: open Styles pane → Style Inspector to spot/remove direct formatting; re-apply the correct style.
    • Modify styles (don’t format locally): Home → Styles → right-click style → Modify.
    • Govern styles when needed: Review → Restrict Editing → Limit formatting to a selection of styles. (read more)

    Try it with Doco:

    Doco cleans local overrides and enforces your style map.

    5. Images and tables jump around—how do I keep layout stable?

    The pain: Pictures move when text moves; tables split awkwardly across pages.

    The fix (fast):

    • Pictures: pick a wrap mode; if floating, Lock anchor (Layout Options → See more → Lock anchor). “In Line with Text” is safest; floating wraps need anchors.
    • Headings + first paragraph: set Keep with next (Paragraph → Line & Page Breaks). (read more)
    • Tables: Table Properties → Row → uncheck Allow row to break across pages; optionally apply Keep with next to keep tables intact.

    Enterprise tip: Put image/table defaults in templates so authors don’t improvise mid-draft.

    6. Word for the web is missing features—what can I (and can’t I) do online?

    The pain: Browser editing can’t handle advanced structure (styles management, complex cross-refs), so teams get blocked.

    The fix (fast):

    • Know the limits and the handoff: Word for the web supports basic edits; advanced layout/structure tasks are best done in desktop Word. Use Open in Desktop App for styles, cross-refs, TOC, and final pagination.
    • Team pattern: draft/light edits online → structure/format in desktop → save back to SharePoint/OneDrive.

    Enterprise tip: Publish a one-pager of “desktop-only” tasks so reviewers don’t thrash the file in the web app.

    7. How do I remove hidden metadata—or rescue a “possessed” file?

    The pain: Docs leak author names, comments, revisions; or a file behaves strangely/appears corrupted.

    The fix (fast):

    • Before sending externally, run Document Inspector (File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document), then Remove All as needed. On Mac, use Protect Document to remove personal info.
    • If a file misbehaves, try Open and Repair (File → Open → arrow on Open → Open and Repair). If persistent, repair Office or rebuild Normal.dotm (Word regenerates a fresh one).

    Fix it with AI

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