I use Word 2013 on a 14" laptop and the default view, Print Layout, is a colossal waste of space, but I can't get the program to open in Draft View by default. Have done the following: Changed settings to "allow documents to open in Draft View" Saved documents in Draft View...they re-open in Print Layout Tried to change New Document template to Draft View but new documents still only open in Print Layout. I hope that the answer is not "you have to change to draft view every single time you open a document." There are already a lot more clicks / action in Word 2013 than in previous versions. Have searched forums but there doesn't seem to be an answer for this in Word 2013. Thanks for your assistance. BP211

Thanks very much for the swift reply (and to Suzanne as well). I spotted Stefan Blom's post about the zipped macro just after I posted. I've downloaded it, and it works well enough for a file that I've previously saved in draft view (though, sadly, the default view is still print layout... ) Unfortunately, though, it seems to interfere with another script I have running from my startup folder - this one to fix the weird removal of the Autocorrect options context-sensitive menu ("Add AutoCorrect to Word 2013 Spelling Shortcut Menu.dotm", available here: http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tip_pages/customize_shortcut_menu.html#WACR ). Since installing Jay's macro in my startup folder, when I exit Word, and click "Save" to the question: "Want to save your changes to 'Add AutoCorrect to Word 2013 Spelling Shortcut Menu.dotm?" - which, annoyingly, appears even if I haven't made a single edit to a single document - I then get: "Run-time error '4248': This command is not available because no document is open". Now, I don't know yet whether that's actually sabotaging the AutoCorrect macro (I'll report back on that); but it certainly makes me wonder why the *%£@! Microsoft couldn't just leave these options in in the first place - working properly as they used to in, say, 2007. Suzanne: I noticed that you also posted on this thread about the AutoCorrect issue: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office\_365hp-word/where-has-autocorrect-gone-in-word-365/b8e8293e-e06f-43ef-b13f-f6c3716b623f So, did you manage to get both of these "fixes" working together (preferably without the Save prompt for the latter) on one installation of Word? On the issue of the link for setting up these macros manually, I have to say that, even though I'm pretty competent for a layman with IT issues (today, for example, I successfully trouble-shooted a problem with rooting my Google Nexus 5 smartphone, although it took me a few hours), I did find the instructions for installing macros a bit baffling - though I'll have another go. I can record macros without any problems, by the way - but the absence of straightforward instruction in help, or on the Microsoft website, for setting up these more complicated macros is very aggravating - especially since we're only in the position of having to do so because they buggered up their own software in the first place!! Finally, a quick question: There is an option in File / Options / Advanced, under the General heading, that's called "Allow opening a document in Draft view". I've had that ticked all along, but it never seemed to make the slightest difference - i.e., even if I saved a document in draft view, with that option already ticked, it would STILL always open in print layout view. When I spoke to Microsoft support - both online and by phone - they told me that, to open a document in draft view, I'd have to install a macro, and they pointed me to this page. So, my question is, what on earth is that setting actually for? Does it do anything at all? Isn't this just a demonstration that their software is (apparently deliberately) broken? W, in other words, TF? If anyone can enlighten me on any of the above, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks, Jay and Suzanne. I will try to tackle the macros later with the info you provided. As for returning to the right place in the document body by keyboard after a search… I discovered that what I actually need is now called “advanced find.” One way to get there is by clicking the arrow after “find” on the right end of the ribbon, then pressing “a.” After that it is just what I wanted! (Also known as “the traditional Find dialog box.”) Does anybody know a keyboard shortcut for “advanced find,” so I can get there without any clicking at all? You've probably fixed this by now, or else given up, but since I'm hanging around now on this thread with related problems, I thought I'd point you to this: http://wordribbon.tips.net/T011389\_Making\_Ctrl\_F\_Work\_Traditionally.html which restores the traditional behaviour when you hit Ctrl-F. It's one of many minor, but completely exasperating, fixes that I've had to apply after "upgrading" from Word 2007 to 2013...

FWIW, I haven't personally installed any of these macros because I don't use Word 2013 except for reference and testing. I'm actually still using Word 2003 for production work because I have it highly customized with personal toolbars and menus. I do quite like many of the features in Word 2010, but most of the time I don't need them. I will NEVER use Word 2013, for quite a few reasons, not least of which is bungling of text boundaries.

How can I make Word 2013 open in Draft View by default?

Anonymous

I use Word 2013 on a 14" laptop and the default view, Print Layout, is a colossal waste of space, but I can't get the program to open in Draft View by default. Have done the following:

Changed settings to "allow documents to open in Draft View"
Saved documents in Draft View...they re-open in Print Layout
Tried to change New Document template to Draft View but new documents still only open in Print Layout.

I hope that the answer is not "you have to change to draft view every single time you open a document." There are already a lot more clicks / action in Word 2013 than in previous versions.

Have searched forums but there doesn't seem to be an answer for this in Word 2013.

Thanks for your assistance.

BP211

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Jay Freedman 208.3K Volunteer Moderator

Follow the instructions at http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm to put the following two macros into a module in the Normal.dotm template:

Sub AutoOpen()

ActiveWindow.View.Draft = True

End Sub

Sub AutoNew()

ActiveWindow.View.Draft = True

End Sub

The first will run automatically every time you open an existing document, and the second will run when you create a new document.

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Answer accepted by question author

Jay Freedman 208.3K Volunteer Moderator

That one's hidden about as deeply as possible. A lot of the things in the Options dialog are properties of the Options object in VBA, so you can say things like Options.Overtype = False. Controlling the draft font display is not one of those things. :-(

Actually, it's a throwback to Word 2003 and earlier. The Dialogs collection includes a member called Dialogs(wdDialogToolsOptionsView), which refers to a tab of the Options dialog that no longer exists (and of course the Options command isn't on the Tools menu, which doesn't exist). That dialog has an argument named DraftFont, which is a boolean (true/false) value. So this is how you do it:

Sub AutoOpen()

Dim dlg As Dialog

Set dlg = Dialogs(wdDialogToolsOptionsView)

With dlg

.DraftFont = False

.Execute

End With

ActiveWindow.View.Draft = True

End Sub

and similarly for AutoNew().

By the way, both your original problem and this one point the the probability that there's something amiss in your Windows registry, because these things should be saved there automatically. This trouble sometimes happens when you have certain third-party add-ins or other programs that interfere with Word's ability to write to the registry. There can also be misconfiguration of the permissions for certain parts of the registry. If you think that working with macros is harrowing, you don't want to know how to troubleshoot the registry. If these two macros solve the problem, leave well enough alone.

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59 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-05-29T21:54:55+00:00

Thanks very much for the swift reply (and to Suzanne as well). I spotted Stefan Blom's post about the zipped macro just after I posted.

I've downloaded it, and it works well enough for a file that I've previously saved in draft view (though, sadly, the default view is still print layout... )

Unfortunately, though, it seems to interfere with another script I have running from my startup folder - this one to fix the weird removal of the Autocorrect options context-sensitive menu ("Add AutoCorrect to Word 2013 Spelling Shortcut Menu.dotm", available here: http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tip_pages/customize_shortcut_menu.html#WACR). Since installing Jay's macro in my startup folder, when I exit Word, and click "Save" to the question: "Want to save your changes to 'Add AutoCorrect to Word 2013 Spelling Shortcut Menu.dotm?" - which, annoyingly, appears even if I haven't made a single edit to a single document - I then get: "Run-time error '4248': This command is not available because no document is open".

Now, I don't know yet whether that's actually sabotaging the AutoCorrect macro (I'll report back on that); but it certainly makes me wonder why the *%£@! Microsoft couldn't just leave these options in in the first place - working properly as they used to in, say, 2007.

Suzanne: I noticed that you also posted on this thread about the AutoCorrect issue: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office\_365hp-word/where-has-autocorrect-gone-in-word-365/b8e8293e-e06f-43ef-b13f-f6c3716b623f

So, did you manage to get both of these "fixes" working together (preferably without the Save prompt for the latter) on one installation of Word?

On the issue of the link for setting up these macros manually, I have to say that, even though I'm pretty competent for a layman with IT issues (today, for example, I successfully trouble-shooted a problem with rooting my Google Nexus 5 smartphone, although it took me a few hours), I did find the instructions for installing macros a bit baffling - though I'll have another go. I can record macros without any problems, by the way - but the absence of straightforward instruction in help, or on the Microsoft website, for setting up these more complicated macros is very aggravating - especially since we're only in the position of having to do so because they buggered up their own software in the first place!!

Finally, a quick question: There is an option in File / Options / Advanced, under the General heading, that's called "Allow opening a document in Draft view". I've had that ticked all along, but it never seemed to make the slightest difference - i.e., even if I saved a document in draft view, with that option already ticked, it would STILL always open in print layout view. When I spoke to Microsoft support - both online and by phone - they told me that, to open a document in draft view, I'd have to install a macro, and they pointed me to this page. So, my question is, what on earth is that setting actually for? Does it do anything at all? Isn't this just a demonstration that their software is (apparently deliberately) broken? W, in other words, TF?

If anyone can enlighten me on any of the above, I'd be very grateful.
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Anonymous

2015-05-29T22:19:38+00:00
Thanks, Jay and Suzanne. I will try to tackle the macros later with the info you provided.

As for returning to the right place in the document body by keyboard after a search…

I discovered that what I actually need is now called “advanced find.” One way to get there is by clicking the arrow after “find” on the right end of the ribbon, then pressing “a.” After that it is just what I wanted! (Also known as “the traditional Find dialog box.”)

Does anybody know a keyboard shortcut for “advanced find,” so I can get there without any clicking at all?

You've probably fixed this by now, or else given up, but since I'm hanging around now on this thread with related problems, I thought I'd point you to this:

http://wordribbon.tips.net/T011389\_Making\_Ctrl\_F\_Work\_Traditionally.html
- which restores the traditional behaviour when you hit Ctrl-F.
It's one of many minor, but completely exasperating, fixes that I've had to apply after "upgrading" from Word 2007 to 2013...
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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2015-05-29T22:52:29+00:00

FWIW, I haven't personally installed any of these macros because I don't use Word 2013 except for reference and testing. I'm actually still using Word 2003 for production work because I have it highly customized with personal toolbars and menus. I do quite like many of the features in Word 2010, but most of the time I don't need them. I will NEVER use Word 2013, for quite a few reasons, not least of which is bungling of text boundaries.
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