How to quote part of a text in another place in Word

Question

How to quote part of a text in another place in Word

Saint/112 40

Hello everyone!

I don't know the name of the feature I am looking for so I couldn't find it in the Help.

In a document I am writing I want to enter the date on the first page and have it displayed on the footers. It must not be the current date, it has to be the quotation of a fixed character chain.

TIA

Regards

Nick

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Stefan Blom 351.3K MVP Volunteer Moderator

At the location in the document where you want to type in the date, apply a unique paragraph style, meaning a style which is not used elsewhere in the document.

In the footer, add a STYLEREF field which references the style name.

Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:30:33.8+00:00

Thanks for you quick response Stefan.

To my surprise it worked! What to do in the dialog box is no intuitive but after several attempts and errors I managed to do the right thind.

Thanks for the very simple tip.

Nick
Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:33:26.57+00:00

Thanks for you quick response Stefan.

To my surprise it worked! What to do in the dialog box is no intuitive but after several attempts and errors I managed to do the right thind.

Thanks for the very simple tip.

Nick
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T14:03:59.19+00:00

You are welcome.

Indeed, the STYLEREF field is very useful.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:30:33.8+00:00

Thanks for you quick response Stefan.

To my surprise it worked! What to do in the dialog box is no intuitive but after several attempts and errors I managed to do the right thind.

Thanks for the very simple tip.

Nick
Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:33:26.57+00:00

Thanks for you quick response Stefan.

To my surprise it worked! What to do in the dialog box is no intuitive but after several attempts and errors I managed to do the right thind.

Thanks for the very simple tip.

Nick
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T14:03:59.19+00:00

You are welcome.

Indeed, the STYLEREF field is very useful.

Answer 1

Marcin Policht 107K MVP Volunteer Moderator

Looks like the feature you are looking for is called a Document Property field, which is often used through Quick Parts. It lets you enter a text string or date once and then display that exact same string elsewhere in the document, including in the footer. Because you are storing the date as a document property rather than using Word's DATE field, it remains fixed and does not automatically change to the current date.

The easiest method is to use one of Word's built-in document properties. On the first page, place your cursor where you want the date, go to Insert > Quick Parts > Document Property, and select an appropriate property such as Publish Date or Subject. A placeholder will appear; enter your fixed date, such as October 24, 2026.

Then double-click in the footer to open it. Go to Insert > Quick Parts > Document Property and select the exact same property you used on the first page. Word will display the same date in the footer. If you subsequently change the date in the document-property field on the first page, the footer will reflect the change as well.

If you want the date to be a fixed character string and do not want Word treating it as a date at all, this approach is particularly appropriate. The key is to use the same Document Property in both locations, rather than inserting Word's automatic DATE field.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:39:51.2033333+00:00

Thanks for you quick response Marcin.

I tried but in the Insert menu there is no Quick Parts item in my Word 2024.

Nick
Stefan Blom 351.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T17:06:59.9066667+00:00

Note that Insert > Quick Parts (etc.) only exists in Word for Windows.
Saint/112 40 Reputation points

2026-09-01T11:06:31.6+00:00

OK, thanks Stefan. We are victim of discrimination. ;-)

Nick