Word 2011 tips and fixes

Tips and advice for Word 2011 for the Mac.

  2 minute read  

If, for whatever reason, you’re using Microsoft Word 2011 for the Mac, the following tips may help:

  • If the tabs don’t respond to mouse clicks, try clicking the very top pixel of the tab (or as close to it as you can manage).

    For some unknown reason, this seems to do the trick.

  • The A footer of section _x_ is set outside the printable area of this page error indicates that the footer (or header) is larger than the non-printable area of the page.

    To fix this:

    1. Select the Header and Footer tab.

    2. In the Position section, set the Header from Top and Footer from Bottom fields to appropriate values.

      If you’re unsure, try 0.5. (The actual minimum value varies according to the printer.)

    This problem tends to appear in documents edited and saved on devices using different pages sizes.

    Because paper sizes vary between countries and geographic regions, page size defaults change when you open a document.

    This can push page margins, headers, and footers beyond expected ranges.

  • When transferring files between different countries, regions, and languages, use care to verify the Page Setup and Default Language settings before printing or redistributing the document.

  • To update (regenerate) a table of contents (toc), move the cursor inside the toc and then press F9.

  • Revision marks consume a lot of memory.

    If the document requires several seconds to render or navigate, try clearing previous revision marks.

  • The following keyboard shortcuts help manage list and paragraph indents:

    • Promote bullet one level (move right): [Shift] + [Control] + [Right arrow]
    • Demote bullet one level (move left): [Shift] + [Control] + [Left arrow]
    • Indent paragraph one tab stop (move right): [Control] + [Shift] + [M]
    • Unindent paragraph one tab stop (move left): [Shift] + [Command] + [M]

  • To convert legacy Word documents to other formats, take a look at pandoc

Background

Prior to the release of Word 2016 for the Mac, Word 2011 was the latest version of the word processor available for Mac devices.

Given the longevity of older Mac devices, it’s entirely possible that someone somewhere is still struggling to get their copy working.

Vital statistics

  • 15 February 2024: Article updated to current style.
  • 31 January 2017: Adding additional tips and fixes.
  • 28 January 2017: Original post