How do I increase number of "Recently used File list" in word 2003

[Guest]

"Help" instructions say: Tools Menu>Options>General Tab . . . . . .
"Options" is shown in my "Tools Menu" but is not active. It is shown in very
light shaded blue print. Why would this be? Or is there some other way I can
get to "General Tab" so I can specify the number of recently used files that
appear on my "File" Menu?
All other functions of "Word", I have used so far, seem to be working fine.
I installed the software two months ago.

Angus

 

[Guest]

Angus:

Do you have a document (any document) open? You have to have one open for
Tools > Options to be available.

Bear

 

[Guest]

I opened a document, as you suggested, and then was able to increase my
number of "Recently used File list" to 9 (maximum). Your very fast and great
help is very much appreciated; Thank you.

Do you know if there is a way to go beyond "9" (current maximum)?
I would like to extend that number to 20.

Angus

 

[Guest]

Angus:

Sorry, mate. I don't know how to do that. It's possible that that setting is
stored somewhere -- maybe in the registry? -- and that you could make it
double-digit by editing it there. It's also possible that Word just won't
handle more than 9.

If anybody else knows, please chime in! I wouldn't mind adding a few more to
that list myself.

Bear

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The maximum in versions up through Word 2003 is 9. Word 2007 allows many
more (as many as can be displayed on the screen) and also allows you to
"pin" some files to be retained until they are unpinned (this functionality
is evidently intended as a replacement for the very useful Work menu, which
no longer exists in Word 2007).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Hello,

I looked for this 'very useful Work menu' but can't find it. I too would
like to see more than 9 files inthe MRU list but not at the cost of any
useful things. Care to explain what is this Work menu in Word?

Thanks,

AR

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The Work menu serves a slightly different purpose, as it can hold up to nine
files that you use frequently but that aren't necessarily the most recently
used. There are full instructions at
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/General/WorkMenu.htm, which is inaccessible at the
moment, but the basic idea is that you open Tools | Customize, select the
"Built-in Menus" category on the Commands tab, select the Work menu from the
bottom of the Commands list, and drag it to your menu bar.

To begin with, the Work menu includes only the option to Add to Work Menu.
When you click on that, the document you currently have open will be added,
up to nine. If you add a tenth document, the first one added will be bumped
off.

To remove a specific document from the menu, press Ctrl+Alt+Hyphen and click
on the desired file.

The Work menu no longer exists in Word 2007 (since there is no menu bar),
but the Office Button menu can hold many more files, and you can "pin" as
many as you like to keep them on the menu even when they're not recent.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Guest]

Suzanne,

Thanks for the info. We are still in Office 2003 and debating whether or not
to upgrade. It seems like the Work menu is a useful thing; but lot of times I
have cursed MS for only 9 items in the MRU. I remeber in the old days (Word
97?), there was a 3rd party macro that would let you expand the MRU list to
any number. Does anyone know of such a thing for Office 2003?

Thanks,

AR

 

[Graham Mayor]

Whether you want to change to Word 2007 in the short term is a matter for
you, but if you want easier access to your regularly used files in Word
2003, simply make better use of the folder structure in Windows and use the
places toolbar to access them from the file open dialog. There is no limit
to the number of files that can be accessed this way.
http://www.gmayor.com/customize_the_word_places_bar.htm

Be prepared for the requirement for staff training and a reduction in
productivity during the early weeks of changing to Word 2007 which is much
different in presentation from Word 2003.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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