You sir are absolutely correct, I was looking at the autoformat tab not the "autoformat as you type". You've solved that problem. But how does autoformat work? I still saw some changes in autoformat take place immediately and others not.



I used ctrl+I for years, but somewhere along the line I got into the muscle memory of using the shift and dash key, which are more closely grouped to the keys I routinely use even if it is an extra key stroke. Somehow crtl has become a reach. I was prepared to go back to the shortcut, but I had to know what was wrong.

The options on the AutoFormat tab determine what happens when you run the AutoFormat command. This command is not available on the ribbon; you have to add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. At File tab | Options | Quick Access Toolbar, look for the "AutoFormat" command in the "Commands Not in the Ribbon" category.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional

The settings on the AutoFormat tab apply when you run an AutoFormat on an entire document. It is sometimes used for formatting text from a web source.

No settings on that tab apply as you type text.