I just did a clean install of Word 2007 in Windows 10. The default for new documents is that all the boxes in the autoformat as you type [ordinals, smart quotes, *bold* and _italics-] are checked. However, neither the *bold* nor _italics_ functions work, even though I have turned them on, and off, and on. And there are some functions, such as ordinals and smart quotes, that I cannot turn off, and that continue to work even after I uncheck the boxes. So there a set of functions that will and won't work at all times, irrespective of whether they are checked off as autoformat as you type.

Are you sure this is AutoFormat as you Type rather than AutoFormat? There are two different tabs and the settings are not connected.

Why on earth would you be using the *bold* and _italics_ shortcuts rather than Ctrl+B and Ctrl+I?

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.

__________________
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.