Whether you’re writing a contract, some terms and conditions, or a cover letter, don’t waste time repeating the same names and words throughout your document. In Microsoft Word, you create auto-repeating fields, saving you from having to duplicate the details manually.
Step 1: Create a Document Property
Document properties in Microsoft Word are details about the file, also known as metadata. For example, a document might have an author, a subject, a category, or a company assigned to it, and you can insert these properties into your work as text fields, or use them to search for a document in Windows Explorer.
However, one of the ways in which I use Word’s document property tool is to add a customized repeating text field.
In my case, I’m drafting a contract of employment, so I know I’ll have to repeat the company name and the employee name. I also know that I will have to change the employee name each time someone new is onboarded, and the document property tool lets me do this without having to change them manually or use the Find And Replace tool.
In the Insert tab on the ribbon, click “Quick Parts,” and hover over “Document Property.” Scan the list of properties to see whether there’s a category that works for the repeated detail you want to add. After typing the first few words of my contract title, I’ll click “Company” to add a company field.
If you’re working on a business computer, your admin might have already set up the company name in your Microsoft 365 package, meaning the company name appears automatically. In my case, Word inserts a blank [Company] field into my document, with the square parenthesis representing placeholder text that has yet to be overwritten.
To add text before a field at the start of a line or after a field at the end of a line, press the Home or End key. Make sure you don’t accidentally add extra text to the fields themselves, as this content will repeat throughout your document when you copy the field elsewhere!
It’s now time to add the employee field. Since there isn’t a specific option for this in the Quick Parts > Document Property drop-down, I’ll click “Abstract.”
Before I type the employee’s name into this field, I want to change the field name from Abstract to Employee. To do this, after selecting the Abstract field I just added, I will click “Properties” in the Controls group of the Developer tab.
In the Content Control Properties dialog box, change the Title and Tag fields to match the type of data it will contain, and click “OK.”
Now, I can see that my text field has been renamed “Employee.” I don’t need to do this for my Company field, as this is a default document property that already has the correct name.
Finally, I can click each of the two fields I have added, and insert the correct details.
Step 2: Add the Repeating Fields
Now that you’ve set up your text fields, it’s time to duplicate them throughout your document.
There are several ways to do this, but the best method is to select the field with a single click, and then click the field name tab. You will know you’ve correctly selected the field when it adopts a gray highlight.
Next, press Ctrl+C to copy that field.
Now, with your cursor in the position where you want that field to be duplicated, press Ctrl+V.
Notice how the field and the text it contains are both copied to this duplicated location. Also, the pasted text field automatically adopts the text style I’m using in that paragraph, meaning I don’t have to use the Paste Special option.
Since my document contains two fields I want to duplicate, I will open the Clipboard pane by clicking the icon in the corner of the Clipboard group in the Home tab. When I select each of my two fields and press Ctrl+C, they appear in this pane, meaning I can simply click them each time I want to add them to my contract.
The Microsoft Office clipboard can hold up to 24 items, so this is a really handy technique if you’re repeating lots of different fields in your document.
Step 3: Change the Contents of the Repeating Fields
When you’ve finished duplicating these fields throughout your document, it’s time to see the magic happen.
Let’s say I want to change the name of the employee in my contract. To do this, I can click any of the duplicated Employee fields (not necessarily the original one I created at the start), and simply change the content. When I click away from that field, all instances of that field will update to match this change.
The duplicated fields will only update when you click away from the field you’re amending. Do not expect it to change in real time as you type!
Step 4: Save Your Work as a Template
Now that you’ve pieced together your document containing auto-updating duplicated fields, save it as a template for repeated use. Press F12, give your template an appropriate name, change the Save As Type field to “Word Template,” and click “Save.”
Now, when you open a new Word window, click “New,” and locate your template.
As soon as you click the template to open it, press F12 to save it as a new Word Document. Your document is now ready for you to change the text fields.
You can also add other types of fields to a Microsoft Word document through the Developer tab. For example, you can insert drop-down lists, plain text responses, and checkboxes when creating a fillable form to send to others.