Have you ever got bogged down in a lengthy document, so you can’t remember where you are in it? Macros are a great productivity tool that casual users often don’t know about. Basically they gather a sequence of computer instructions into one. If you’re working on a Word document it’s easy to use macros to bookmark sections.
With two macros added to a document you can easily jump to wherever you need to be. There are short cuts and navigation tools in Word, but if you’re working with a document that’s as long as Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ you might need some bigger weapons.
How to Set Up a Macro
It’s really easy to set up a macro in Word. First you must launch the Visual Basic Editor, or VBE, by pressing Alt+F11. On the eft hand side you’ll see a file path menu. Double click on ‘ThisDocument’. That will open a box containing the document you’re working with. Copy the text below and paste it into the text box.
‘Insert bookmark for user.
Call Bookmarks.Add(“user”, Selection.Range)
End Sub
‘Return to previously inserted bookmark.
ActiveDocument.Bookmarks(“user”).Range.Select
End Sub
Now you can go back to the document you’re dealing with. Under the ‘File’ tab select ‘Options’ and then ‘Quick Access Toolbar’ (QAT). Under ‘Choose Commands From’ is a dropdown menu. Expand this and from the options (All Commands, Popular Commands and Macros) choose ‘Macros.
You’ve just made your new macros! They will now be visible in the left-hand side menu, Select the macro named InsertBookMark and click ‘Add’. This will move it to the right-hand column. Check that it’s still selected and then press ‘Modify’.
Now you need to name your macro. Enter it in the ‘Display name:’ text box. If you want you can also select an icon to suit you. To complete labeling the macro, press OK. You now need to repeat these steps with the second macro that’s labeled ‘ReturnToBookmark’. When you’re done click ‘OK’ to get out of the Word Options menu.
You’re all set! You’ll always be able to see your macros in the QAT menu in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, alongside the undo and redo buttons. When you want to mark a place in your document you just have to click on your new macro button. After you’ve moved to another page in your document all you need to do to get back to your bookmarked text is click your macro button again. It’s really simple and really useful!