How to Repeat and Update Fields in Word—Quick and Easy! ✨🖊️

Whether you're drafting a contract, terms and conditions, or a cover letter, don't waste time repeating the same names and words in your document! In Microsoft Word, you can create automatically repeating text fields, saving you the trouble of manually duplicating details. 🖊️✨

Step 1: Create a Document Property

Document properties in Microsoft Word are details about the file, also known as metadata. For example, a document can have an assigned author, subject, category, or company, 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 I use Word's properties tool is to add a custom repeating text field. 💼

In my case, I'm drafting an employment contract, so I know I'll need to repeat the company name and the employee name. I'm also aware that I'll need to change the employee name every time I add a new employee, and the document properties tool allows me to do this without having to manually change them or use the Find and Replace feature. 🔄

On the Insert tab of the ribbon, click “Quick Parts” and hover over “Document Property.” Scan the list of properties to see if there’s a category that works for the repeating 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 company computer, your administrator may have already set up the company name in your Microsoft 365 package, which would automatically insert the company name. In my case, Word inserted a blank [Company] field into my document, with the brackets indicating it's placeholder text that hasn't been edited yet. 📄

Now it's time to add the employee field. Since there isn't a specific option for this in the Quick Parts > Document Ownership dropdown menu, I'll click "Summary." 📝

Before entering the employee's name in this field, I want to change the field name from Summary to Employee. To do this, after selecting the Summary field I just added, I'll click "Properties" in the Controls group on the Developer tab. 🛠️

In the Content Control Properties dialog box, change the Title and Label fields to match the type of data the control will contain, and click OK. 👍

Now, I can see that my text field has been renamed to “Employee.” I don’t need to do this for my Company field, as it’s a default document property that already has the correct name. ✅

Finally, I can click on each of the two fields I added and enter the correct details. 👥

Step 2: Add 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 way is to select the field with a single click and then click the field name tab. You'll know you've selected the field correctly when it turns gray. 🖱️

Then press Ctrl+C to copy that field. 🔄

Now, with the cursor where you want to duplicate that field, press Ctrl+V. 📋

Notice how the field and the text it contains are copied to this duplicate 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'll open the clipboard panel by clicking the icon in the corner of the clipboard group on the Home tab. When I select each of my two fields and press Ctrl+C, they'll appear in this panel, meaning I can simply click on them whenever I want to add them to my contract. 📋✨

The Microsoft Office clipboard can hold up to 24 items, so this is a very useful technique if you're repeating a lot of different fields in your document. 🗒️

Step 3: Change the Content of Repeating Fields

Once you've finished duplicating these fields throughout your document, it's time to see the magic happen. 🎩✨

Suppose I want to change the employee's name on my contract. To do so, I can click on any of the duplicate Employee fields (not necessarily the original one I created at the beginning), and simply change the content. When I click outside that field, all instances of that field will update to match this change. 🔄

Duplicate fields will only update when you click outside the field you're editing. Don't expect it to change in real time while you type! ⏳

Step 4: Save Your Work as a Template

Now that you've put together your document with the automatically updating repeating fields, save it as a template for future use. Press F12, give your template a suitable 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 edit 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, free-text responses, and checkboxes when creating a form that you'll send to others. 📝➡️