Where settings are stored in the registry for Word 2000

Main Locations of Word Settings

Most settings in Word are stored in the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word
Changes made to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry key are mirrored in the following registry key:

HKEY_USERS\Default\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word
The difference between the two locations is that the first one applies only to the current user of the system, and the other is the default for all users. Word entries are the same for both, however, so any change made to one is automatically reflected in the other.

For the remainder of this article, all references to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree apply also to the HKEY_USERS subtree, except where noted.

Settings in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word

The settings that you may have to examine during troubleshooting are located in this key. The Data key and the Options key are the most frequently changed areas.

Data Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Data

This key contains binary information for most recently used (MRU) lists, including the MRU file list and the MRU address book list. It also contains other information such as Track Changes settings and Edit settings.

Options Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Options

This key stores those options that you can set from Word, either by changing menu options or by running the RegOptions macro. These are the editable options.

The settings fall into two groups: default settings and optional settings. Default settings are established during Setup, and you can change them by modifying options in Word. Optional settings are not created during Setup; to add them you must run the RegOptions macro (discussed later in this article).

The default settings located in the Options key, and their purpose, are as follows:

NOTE: Most of the following settings are not present in the registry until you make a change in Word and then quit Word.

Stationery Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Stationery

This key contains the default location for the template for WordMail and the links to find the template.

The four settings here are:

Cfg File Location: Contains the path to the WordMail folder.

Default Template: Contains the path to the template (by default, Email.dot).

DlgDefTpl: Contains a link to the default template.

Option: Contains a link to the default template.

Table of Authorities Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Table of Authorities Categories
This key stores the Category list that appears in the Table of Authorities list when you press ALT+SHIFT+I or click Mark Citation in the Table of Authorities dialog box. The Table of Authorities dialog box can be accessed by clicking Index and Tables on the Insert menu.

For example:
Category 1 "Cases"
Category 2 "Statutes"
Category 10 "10"

Wizards Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Word\Wizards

All wizard defaults are stored here. These settings are created the first time you run a wizard.

Settings in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common

This key is used by other Microsoft programs, such as the Office programs. Likewise, these settings are shared between programs. Changes made in one program's settings also appear in the other programs.

Assistant: Contains information about the chosen Office Assistant.

FileNew: Contains paths for local and shared templates.

Internet: Stores settings for FTP sites and icons.

Open Find: Stores default settings for Open and Save dialog boxes in Microsoft Word, including current view and file name and MRU lists.

Toolbars: Sets Tooltips on or off and sets button sizes for toolbars.

Userinfo: Contains user information including address, name, and initials.

UserTemplates: Contains folder location for User templates.

SharedTemplates: Contains folder location for Workgroup templates.

Settings in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools

This key contains paths for all Windows applets such as Equation, WordArt, and Microsoft Graph. Paths for graphics filters and text converters are also registered in this location. There are two keys here that pertain especially to Word. One is the Graphics Filters key, which registers the import and export filters, and the other is the Text Converters key, which registers import and export converters. In addition, each filter and converter is registered individually. A list of clients using a filter, converter, or applet is listed under each tool.

Miscellaneous Settings

The .doc file name extension is registered in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in several ways and can be found in the following registry roots:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Equation Editor options outlined in the RegOptions macro are registered in the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Equation Editor\3.0\Options\General
NOTE: Settings for General options (on the Tools menu, click Options and then click the General tab) do not appear unless options have been changed or set.

Using the RegOptions Macro

The RegOptions (Registry Options) macro can be used to examine the Windows registry or to make changes to Word settings stored there. For additional information about the RegOptions macro, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

237356 HOW TO: Access Sample Macros for Word 2000