WD: Can't Type Last Character If Last Paragraph Mark Hidden

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you format the last paragraph mark in a Microsoft Word Document as hidden text, and then turn off the Show/Hide feature (click the Show/Hide button on the Standard toolbar), the following behaviors may occur.

Word for Windows

• Your insertion point moves to the left of the last character and you are not able to move the insertion point to the right.

  -and-

• If text to the left of the last paragraph mark was underlined, Word may remove the underline from the last word.

Word for Macintosh

• Word does not print the word immediately to the left of the last paragraph mark, or show it in print preview. However, if you select the word (do not select the paragraph mark), and click Font on the Format menu, the Hidden check box (under Effects) is not selected.

WORKAROUND

To be able to type to the right of the last character, turn on the Show/Hide feature by doing one of the following:

• Click the Show/Hide button on the Standard Toolbar.

  -or-

• Show all nonprinting characters. To do this, follow these steps:

        1. On the Tools menu, click Options and then click the View tab.
  

        2. Under Nonprinting Characters, click to select the All check box.
  

        3. Click OK.
  

Word for Macintosh

To print the last word of the document, include hidden text to be printed with the document. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then select the Print tab.

2. Under Include With Document, click to select the Hidden Text check box.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Word listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Word for Windows

This problem only affects how the document looks on the screen. Word prints the document correctly.