ID: Q180142
The information in this article applies to:
This article describes what a master document is, the advantages of a master document, how to create one, how to work with master documents and their sub-documents, and how to print a master document.
NOTE: Most of the information in this article is contained at various places within Microsoft Word Help; however that information has been compiled in this article for an easy reference tool.
A master document is a container for pointers to individual documents called subdocuments. Within the master document, the subdocuments appear to be one long document; but in reality, they are individual documents.
A master document helps you to organize and to maintain the multiple subdocuments as a long document. With a master document, you can work either with the entire long document or with any individual subdocument. Any Word Document can be a master document or a subdocument.
You can work individually in a master document (a long document) that you create yourself, or you can work with others within a workgroup to create and to revise subdocuments of the master document at the same time.
Working with a master document instead of individual Word document makes it easier to:
You can set up a master document by doing any of the following:
The total size of a master document and its subdocuments cannot exceed 32 megabytes (MB).
In Microsoft Windows 3.x using Word 6.x, the number of subdocuments in a master document is limited by available file handles. The number of file handles will vary based on the amount of contiguous memory that is available. For example, the number of available file handles will be affected by how much physical RAM you have installed on your system, the number and behavior of other applications in memory, and how much memory you have allocated to Word. When the system can no longer expand into memory, it can no longer create file handles.
On the Macintosh, system memory starts at the lower addresses and fills upward. Well-behaved applications start at the highest addresses and fill downward. As long as there is free memory at the lower address space between these two areas, the system can expand into this area. When it can no longer expand into this area, either because it bumps into another application's memory or because another application loads into memory immediately above the system memory, the system will not be able to create file handles.
For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q131843
TITLE : WD6X: "Too Many Subdocuments Open" in a MacWord Master
Document
ARTICLE-ID: Q113908
TITLE : Troubleshooting Guide: Master Document Error Messages
In Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT, the maximum number of subdocuments
allowed in a master document depends on the number of files you have open,
the size of the files you have open, the number of programs you are
running, the amount of computer memory, the operating system you are using,
and other system configurations. If you reach this limit when you save the
master document, Word can't save your documents. To work around this
problem, you can do one of the following:
Word looks for the built-in heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 9) when it creates subdocuments. As you set up a master document, make sure you use these built-in styles to create headings. If you use the Promote and Demote buttons on the Outlining toolbar, Word automatically applies the built-in heading styles.
You can also use the Style box on the formatting toolbar to apply a built- in heading style to the paragraph.
As you organize the headings, decide which heading level will mark the beginning of each subdocument. For example, you might want to use a Heading 1 for the title of the entire document and keep that text as part of the master document instead of including it in any of the subdocuments. You could then use a Heading 2 wherever you want to start a new subdocument.
To create a master document from scratch, follow these steps:
1. Open a new document.
2. On the View menu, click Master Document.
NOTE: The Outlining and Master Document toolbars appear.
3. Type an outline for the master document, using the buttons on the
Outlining toolbar to create, promote, and demote headings. Pick a
heading level to mark the beginning of each subdocument.
For example:
Type the following information into a new document in Master Document
view.
Type this outline: Using this style:
The Solar System Set style to Heading 1:
Mercury Set style to Heading 2:
Geology Set style to Heading 3:
Atmosphere Set style to Heading 3:
Venus Set style to Heading 2:
Geology Set style to Heading 3:
Atmosphere Set style to Heading 3:
Earth Set style to Heading 2:
Geology Set style to Heading 3:
Atmosphere Set style to Heading 3:
Moons Set style to Heading 3:
NOTE: Heading 1 is used for the title of the master document, and
Heading 2 is used for the beginning of each subdocument as you create it
in step 3.
3. Select the headings you want to divide into subdocuments. You can select
any or all of the headings. Make sure that the first heading in the
selection is the heading level you want Word to use for the beginning of
each subdocument.
For our example above, start selecting with the first Heading 2 setting
(Mercury) and select through Moons. Because the first line selected has
the style set to Heading 2, a subdocument is created for each line
selected that is formatted with the Heading 2 style.
4. Click the Create Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar. Word
will create the subdocuments.
In our example, 3 subdocuments are formed; one for Mercury, one for
Venus, and one for Earth because the first selection was a Heading 2 and
Mercury, Venus, and Earth are formatted with Heading 2 styles.
Note what you see on the screen: Word encloses each subdocument in a box
(called the subdocument box) and displays a subdocument icon in the
upper-left corner of each box. Word also separates subdocuments with a
section break above the top and bottom parts of the subdocument box. In
order to see the section break identifiers, you must have the Show/Hide
turned on. (Click the Show/Hide button or click Options on the Tools
menu, select the View tab, click to select All under Non-printing
characters). It is recommended that this setting is always turned on
when working in the Master Document View. To determine the type of
section break that was inserted, follow these steps:
a. Move the insertion point below the top section break of the
subdocument.
b. On the File menu, click Page Setup and then click the Layout tab.
c. The type of section break is listed under Section Start.
d. Click Cancel.
5. Click Save As on the File menu. Enter a name in the (Word for Windows)
File Name box or (Word for Macintosh) "Save Current Document as" box and
then click (Word 6.x for Macintosh, Word 7.x and 97 for Windows) Save
or (Word 6.x for Windows) OK. Word will save the master document and all
of its subdocuments in the location you specify and will automatically
assign file names to the subdocuments.
NOTES:
- To see the file name that Word assigned to a subdocument, double-click
the subdocument icon to open the subdocument. You will see the name of
the subdocument in the title bar. (To close the subdocument, click
Close on the File menu to return to the master document.). In Word 97,
you can press the Collapse Subdocument button on the Master Document
toolbar.
- When you save a master document, the subdocuments are separate
individual documents as well as the master document. In our example,
we have 4 files saved (1 for the master document and 3 for the
subdocuments).
To create a master document by inserting existing Word documents, follow these steps:
1. In master document view, open the master document to which you want to
add an existing Word document as a subdocument.
2. Position the insertion point where you want to add the existing document
as a subdocument.
NOTE: Make sure that Show/Hide is turned on and that your insertion
point is not contained within a subdocument.
3. On the Master Document toolbar, click the Insert Subdocument button.
4. In the File Name box (Word for Windows) or the Select a Document box
(Word for Macintosh), type or select the name of the document you want
to add, and then click Open (Word 7.x and 97 for Windows) or OK (Windows
and Macintosh Word 6.x).
Word adds the document and keeps its original file name.
NOTE: If the new document and the master document are based on different
templates, or if they have different settings, Word uses the formatting
from the template attached to the master document when you work with the
subdocument from within the master document. However, if you open the
subdocument from either within or outside the master document, Word uses
the formatting of the template attached to the subdocument. (See more
information under "Using Templates with Master Documents" later in this
article.)
You can work with a master document either in Master Document view or in Normal view. To work most effectively, follow these guidelines:
Working with a subdocument is much like working on a normal Word document, with the following important distinctions:
To open a subdocument from within a master document, follow these steps:
1. Open the master document, and click Master Document on the View
menu.
2. To open the subdocument, double-click the subdocument icon.
NOTE: If other users need to work on the master document, close the
master document so that they can access it.
3. Edit the subdocument.
4. When you finish making changes, save the subdocument.
When you save the subdocument, Word automatically updates the changes in the subdocument and its master documents.
To change the type of section break, follow these steps:
At times, you may need to change the type of section break, for example, from a Continuous to a New Page or Odd Page section break. This occurs most frequently at the beginning of a new chapter of a book. Do the following to change the type of section break.
1. Open the Master Document and click Normal on the View menu.
2. Move the insertion point to the first page of the subdocument (chapter)
that you want to change the type of section break.
3. On the File menu, click Page Setup, and then click the Layout tab.
4. Under Section Break, click the drop-down list and select the type of
Section Start that you want to use.
5. Beside Apply To, select This Section.
6. Click OK.
If you rename a subdocument or move it to a different disk, directory, or folder, make sure that you first open the subdocument from within its master document. Then, use the Save As command on the File menu to rename the subdocument or to save it in a new location. Do not close the master document until you have saved the subdocument you renamed or moved. Do the following to correctly rename or change the location of a subdocument.
To rename or change the location of a subdocument, follow these steps:
1. Open the master document, and click Master Document on the View
menu.
2. To open the subdocument, double-click the subdocument icon.
3. On the File menu, click Save As.
4. Type a new file name or location for the subdocument, and then click
Save (Word 6.x for Macintosh, Word 7.x and 97 for Windows) or OK (Word
6.x for Windows).
5. Click Close on the File menu to return to the master document.
NOTE: If you no longer need the previous version of a subdocument, you may want to delete it.
To move a master document and its subdocuments, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q105550
TITLE : WD: Error Message: "Subdocument Is Missing..."
To rearrange subdocuments within a master document, follow these steps:
1. In master document view, do one of the following:
- To select an entire subdocument, click the subdocument icon.
- To move certain headings within or among subdocuments, select only
the headings you want to move.
2. Drag the subdocument icon or Heading level symbol to the new location.
NOTES:
1. In Master Document view, select the heading or other location where you
want to split the subdocument.
2. On the Master Document toolbar, click the Split Subdocument button.
3. To save the changes in both the master document and the subdocuments,
click Save on the File menu.
For additional information, please see the following article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q121108
TITLE : WD: Using the Split Subdocument Icon May Create Empty
Documents
To merge subdocuments, follow these steps:
1. To merge subdocuments, they first need to be consecutive; therefore, in
Master Document view, move the subdocuments next to one another in the
master document.
2. Click the subdocument icon to select the first subdocument that you want
to merge.
3. To select the next subdocument, hold down SHIFT and click its
subdocument icon.
4. Repeat step 3 for each subdocument that you want to merge.
5. On the Master Document toolbar, click the Merge Subdocument button.
Notes:
1. In master document view, click the subdocument icon to select the
subdocument that you want to convert into the master document.
2. On the Master Document toolbar, click the Remove Subdocument button.
Word will convert the subdocument into part of the master document retaining all associated section breaks.
To remove the contents of a subdocument from a master document, switch to master document view, and then remove the subdocument. Do not just delete a subdocument from the disk; if you do this, you'll get an error message the next time you open the master document. If you want to delete a subdocument, first remove it from its master document, and then delete it from the disk by doing the following.
To remove a subdocument and its contents from a master document, follow these steps:
1. In Master Document view, click the subdocument icon to select the
subdocument that you want to remove.
2. Press BACKSPACE or DELETE.
Word removes the subdocument form a master document retaining all associated section breaks.
NOTE: When you remove the subdocument from the master document, the subdocument still exists on the drive and in the directory where it was stored.
Word provides a special type of file locking to make it easier for several people to work simultaneously on a master document and its subdocuments.
When you open a master document, Word opens the subdocuments that "belong" to you as read-write files, which you can both view and edit. Word opens the subdocuments you didn't create as read-only files. You can view these locked subdocuments, but you can't make changes to them until you unlock them. Word determines whether you are the author of a subdocument by checking the Author field in the subdocument's summary information against the name you supplied when you installed Word.
Of course, if another user has opened a master document or subdocument and is making changes to it, the normal network file-protection system also applies. You cannot open and make changes to a file that another user is working on.
The special file-locking feature for master documents and subdocuments is not designed to protect documents from changes. It's simply a way to give users easy access to the subdocuments they created and are therefore most likely to work on. Anyone can unlock any subdocument by using the Lock Document button on the Master Document toolbar.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q133910
TITLE : Word Opens Master Document as Read-Only
When another user opens a master document or subdocument, even as read-only file, normally you cannot open that document as a read-write file. However, you can reserve read-write privileges by setting options on the Save tab of the Options dialog box.
To reserve read-write privileges for a master document or a subdocument, follow these steps:
1. Open the document for which you want to reserve read-write privileges.
2. On the File menu, click Save As, and then click the Options button.
3. On the Save tab, do one of the following:
- Type a password in the (Word 97) Password to Modify Box or
(Windows and Macintosh Word 6.x, Windows Word 7.x) Write
Reservation Password box.
-or-
- Select the Read-Only Recommended check box.
4. Click OK and in the Save As dialog box, click Save (Word 6.x for
Macintosh, and Word 7.x or 97 for Windows) or OK (Word 6.x for Windows).
When you select either of these options, other users can open the document
as a read-only file, but you can still open the document as a read-write
file. Other users can open a copy of the document as a read-write file if
they know the password or if they choose the No button when they open the
document. They will not be able to change the original document.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q113765
TITLE : Master Document Does Not Retain Protection Password
To lock or unlock a subdocument, follow these steps:
1. Open the master document.
2. In Master Document view, place the insertion point into the subdocument
you want to lock or unlock.
3. On the Master Document toolbar, click the Lock Document button.
NOTES:
ARTICLE-ID: Q114432
TITLE : WD: Troubleshooting Guide: File Locking in Master Document
You can format a master document just as you would any other Word document. You can also create a template for a master document, define styles for it, and apply formatting to any part of the master document or its subdocuments.
Because each subdocument is a section of the master document, you can change such section formatting as headers, page numbers, margins, and column layout at the beginning of each subdocument. You can also insert additional section breaks within a subdocument to control formatting within that subdocument.
When formatting a master document, keep the following basic rules in mind:
If you insert documents and make them part of a master document, each document retains its original section formatting. You may have to change the section formatting in the subdocuments if you want them to share the same headers, footers, page number format, and so on.
For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q113934
TITLE : Using Headers and Footers with Master Documents
ARTICLE-ID: Q114170
TITLE : Heading Numbering in Subdocument Does Not Appear in Master
Document
ARTICLE-ID: Q110935
TITLE : Chapter Page Numbering May Not Appear in Master Documents
ARTICLE-ID: Q85451
TITLE : How INCLUDE Fields Affect Headers/Footers in Master
Documents
When you work with subdocuments from within a master document, the style definitions in the master document's template override the style definitions in a subdocument's template. However, the column layout, margins, special page number settings, and other section formatting in each subdocument remain in effect.
On the other hand, if you open a subdocument outside of a master document, the subdocument's original formatting and settings apply. The association between the subdocument and its template isn't broken.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q113735
TITLE : Template and User Styles not Saved in Subdocument
Using a master document to create a long document simplifies the creation of cross-references, indexes, tables of contents, tables of figures, tables of authorities, and other lists.
You can make a table of contents and index part of the master document, or you can make them into subdocuments. It's important, however, to update a table of contents, an index, or cross-references from within the master document. If you update any of these items outside of the master document, they will not reflect the entire master document, and you will see error messages in the subdocuments instead of the appropriate numbers of cross- references.
For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q140435
TITLE : WD: Chapter Numbers Start at 0 in Master Document TOC or
Index
ARTICLE-ID: Q119514
TITLE : WD: Errors in Cross-References in Master Document or
Subdocument
You can create a table of contents for a long document by opening the master document and switching to master document view. Position the insertion point where you want to insert the table of contents, and then use the Index And Tables command on the Insert menu to compile the table of contents. To update a table of contents, open the master document, switch to normal view, position the insertion point anywhere in the table of contents, and then press F9.
For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: XD1033
TITLE : How to Create a Table of Contents in Word
ARTICLE-ID: Q142459
TITLE : WD: How to build a Table of Contents Using Custom Styles
Using a master document is the only way to create cross-references that point to items in different documents. Just open a master document in normal view, and then use the procedures for creating cross-references as if you were working on a single large document. In effect, when you use a master document, you can ignore the "boundaries" between subdocuments.
Keep in mind, however, that when you open the individual subdocuments, you cannot create or update cross-references to other subdocuments; you must work on the master document to do this.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q173404
TITLE : WD: General Information About Cross-Reference Fields
Creating an index for a master document is easier than compiling an index for a series of Word documents. Just add index entries in the usual way as you work on subdocuments.
When you are ready to compile the index, open the master document, and then position the insertion point where you want to include the index. To update the index, open the master document, position the insertion point anywhere in the index, and then press F9.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q125937
TITLE : WD: How to Create a Table of Contents and Index With Field
Codes
You can print master documents in two ways. To print the entire master document, print it from Normal view. If you want to print only the outline of a master document, print the master document from Master Document view. For example, you can choose to print only the top two heading levels.
If you want to print the contents of a particular subdocument, you can open that subdocument and then print it in the normal way. If the subdocument contains cross-references to other subdocuments, however, you must print the master document--not the individual subdocument--so that the cross- references are updated properly.
To print a master document, do the following:
1. Do one of the following:
- To control the amount of detail you want printed, display the
master document in Master Document view. Expand or collapse
headings to display as much of the document as you want to print.
-or-
- To print the entire document, display the master document in
Normal view.
2. On the File menu, click Print.
3. Select the printing options you want, and then click OK.
Click the Office Assistant, type "master document," click Search, and then click one of the choices.
NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
TITLE : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
Program or Component
1. Click Answer Wizard on the Help menu.
2. Under Type your request, type "master document," and then click Search.
3. Select a topic and then click Display.
1. Click Search for Help on the Help menu.
2. Type "master document," select Master Documents, and then click Show
Topics.
3. Select Using Master Documents to Manage Long Documents and then click
GoTo.
4. Select a topic to read.
Microsoft Word's User's Guide, version 6.0, Chapter 24, "Using Master Documents to Manage Long Documents"
Keywords : kbfaq
Version : MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a; WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a,97
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto kbinfo
Last Reviewed: February 11, 1999