Why is word replacing letters

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed , times. Learn more Isn't it frustrating when you're typing and your new words start deleting the words already on the page? You might be thinking your PC's been hacked, but the issue is usually that you've pressed the Ins Insert key on the keyboard.

Press the Insert or Ins key. Retype your text. Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. You can toggle between these two modes by pressing a key; if you don't think you'll ever use the overtype mode, you can also permanently switch it off in Microsoft Word. Press the "Ins" key to toggle overtype mode off. Depending on your keyboard model, this key may also be labeled "Insert. If you want to permanently disable it in Word so you don't accidentally activate it, continue to the next step.

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Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface Word or later? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

View the most recent newsletter. Toggle navigation. The third method to turn on overtype mode is to follow these steps: Display the Word Options dialog box. In Word click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word or a later version, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options. Click Advanced at the left side of the dialog box. See Figure 1. Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Word Options dialog box.

Click on the Use Overtype Mode check box. Click on OK. Author Bio. Adding Hyphens to Phrases Editing text to turn regular words into hyphenated phrases can be a real bother. Discover More. Changing Strikethrough Lines Want to change the way a strikethrough line appears? Only Showing the Maximum of Multiple Iterations When you recalculate a worksheet, you can determine the maximum of a range of values. More WordTips ribbon. Removing Entire Paragraphs from Your Document If you need to get rid of a lot of paragraphs in a document, it's easy to do as long as the document relies on styles for