How to use Linked Text in Word to update multiple documents
One of the best aspects of Microsoft Word is the ability for users to add the same text to multiple documents. The basic way of doing this is to simply copy and paste, but what if you have several documents with the same address? The easiest way to change the address details is not to copy and paste. The plan here is to use a trick known as Linked Text, and from what we can tell, it works quite fine. At least, much better than we originally expected, and that is wonderful.
What is Linked Text in Word
OK, so that is quite simple to answer. You see, the idea is to change a particular line or paragraph of text in one document and watch as the same text in other documents just automatically change themselves. It may sound like a magic trick but trust us when we say this is the real deal.
To create and add a Linked Text:
- Copy text from the original document
- Open the other document(s) and use Paste Special
- Paste the Linked Text
1] Copy text from the original document
OK, so the first thing you will want to do, is to create a document with the piece of important text. Save that document before moving forward because doing so is very important. From there, copy the text to the clipboard.
2] Open the other document(s) and use Paste Special
The next step is to open the receiving documents, click the mouse cursor into the space where you want to paste the recently copied text. From there click on the Paste icon located at the top-left corner of the Ribbon. After doing that, select Paste Special. A small window should now appear with several options to take advantage of.
3] Paste the Linked Text
When it comes down to pasting the text, you will want to choose to Paste Link > Formatted Text (RTF). Finally, hit the OK button and your text should appear.
Now, should you ever edit the text from the original document, then automatically the same words will be changed in the others.
Hope this helps.
