Why Are the Fonts Grayed Out in My Word Doc?

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Grayed out.

It seems like everyone has run across a dimmed or grayed out font menu in Word, typically right before a big report or presentation is due. Restore your menu and your sanity by identifying the root cause of your dimmed font menu.

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Protected Document

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Document protection stops an end user from making changes to a Word document. It's typically turned on when sharing a document you want others to read, but not edit, but it can also be turned on by mistake. Confirm that document protection is off.

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Word Isn't Activated

Microsoft Word is a paid software program, but is sometimes available for free for a timed trial. If a valid registration code isn't entered by the end of this trial, most features--including the font menu--will become unavailable.

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Insufficient User Privileges

Sometimes an error in the Windows registry denies the current user access to certain features, including the font menu in Word. Fixing this error usually requires re-installing Word and editing the registry file.

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Damaged Settings File

A damaged preferences file may prevent certain menu items from functioning In Office for Mac. Drag the existing preferences file out onto the desktop and re-launch Word to test it.

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Word 5.1 Menus Enabled

Office for Mac has a Word 5.1 Menu option that will switch the current menu items into the previous Word 5.1 format. Accidentally toggling this option may result in a dimmed or missing font menu.

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