Ending Overtype Mode Permanently (!) in MS Word

I have a new laptop.  And this Lenovo ThinkPad is awesome, the keyboard a writer’s dream.

But (and don’t we all have buts!), there is one issue that has plagued me.  This post’s title gives it away, of course.

Overtype mode needed to be stopped.

A Google search became paramount, and for a change my “Google Fu” struck a major hit.  Or in this case, a lethal blow – allowing me to kill the Insert key, which I didn’t understand had been the reason behind my little agony.

On my ThinkPad, the Insert key just happens to reside next to the Delete and Backspace buttons regularly used during story editing.  For months I’d been going through Tools → Options → Edit tab to uncheck the Overtype mode box in the uppermost left hand column.

No longer.  Thank the heavens.

With no further ado, here is how you kill the INS key.

1. Start Word
2. Click on the Tools menu
3. Click Customize
4. Click the Options tab
5. Click Keyboard
6. Under the Categories dropdown box, select All Commands
7. Under the Commands dropdown box, select Overtype
8. Under the Current keys dropdown box, select Insert
9. Click Remove
10. Click Close until the dialog windows close.

That’s it.  Wasn’t that easy?  Can’t you just feel that weight lifting from your shoulders?  Well, that might be a little overly dramatic.  Maybe.

I must say thanks to Steve Thomas and the guys at tech-recipes.com both for sharing this information.  You can find the original post here:

Web Development Learnings
 

Happy writing!

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