Built-in styles

JSachs said:

Why does Word have so many built-in styles that can't be deleted?

I have never found an answer to that question.

JSachs said:

Is there any way to get rid of these things?

Yes, create a template of your own in which you variously hide, remove & prevent use of unwanted styles.


To prevent use of unwanted Word styles:-
The following procedure & its diagrams have been taken from Word 2021 & Word 2007. There is no significant difference between these two Word versions in this regard. Word 2021 is the one with almost all the colour drained out of it & replaced with drab grey.


1.1 Open the folder containing your templates. Its location can be found in Word, File menu {Office button in Word 2007}, Options, Advanced, File locations. Your Normal.dotm, if it exists, else Normal.dotx will be in your User templates folder.

1.2 Ensure you can get back to square one if it all goes horribly wrong by making a backup copy of the existing Normal.dotm, if it exists, else Normal.dotx.
1.3 If Normal.dotm/.dotx has the read-only attribute set, then clear it.

1.4 Then right-click on Normal.dotm/.dotx & select Open [double-clicking on it instead would just create a new document not open the template itself].


2 A simple preliminary step - If all you are interested in doing is removing some styles from the Style Gallery then you can right-click on each of the unwanted ones and select Remove from Quick Style Gallery to remove those you don't want cluttering the place up for you.
-
This does not delete any styles; it merely removes them from view. It does not stop anybody choosing unwanted styles.


3 Click on the little Style control symbol in the bottom-right of the Home Ribbon's, Style Gallery



4 Click on the bottom-right icon in the Home Ribbon, Style Gallery, Styles control list



5 Manage styles will let you set up your own 'house' styles and delete many of the built-in ones that you don't want.



6 Then return to the Styles control list seen in step 4.
Right-click on any styles that you want to add to the Style gallery, such as any new 'house' styles you've just set up. Select Add to Quick style gallery.



7 Then prevent use of unwanted styles using
Word 2021 - Review Ribbon, Protect section, Restrict editing
Word 2007 - Review Ribbon, Protect section, Protect document
then

1 Limit formatting to a selection of styles then,
2 Editing restrictions, then
3 Start enforcement.

As you can see, there is a None button.
- I urge you not to use it because that would disrupt some Word functions by preventing use of many behind-the-scenes styles. Table of contents styles are one set that comes to mind.
- Instead, I suggest you work your way down the styles list and clear its checkbox only if you are sure you do not want it to be used. {You might want to take screenshots to record your decisions & enable later reflection. I had to take 34 screenshots to capture the whole list.}

-


8 Then save the template.
When I finish tailoring then saving my own Normal.dotm/.dotx, I set the file to read-only [in File explorer] so that no unapproved changes can be saved in it & I make a new backup of it.



Best of luck,
Denis

I wrote the whole thing out by myself without copying a single thing. I also made all the diagrams myself.


Denis

20th Feb 2023 - Step 5 added to post #2 & intro para modified to suit.
24th March 2023 - Post #2 reviewed & amended - preliminary steps improved, additional illustrations, general verbage improved.

Denis