[PCWorld]

Post your comments for 10 Microsoft Word 2013 headaches and how to cure them here

[countZero]

Microsoft can NEVER win. If its black, we wanted white. If its white, we wanted black. Would that reviews would be as hard on its competitors-- at least on occasion. In any case, the review and tips are appreciated.

[mcharlton1]

It's bloated, overpriced and confusing as usual. Need we say more? Save $10,000 in licening fees and get Openoffice instead.

[JohnUSA]

I also did not like Word 2013, as this article mentions this new version has many irritating features and I will not use it even though I have a fully activated one. I will keep using my 2007 and 2010 versions which I find much more friendly and useful.
Microsoft has a nasty and very irritating habit of changing things with new releases as they make it worst and not better by changing features and removing features. They stupidly think they they are making it better when in fact when they are making it worst.
Shame on Microsoft. They are run by imbeciles.
I also hate and will never use Windows 8, and anxiously are waiting for Windows 7 SP2 (maybe never) and the upcoming Windows 9 which Microsoft is rushing to release ASAP as they know how much users hate Windows 8.

[TsarNikky]

Excellent reasons to not buy Office 2013. Stick with an earlier version of Office, or use any of several free applications that "talk" with Word. Who needs the complexity and Microsoft's arrogance with the new product?

[KipDrordy]

This is what happens when a product is already as good as it can get. Microsoft is now making changes for the sake of change, not for the sake of a better product. There's really not much that can be done with Word that hasn't already been done in previous versions. Truth is few people use Word for more than 10% of its features.

[BulldogXX]

Microsoft's way is to make all its products look like the current version of Windows. That includes Office, only in this case the Windows 8 treatment makes Office look bland and flat. Likewise, Microsoft's website looks awful.

Fear not: It's just a matter of time until third parties start making add-ons to improve the Office interface.

Having said that, what's more amusing is the by now familiar pattern taking place in these (and other) comments areas, where the Microsoft acolytes and pay-for-posts immediately square off against the Microsoft detractors.

[TsarNikky]

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Microsoft can NEVER win. If its black, we wanted white. If its white, we wanted black. Would that reviews would be as hard on its competitors-- at least on occasion. In any case, the review and tips are appreciated.

Arrogant companies can never win. When a company constantly pi**** users off by doing what the company think is best, instead of responding to user needs and requirements, they can hardly expect to receive any sympathy or understanding.

[JimH443]

KipDrordy, on 14 February 2013 - 10:02 AM, said:

This is what happens when a product is already as good as it can get. Microsoft is now making changes for the sake of change, not for the sake of a better product. There's really not much that can be done with Word that hasn't already been done in previous versions. Truth is few people use Word for more than 10% of its features.

So, SO true.

And annoyingly, I suspect that among the 10% of features that get used frequently are: AutoCorrect and Dictionary.

[CarlForster]

Now I know I/we wont be using or moving to Office 2013 ever!!!!!

We just went out and purchased 10 copies Office 2010 PRO at a great price, for future use.

We also will NOT/NEVER use Windows 8 ever.

Our preferance id Windows 7 PRO and Office 2010 PRO, and if MS ever tries to stop us then we off to Linux (http://www.zorin-os.com/premium.html) we are already using it on 5 machines and our worker love it.

BEWARE Microsoft you are killing your client base, and they wont return.

[citris1]

"...you pay $25 for the Office Tab add-on from Extend Office." They are charging extra for a feature that should be included? Talk about arrogance.

[MrHistamine]

Some of the irritations were missing a cure... And, I kind of like the cursor effect, it makes reading the words as I type, much easier. Plus; why do I care where the cursor is as I'm typing?

I always recommend Kingsoft Office for people who still want the old-school UI (in addition to the tabs), as it does a pretty decent job loading a majority of the Office file formats.

[willens]

I have clutzy fingers and no matter how carefully I try to type I constantly either reverse letter pairs or interchange the order of letters in common words. The Auto-Correct feature in previous versions of Word and Outlook took care of this problem automatically. My wife is somewhat dyslexic and has a similar problem, albeit for a different reason. Both of us hate the new version and firmly reject Microsoft's lame excuse that it is trying to reduce clutter. If they want to reduce clutter, there are hundreds of other, less essential features that could have been dropped.

My wife also refuses outright to use Outlook 2013 because of the stark white backgrounds for e-mail lists and messages that, sadly, cannot be changed.

Anyone considering "upgrading" from Office 2010 for personal use should be forewarned: change for the sake of change is not the answer.

[brainout]

Just so y'all know: MS Office Pro versions 2000-2002 will install on a Win7 machine, or Vista. I've done that. You can buy them at Amazon for $100 or less, full retail version. I think I paid about $50 or less for each of my last two copies, purchased last month? Be sure to verify you're not buying the OEM version. The full retail version will let you make one copy on a desktop, and one on a laptop, with the proviso that you're only using one copy at a time. I think the rule is you can put it on the network, too, so long as only one copy of it is in use at any one time (no simultaneous usage). I believe the OEM rules are that you can only install on that one machine.

Also, MS Works 2005-2006 have full-fledged Word 2002 in them, and have really great photo editors. I was able to install MS Works alongside MS Office. But I forget if I put it on the Win7 machines. I think only MS Works 2006 could go on Win7, but maybe I'm wrong.

Users here in PC World report that they can run MS Office 2000 and even prior, on Win8, though the users in MS Answers forum and at MS' own Win8 compatibility website say it cannot be done.

This post has been edited by brainout: 14 February 2013 - 09:12 PM

[dfschmid]

Windows 8 is a disaster. And to make things worse, Office 2013 is also a disaster.

Yikes!

I will not be upgrading to Office 2013. The whole user interface is terrible - a step in the wrong direction. Bad move. Also, forcing users to save to SkyDrive by default leads to big security concerns. Very bad idea.

For the next while, I'm sticking with Office 2010. In my opinion, Office 2010 is best Office suite ever, and Windows 7 is the best OS.

[qoiqpwqr]

Word is getting more and more complicated. Many functions and settings are hidden deeply. I think I am only using 0.1% of it.

[JohnJRC]

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Now I know I/we wont be using or moving to Office 2013 ever!!!!! We just went out and purchased 10 copies Office 2010 PRO at a great price, for future use. We also will NOT/NEVER use Windows 8 ever. Our preferance id Windows 7 PRO and Office 2010 PRO, and if MS ever tries to stop us then we off to Linux (http://www.zorin-os.com/premium.html) we are already using it on 5 machines and our worker love it. BEWARE Microsoft you are killing your client base, and they wont return.

Oh, wah. MS will never stop you from using 7. They won't stop people from using older versions either, even though it's a stupid decision not to upgrade.

[jerkso]

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It's bloated, overpriced and confusing as usual. Need we say more? Save $10,000 in licening fees and get Openoffice instead.

Probably you should say more, see a lot of opinion and not a lot of facts, let alone an example besides Openoffice just cause its free??? Waste of electrons even replying to such rubbish.

[Boletusedulis]

If Libre Office cost $50 and MS Office were free, I would pay the $%0 for Libre. I am forced to use Office 2010 at work, but that whole ribbon mess is the most inefficient UI imaginable. Heck, the old Word Perfect, where you had to put sticker labels over you function keys, was more efficient.

[dnharris14]

What's wrong with Word 2003? I can write macros and actually make a custom icon so I know what the macro is. It has auto correct and a dictionary. The menus take up less real estate than the ribbon. Functions and features can be found, and if you need to search for something, logic usually rules. 2007 was junk. 2010 was a little better. I had my hopes on upgrading to 2013, but after reading this, I will stay a Neanderthal. 2003 forever.