In Word, subsequent letters are erased. Why do Microsoft Word eat letters while typing?

A fairly common incident that happens to novice PC users is when the next letter in order is deleted in Word. That is, the user was typing some text, then clicked something, after which he noticed that when typing, letters and symbols in front of the cursor were deleted, instead of moving away. It’s especially funny when this happens when you press the spacebar in Word or Excel - once, and the character disappears! This simply throws beginners into a stupor, because they do not understand why this happens!

But in fact, everything is simple - there’s nowhere else to go! Now I will explain how this all happens and how to make sure that letters are not deleted when writing. The whole point is that there is a key on the keyboard Ins or Insert. It is used to switch between Insert mode and Replace mode. By default, insert mode is used and characters are inserted between existing ones. The user, accidentally clicking on the “Insert” button, activates the replacement mode, after which new characters begin to replace existing ones and simply erase them.

In the Microsoft Word text editor, starting from version 2007, at the very bottom of the window there is a special indicator that displays which mode is currently in use. In Word 2003 and older versions, the following indication was used:

A bright sign ZAM means that the “Replacement” mode is activated. Accordingly, if the inscription is gray and inactive, the “Insert” mode is working.
So, let's summarize. If in Word the next letter after the one you typed is deleted, it means you accidentally activated an unnecessary text input mode. To disable it, just click on the Insert button and text entry will work normally again!
Good luck to all!!!

Are you familiar with the situation when in MS Word the text located in front of the cursor pointer does not shift to the side as you type new text, but simply disappears and is eaten? Often, this happens after deleting a word or letter and trying to type new text in that place. The situation is quite common, not the most pleasant, but, as a problem, easily solvable.

Surely, you are interested not only in eliminating the problem of Word eating letters one by one, but also in understanding the reason why the program is so hungry. Knowing this will clearly be useful when you encounter the problem again, especially considering the fact that it occurs not only in Microsoft Word, but also in Excel, as well as in a number of other programs in which you can work with text.

It's all about the enabled replacement mode (not to be confused with autocorrect), which is why Word eats letters. How could you enable this mode? By chance, no other way, since it turns on by pressing a key "INSERT", which on most keyboards is located near the key "BACKSPACE".

Most likely, when you deleted something in the text, you accidentally touched this key. While this mode is active, it will not be possible to write new text in the middle of another text - letters, symbols and spaces will not shift to the right, as is usually the case, but will simply disappear.

How to fix this problem?

All you need to do to disable replace mode is press the key again "INSERT". By the way, in earlier versions of Word, the status of the replacement mode is displayed in the bottom line (where document pages, number of words, spell check options, etc.) are indicated.

It would seem that there is nothing simpler than pressing just one key on the keyboard and thereby eliminating such an unpleasant, albeit petty, problem. But on some keyboards the key "INSERT" is absent, which means that in this case it is necessary to act in a different way.

1. Open the menu "File" and go to the section "Options".

2. In the window that opens, select "Additionally".

3. In the section "Editing Options" uncheck the sub-item "Use replace mode", located under the item.

Note: If you are sure that you do not need the replacement mode at all, you can uncheck the main item "Use the INS key to toggle insert and replace modes".

4. Click "OK" to close the settings window. Now you won't be in danger of accidentally turning on the replacement mode.

That's all, now you know why Word eats letters and other symbols, and how to wean it from this “gluttony.” As you can see, solving some problems doesn't require much effort. We wish you productive and trouble-free work in this text editor.

When typing in Word or when trying to put a space between words, it happens that the phrase in front begins to be erased. It seems that the space simply eats up the letters. This problem is common and quickly solved. Let's figure out why letters are erased and how this problem can be eliminated.

Why do letters get erased when writing?

Most often, this situation occurs among users who quickly type with ten fingers at once, because it is simply impossible not to miss at least one key. The very key that causes such discomfort with text is the “Insert” button. The location of the insidious button is known - above the “Delete” key. After pressing this key, the replacement mode was probably activated. Therefore, it is not possible to print or make any changes to the text.

Disabling replace mode

If you accidentally hit the “Insert” key, the replacement mode will turn on, which will not allow you to work with the text until you turn it off. No matter what you do, the space will continue to delete subsequent words, as if eating them. Click the “Insert” button again and start typing further. If this method does not work, and the letters are still eaten when printed, then you need to act differently. You should disable the letter replacement mode; we will discuss how to disable this mode below. To do this you need:

Accordingly, after completing the actions, Word will stop replacing the letters in front with others. In future work with a text document, the disappearance or erasure of symbols and letters will no longer bother you.