Formatting Issues

How to Fix Word Showing Too Many Styles in the Style Pane

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to view only their intended styles in a Word document, but the Style Pane displays dozens of additional styles even when filtered by 'In Use' or 'In current document'.

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Organizing document formatting and attempting to filter the Style Pane to show only relevant, actively used styles.
Observed behavior: The Style Pane continues to display approximately 30 styles, many inherited from templates like Normal.dot, despite applying filters meant to restrict the view.

Before you start

Before modifying your style visibility settings, ensure you have applied your intended formatting to the document so you do not accidentally hide a style you plan to use.

Solution 1Recommended

Hide Unwanted Styles Using the Manage Styles Dialog

Use the Manage Styles feature to explicitly hide unwanted default or inherited styles and set your Style Pane to only show recommended styles.

Microsoft Word's definition of 'In Use' can be surprisingly broad. A style might retain its 'In Use' status if it was inherited from a template like Normal.dot, or if it was applied to text that was later modified or deleted during your session.

Open the Style Pane

Navigate to the Home tab and click the small dialog box launcher arrow in the bottom right corner of the Styles group to open the Styles Pane.

Access Manage Styles

At the bottom of the Styles Pane, click the 'Manage Styles' button (the third icon, which looks like an A with a pencil).

Configure the Recommend Tab

In the Manage Styles dialog box, switch to the 'Recommend' tab. Select the styles you no longer want to see, and click the 'Hide' or 'Hide Until Used' button.

Change Style Pane Options

Close the dialog box, return to the Styles Pane, and click 'Options...' at the bottom. Under 'Select styles to show', change the dropdown to 'Recommended' and click OK.

Style Gallery vs. Style Pane: To streamline your workflow, you can keep a small selection of your most frequently used styles in the Quick Styles Gallery on the ribbon while maintaining a longer, organized list in the Styles Pane.

Manage Styles Easily

Easily Manage Document Styles with WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers an intuitive and streamlined Styles task pane, allowing you to quickly organize, modify, and apply formatting without the clutter. Fully compatible with Microsoft Word documents, it is a highly efficient solution for everyday word processing.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document you wish to format.
2. Open Styles and Formatting: Navigate to the Home tab and click the 'Styles and Formatting' icon to open the right-side task pane.
3. Filter visible styles: Use the 'Show' dropdown menu at the bottom of the task pane to easily toggle between 'Available formatting', 'Formatting in use', or 'All styles'.
4. Modify or delete styles: Hover over any style in the list, click the dropdown arrow that appears, and choose to modify or remove it to keep your pane organized.

Free and lightweight word processing softwareSeamless format compatibility with Microsoft Office (.doc, .docx)Intuitive interface for managing and filtering document stylesFamiliar ribbon layout for effortless migration

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word consider a deleted style as 'In Use'?

Word often retains the 'In Use' status for a style once it has been applied to any text during a session, even if that text is later deleted or changed to another style. It can also inherit this status directly from the base document template.

Can I permanently delete built-in styles from the Style Pane?

No, Word does not allow you to permanently delete its default built-in styles (like Heading 1 or Normal). However, you can effectively remove them from your view by hiding them via the Manage Styles dialog.

How do I remove formatting completely from selected text?

Select the target text, go to the Home tab, and click the 'Clear All Formatting' button (usually an 'A' with a pink eraser icon). This will revert the text back to the default Normal style.

Document & File Issues