How to Reduce Existing Character Spacing in Word with a Macro
Question details
The user wants to reduce existing character spacing in a Word document by a relative amount, ideally using a macro since standard commands only apply a fixed spacing value.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Adjusting text formatting where multiple different character spacing values exist and need to be relatively condensed.
- Observed behavior
- Word applies a fixed amount of condensed character spacing by default, lacking a standard button to relatively reduce spacing across text with mixed formatting.
Before running any VBA macros, ensure you save a backup copy of your document, as macro changes cannot always be undone. Also, check if your text contains mixed formatting, which may require you to select specific paragraphs individually.
Create a VBA Macro for Relative Spacing Reduction
Write a VBA macro to iterate through selected text and decrease the Font.Spacing value by a relative point amount automatically.
A VBA macro is the most effective solution when you have text with mixed character spacing values (e.g., some text at -0.5 pts and some at -1.0 pts) and you want to reduce all of them by an additional relative amount.
Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard to launch the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor.
Click on 'Insert' in the top menu and select 'Module' to create a blank script window.
Create a script that loops through the characters in your Selection, checks their current Font.Spacing property, and subtracts your desired amount (for example, Selection.Font.Spacing = Selection.Font.Spacing - 0.5).
Close the VBA editor, highlight the text you wish to modify in your document, and press Alt + F8 to select and run your new macro.
Apply Additional Condensed Spacing via Font Settings
Use Word's built-in Advanced Font dialog to manually condense the character spacing of selected text uniformly.
Easily Adjust Character Spacing with WPS Writer
WPS Writer offers an intuitive interface for adjusting font properties, including character spacing and kerning, ensuring your documents look professional. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Word formats and supports VBA macros in its advanced editions.
- 1. Open Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your target document.
- 2. Select Text: Highlight the paragraphs or characters you want to modify.
- 3. Access Font Settings: Right-click the highlighted text and select 'Font' from the context menu, or press Ctrl+D.
- 4. Apply Spacing: Go to the 'Character Spacing' tab, choose 'Condensed' in the Spacing drop-down, input your desired point value, and click OK.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I just use a standard Word button to reduce character spacing relatively?
Word does not feature a default button for relative character spacing reduction. The built-in commands apply a fixed target spacing value across the entire selection rather than mathematically subtracting a specific amount from the existing spacing.
What is the difference between condensed spacing and scaling?
Condensed spacing brings characters closer together by reducing the empty space between them measured in points, whereas scaling visually compresses or stretches the actual width of the characters themselves measured in percentages.
Does WPS Office support VBA macros?
Yes, premium versions of WPS Office support VBA macros, allowing you to run custom scripts for advanced document formatting and automation just like in Microsoft Word.
How do I fix mixed character spacing in a single paragraph?
Select the entire paragraph, open the Font dialog, and set the spacing to 'Normal' to reset all character spacing. Once unified, you can then apply your desired condensed or expanded spacing uniformly.
