Combine or split subdocuments

1. On the View menu, click Outline.
2. On the Outlining toolbar, click Expand Subdocuments .
3. If the subdocuments you want to combine or split are locked, unlock them.

   How?

   1. Click anywhere in the subdocument you want to lock or unlock.
   2. On the Outlining toolbar, click Lock Document .

   Notes

   Microsoft Word also locks subdocuments in the following cases:

   • The subdocuments are collapsed.

   • The master document is shared by a workgroup, and someone else is currently working on the subdocument.
   • Someone who previously worked on the subdocument set file sharing to the read-only option.
   • The subdocument is stored on a read-only file share.

4. Do  one of the following:

Combine subdocuments

Click Master Document View on the Outlining toolbar if you cannot see the subdocument icon .

1. Move the subdocuments you want to combine next to one another.

   How?

   1. To select the subdocument you want to move, click its subdocument icon . To select multiple adjacent subdocuments, click the first icon, and then hold down SHIFT as you click the last icon in the group. (Click Master Document View on the Outlining toolbar if you cannot see the subdocument icon .)
   2. Drag the subdocument icon to a new location.

   Tip

   You can also move text or graphics between subdocuments. To do this, expand the subdocuments and switch to print layout view.

2. Select the first subdocument you want to combine by clicking its subdocument icon .
3. Hold down SHIFT as you click the last icon in the group of subdocuments that you want to combine.
4. On the Outlining toolbar, click Merge Subdocument .

Notes

• When you save the master document, Microsoft Word saves the combined subdocuments with the file name of the first subdocument.
• When you combine subdocuments (for example, documents A, B, and C), the "uncombined" versions of the subdocument files (documents B and C) remain in their original location.

Split a subdocument into two subdocuments

1. If necessary, create a heading for the new subdocument. Then apply a built-in heading style or outline level to the heading.

   How?

   In outline view, Microsoft Word simplifies the text formatting to help you focus on the structure of your document. The following list describes what formatting appears in outline view, and what formatting changes you can make.

   • Each heading level is formatted with the appropriate built-in heading style (Heading 1 through Heading 9) or outline level (Level 1 through Level 9). You can apply these styles or levels to your headings as usual. Or, in outline view, you can automatically apply heading styles by dragging the headings to the appropriate levels. If you want to change the appearance of a heading style, you can modify its formatting.
   • Word indents each heading according to its level. The indentations appear only in outline view; Word removes the indentations when you switch to another view.
   • Paragraph formatting doesn't appear. Also, the ruler and the paragraph formatting commands are not available. (You can apply styles, although you might not be able to see all the style formatting.) To view or modify paragraph formatting, switch to another view.
   • If you find character formatting (such as large fonts or italic) distracting, you can display the outline as plain text. On the Outlining toolbar, click Show Formatting .

   Notes

   • To insert a tab character in outline view, press CTRL+TAB.
   • To see the actual formatting of a document while you work in outline view, you can split the document window. Work in outline view in one pane and in print layout view or normal view in the other pane. Any changes you make to the document in outline view are visible in the second pane.
2. Select the new heading.
3. On the Outlining toolbar, click Split Subdocument .

Note   When you save the master document, Microsoft Word assigns a file name to the new subdocument based on the first characters in the subdocument's heading.