Troubleshoot handwriting recognition

This feature is available in the Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean language versions of Microsoft Office.

My handwriting isn't recognized.

• Write entire words at a time without pausing between letters.
• Leave more space between words.
• Write or print as legibly as you can.
• Try printing instead of using cursive style writing, or vice versa.
• If you write in the Writing Pad box, use the line in the box as the baseline to write on, just as you would on lined notebook paper.
• Automatic recognition of handwriting may not be turned on. Click Options in the top left corner of the Writing Pad box or the Write Anywhere toolbar, and then click Options. On the Common tab, select the Automatic recognition check box.

I can't insert writing in handwritten form.

• You can insert writing in handwritten form in Microsoft Word and in Microsoft Outlook if Word is enabled your e-mail editor. In other Microsoft Office programs you can insert handwriting as typed text.
• You may be working in Microsoft Office 2000 rather than Microsoft Office XP.
• In Outlook, writing in handwritten form can only be inserted into the body of an e-mail message.
• You may not have clicked Ink in the Writing Pad or Write Anywhere toolbar.

When I use Write Anywhere, my writing isn't inserted where I write on the screen.

Text is entered into the program at the insertion point, which may be in a different location than the area you're writing in. To enter text in a different location, move the insertion point to the desired location before you begin to write.

When I select text in Write Anywhere mode, it looks as though a line has been drawn through it.

Try the following solutions:

• Use the keyboard to select text by holding down SHIFT and pressing the appropriate arrow key to move the insertion point.
• Double-click a word to select it.
• To select text by dragging the mouse, pause after moving the insertion point to the text, and then drag slowly over the text.

When I click toolbars and commands in Write Anywhere mode, it looks as though a line is being drawn on the screen.

Try the following solutions:

• To click toolbar buttons and commands after inserting handwriting, pause over the button or command before clicking. If you notice a blue line drawn where you click, pause again before clicking.

• You can also use keyboard shortcuts to select menus and toolbars.

Handwriting is recognized too slow or too fast.

You can speed up or slow down the rate at which handwriting is recognized. Click Options in the top left corner of the Writing Pad box or the Write Anywhere toolbar, and then click Options. Select the Common tab, and under Recognition, move the slider to the left to slow down recognition or to the right to speed up recognition.

I can't close the Write Anywhere box.

• Click Close on the Write Anywhere toolbar.

When I send a Microsoft Outlook e-mail message in handwritten form, I see "Pictures will be lost."

Your e-mail message may be in plain text. Writing in handwritten form is not supported by plain text e-mail.

When I send an Outlook e-mail message in handwritten form, the sent message is blank.

The e-mail message was created in plain text. Writing in handwritten form is not supported by plain text e-mail.

When I convert handwritten text to typed text, it looks as though nothing is happening.

Microsoft Word is taking time to process and recognize the selected text.

When I write anywhere on the screen, text seems to disappear.

When you write anywhere on the screen, your writing may seem to disappear for an instant before it is inserted into the program. This just means the computer is processing your writing.

You can continue to write while the computer processes your writing; you don't have to wait until the previously written text is inserted to write again.