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Word formatting issues (Word on the web, iPad)

Steve Bliss 5 Reputation points
2025-11-02T09:14:22.6566667+00:00

Word online on iPad, if I format text as bold for example on 1 particular line, as soon as I click away the text reverts to no formatting.

if however I edit the same document on another device then I can format & when I reopen that document on my iPad the formatting is still in place.

I’ve used both chrome & safari browsers, logged off & back in, restarted the iPad etc but nothing changes

any help would be appreciated

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | iOS

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  1. Emily Ihrig 0 Reputation points
    2026-05-12T15:40:21.35+00:00

    My related question is how to start new document without formatting or change whole document formatting on ipad pro with out access to comand key? No key board.

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  2. Jhun Buala 5,240 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-02T10:51:14.05+00:00

    Hi Steve Bliss,

    Good Day. I hope everything's fine. I'm Jhun an independent advisor. This is a common issue reported quite by a few Word Online users on iPad recently. This mostly occurs since mid-2025 updates to Office for web and iPad OS. This is usually caused by a Word Online editor glitch specific to iPad browsers. Try these some steps and lets see if it will fix the problem.

    A. Try to use a different browser. If you're using Safari, try it on Chrome or etc. and vice versa.

    B. Try to clear word online cache and cookies.

    1. On safari : Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
    2. Chrome: Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data > Choose Cookies and cached images/files.
    3. Test again.

    C. Disable iPad text-replacement and auto-corrections temporarily.

    1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > disable the following:
      Auto-correction
      Predictive Text
      Smart Punctuation
    2. Reload word online and try formatting again.

    D. Check Word online feature mode. Make sure your are not on a "Viewing Mode" or "Reviewing / Reading Mode".

    1. Tap Pencil icon at the top > Choose editing.

    If nothing works try these some workarounds temporarily while waiting for a new update that will fix this bug.

    A. Use the native Word App.

    1. Try using the iPad Word App which is available from the App Store. This can sync the same cloud document but works more stable than Word in browser.

    B. Use the "Desktop site" mode

    1. In Safari: tap "aA" icon in the address bar > choose "Request Desktop website".
    2. In Chrome: tap the three dots (...) Menu > Request Desktop Website"
    3. Reload the document and test again.

    I hope one of the options will work.

    Regards,
    Jhun

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