How to put Objective C code into Word (Office) with syntax highlighting

calendar_today Asked Feb 9, 2011
thumb_up 10 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

Copy and paste works ! Nevertheless, make sure the option "Copy colors and fonts" in Preferences>Fonts & Colors is checked . This is a prose walkthrough, ranked #12th of 32 by community upvote score, from 2011.


The Problem (Q-score 6, ranked #12th of 32 in the Word VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2011

I am writing documentation about an app and want to explain the code.
I want to copy parts of the Objective C code from Xcode to Microsoft Word.
I don’t know how to put the code with syntax highlighting (and maybe line numbers, too ?!) into Word.

Does anybody know a usable solution for this little problem?

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 32 Word VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds strong answer (top 25 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+10)

Verbal answer — walkthrough without a code block

Note: the verified answer is a prose walkthrough. If you need a runnable sample, check Word VBA entries ranked in the top 10 of the same archive.

Copy and paste works !

Nevertheless, make sure the option "Copy colors and fonts" in Preferences>Fonts & Colors is checked !


When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)

Ranked #12th in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 47% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Word VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2011 and 2026

The answer is 15 years old. The Word VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this sit in the top quartile of Word VBA answers?
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Answer score +10 vs the Word VBA archive median ~4; this entry is strong. The score plus 6 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+6) means the asker and 9 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

The answer has no code block — how do I turn it into a snippet?
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Use the walkthrough above as a checklist, then open a top-10 Word VBA archive entry for a concrete starting template you can adapt.

This answer is 15 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2011, which is 15 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Word VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which Word VBA pattern ranks just above this one at #11?
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The pattern one rank above is “C#: Searching a text in Word and getting the range of the result”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 6, Answer-score 10, original post 2011, ranked #12th of 32 in the Word VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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