The following instructions show how to create an X-bar as formatted text in Microsoft Word, but only in Word. This isn't even the best option for Word.

To see how to create an X-bar in other Microsoft Office programs, and a better way for Word - read about the object based method.

Instructions for Field Codes:

1. Press "CTRL" and "F9". This opens a slightly grayed area in your document. This is an equation field. It is a gray area containing both a left and a right curley bracket.Type the following information into the space between the brackets:    eq \o(X,

2. Your equation field should look like this:


(There is a space after the Q.)

3. With the cursor immediately after the comma in the equation field, click on Insert on the menu bar and select Symbol. Make sure that the Symbol tab is showing in the dialog window, and that the Font: selection says "(normal text)".  Select the symbol between the Registered Trademark and degree symbol. Click on the Insert button and then click on the Close button. You want to find the following in the Symbol dialog window:


(You want the symbol in the middle
which  I'm calling an "overscore".)

4. After you have inserted the overscore symbol, type in a closing parenthesis. Your equation should now look like this:


  eq \o(X,‾)

5. Unfortunately, the overscore will be a little too close to the top of the X to be legible. But we can change that. In the equation field, select the overscore symbol as if you were going to copy or delete it. Click on Format from the menu bar and select Font.
   
   In the Font dialogue window, click on the tab at the top marked Character Spacing. Change the drop menu for Position: to Raised, and set the By: value to 1 pt. Click on the OK button. Your equation should look like this:


(Notice that the bar is slightly higher than before)

6. Use the right mouse button and click on the gray area. From the context menu that appears, select Toggle Field Codes. This will turn off the equation editor and show your final product. If it still has a gray box around the X-bar symbol, don't worry. The gray box is just there to tell you that it's a coded character. It won't be transferred to your printer. Either way, gray or not, it should look something like the following: