In applying this technique, you'll want to save your document periodically so that you don't lose your work. Repeat steps 7 through 12 for each style you want to get rid of.
The style is removed from the document and disappears from the list of styles in the Style pane. (The XYZ is the name of the style.) Word displays a dialog box asking if you want to delete the style from the document. Click the downward-pointing arrow and choose Delete XYZ.In the Style pane, hover the mouse pointer over the same style you used in step 7.The style of the selected text is changed. In the Style pane, click on the style you want applied to the selected text.(The X will actually represent the number of times the style is used in the document.) Word selects all the paragraphs or text that uses the style. Click the downward-pointing arrow and choose Select All X Instances.A downward-pointing arrow appears at the right side of the style name. In the Style pane, hover the mouse pointer over one of the styles you want to remove from the document.Using the Select How List is Sorted drop-down list, choose Alphabetical.Using the Select Styles to Show drop-down list, choose In Current Document.Word displays the Style Pane Options dialog box. Click the Options link at the bottom of the Styles pane.(Display the Home tab of the ribbon and click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Styles group.) If the document is short and has relatively few errant styles, you may be able to work directly in the document. What seasoned editors have done to address this problem is to come up with their own techniques to "unravel" the spaghetti. The problem quickly goes from bad to worse and the solution may be no improvement over the original problem. If Microsoft were to develop some automated way of fixing this, how would the automation know which of the versions of Heading 2 was the correct one? What if it chose incorrectly? Now, multiply that by a dozen or more different styles you need in the document. For just one instance, let's say that you have (as you say) a dozen versions of Heading 2 in the document. In fairness to Microsoft, it is not a problem that is really possible to fix. Editors of various stripes have been struggling with this problem for years, and it is not a problem that Microsoft has been able to fix. The reason is because, literally, you are trying to unravel what has become a bowl of spaghetti. Seriously, there is no quick way to do what you are asking. Given the three requirements (easily, quickly, and safely), the old adage comes to mind: You can have any two you want, and two out of three ain't bad! Fred wonders how he can easily, quickly, and safely reset and make all these styles consistent. Fred has a 60-page legal document that has styles from all over the map (such as a dozen versions of Heading 2, numerous tab distances even for the same level of text, etc.).