It is not possible to delete OOo’s predefined styles from a document or template, even if they are not in use. However, custom styles can be deleted.

To delete an unwanted style, right-click on it in the Styles and Formatting window and choose Delete. If the style is in use, the message shown below appears.

Deleting an applied style.

Make sure the style is not in use before deletion. Otherwise, all objects with that style will return to the Default style and retain their formatting as manual formatting. This can be very problematic in a long document.

If an unwanted style is in use, use Find & Replace to replace it with a substitute style before deleting it.

If the style is not in use, the message shown below appears.

Deleting a style that is not in use.

Assigning styles to shortcut keys

You can configure shortcut keys to quickly assign styles in your document. Some shortcuts are predefined, such as Ctrl+1 for the Heading 1 paragraph style and Ctrl+2 for Heading 2. You can modify these shortcuts and create your own. See Chapter 17 (Customizing Writer) for details.