Since its inception in 1983, Microsoft word has evolved to the most ubiquitous word processing program for the longest time.
One of the best things about it is that it’s incredibly intuitive and works well for everyone, even the most illiterate tech users.
Over the years, the competition has gotten stiff, with programs like Google Docs taking the industry by storm, and users need some incredible Microsoft Word tips to stay interested.
Still, Word has held on strong, and with a free cloud-based version and online subscriptions for multiple devices, it has remained a favorite for over 1.2 million people.
Now, if you happen to be one of them, you know that Word has so many features that make writing easy and fun. However, you could still use more Microsoft Word tips and tricks if it means making writing and editing a whole lot efficient and effective for you, right?
In this post, we’ll guide you through some of the most amazing Microsoft Word tips and tricks that you may not know about yet. Let’s dig right in, shall we?
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How Many Keyboard Shortcuts Do You Know?
This may seem like one of the most apparent Microsoft Word tips, and it is, but how much do you know about keyboard shortcuts?
If you find that all that mouse clicking is ever annoying, you’re the kind of person that needs constant shortcut tips that will eliminate it, and there are so many of them.
Some of the most amazing ones include everyday scenarios, which is why you’ll like them.
For instance, if you accidentally write a sentence in all caps, instead of deleting and re-writing it again, all you have to do is highlight the sentence and press FN Shift F3 on Mac or Shift F3 on PC. This will toggle through the different styles available, like upper case, lower case, and title case, and you can choose which one you need.
Apart from that, if you need to start a bullet list fast, add an asterisk and hit the space button, and it’ll start a list right there. Even better, if you’re writing a long document and need to highlight without having to scroll, hit CTRL-A to select the entire text at once.
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How to Save Your Favorite Formatting
If your job requires you to create a certain document on a regular basis, like a report, you may find it annoying that you have to keep resetting the same format every time. On the bright side, you don’t have to do that anymore when you can use Microsoft Quick Styles.
It’s possible to save your formatting the first time and have it ready every other time you need to use it after that.
Once you format your document, highlight the text and go to the Styles Pane menu in the home section of the document. Click the provided button for “new style” and save it as you please, then you’ll have a copy ready every time you need to make your report.
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Find and Replace Microsoft Word Tips
If, after completion, you find that you’ve made a mistake with some of the spelling and need to replace them, you no longer have to go through the entire document to search for the said words.
The Microsoft Word document has a feature that allows you to correct the mistake once and fix the errors throughout the document.
If you go to the Edit menu of the Doc, you’ll see “Find” and an option to “Replace.” Once you get the find and replace popup, type in the Word that news correcting and click “replace all,” which will correct all the mistakes with that Word.
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Selecting Vertical Text
Did you know you can select text vertically on Microsoft Word? Normally, it’s easier to select horizontally and highlight a word, sentence, or even paragraph.
However, if you need to highlight vertically, like numbers, for instance, and need to delete all of them at once, you only need to press ALT then click to drag.
Once you are done highlighting your desired text, you should release the ALT button before you release the mouse to avoid opening a Research Dialog Box. This is one of those savvy Microsoft Word tips that could really come in handy, right?
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To See Hidden Characters
Sometimes, you may find that you need to work on complex documents that require multiple styles and different formats and columns. In this case, editing becomes more of a tedious task than writing itself.
To make things easier and see all hidden characters that need changing, from soft return to hard returns and tabs, press CTRL-SHIFT-8 on Windows or Command-8 on Mac.
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Inserting Objects Into Word
One of the best Microsoft Word tips you can learn is how to insert objects into the document. Sometimes you feel that a document needs something into the body, and you can do it directly into the page by clicking Insert > Object to open the dialog box.
This is one of the best ways to add a chart to your Doc, for instance, but you can also insert an Excel Spreadsheet. If you needed to know how to insert PDF into Word, then this is also how you do it.
You can also add equations in a similar manner, but you’ll need to press Insert > Equation instead.
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Highlighting a Square Field of Text
Highlighting square fields of text is only applicable in specific cases, but you may need it. All you have to do is hold down the ALT key on Windows or the Option key on Mac while clicking and dragging the mouse at the same time.
This will allow you to draw a box in the text and will go ahead to highlight all the characters inside that box. Suppose you want to create a square of yellow text within your document, then this is how you can achieve that.
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Adding a Calculator Into Word
Would you think it would be possible to add a calculator within a Word document? Well, Word has an in-built calculator that can easily help you solve equations within the Doc. First, click File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar and select All Commands.
From there, locate the Calculate option and add it to the Quick Access Toolbar, then click ok to go back to the document. A small grey circle will be added at the top of the Doc, and when you type math equations into your document, you only need to press that icon to get the answer.
Ready to Use These Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks?
These are some of the most useful Microsoft Word tips and tricks that can save you a lot of time and trouble while writing your documents. Mastering these tips will not only make things easier but boost your productivity as well.
Beyond that, if you would like some more amazing tips and tricks, please head over to our blog section because we have so much more prepared for you.