Chances are, you are either using Microsoft Word now, or you may need to use it in the future. It’s arguably the most popular word processor for Windows, so learning some of the helpful Microsoft Word tips you can take can really help you be more productive and faster.
Whether you are new to Microsoft Word or have been using it for many years, we hope that at least some of the tips below will be helpful to you.
Paste without formatting
If you need to copy something from a different location, but you don’t want the font to change from what you are currently using in your Word document, copy it as usual, but then press Ctrl + Shift + V. This will ensure that the content will be pasted, but no formatting such as the color, size, and font of the text will be included.
Clear formatting/
If you want to clear the formatting of a specific part of the document, simply select that area and click the Clear Formatting icon. The icon will look like a small eraser next to the letter A.
If you want to clear the formatting of everything in the document, press Ctrl + A to select everything in the document, and then click the clear formatting icon.
Quickly highlight an area of ??text
Instead of clicking and dragging to select an area of ??text in Microsoft Word, you can instead click once to place the text cursor at the beginning of the area you want to select while holding Shift, then click at the end of the area you want to select I want to highlight.
Quickly replace multiple errors
Have you just finished a long document and just noticed a small mistake in a word, like writing a landmark instead of a landmark? You can fix this in a few seconds using the Find and Replace command.
First press Ctrl + F and the find and replace tool will open. Then click Replace and enter the word or phrase you want to replace. Then enter the content you want to replace it with.
Quickly copy and create lists
Let’s say you need to browse a document, select certain words / phrases and make a list of them.
Instead of going back and forth, writing each item to the list every time you see a word, you can simply highlight each word and press CTRL + F3. You can do this several times until you find each word / phrase.
When you’re done, navigate to the area of ??the document where you want to create the list and press Ctrl + SHIFT + F3 to paste in all the selections you just copied. This feature is known as Spike in Word
In the last step, you can highlight the content and use the bullets or numbering tools in the toolbar to convert words / phrases into a more ordered list.
Remove the toolbar bar
If you want to write without distraction, you can remove the ribbon from the toolbar at the top of the document by pressing Ctrl + F1. If you need it at any time, you can press Ctrl + F1 again to bring it back into view.
Delete words with one key press
Need to delete a large chunk of text? Instead of holding the Backspace key, you can instead hold CTRL and then press BACKSPACE.
This will delete one word each time the back button is pressed, not just one character. Hold the Backspace and ctrl buttons at the same time to erase snippets of text at lightning speed.
Use “tell me what you want to do”
If you’re trying to find a feature in Microsoft Word but can’t navigate the menu or can’t remember the shortcut, click the Tell Me What To Do shortcut at the top of the toolbar ribbon.
From here, you can enter the action you want to take and get contextual responses that you can use. For example, if you enter “create table”, you get several options for creating a table from a Word document.
It’s a tool that many old Word users might not even know existed, but it’s incredibly useful.
Search for a word quickly
If you are editing a Word document but need context, you can use the Smart Lookup tool. Just highlight a word, right-click and choose Smart Search.
A small panel will open containing information related to the word. It eliminates the need to go to the browser and search, but it is equally effective.
Disable spelling and grammar checking
First, it is common knowledge that you can right-click on a misspelled word and select Add to Dictionary. This is useful if you are using abbreviations or fictional words. You can also turn off spelling and grammar checking entirely to remove those annoying red and green lines.
To turn off spelling and grammar checking in Word for just one document, click File, then Options, then click Check. Then you should check two options for hiding spelling and grammatical errors in the document you are currently writing.
Create your own AutoCorrect settings
Are there words you just can’t spell correctly? Or do you often write long words or phrases? You can use your own AutoCorrect settings to make your life a lot easier.
Just click File, then Options, then click Verify. After that click AutoCorrect Options. Then you can add your own words and then the correction you want to replace. Custom AutoCorrect can be a great way to increase your productivity.
You can use it not only to correct common personal spelling mistakes, but also to convert quick abbreviations into long words or phrases to save time.
Change the page color for easy viewing
The bright white color of a text document has become the universal standard. This can sometimes cause serious eye strain. To change the page color to sepia, which is a darker yellow tint, click the Tell me what to do box, then type change page color.
In the results, click Page Color and you can choose from several options, including Sepia, which is much easier on the eyes.
Summary
Do you know any Microsoft Word tips we mentioned in this article? If not, which ones do you think would be most helpful to you? Let me know and share your Microsoft Word tips in the comments below. Enjoy!
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