At some point in our lives we have had to make use of Microsoft Word whether it was for a school project, university assignment or work related exercises.
We feel that we’ve pretty much got a good grip on the tools and features and so feel that learning anything further might not really be helpful.
Well, as with all tech and apps, Microsoft is constantly updating and finding ways to enhance their apps. An example is the access to the Microsoft Suite subscription which allows you to make full use of the online version of Word, Excel, Publisher, etc. from any place as long as you have a good network signal. So why not learn a few tips and tricks just to keep on top of things? It might just make your Word experience a whole lot easier; heck, I even learnt a thing or three as I pieced this together.
Determine Your Document’s Readability
Along with being able to pick up grammatical errors and spell checks, Word can also run a linguistics test to help determine if your writing will be easily understood. Word can run the Flesch Reading Ease test; working on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the more understandable your text. Office suggests aiming for a score between 60 and 70. To activate this feature, go to File > Options > Proofing and select “show readability statistics” The results can be viewed after running a spell check. You’ll also notice a score named Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. For this, you should aim for a score between 7.0 and 8.0
Highlight Square Field Of Text
This feature will only be needed in very specific cases. Hold down the “Alt” and drag your cursor. You will see that you can draw a box around certain texts. This is useful for if you want to have a different colour text in the middle of your paragraph.
Generate Random Text
If you need to add Lorem Ipsum as a place holder, type =lorem(p,l) and replace the “p” with how many paragraphs you want, and replace “l” with how many sentences in each paragraph. This will help when reviewing how you want your document layout to be, without being distracted by content.
Add A Calculator
Highlight A Sentence With One Click
Hold “Ctrl” and click the beginning of a sentence; Word will do the rest! This is so much easier than having to drag your cursor – especially if you are working off a laptop.
Hop Around Recently Edited Spots
Hitting Shift-F5 on your keyboard will take you through the parts of your document that you have recently edited. Useful if you had to re-open your document and review your last edited point.
Randomly Place Your Text
Double-click anywhere on your page and word will allow you to type there. A nice feature for poetry or other creative writing projects.
Updating Date And Time
If you have document, such as a letter, where you only need to update a few details like the date, you can use Word to automatically update this instead of retyping it. On your toolbar, click Insert> Date & Time. A pop up will appear and you can then select the format you prefer and then click “Update Automatically”. Now, each time you open or print your document, the updated date will appear.
Convert To PDF Or HTML
This option I have come to rely on quite a few times in my years of admin work. Click File> Save As and under the “document / save as type” click the drop down and you will see a number of options. Be aware though that PDF will only appear if you have access to a PDF writer or reader such as Adobe. I had to download Bullzip printer for my PDF conversions. The HTML option might prove a bit tricky, but there is a free conversion site available (Word to Clean HTML) for this.
Change Capitalization With A Click
When editing your document, it’s such a chore to have to type in all those missed capital letters. There is an easier way – it might not be quicker, but it does feel more professional: Highlight a word that needs a capital and click on the “Aa” drop down on your toolbar. Select the appropriate option and that should do it!
Show Hidden Characters
If your document is rather complex, in that it has different styles and formats applied, you can view it by hitting Ctrl-Shift-8. You then be able to see your formatting. This will help make editing a bit easier to handle.
Finding And Replacing Text And Formatting
This tool helps editing to go a bit quicker, especially if you have typed a word that needs to be changed to a different font and colour. On your toolbar, click Find (or Find and Replace). In the pop up, click More and you will see a few extra options which will allow you to specify what changes you want. This feature will allow you to add commands to your formatting as well as highlights and special characters.
Insert Objects Into Word
Need to spruce up your document? Click Insert> Object and a pop up will appear with a list of what you can add. This is handy for inserting charts, but you can also use it to embed PDFs or excel spreadsheets. Very useful for submitting proposals or reports!
Insert Equations
If you need to add a few mathematical elements to your document, click Insert> Equation and then select your sum. Once inserted, you can add to it or replace numbers and letters.
Protect Your Document
If you need to send off your document, but are worried about someone changing things, Word will allow you to encrypt it so that no one can make changes without your permission. To use this, click File> Info. You will see options that will allow you to add a password and permissions to your document.
Using The Search Box
This feature appears in more recent versions of Word. If you’re not sure where something is, you can just type it in and Word will locate it for you.