Microsoft Word Tips

This section will have tips on Microsoft Word. These tips work in Word 2002 (XP), but it may also work in other versions.

Tip #1 - Make a scrap note
This tip will save a scrap note from a word document. If you have a word or paragraph in the document (say a famous quote), you can first highlight it, then drag and drop it onto your desktop. Make sure you have shrinked the window size of Word (press the middle button on the upper right corner). Once you have dragged and dropped the highlighted text on the desktop, a scrap document will be created. You can later use it.

Tip #2 - Change case
Here's a tip that will change your text to ALL CAPS, all lowercase, sentence format and others. This can be done by highlighting the text you want to have this change, and then go to Format->Change Case and choose one of the options. Another, quicker, way of doing this is to highlight the desired text and then press Shift + F3 (the function key all the way on top of keyboard). Keep pressing it until you get the desired result. Try it out!

Tip #3 - Keyboard shortcuts
Here are some keyboard shortcuts using the Ctrl key:

Ctrl+A = selects all the text in the current document
Ctrl+B = bolds the selected text
Ctrl+C = copies the selected text
Ctrl+D = opens up the font dialog box
Ctrl+E = middle aligns the selected text
Ctrl+F = opens up the find dialog box
Ctrl+G = opens up the go to dialog box
Ctrl+H = opens up the replace dialog box
Ctrl+I = italicizes the selected text
Ctrl+K = creates a hyperlink on the selected text
Ctrl+L = left aligns the selected text
Ctrl+M = tabs the selected text half an inch (may differ depending on the measurements used)
Ctrl+N = opens up a new Word document
Ctrl+O = opens the open dialog box
Ctrl+P = opens up the printer dialog box
Ctrl+R = right aligns the selected text
Ctrl+S = saves the document if not saved already, will prompt if not saved
Ctrl+U = underlines the selected text
Ctrl+V = pastes the text that was either copied or cut before
Ctrl+W = closes the current open document
Ctrl+X = cuts (copies and delete) the selected text
Ctrl+Y = repeats the action that was just done
Ctrl+Z = undo the last modification
Ctrl+1 = all sentences and paragraphs in the document are single lined paragraphs
Ctrl+2 = all sentences and paragraphs in the document are double lined paragraphs
Ctrl+5 = all sentences and paragraphs in the document are one and one half lined paragraphs

Tip #4 - Protect document
Did you know that Microsoft Word has a feature that enables the user to protect the document from prying eyes. To protect a document in Word, go to Tools->Protect Document. Then select one of the choices you want and enter in a password. The next time someone wants to edit (or do anything else, depending on what settings you chose) the document, the person will be prompted for a password.

Tip #5 - Document map
You can view your Word document in different sections. If your document has different formats (font size/style/others) this should work perfectly. To do this click on View->Document Map. You will see a new panel on the left. This is your document map. Click on any of them to go straight to that paragraph or sentence. To get rid of this view, just repeat the same steps.

Tip #6 - Format Painter
This tip will apply a certain format to plain text to make it look the same. If you have some text in a format that you like, but don't know how to create this yourself (ex: bold, fontsize 12, and the font is Tempus Sans ITC), just use the paintbrush (it's next to the paste button). First select the text with the format that you like, then press the format painter (paintbrush) button. This will then copy the format. Then highlight all the text you want the format to apply to and let go of the mouse button. The text will instantly change to reflect that format.

Tip #7 - RAND command
This is not exactly a tip, but you can say that it's a nice trick. Open up a new Word document. Then type in =rand(5,10). You will see the sentence: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. It should have ten of those sentences in each paragraph, and there should be five paragraphs. So the (5,10) could be any two numbers you want. Just thought that this is a neat trick. Running blank here, so please send some of your tips in.

Tip #8 - Remove icons from toolbar
With this tip you will be able to remove any icons/buttons in Word. For example, let's just say you never use the Office Assistant button and you want to remove it. Just hold down the alt key and then left click and drag it to the title bar (the top blue area). Let go of the mouse button and it will be removed.

Tip #9 - Compare documents
To compare two documents for any differences, go to Tools->Track Changes->Compare Documents and choose the document you want to compare it to.

Tip #10 - Hyperlinks
In this tip you will learn how to create a hyperlink (link to a webpage, link to a document, link to telnet, and others). To create a hyperlink to a webpage, just highlight the text you want to be linked and then choose Insert->Hyperlink (or ctrl+k). You will see on the first line: Link to file or URL:. Just type in the url (ex: http://www.yahoo.com) in that line and click OK. If you want to link to another document, just click the Browse button that is next to it and look for the file you want to link to.

Tip #11 - Add new word to dictionary
We all have seen that red squiggly line under some unknown word or even a name that is not so common. We could right click on the word and choose to ignore this word throughout the document. But what if it's our name or someone else's name that you will be typing a lot. To make Word remember this name or word, right click on it and choose Add.

Tip #12 - Insert special symbols
Some documents need special symbols in them to look better. You can insert the degree symbol, copyright symbol, and others. Go to Insert->Symbol and play around with it.