This article explains how to create, use and give the desired format to a Word document.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Creating a Simple Document
Step 1. Open Microsoft Word
You can do this by double clicking on the program icon.
Step 2. Consider the available templates
On the right side of the screen, you will see some templates that you can use:
- Blank document: a blank document with the default formatting.
- Creative resume / cover letter: a tidy and pre-formatted curriculum (with cover letter).
- Student report with cover photo: a document format designed for schoolgoers.
- Fax Cover: a document to be placed in front of your fax communications.
- You can also search the internet for specific templates from within Word, using the search bar at the top of the window.
Step 3. Choose a model
The chosen format will open in a new Word page. Now that you have the document open, you are ready to learn the toolbar options.
If in doubt, open a blank document
Part 2 of 3: Using the Microsoft Word Toolbar
Step 1. Click on the File tab
You can find it at the top left of the screen (or in the menu bar if you use the Mac version of the program). Inside you will find many useful options on the far left of the screen:
- Information (PC only): click on this item to check the statistics of the document, for example when it was last modified and any problems.
- New one: click to open the "New document" page where you will find all the preset templates. When you open a new document, you will be asked to save the previous one.
- You open: click to view the list of recently opened documents. You can also select a folder (such as "This PC") to search in.
- Save: click to save the document. If this is your first time doing this, you will be asked to enter a title, to choose the save path and file format.
- Save with name: click to save your document with a different name or format.
- Press: click to open the printer settings.
- Share: Click to view document sharing options, such as the ability to email it or save it to a cloud.
- Export: Click to quickly create a PDF or change the file type.
Step 2. Click on ← in the upper left corner of the screen
If you are using a Mac, you will not see this button; just click on the document to exit the "File" menu.
Step 3. Look at the formatting options on the Home tab
At the top of the screen, you will see five subsections of this tab, from left to right:
- Notes: Each time you copy text, it is saved to the clipboard. You can view the copied text by clicking on the clipboard item that you find in this section.
- Character: in this section you can change the style, size, color, formatting (for example bold or italic) of the text and highlight parts of it.
- Paragraph: in this section you can change the formatting of the paragraphs of the document, for example change the spacing of the lines, create indentations and bulleted lists.
- Styles- This section contains text templates for many different uses (such as headings, titles, and subtitles). You'll also find the popular "No Spacing" option here, which eliminates excess space between lines in your document.
- EditHere you will find some popular tools, such as "Find and Replace", which allows you to quickly replace all occurrences of one word with another.
Step 4. Click the Insert tab to view the types of media you can put into the document
Enter is to the right of Home. In this tab you can add drawings and page numbers to your text. From left to right, some of the most used options are as follows:
- Table: by clicking on this button you can create an Excel-style table within the document.
- Image- Use this feature to insert an image into your document.
- Header and footer: these options are very important to write respecting the canons of the official texts. The Header button allows you to insert a space at the top of the document for comments, while the Footer does the same at the bottom of the page. The page numbers are customizable.
- Equation / Symbol: These options use special formatting to accurately display simple equations. You can select the formulas or symbols you need from the drop-down menus.
Step 5. Click on the Design tab to create your own template
You'll find it to the right of Insert.
The Design tab contains preset themes and formats listed at the top of the page
Step 6. Click on the Page Layout tab to customize the page formatting
Inside you will find options for editing the following elements of the document:
- Margins
- Page orientation (portrait or landscape)
- Page size
- Number of columns (one is the default)
- Location of page breaks
- Indentations
Step 7. Click on the References tab to manage your citations
If you have a bibliography page, you can manage it from this section.
- To quickly format the bibliography section, click on the Bibliography drop-down menu and select a template.
- Among the "Citations and Bibliography" options, you can change the formatting of the bibliography from APA to MLA style (or others).
- In the "Captions" section you will find the option to insert the index of the figures. This is useful for scientific analysis papers or similar, where statistical data is more important than citations.
Step 8. Click the Letters tab to view document sharing options
In this section you can check your email settings and share documents.
- You can also print an envelope or label by clicking on the relevant options in the upper left corner of the screen.
- The Select recipients drop-down menu allows you to choose between Outlook contacts as well as those in the Word address book.
Step 9. Click on the Review tab
In this section you will find tools for correction, such as options for marking errors in documents and identifying them. Here are some of the most important rumors:
- Spelling and Grammar Check: Click this option (in the top left corner) to underline any grammar or spelling errors.
- The "Revisions" section: it is located on the right side of the toolbar. Here you can activate the "Detect changes" feature, which allows you to automatically mark in red all the additions to the text or the places where something has been deleted.
Step 10. Decide which options are most useful for your job
For example, if you are a student, you will probably use the Insert and References tabs often. Now that you know the toolbar, you can give your first Word document the format of your choice.
Part 3 of 3: Format the Text
Step 1. Open a new blank document within Word
If you've already created the file you want to edit, open that.
Step 2. Write some text
You can do this by clicking on the blank page and using the keyboard.
If you have an existing document open, be sure to save your work before making any changes
Step 3. Highlight a section of the text
To do this, click and drag the mouse cursor over what you have typed, then release the button when you have selected the words you want to change.
Step 4. Consider what changes you want to make to the text
Here are some of the most used options:
- Apply quick formatting to text. You can do this by right-clicking (or a two-finger click) on the highlighted text, then choosing an option from the context menu.
- Change the font of the highlighted section. You can do this by clicking the bar at the top of the "Font" section (Home tab), then choosing a new font.
- Underline the text, or write it in bold or italics. To do this, click the G, C or S buttons in the "Font" section of the Home tab.
- Change the document spacing. To do this, the simplest way is to click on the selected text with the right mouse button, press Paragraph and change the "Line spacing" value in the lower right corner of the window that opens.
Step 5. Continue working with Word
A document's formatting choices often depend on how you want to use it, so the more often you work with a particular format, the more proficient you will become at using it.
Advice
- A red line under a word indicates it is incorrectly spelled, a green line indicates a grammar error, and a blue one refers to formatting.
- If you right-click (or two-finger click) on an underlined word, you'll see suggestions on how to replace it at the top of the context menu.
- You can quickly save documents by holding Control (or Command on a Mac) and pressing S.