Do you know how to take full advantage of all Word features? Then read on.
Google Docs comes for free and is available to anyone with an internet browser though it never hurts to use it with a Google Chrome browser either. However, even with that, Microsoft Word manages to have the lion’s share of users who use writing applications for work or play, around the world.
The reasons for so many typists using Microsoft word as their first choice application for work or play are many and we won’t divulge on them in this post.
What we will tell you in this piece is that Microsoft Word is jam-packed with all kinds of new features and helpful tools which you don’t know about.
And since the application itself is so complex, a lot of users struggle to truly appreciate Microsoft word because they never get exposed to the myriad of extra features that Microsoft Word offers.
It doesn’t matter if you’re preparing a report, an essay or even short story, Microsoft Word can fit the bill in any and every situation.
Read on to find out and then use, some of the most lesser-known features of Microsoft Word that most people skip through because of the effort they require to be uncovered.
Note that this list represents our favorite Microsoft Word features, if you think we missed a really important not-well-known feature then do let us know by using the comments section below the article.
So without further ado, here are the 18 Microsoft Word tricks that will help you become a master of the art of using Microsoft Word for your work or casual use.
1- You Can Actually Tell Microsoft Word What You Intend To Do
If you happen to have a recent version of Microsoft Word installed on your computer machine then you might have skipped over a very helpful feature that usually appears as “Tell me what you want to do”.
We recommend that you should go ahead and do exactly what the label for this feature says. This feature is usually located just above your ribbon toolbar (which we know you ignore because of its bland look) as a field.
Some folks might dismiss this feature saying that it primarily aimed at Microsoft Word beginners but you can rest assured that isn’t the case.
To use “tell me what you want to do” feature, all you need to do is to first type out a few words in your Microsoft Word application related to a command that you want to use. You’ll notice that the Microsoft Word application will automatically allow you to quickly navigate through Microsoft Word’s countless menus.
Hence you’ll be able to save a lot of time and effort just trying to figure out the command you want to use in Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word can still compete with Google Docs if you know your way around it.
2- Microsoft Word Allows Users To Find Their Previous Location
If you happen to be involved in a lot of written work and have to write really long documents on a regular basis then this feature will be mighty useful for you.
This feature allows you to jump back to the cursor’s last known position. It’ll save you a good bit of effort especially after closing and reopening documents.
To go to your cursor’s last known position in Microsoft Word, all you really need to do is hit the Shift+F5 shortcut. This should enable you to return to the position where you last saved your document.
3- Do You Want Filler Text? Well, Microsoft Word Has Got You Covered
If you want to generate some random filler text for a document or even for testing purposes then Microsoft Word has a built-in function which generates filler text automatically.
Some of us who have used Microsoft Word for ages might overlook this feature because of the fact that it is indeed an old one but just because it is old doesn’t mean it isn’t any good or worth a mention.
Microsoft Word can help users out by generating lorem ipsum (in other words filler) text whenever they require it. And users don’t have to do much in order to automatically generate the lorem ipsum text.
If you’re one of those users, then all you need to do in order to get lorem ipsum text automatically inserted into your document is to type “=lorem(p,l)” directly in your document. That’s it. A random passage of text should be inserted into your document.
Don’t forget to replace the letters p and l with your desired number of paragraphs (hence the letter p) and lines (and hence the letter l) to get the required amount of generated filler text.
No need to suffer from unneeded and unwanted white spaces in your documents.
4- Want To Hide White Space? Microsoft Word Has Double-Click For You
Let’s say you’re viewing a Microsoft Word document in the print layout (the print layout of any document is basically just the format the document would change into when printed on an actual page) and you want to hide the extra and nonessential white space that appears anywhere in the document.
Microsoft Word can help you do that, and rather quickly, if you just hover your mouse cursor over the gap (white space gap actually) between the relevant page and toolbar and then simply double-clicking that gap.
After you’ve done that and feel like going back to the original state of the document in the print layout then a simple double-click on the same spot should bring the white space back into your Microsoft Word document.
5-Microsoft World Enables Users To Quickly Add Hyperlinks To Their Documents
Ask any content creator and they’ll tell you that the most annoying part about writing and posting articles comes when it’s time to insert hyperlinks into the document. Well, if you happen to do most of your writing work on Microsoft Word then you’re in luck because once you get a hang of this new feature, you’ll never want to go back to the more time taking methods of inserting hyperlinks into your documents.
To quickly add a hyperlink to a piece of text in your document, simply highlight that specific text and then hit Ctrl + K to insert a hyperlink.
A pop-up box will open up and it will give you the option of inserting the URL for the hyperlink. Insert that URL and then hit Enter.
Easy right?
On a side note though, this technique also works on Google Docs.
6- Want To Write Anywhere? Then Use This Microsoft Word Feature To Accomplish This Task As Well.
No one likes to spend countless minutes or sometimes even hours, in trying to figure out just the right number of columns and tables to get the perfect layout. In fact, it can be as time-consuming as hell.
But lucky for us, we have Microsoft Word which has the capability to manage basic page layouts without you having to spend any time on the task.
Just double-click on your desired position in a document and you can start typing away to your heart’s content.
Don’t look for a space to write on. Just select the one you like and hammer away.
7- Microsoft Word Has A Smart Lookup Feature That Searches The Web
To use Smart Lookup, just highlight the desired word or even a phrase and then right-click on it. You should be able to see a Smart Lookup pane open up on the right side of your Microsoft Word screen.
What is it you might ask?
Well, this is where you can shortcut your way to some good research that is available on the web. You don’t even have to leave Microsoft Word or open up a web browser (like Google Chrome) in order to make use of this feature.
Of course, Smart Lookup isn’t a perfect feature but it does work sufficiently most of the time. Other times, it isn’t of much help at all.
And yeah, it also provides some very useful word definitions as well.
8- Modify The Default Font For Your Documents in Word
Word experts might already know that users have the convenience to change the default font Word uses for all new documents. The Word software does that through a Font dialog box.
However, in the latest version of Word, i.e Word 2016, users have the facility of clicking a pop-out arrow that is located in the lower left corner of the Font pane near the ribbon toolbar.
After you have made your desired changed and have set the custom values, you must click Set As Default to save your settings.
9- Personalize The Word Ribbon
If you try hard enough you can find previously unknown features in almost all of Microsoft’s offerings.
Just as the case is with the default font for documents, users don’t have to stick with the default ribbon layout that is used by Microsoft Word.
If you want to optimize your use of the Word application then you need to make sure that the tools you use most frequently are accessible with the least amount of clicks.
To do that, first, go to File and then choose Options. When you have done that, then hit Customize Ribbon.
Now you should be able to edit the existing tab or even assemble a new one for yourself.
10- Do You Yearn For A Feature That Allows You To Select Random Areas of Any Text? Then Word Can Help You
The ability to select horizontal text is great but we want to take it up a notch by telling you how to select text in the vertical direction as well.
Additionally, what if someone wants to start a text selection in the middle of a word rather than at the beginning or at the end?
Well, if you hold down the Alt button before you click and drag your desired text, then Microsoft Word will allow you to select any rectangle of text that you need.
You can then do whatever you want with the selected rectangle of text e.g format the chosen text or even delete it if it’s just sitting there doing nothing.
11- Do You Make A Lot of Spelling And Grammar Mistakes? Does The Constant Underlining Irritate You? Then Turn The Feature Off In Microsoft Word
Did you know that you could actually hide spelling and grammar mistakes on an individual document basis?
If not, then know that recent version of Word do allow users to turn off those, sometimes maddening red and green lines under incorrect words and phrases.
You can turn them off for your current document only if you want to get rid of all the clutter on your page/pages.
To do that simply, open the File menu and then select Options. When you have done that then go to Proofing.
You might need to scroll down a little big depending on your screen size but if you go the bottom of the new menu then you should be able to see two Hide options at the end.
One goes something like “Hide spelling errors in this document only” and the other one goes a lot like “Hide grammar errors in this document only.”
Got it?
Now, you need to tick both of them if you don’t want those red and green underlines back anytime soon.
12- Become A Power Cutter And Paster With Microsoft Word Spike Feature
The Spike feature in Word is pretty simple in its use. It is basically a space for you to copy and paste content into.
Do note that it is a temporary space for storing text that is cut from any document. So don’t use it as your alternative for something like OneNote or Google Keep.
If you want to activate the feature (and then use it of course) then hit Ctrl + F3 in order to add text to the Spike space.
On the other hand, if you need to paste some portion of a text document then hit Ctrl + Shift + F3.
To view Microsoft Word Spike’s current content, go to the Insert tab and then hit the Quick Parts menu that is located above the Text heading.
After that’s done, mouse over to AutoText to finally see the content that is stored on Spike.
13- Don’t Like Word’s AutoCorrect Rules? Make Your Own
The Autocorrect feature is the most unpredictable feature that is available in Microsoft Word. It can either enhance your experience or ruin it with incorrect “corrections.”
But you don’t have to live in a world that has an AutoCorrect feature with the default rules.
To change the rules that govern AutoCorrect feature, simply go to File menu and then to Options. After that, click Proofing tab and then hit AutoCorrect Options.
When you get there, you can change the rules for various AutoCorrect functions like auto-replace rules etc all you want.
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