MS Word Tips & Tricks

Show formatting marks

To display formatting marks in Word 2010,click the paragraph mark symbol(¶)in the Paragraph section of the Home tab. To adjust which marks are displayed, open the File menu, choose Options, click Display and then tick the boxes as appropriate. Click OK to save changes.

Stop Insert key annoyances

In Word 2003, choose options from the Tools menu then select the Edit tab. Tick the ‘Use the INS key for paste’ box and click OK. The Insert key will now act as the paste function.

Link Text Boxes

To have text flow from one box to the next in Word 2010,click the Insert tab followed by Text box and insert text boxes into the document. Click the first box and then choose the Format tab within Drawing Tools. Click the Create Link icon in the Text selection then click the second box and the boxes will be linked.

Email Documents as PDFs

To email documents as PDFs in Word 2010, click the File button and choose Save & Send followed by create PDF/XPS Document. Click on the Create PDF/XPS button and follow the instructions to complete the process.

Make Text Fit

To shrink a document easily in Word 2003, choose Font from the Format menu then select the Character Spacing tab and use the Scale box to reduce the letter width and the Spacing box to reduce the space between letters.

Protect Documents with Passwords

To add password to Word 2007 doc., click the Protect Document icon on the Review tab. Click Editing restrictions, select how much formatting is allowed, tick the ‘Allow only this type of editing in the document ‘box and choose an option from the dropdown menu below. Click ‘Yes, Start Enforcing Protection’, type a password for the document twice and then click on OK.

Use thin font variations

Where space is tight, use fonts designed for small spaces, such as Arial Narrow rather than Arial – as this avoids having to use a smaller font size.

Browse documents by image

To check images in large Word documents click the small circle icon at the bottom of the right hand scroll bar. Click on the Browse by Graphic icon and then click the double arrows above and below the circle icon to skip through the document’s images.

Split the document view

To split doc. in two, so two parts can be viewed at one, in Word 2003 choose Split from the Window menu. In Word 2007/10, the Split button is on the ribbon’s View tab. Drag the mouse to position the split point then left-click.

View hidden text

To view hidden text in Word 2003 documents, choose Options from the Tools menu, select the View tab, tick the ‘Hidden text ‘box and click OK. This is useful for adding notes that won’t be printed.