For users

Articles about using Word to create fabulous documents easily

Bullets

How to control bullets in Microsoft Word

Overview of how to control bullets in Microsoft Word.

How to control bullets in Microsoft Word 2000, 2002 and 2003

In Word 2000, 2002 and 2003, you can control bullets by using the built-in List Bullet styles. This page explains how to use the List Bullet styles to get reliable bullets that you can control.

How to control bullets in Word 2007 and Word 2010

In Word 2007 and Word 2010, you can control bullets by creating a list style, and then attaching the 5 built-in List Bullet paragraph styles to the list style. This page explains how to create your list style, how to attach the built-in List Bullet paragraph styles, and how to use them to get reliable bullets that you can control.

Formatting

Change the colour or remove the underline from hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

How to format hyperlinks in a Microsoft Word document to remove the underline, or change the colour (or the color!).

Hyperlinks: different colours for text and underline in Microsoft Word

When you create a hyperlink in Microsoft Word, you can't have different colours for text and underline. It's a bug. Here's one (poor) workaround.

“Letters are missing in my watermark when I print”

Does your watermark in Word look fine on screen, but print as "D AFT" instead of "DRAFT"? Or "CON IDE TI L"? This article explains how to avoid watermarks losing some letters when they print.

Layout

How to create a glossary in Microsoft Word

Word has no built-in mechanism to create glossaries. This article describes several methods for creating a glossary using Word's built-in features.

Is your image slipping? How to get your images to stand still

Word has two ways to position an image: floating and inline. Most problems with images occur because the image is floating when it should be in line. This article explains how to identify whether an image is floating or inline, and how to format your image as floating or inline.

Managing pagination (or, avoiding page breaks where you don’t want them)

How to get the page breaks you want in a Microsoft Word document---and how to avoid page breaks where you don't want them.

Managing Word

Asking questions, getting help

4 ways to get free information about how to use Word.

Complete Word Count

The CompleteWordCount add‑in allows you to see a full word count for the different areas of your document.

How to get Word to automatically fill the Edit > Find and Edit > Replace boxes with the selected text

When you do Edit > Find, Word remembers the text you last searched for. I'd like Word to default the 'Find' text to the text I've selected in the document.

What version of Word do I have?

Start up Microsoft Word. Compare these pictures to Word running on your computer to find out what version of Word you have.

Word 2007 and Word 2010: Ribbon tutorial

Get to know the new Ribbon in Microsoft Word 2007 and Word 2010. Info on how it works, what's new, and what to look out for.

Numbering, headings, outlines

How to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word

Two easy steps to creating a table of contents in a Microsoft Word document. Plus: how to customize your table of contents so it looks just as you want. And, 10 tips about Word tables of contents.

How to create numbered headings or outline numbering

How to set up numbered headings or outline numbering in Word.

How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2003 and earlier versions

Don't use Format > Bullets & Numbering. It's not what you need. How to set up reliable, robust heading or outline numbering in Word 2003 and earlier versions.

How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010

How to set up heading numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010

How to use the Document Map in Microsoft Word

The Document Map shows an overview of your Word document. It lets you navigate rapidly. It's most useful when you're working on a big document. Here's how.

Why use Microsoft Word’s built-in heading styles?

16 reasons to use Word's built-in heading styles. Word's built-in heading styles have "magic" properties that you can't recreate in custom styles.

Sharing documents

Hints for producing academic papers that you have to submit in soft copy

Students in universities and colleges sometimes submit assignments, research papers and essays as a Microsoft Word document. This page provides some hints for how to do this most effectively.

How do I control how a Word document opens from the internet or an intranet?

Microsoft Word does not control how a Word document displays in Internet Explorer. It's a Windows thing. Use the File Types command within Windows to control how a Word document displays in Internet Explorer.

How does Track Changes in Microsoft Word work?

There are four steps to tracking changes: 1. Tell Word to track changes. 2. Tell Word to display Tracked Changes. 3. Tell Word how to display Tracked Changes. 4. Tell Word to accept or reject the changes This page explains how.

How to use the Reviewing Toolbar in Microsoft Word 2002 and Word 2003

If you're using track changes in Microsoft Word, use the Reviewing Toolbar to control the display of tracked changes and comments. For Word 2002 and Word 2003.

How tracked changes have made businesses and government look foolish

Examples of businesses and governments that published documents containing tracked changes that they didn't want to be public!

What happens when I send my document to someone else? Will Word mess up my formatting?

Myths, urban legends, misunderstandings and confusion reign. Don't save your document if the 'Automatically update document styles' box in the Templates and Add-Ins dialog is ticked. If that box is not ticked then Word will not mess up your formatting if you send your document to someone else.

Styles

How Paste Options works in Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003

In Word 2002 and 2003 you sometimes see a clipboard thingy with a drop down list every time you paste text. What is it? What does it do? How to use it.

How styles in Microsoft Word cascade

A Word style can be based on another style. A style inherits the format of its parent. This gives you powerful control over the format of your document.

How the Styles and Formatting pane works in Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003

All about the Word 2002 and Word 2003 Styles and Formatting pane. What it shows you (and what it doesn't). How to decipher its symbols strange text.

How to apply a style in Microsoft Word

15 ways to apply a style using the mouse or the keyboard in Microsoft Word.

How to reinstate the Styles combo box in Microsoft Word 2007 and Word 2010

Customize the Quick Access Toolbar to display the Styles combo box. It shows what style has been applied to the selected text as you move around your document.

Tips for Understanding Styles in Word

Using styles in Microsoft Word is the best way to create consistent, well-formatted documents. In Word, a style is a collection of formatting instructions. Typically, a style is associated with a structural element of the document. For example: Title, Caption, Body Text, Footnote.

Why does Word sometimes override bold and italics when I apply a paragraph style, but sometimes it does not?

If you apply a style to a paragraph, and less than half the text in the paragraph has direct formatting, then Word retains the direct formatting. If you apply a style to a paragraph, and more than half the text in the paragraph has direct formatting, then the style overrides the direct formatting.

Why I don’t use Custom Table Styles in Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003

In Microsoft Word 2002 and Word 2003, I've given up trying to use Table Styles for professional documentation. This page explains why.

Templates

What happens when I attach a new template to my document? or How do I copy content and settings from a template to a document?

You can attach a new template to a document. But when you do so, you might not get the results you expect. This article explains what happens when you attach a template to a document, and how to achieve what you may think should have happened.

What is the relationship between a Microsoft Word document and its template?

Describes how a document is based on a template, what effect the template has when a new document is created, and what role the template plays when a document is being edited.

Word and Excel