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10 Hidden Features and Tricks of Microsoft Word

Updated: Nov 27, 2022


Microsoft Word is one of the most frequently used text editors. It is convenient, functional and flexible, but for some reason, most people hardly used half of the features from this program.


In this article, we’ve selected some tricks that will help you save time with Microsoft Word.


10 Hidden Features and Tricks of Microsoft Word

Switching Caps Lock

Anyone at least once activated Caps Lock by mistake, and as a result, wrote a large piece of text in capital letters. Most people will delete the text and type it again. But there is a simpler (and faster) solution. Press Shift + F3. This way, you can toggle the case of selected text, changing lowercase to uppercase or the other way round.

Switching Caps Lock

Clipboard

Everyone copy and paste text in their document. But very few know that MS Word actually remembers not just the last copied item, but all the items previously copied. To access this advanced clipboard, go to the "Home" tab, and in the "Clipboard" menu, click the arrow to open the advanced clipboard. You will see all the items previously copied while working with Office.

Clipboard


Improving readability

To do this, in the "Page Layout" section, select "Hyphenation". The function can be performed manually and automatically. The text will look more organic and more comfortable to read; long empty spaces will be removed.

Adjust kerning

Expert essay writers tend to use the next trick to improve the look of their text with the help of kerning. Select your text and press the Ctrl+D key combination to open the Font menu. Go to "Advanced". There you can change character spacing and kerning to make sure the letters don't look too far from one another in your text.


Repeat previous command

By pressing F4, MS Office will duplicate the previous command. This works with almost any command, from typing text to deleting, applying styles, etc.


Repeat previous command

Emphasize words

Sometimes it is necessary to put emphasis on one word or another, but to search in symbols is long and tedious. But there is a quicker way: position the cursor after the letter on which you want to put emphasis, and while holding down the Alt key, type 769 on the numeric keypad.

Set individual key combinations for quick access to programs

Set individual key combinations for quick access to programs

Shift+F10 will open the context menu for the current object, and allow you to select items in the menu using the up/down arrows. This combination can replace the right-click and allow you to type like a real pro, with barely using the mouse.


Besides, in the Windows operating system, it is possible to set individual key combinations for quick access to programs.

On the desktop, click on the shortcut of the desired program with the right mouse button and select the "Properties" section. In the dialog box, find the tab "Shortcut". In the field "Quick call" enter the desired key.

Protecting the fruits of your labor

If you need to protect the document, you need to follow the sequence: "File-> Information-> Protect Document". Once in the last tab, you can set a digital signature, restrict or prohibit file editing, set a password.

But be careful: if you forget the password, you will not be able to have access the document again.


Add a watermark

If radical ways of protecting the document are not needed, try to limit yourself to adding a watermark: go to the "Design" tab, then "Page Background" and "Watermark". The standard Word package includes four templates, but no one forbids creating your own custom watermark.

Translate without browser

Many Word users need to translate texts from one language to another, and often use online solutions like Prompt, Google Translate, etc. But actually the Microsoft translator of Bing is already available inside Word. You can access it from the "Review" tab, in the "Language" menu, under "Translate".

Mastering these few tricks will help you come closer to being a Microsoft Word expert. And doing so, it will help you save valuable time while giving you the pleasant feeling of typing like a pro.


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