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Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies
Author:
Published:
April 21, 2025
Overview
A beyond-the-basics guide to leveling up your skills in Microsoft Word
Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies is an easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. You can enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field, with this in-depth resource. You'll delve into topics that you may not have encountered in school or on-the-job training, such as collaborating on a document and using Copilot to improve text. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to organize the application so you can quickly access the features you need. You're on your way to becoming a Word superhero, with this fun resource.
- Learn advanced formatting and template creation techniques
- Work more efficiently with graphics, tables, and other objects
- Get a handle on document sharing, reviewing, and collaboration
- Automate writing and editing tasks to speed up tedious jobs
For Word users seeking to take their knowledge to the next level, this in-depth guide covers the professional tasks and topics you most need to know.
Word is one of the most used computer programs on the planet. Helping you to compose text is one of the things that computers do well, but that doesn't make the text-writing chore easier or imply that using Word is simple enough that professionals like you don't need help every now and then. So enjoy this Cheat Sheet.
About The Author
Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for over 150 titles years. He's written more than 130 books, including the original For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies, which soon became the world's fastest-selling computer book. Other top sellers include PCs For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Android Phones For Dummies. Visit Dan at www.wambooli.com.
Articles From The Book
3 results
Word
Articles
Thanks to the Ribbon interface, Word 2016 is a lot easier to use than in the old keyboard days. Still, keyboard shortcuts linger. The function key commands here are listed as they are mapped within Word 2016. Other programs installed on your computer may hijack certain key combinations. Also, some laptop computers may require you to press the Fn key in combination with the function keys to fully access their features.
Word
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A double-indent paragraph macro in Word 2016 modifies a paragraph's indentation, increasing both left and right attributes by half an inch. This effect could be applied by using a style, but a style sets the indentations to a specific value. When the macro is run, no matter what the current indentations are, the new values are a half-inch greater.
Word
Articles
Microsoft Word 2016 hosts several features that use the name Auto. They're all automatic, they serve comparable functions, and they have annoyingly similar names. Here's the Big Picture:
AutoCorrect: This function corrects common typos and capitalizations. It also inherited many of the old AutoText features from previous versions of Word.
Word
Articles
When you work with an older Word document file, or perhaps load up a word processing document from another source, you may see the text [Compatibility Mode] on the document window's title bar. That text reminds you that, although you can edit the document, certain features are disabled. These features include the capability to update a document's formats in real time, document themes, content controls, SmartArt objects, and more.
Word
Articles
Not everyone is as up-to-speed with Word 2016 as you are. Some folks still use Word 2002, Word 98, and even Word 97. You can't change anyone's mind about software upgrade choices, but you can maintain compatibility with individuals or organizations that cling to those older versions of Word.To check your document's compatibility, you can run the compatibility checker.
Word
Articles
Word 2016 lacks an AutoComplete function. It was removed a few versions ago. In its place you create an AutoText building block, which works just like the old AutoComplete.The AutoText building block is a typing assistant. You create building blocks for text you frequently type, such as your name, address, apologies, and so on.
Word
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Sometimes the evil lurks in what's supposed to be Word 2016's main repository of sanity: the Normal template file. To fix the Normal template, you must delete it (or rename it) and then Word automatically builds a new, proper Normal template.
If you rebuild the Normal template, you're removing any customizations you've added, macros you've created, or default settings you've modified.
Word
Articles
One of the sins you can commit in writing a term paper or thesis is placing too many parenthetical notes on a page. Many professors appreciate it when you instead use footnotes. You'll also appreciate the parenthetical_to_footnote macro, which automates the process.Keystrokes were used to record this macro, but the insertion pointer must be precisely positioned for it to work: Click the insertion pointer before the parenthetical sentence, just before the period where you want the footnote to appear.
Word
Articles
Safe Mode in Word 2016 works similarly to Startup mode and may provide an answer to a problem you're experiencing in Word. The difference is that Word starts without add-ons, modifications, or custom settings. What you get is the "raw" version of Word with no frills.Follow these steps to start Word in Safe Mode:
Ensure that Word is closed.
Word
Articles
Sometimes a problem you're experiencing with Word 2016 has to do with an add-on or extra feature. These features extend Word's capabilities, but they might also lead to problems. To ensure that the problem isn't with those extensions, you can run Word in Startup mode. (You can think of it as Naked mode, but Bill Gates frowned upon that naming suggestion.
Word
Articles
Word 2016 keeps a crypt of sorts, populating it with lost, dead, or not-recovered documents. It's not a feature you'll use often, but if you're hunting for a document you've lost or misplaced, it's a place where you should look.To peruse the purgatory of lost documents, obey these directions:
Click the File tab.
Word
Articles
Word 2016's editing restrictions limit the user's ability to create new text in a document or edit existing text. You can apply the restrictions to the entire document, or you can allow editing within given blocks, or editing areas. The basic form of restriction, however, allows you to limit what can be done to the document.
Word
Articles
When you're writing in Word 2016, especially if you're working on an academic paper or even a large fiction work, you might want to spike large chunks of text rather than delete them. To spike text, you select it and then move it down to the end of the document. When you're "done" writing, review your spikes to see whether anything is worth saving.
Word
Articles
You may think nothing of reviewing your Word 2016 document when your vision is good and you can ably use a mouse or keyboard. Not everyone is so blessed. To ensure that you don't unintentionally create a trap for someone who may not have your same abilities, you can run the Accessibility Checker. As with document inspection, this activity takes place late in the writing and publishing schedule.
Word
Articles
Before that final save, or any time you're working on a large document in Word 2016, consider doing some document cleanup. It's a process that involves searching for rogue characters and other problematic text.A document cleanup routine involves looking for trailing spaces at the end of paragraphs, double spaces, double tabs, and double Enter keys (empty paragraphs).
Word
Articles
The most basic type of programming, in Word 2016 or any other program, is code that spits out a simple message on the screen. In fact, most beginner programming books start out with a sample program to display the text Hello, World! Word macros are no different.The following macro, message_popup1, displays a dialog box with a single line of text and an OK button, as illustrated:Sub message_popup1()
'
' message_popup Macro
' Display a pop-up message
'
MsgBox "This Word macro requires your attention", vbOKOnly, "Hey there!
Word
Articles
When working with documents in Word 2016, especially longer ones, you'll want the extra ease and FUNctionality of macros that can swap text words, phrases, or elements around. To create macros, you'll probably need the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language, which is vast, complex, and intimidating.
Word
Articles
Date-and-time fields in Word 2016 are something you can easily code manually. Is doing so quicker than using commands on the Ribbon? You bet! Especially when you know the codes you want and can easily craft the field.To build a field manually, press Ctrl+F9. Word presents an empty field: { }Between the brackets, you can manually type any field, if you know the field name.
Word
Articles
If you miss the old AutoText feature in Word 2016, you can pretend that AutoCorrect is AutoText. AutoCorrect's second feature (after fixing capitalization errors) is replacing common typos and other text with correct versions. This feature is similar to the old AutoText feature, beloved by Word users from generations past.
Word
Articles
It's amazing which antique word processing files Word 2016 recognizes. For example, Word 2016 can open WordPerfect 5.1 files, no problem. Follow these steps to attempt that feat, albeit with your own antique word processing files:
Press Ctrl+O.
The Open screen appears.
Click the Browse button.
The Open dialog box shows up, which is a far better tool than the Open screen for hunting down files.
Word
Articles
Here are some references to different parts of Word 2016. You'll also find some tips and suggestions on how to use many of these features.
Document views in Word
You can change how a document appears in the Word document window. Here are your options:Print Layout: This is the standard view; in this mode, you see all elements on a page, including text, graphics, headers, footers, and even the page margins if you adjust the zoom.
Word
Articles
Recognizing that "stuff" happens, Microsoft offers an Office Repair utility. Because Word 2016 is a part of the Office suite of programs, the Office Repair utility works to fix anything horrifically wrong with Word. Obey these steps:
Close Word and any other Office programs.
You should do so now; otherwise, you'll be asked to do so again later.
Word
Articles
If you're assigning commands to keyboard shortcuts, creating your own macros, or simply wanting better access to your favorite commands, here's some good news: You'll find plenty of simple keyboard shortcuts available for the taking. Some are surprisingly simple combinations.
Ctrl-key combinations
Ctrl+. (period)Ctrl+; (semicolon)Ctrl+7Ctrl+8Ctrl+9
Alt-key combinations
Alt+/Alt+.
Word
Articles
In Word 2016, the drawing canvas is optional. The drawing canvas is a throwback to an earlier version of Word. For some reason, Microsoft changed the way Word 2000 worked with shapes and pictures, requiring you to first create a drawing canvas and then insert a graphic.Too many people were frustrated with that process, so in the next release of Word (2002), the drawing canvas was inserted automatically.
Word
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Have you saved your document recently? Every time you do, Word 2016 keeps track of the older versions. These versions are listed on the File tab's Info screen, as shown. The number of entries you see depends on how many times you've saved your document since it was last opened. (These items are not the same as AutoRecover backups.
Word
Articles
Word is one of the most used computer programs on the planet. Helping you to compose text is one of the things that computers do well, but that doesn't make the text-writing chore easier or imply that using Word is simple enough that professionals like you don't need help every now and then. So enjoy this Cheat Sheet.
Word
Articles
Line art, text boxes, pictures, and other fancy document elements use layout options to control where they sit in the text. These options are set when you select the object (click on it) and then click the Layout Options button, as illustrated in the following figure:Here are the layout options and a description of how they affect an object:
In Line with Text: The default option treats the object as though it were just another character in a paragraph — albeit a potentially large character.
Word
Articles
You can purchase Word 2016 as a stand-alone software program, or you can pay for a subscription to the Office 365 service. With Office 365, however, you get more: You get free updates to the latest version, up to five separate installations of Word (and the rest of the Office suite) on PCs, Macs, and mobile devices, and you get additional OneDrive storage.
Word
Articles
Microsoft introduced the Backstage in Word 2013, and it's still available in Word 2016. It supplanted the traditional Save As and Open dialog boxes, replacing them with a full-window screen to augment their functions specific to cloud storage. The change also provided some consistency between the Save As and Open commands, as well as the Print and New commands.
Word
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To help ensure that your document enters publication without any regrets, Word 2016 offers a tool called the Document Inspector. It's designed to remove certain items from your document, such as comments, hidden text, revision marks, and other items that might be necessary for document production but unwanted for publication.
Word
Articles
Text and paragraphs in Word 2016 have special meanings. Specific terms are used in Word to describe these document elements as well as their formatting characteristics.
Text attributes
The following figure illustrates the basic descriptions that apply to a typeface or font:Here are the terms used to describe a typeface:
Baseline: Text is written on the baseline.