Tips On Managing Microsoft Word Documents

It does not matter how long you've been using Microsoft Word, you can always learn some new techniques to help you work faster and smarter. Here are some basic tips and tricks for Microsoft Word users

Use Undo

If you make a mistake, press Ctrl-Z or choose Undo from the Edit menu right away. (See Figure 1) Keep pressing Ctrl-Z to backtrack through and undo the most recent editing changes you've made.

Figure 1:



Save Often

As a precaution, you should always periodically save your work. This can be done by pressing Ctrl-S or click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. (See Figure 2) You can also instruct Word to automatically save your work periodically. Open the Tools menu, select Options, click the Save tab, and activate the Save AutoRecovery Info Every option. You can specify an interval from 1 to 120 minutes.

Figure 2:

Select An Entire Document

Why would you want to select an entire document? Maybe to change the font or to add or remove formatting.By selecting the entire document, you can apply the formatting to everything, and either leave it applied or apply it again to remove it. For example, suppose some text in your document is bold and underlined and you want nothing bold. To avoid spending time visiting each bold section of text and un-bolding it, select the whole document with Ctrl-A. Press Ctrl-B to apply bolding to the entire document, and then press Ctrl-B again to remove the bolding. Be careful when you use Ctrl-A. If you accidentally press the delete key or type a keystroke and erase everything, don't have a heart attack. Just press Ctrl-Z or choose Undo from the Edit menu.


Renaming An Existing Document

Use Save As. When you need to use an existing document as the basis for a new one, don't overwrite the old document. Click on the File menu and choose Save As. Then immediately type a new name or change some part of the old one. (See Figure 3)

Figure 3:

Moving Around In A Document

There are a couple of ways to move around in a document. To move to the top of a document, press Ctrl-Home. To move to the bottom of a document, press Ctrl-End. To go to the top of the next page, press Ctrl-Page Down. For the top of the preceding page, press Ctrl-Page Up.


Working In Multiple Documents

You don't have to close one Word document before you open another. Open as many at a time as you want to by using the Ctrl-F6 keyboard shortcut or the Windows menu to move quickly between open documents.

These are a few basic tips and tricks on managing Microsoft Word documents.Once you open Microsoft word and need further information on a specific topic, you can click on Help and then select Microsoft Word Help.Then type the subject and click Search.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Desktop Support Helpdesk at x5470, menu option #2, or via email at SHV PC HELPDESK.