5 Things You Must Know to Become a Word Wizard 

5 Things You Must Know to Become a Word Wizard 

If you are like me, chances are you use Microsoft Word every day. According to the Financial Post, Word and its companion MS Office platforms have 1.2 billion active users worldwide¹. In addition to writing blog articles, you can utilize Word to create books, letters, newsletters, and a variety of other documents². In this article, we will outline five things you must know to become a Microsoft Word wizard. 

Whether you are using Word for the first time or the thousandth, you must begin by opening the Word program on your computer². To create a new document, either click the “Blank document” icon to create a blank document or select from a diverse array of templates, including those for resumes and book reports². If you cannot find the correct template on the home screen, click “More templates” to view additional templates². 

Once you have opened your Word document, do not forget to save it regularly². This will prevent accidental deletion, as well as file loss in the event your computer’s hardware malfunctions². If you use Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud service, Word automatically saves your documents as you write them². However, if you do not have OneDrive or prefer not to utilize autosave, you must remember to save your document frequently during the writing process². When you are ready to save your file, click the blue disk icon in the upper left corner². If you are saving this document for the first time, you will see a popup window prompting you to provide a name and location for your file². Now that you know how to create and save Word documents, let us explore more helpful Word functions. 

(Image courtesy of https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-a-document-b7f55d8c-d714-4892-8fde-853a82419027)  

While arranging text into neatly formatted paragraphs is essential for writing business letters or other professional documents, Word also gives you opportunities to write text anywhere on the page³. Just click any location on the page twice and Word will allow you to start typing there³. By automatically inserting hard returns and tabs, Word lets you turn your document into a digital whiteboard³. If you are a marketing director brainstorming ideas for next year’s advertising campaigns with your colleagues, for example, Word’s type-anywhere function is designed for you³. 

As its name suggests, Word’s key emphasis is on helping you create and format text documents for business and personal use alike. However, you can liven up your body copy by inserting graphics such as photos, charts, and Excel spreadsheets. To add an object directly into the page, click Insert > Object³. This opens a dialog box showing the types of objects you can add³. While you can add charts such as bar graphs and pie charts, you can also insert spreadsheets or PDFs into your document³. Then, use the tab along the top to filter several distinct types of images, including stickers and illustrations⁴. Word also lets you insert stock photos directly from the web⁴. To do so, simply click the “Insert” tab, followed by “choose Pictures” ⁴. You will then be able to search for specific photos to feature in your document⁴. Once you have inserted your chosen image into Word, you can bring up the “Picture Format” tab to edit your image directly⁴. With options including Add Alt Text, Color, Corrections, Cropping, and more, the possibilities are endless⁴. 

(Image courtesy of https://helpdeskgeek.com/office-tips/embed-an-excel-worksheet-into-word/) 

Finally, if you work for an international company or with clients around the globe, chances are you have received documents in other languages such as Spanish, French, or Mandarin Chinese. While you may be tempted to visit Google Translate and copy-paste the entire document to translate it into English before re-copying and pasting it into Word, MS Word has the translation process covered⁴. To translate foreign-language documents into English, or English-language documents into other languages, simply click on the Review tab⁴. Word will then offer to translate your document, which you can accept. However, if this does not work, click the Review tab, and then translate⁴. Word will automatically create a new, machine-translated copy of your document⁴. Keep in mind, though, that this functionality only works if you use Word for Microsoft 365⁴. In short, MS Word helps make global business communication a breeze. 

If you are looking to enhance your MS Word proficiency, navitend can help. Our Microsoft Word how-to video series on YouTube features 33 installments, each one providing the necessary skills and knowledge so you can become a Word wizard in no time. We have all the tools you need to create predictably awesome Word documents every day. 

Navitend can help you. Call 973.448.0070 or setup an appointment today. 

Sources: 

¹Financial Post. “Over 1 billion people worldwide use a MS Office product or service” by StackCommerce. Retrieved from https://financialpost.com/personal-finance/business-essentials/over-1-billion-people-worldwide-use-a-ms-office-product-or-service. 

²Canto. “How to use Microsoft Word – a complete guide” by Casey Schmidt. Retrieved from https://www.canto.com/blog/how-to-use-microsoft-word/. 

³PC Mag. “16 Microsoft Word Tips You Need to Learn Now” by Evan Dashevsky and Jason Cohen. Retrieved from https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/16-microsoft-word-tips-you-need-to-learn-now. 

⁴Digital Trends Media Group. “6 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do in Microsoft Word” by Arif Bacchus. Retrieved from https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/6-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-do-in-microsoft-word/.