{"id":150355,"date":"2020-03-16T09:49:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T08:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=150355"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:22:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:22:35","slug":"productivity-tips-microsoft-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/productivity-tips-microsoft-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve your productivity with these Microsoft Word tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150383\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Microsoft_Word_Productivity_Tips_ihgsis.jpg\" alt=\"Productivity tips for Microsoft Word\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\"><\/p>\n<p>This week at Softonic we\u2019re here for all the Microsoft Office users out there. Whether you\u2019re an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/office-2019-vs-office-365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Office 2019 owner or Microsoft Office 365 subscriber<\/a>&nbsp;is all the same when it comes to getting the job done. We\u2019re here for all of you this week as we\u2019ll be giving you top tips for PowerPoint, a guide to accessibility tools across all Office programs, tips on formatting Office files, and some essential Excel formulas. Today though, we\u2019re looking at Microsoft Word as we try to boost your productivity with some top tips.<\/p>\n<p>Word is the most successful word processing program there has ever been. For years, in fact, it was the only one that mattered. Then the cloud came along and programs like Google Docs shook things up a bit meaning that Word had to adapt or die. The Microsoft program did so admirably and today has a plethora of new features and tools that Word users from just a few years ago wouldn\u2019t recognize. Let\u2019s not waste any more time then and get straight into our productivity tips for Microsoft Word.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Microsoft Word\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/0ccf945a-9b2f-11e6-b8c6-00163ec9f5fa\/2662905954\/microsoft-word-2016-screenshot.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Microsoft Word<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/microsoft-word-2016.en.softonic.com\/?ex=REG-60.2\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--90\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"90\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"9\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">9<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/microsoft-word-2016.en.softonic.com\/?ex=REG-60.2\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h2>Tips for Word<\/h2>\n<h3>Keep your documents safe and private<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150385\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Best_Word_productivity_tips_protect_your_files_cmvdzc.jpg\" alt=\"Protect Word documents\" width=\"646\" height=\"590\"><\/p>\n<p>It is more important than ever to protect your digital documents as much as you can. Fortunately, Microsoft Word has a lot of features to help you do so including encrypting your written documents and protecting them behind passwords. You can also manage permissions for who can view and who can edit the documents you\u2019ve created. To do so, Hit the&nbsp;<strong>File<\/strong>&nbsp;button and then click&nbsp;<strong>Info<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick highlight<\/h3>\n<p>This simple trick is very effective, and you\u2019ll use it a lot once you know how to do it. To highlight an entire sentence in a single click simply hold the&nbsp;<strong>CTRL key<\/strong>&nbsp;as you click the beginning of the sentence. There is also a less refined version of this tip where you don\u2019t hold the CTRL-key but simply perform multiple mouse clicks. A double click highlights a word and three clicks will highlight a paragraph. The final selection shortcut we have for you doesn\u2019t even include mouse clicks at all. To highlight the entire document at once press&nbsp;<strong>CTRL + A&nbsp;<\/strong>at the same time. Be careful with this one though, and remember that the undo button is always there if something goes wrong.<\/p>\n<h3>The Word calculator<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150386\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Best_Word_productivity_tips_calculate_lulaf1.jpg\" alt=\"Calculate on Microsoft word\" width=\"700\" height=\"571\"><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a little-known fact that Word can do sums and math just like Excel can. You need to hit&nbsp;<strong>File<\/strong>, then&nbsp;<strong>Options<\/strong>, and then select the&nbsp;<strong>Quick Access Toolbar&nbsp;<\/strong>option in the menu on the left. You then need to click the drop-down menu called&nbsp;<strong>Choose commands from&nbsp;<\/strong>and select&nbsp;<strong>All Commands<\/strong>. Now in the list below find&nbsp;<strong>Calculate<\/strong>&nbsp;and hit&nbsp;<strong>Add<\/strong>. Confirm this by clicking&nbsp;<strong>OK&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;and then get back to work. You\u2019ll now see a new blue button next to the&nbsp;<strong>Undo&nbsp;<\/strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Redo&nbsp;<\/strong>icons that will change color any time you type out and highlight calculations in your document. When it does this, click it and Word will show you the answer to your calculation where it normally shows you the word count of your document.<\/p>\n<h3>Word equations<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150387\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Best_Word_productivity_tips_equations_i7fsfv.jpg\" alt=\"Equations on Microsoft Word\" width=\"525\" height=\"728\"><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking to add something a little more complicated than simple calculations to your document, then you\u2019ll be glad to know that Word has a built-in equation feature for doing just that. To insert equations into your Word documents hit&nbsp;<strong>Insert<\/strong>&nbsp;and then&nbsp;<strong>Equation<\/strong>. Word will then show you a number of different equations that you can add to your document and then format as you wish.<\/p>\n<h3>Delete whole words at once<\/h3>\n<p>If you ever find yourself with lots of text that you need to delete, you\u2019ll be interested to know that you can upgrade delete from a single letter at a time to a word simply by holding the&nbsp;<strong>CTRL key&nbsp;<\/strong>when you hit delete<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-related-articles-white\">\r\n<p class=\"sc-related-articles-white__title\">More about Windows 10<\/p>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"How to start Windows 10 in safe mode \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/windows-10-safe-mode\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/01\/windows-10-192.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>How to start Windows 10 in safe mode \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"How to turn on Bluetooth in Windows 10 \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/bluetooth-windows-10\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2019\/02\/bluetooth-192.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>How to turn on Bluetooth in Windows 10 \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__row\">\r\n    <a title=\"Windows 10 has a new free Microsoft Office app \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/windows-10-new-free-microsoft-office-app\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/office-192.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Windows 10 has a new free Microsoft Office app \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n    <a title=\"Microsoft\u2019s latest trick to get you to upgrade to Windows 10 \u25ba\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/windows-media-player-metadata\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__article\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__image\">\r\n        <div style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/windows10-circle-192.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-related-articles-white__text\">\r\n        <p>Microsoft\u2019s latest trick to get you to upgrade to Windows 10 \u25ba<\/p>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>Assess the readability of your document<\/h3>\n<p>Word now has a readability tool that uses many different established lingual tests to provide you with readability statistics. The statistics are presented on a scale of 1 \u2013 100 with the higher your score the easier your text is to understand. In the example shown below, the readability could do with a slight improvement as Microsoft recommends that you should aim for a score between 60 and 70.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150388\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Best_Word_productivity_tips_readability_skpgxd.jpg\" alt=\"Readability on Microsoft Word\" width=\"489\" height=\"404\"><\/p>\n<p>To activate this feature in Word you need to click <strong>File<\/strong>, then <strong>Options<\/strong> at the bottom of the menu. You then want to hit the&nbsp;<strong>Proofing&nbsp;<\/strong>tab on the left and tick the box next to&nbsp;<strong>Show readability statistics<\/strong>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<strong>Spelling &amp; Grammar&nbsp;<\/strong>section of the menu. Then, whenever you ask Word to run a spell check by hitting the&nbsp;<strong>Review&nbsp;<\/strong>tab and then selecting<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Check Document,<\/strong>&nbsp;Word will show you the readability stats too.<\/p>\n<h3>The clipboard shortcuts<\/h3>\n<p>Copying, cutting, and pasting are very important features of Microsoft Word and pretty much any other program where the text is involved. Fortunately, Word has some handy keyboard shortcuts that make it very easy to copy and paste. To copy some text you simply need to hit&nbsp;<strong>CTRL + C&nbsp;<\/strong>when the text is highlighted; to cut text, you do the same but hit&nbsp;<strong>CTRL + X<\/strong>; and then to paste what you have on the clipboard you hit&nbsp;<strong>CTRL + V<\/strong>. This will save you a lot of time.<\/p>\n<h3>The search shortcut<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-150389\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2020\/12\/Best_Word_productivity_tips_word_search_wzgwhe.jpg\" alt=\"Search on Microsoft Word\" width=\"433\" height=\"281\"><\/p>\n<p>This one is useful for SEO editors or anybody dealing with large amounts of text in documents. If you need to search your document for a particular word or phrase, it can be a real pain scouring through all the written text in search of what you\u2019re after. Instead, what you should do is hit&nbsp;<strong>CTRL + F<\/strong>, which will open up the Word search bar. 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