If you’ve been utilizing Microsoft Word for years, you in all probability suppose you have got a reasonably good grasp on its capabilities. But you is perhaps lacking out on the complete extent of its capabilities, or worse, making due with pointless minor irritations that might be improved with the appropriate know-how. Don’t imagine me? Read on to see if any of the next tips and hidden features may enhance your individual workflow.

Finding components, particular characters and codecs

Problem: Word’s search operate solely finds textual content. How can components equivalent to tables, graphics, footnotes, and even formatting be discovered?

Solution: All that is hidden in Word’s search dialogue. First name up the search enter subject with Ctrl+F. Then click on on the magnifying glass. Then click on on the magnifying glass image. Here you’ll already discover the features with which you’ll rummage in graphics, tables, feedback, formulae, or footnotes. You can go even deeper by clicking on Advanced discover… after which More >>.

Under Format you may seek for fonts or format templates, and below Special you may seek for paragraph marks and areas. Many components will also be entered as placeholders within the search subject. For instance, “^p” searches for paragraphs. The newest Word 2021 and Microsoft 365 even have a search subject above the ribbon.

Emojis like in Whatsapp

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Problem: In apps like Whatsapp, for instance, you have got a variety of emojis, icons, and symbols at your disposal. Does Word provide one thing comparable?

Solution: Such little photos are situated within the ribbon below Insert > Icons.

Here you may see actually a whole lot of little photos, which will also be searched by way of the search subject. The icon classes ranges from Analysis to Holidays, with the smileys within the Faces part.

Create your individual watermark

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Problem: Watermarks are a typical methodology of constructing it clear who owns the copyrights to a doc or of stopping the undesirable use of copies. Can Word do that too?

Solution: Microsoft has hidden the operate for inserting a watermark in its phrase processor somewhat: You will discover it within the menu bar below the Design tab—choose Watermark on the far proper. Here the watermark menu provides some ready-made watermarks equivalent to “Confidential” or “Do not copy.”

To use your individual design, click on on Custom watermark… and add the brand or textual content you need.

Templates and designs: Integrated format aids

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Problem: With abnormal textual content, you simply begin writing, however with regards to subtle layouts equivalent to calendars, invites, or CVs, designing with Word rapidly turns into tedious. Can’t you get assist so that you simply don’t have to start out from scratch each time?

Solution: Word helps on two ranges. The first is whenever you create a brand new doc. In addition to Blank Document, there are quite a few templates obtainable, equivalent to letterheads, certificates, and brochures. If the choice is just not adequate, merely enter a key phrase for the required template within the search subject. The search time period “calendar,” for instance, brings up dozens of on-line templates that can be utilized as the premise in your personal works.

The second stage, then again, is extra involved with the looks of paperwork. The corresponding operate may be discovered below Design within the Themes menu. Here Microsoft combines coordinated fonts, colours, and font sizes. If you progress the mouse pointer over a design, you may see how your doc would look with it earlier than you choose it with a click on.

Microsoft 365: Insert textual content content material with out formatting

Problem: Instead of inserting texts within the font and with the formatting of the goal doc, Word insists on copying texts within the supply format, however this typically ruins the format and ends in expensive corrections. Is there a option to insert texts with out taking up their formatting?

Solution: Windows has truly identified an answer to this drawback for a very long time: The key mixture Ctrl-Shift-V copies pure textual content info in lots of packages. But Microsoft’s Office bundle, of all issues, can not do that. Instead, customers need to take away the formatting from texts inserted with Ctrl-V in a second step.

Simply paste your textual content into the goal doc utilizing Ctrl+V, then from the little paste menu that seems, select the third choice for text-only.

Protect paperwork with a password

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Problem: If you ship personal or confidential paperwork by e-mail, for instance, you must defend them from prying eyes with a password. How can this be finished?

Solution: In the case of secret enterprise paperwork or private paperwork with personal info, it is sensible to guard the contents of Word paperwork with a password. This makes the file nugatory to international eyes, as a result of with out getting into the right password, the file can neither be learn nor modified or printed.

To password-protect a doc, go to File > Info > Protect doc > Encrypt with password. Here you enter the password twice after which save the doc to activate the safety. The encryption additionally applies to various packages equivalent to Libre Office.

If you wish to take away the password safety, click on on Encrypt with password and take away all characters from the password subject. After clicking on “OK”, the password immediate is eliminated.

Create an computerized listing

Problem: In lengthy paperwork with quite a few graphic components, it’s worthwhile to insert an computerized checklist of illustrations. How does this work?

Solution: The computerized checklist of illustrations requires two steps. In step one, you present all photographs with a caption. To do that, click on on the primary illustration after which go to the menu bar merchandise References on the prime—in some Word variations it is usually referred to as Links. Click on Insert caption and within the dialog window below Options set whether or not the chosen object is an determine, equation, or desk.

The Position tab determines whether or not the caption ought to seem above or under the picture. Enter the caption textual content within the Caption subject on the prime and ensure by clicking on OK. Proceed in the identical approach with the opposite photographs. Word routinely acknowledges the order of the images and assigns them the right numbers.

In the second step, insert the checklist of illustrations. To do that, click on on the place within the doc the place you need it to look later after which click on on Insert Table of Figures within the References menu within the Captions part. Here you may once more distinguish between determine, equation, and desk within the General part and on this approach additionally create an equation or desk listing. Under Formats you may select from a number of designs for the checklist of figures. A click on on OK completes the method.

If you wish to replace the checklist later, for instance as a result of new illustrations have been added or the web page numbers have modified within the meantime, merely click on on it and within the menu on the operate Update checklist of illustrations.

Transcription of audio information into textual content

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Problem: In the age of videoconferencing, it’s typically fairly helpful to switch the content material right into a doc. But listening and typing is tedious. Can such transcription be finished routinely with Word?

Solution: The paid model of Microsoft 365 permits you to do exactly that, it transcribes texts from an audio or video file immediately right into a Word doc. Microsoft 365 permits 5 hours of transcription per consumer account per thirty days, whereas the regionally put in Word model solely provides the dictation operate, not the transcription operate.

This is the way it works: Go to www.office.com in your browser and log in along with your Microsoft 365 account. Create an empty doc, open the microphone menu within the Home menu and change to Transcribe.

A brand new column opens on the right-hand facet. At the highest, set the language through which the video or audio file is offered. At the underside of the column is the knowledge on how most of the 300 free minutes you have got already used within the present month. Then click on on Upload audio. Word helps the audio codecs WAV, MP4, M4A, and MP3 and file sizes as much as 300MB.

The add and transcription take some time, relying on the web bandwidth. Word then shows the texts within the right-hand column with speaker quantity and time stamps. If you progress the mouse pointer over one of many entries, a pencil image seems for enhancing. Rough errors may be ironed out proper right here.

If you wish to hear a textual content passage once more within the authentic, merely click on on the corresponding timestamp. Word will now play again the recording from this level. To add all paragraphs to the doc, click on on Add to doc. In addition to the pure textual content, there may be additionally the choice to take over the audio system, the time stamps or each.

Faster with textual content modules

Problem: Frequently used textual content modules, equivalent to addresses, disclaimers, or greetings, need to be typed in time and again. Can’t Word do the work?

Solution: Frequently used textual content modules may be saved as so-called autotext. For instance, as a substitute of typing “Yours sincerely” again and again, choose the phrases and press the important thing mixture Alt+F3. The window Create a New Building Block seems. In the Name subject, enter an easy-to-remember abbreviation for the textual content module, equivalent to “ys” in our instance.

To insert the greeting system later, simply enter “ys” and press the F3 key. Word often saves the textual content modules within the file regular.dotm.

This article has been translated from German to English and initially appeared on pcwelt.de.