Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Use Word for Mac (10 Core Skills for Beginners)

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Do you need a fast introduction to Microsoft Word for Mac? This tutorial teaches ten core skills for beginners, including how to change the font, add page numbers, run the Editor (spelling and grammar check), and print the document.

All the steps listed here are demonstrated in real-time on my YouTube channel:

Table of Contents:

  1. How to Start a New Document
  2. How to Change the Font, Size, and Color
  3. How to Change the Alignment, Line Spacing, and Indentations
  4. How to Add Headings
  5. How to Change the Margins
  6. How to Add Images
  7. How to Add Page Numbers
  8. How to Add Headers and Footers
  9. How to Run the Editor (Spelling and Grammar Check)
  10. How to Save and Print Your File

This is a quick-start guide. I have in-depth tutorials for several of these topics for those who would like to learn more.

These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 for Mac, and Word 2021 for Mac. The steps are similar in Word 2019 for Mac and Word 2016 for Mac.

Are you on a PC? Please see “How to Use Microsoft Word (10 Core Skills for Beginners)”

How to Start a New Document

  1. Open Microsoft Word on your Mac.
  2. Select Blank Document in the Home screen. (Alternatively, select Open if you want to open an existing Word document.)
  3. Select the Create button.

When the new document opens, you will be in the Home tab in the ribbon, and your cursor will automatically be placed towards the top, left-hand corner of the page, ready to type.

How to Change the Font, Size, and Color

You can change the font, size, and color before or after you type text. However, if you want to change existing text, first click, hold, and drag with your pointer to select the text.

Pro Tip: To select the entire document, press Command + A on your keyboard.
  1. Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
  2. Select the menu arrow to open and choose from the Font, Font Size, or Font Color menus in the Font group.

If you selected existing text, that text will change immediately. If you haven’t selected existing text, all new text will feature the choices you just made.

Further Reading: How to Find and Replace Fonts in Word for Mac

How to Change the Alignment, Line Spacing, and Indentations

Like the font choices described above, you can change the alignment, line spacing, and indentations before or after you type text. However, if you want to change existing text, first click, hold, and drag with your pointer to select the text.

  1. Select the Home tab.
  2. Select the Align Left, Center Text, Align Right, or Justify button to position the text on the page.
Pro Tip: Justify spaces the text equally across the page. Use this option cautiously because it can make the text difficult to read in some situations.
  1. Select the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu arrow and then choose a spacing option from the drop-down menu.
  2. Select the Decrease Indent or Increase Indent buttons to adjust the indent as necessary.
Pro Tip: The Decrease Indent and Increase Indent buttons change the indentation for the entire paragraph. If you want to indent the first line only, place your cursor at the beginning of the paragraph and press the Tab key on your keyboard.

Further Reading: How to Indent Paragraphs in Word for Mac (Three Methods)

How to Add Headings

You can turn existing text into a heading or choose a heading level before typing the heading text.

  1. Select the Home tab.
  2. Select a heading level from the Styles group.
  3. If the heading level you want isn’t visible, select the menu arrow and then choose a heading level from the drop-down menu.
Pro Tip: Word includes nine heading levels, although only a few will appear in your Styles group when you open a new document. Additional heading levels will appear after you use higher-level headings. For example, Heading 3 will appear after you use Heading 2.

Further Reading: How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

How to Change the Margins

You can change the page margins for your entire Word document at once.

  1. Select the Layout tab.
  2. Select the Margins button and then select an option from the drop-down menu.

How to Add Images

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the image.
  2. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon,
  3. Select the Pictures button and then choose the location of the image:
    • Photo Browser lets you choose an image from an album in your Photo Library.
    • Picture from File lets you choose an image stored on your Mac or in the cloud.
    • Stock Images lets you choose stock images, icons, cutout people, stickers, and illustrations. The full stock image library is only available to users signed into their Microsoft 365 account.
    • Online Pictures lets you search for images through Bing, Microsoft’s search engine.

For this tutorial, we will insert a picture from a file.

  1. (For “Picture from File” option only) Locate and select the image in the Finder dialog box and then select the Insert button.

Your image should now appear in your Word document.

  1. (Optional) Select one of the resizing handles and then drag the image to a new size.
  2. (Optional) Select the Wrap Text button and then choose how the image is positioned with the surrounding text:
    • In Line with Text
    • Square
    • Tight
    • Through
    • Top and Bottom
    • Behind Text
    • In Front of Text
  1. If you select any of the Wrap Text options other than In Line with Text (such as Square or Tight), you can then click, hold, and drag the image to a new location.

Further Reading: How to Insert Full-Page Background Images in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

How to Add Page Numbers

  1. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
  2. Select the Page Number button.
  3. Select Page Number from the drop-down menu.
  4. Select Bottom of page (Footer) or Top of page (Header) from the Position menu in the Page Numbers dialog box.
  5. Select an option from the Alignment menu:
    • Left
    • Center
    • Right
    • Inside (This option places the numbers on the right and left sides so the numbers will appear inside near the binding when the document is bound.)
    • Outside (This option places the numbers on the left and right sides so the numbers will appear on the opposite side of the binding when the document is bound.)
  1. Select the Format button.
  2. Select a number format in the Page Number Format dialog box.
  3. Select the OK button.
  4. Select the OK button in the Page Numbers dialog box.

Further Reading: How to Add Page Numbers in Word for Mac

How to Add Headers and Footers

  1. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
  2. Select the Header button or Footer button and then select a design from the drop-down menu.
  3. Type your text into the placeholders.
  4. Select the Close Header and Footer button.

Further Reading: How to Insert Headers and Footers on Specific Pages in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

How to Run the Editor (Spelling and Grammar Check)

In Microsoft Word, the spelling and grammar check is called the Editor.

  1. Select the Home tab or Review tab in the ribbon.
  2. Select the Editor button.
  3. Select the corrections or refinements category you want to review in the Editor pane.
  4. If Word finds a possible error, select a recommendation or select Ignore Once or Ignore All.

Word will automatically move to the next issue within the category.

  1. Select a new category or select the closing X to close the Editor.

What Is the Difference Between the Editor Button and the Spelling and Grammar Button?

You may notice a Spelling and Grammar button next to the Editor button in the Review tab. This button provides a quick way to check only spelling or spelling and grammar without checking the additional refinements reviewed by the Editor.

How to Save and Print Your File

I recommend saving your file before printing just in case there is a disruption during the printing process.

  1. Select File in the top toolbar.
  2. Select Save from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the location where you want to save the file in the dialog box.
  4. Type a name in the Save As text box.
  5. Select the Save button.
Pro Tip: Once you have saved your document to a specific location, you can then select the Save icon in the Quick Access Toolbar if you make changes to the document later.
  1. To print, reselect File in the top toolbar.
  2. Select Print from the drop-down menu.
  3. Ensure the correct printer is selected and turned on in the Print dialog box.
  4. Enter the number of copies into the text box.
  5. Select the Print button.

From there, follow any additional dialog boxes provided by your printer.

Related Resources

How to Disable Copilot in Word for Mac (and Remove from Ribbon)

How to Switch to Dark Mode in Word for Mac