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This tutorial shows how to adjust paragraph spacing in Microsoft Word. First, we will change the spacing before and after individual paragraphs. Then, we will adjust the space before and after all the paragraphs in a document. Don't miss the brief discussion at the end about Word's built-in paragraph spacing options---and why you may not want to use them. These steps … [Read more...] about How to Adjust Paragraph Spacing in Microsoft Word

We recently created and modified numbered lists in Microsoft Word. Today, we are going to take that a step further by creating custom list numbers in Microsoft Word. Custom list numbers can combine letters, words, and punctuation (e.g., A1, Step 1, A-1). We will also customize the style, such as the font, size, alignment, and color. Plus, the Pro Tip at the end explains … [Read more...] about How to Create Custom List Numbers in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows two ways to create numbered lists in Microsoft Word. We will also look at how to change list levels, start with a different list number, and change the font, size, and color of list numbers. Do you want to create bulleted lists? Please see my previous tutorial “How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word.” What about Lists Ordered by Letters? For … [Read more...] about How to Create and Modify Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word

In my last Microsoft Word tutorial, we adjusted the space between letters. Today, we’re going to adjust the space between words in Microsoft Word without altering the letter spacing. Are you on a Mac? Please visit "How to Adjust the Space between Words in Word for Mac." A Word for Caution: You may be tempted to increase the space between words by adding multiple spaces. I … [Read more...] about How to Adjust the Space between Words in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to insert built-in and custom watermarks on specific pages in Microsoft Word. This is the third part of a three-part series about watermarks in Word. The first part shows how to insert text watermarks and the second part shows how to insert image watermarks. The steps shown here can be used for text and image watermarks. Quick Links: How to … [Read more...] about How to Insert Watermarks on Specific Pages in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to create a cover page in Microsoft Word. First, we’ll create a cover page using a built-in design. Then, we’ll create a custom cover page that can be reused. Next, we’ll delete a cover page. Plus, the bonus section at the end shows how to remove page number zero from a cover page. Quick Links: How to Create a Built-In Cover Page How to Create … [Read more...] about How to Create a Cover Page in Microsoft Word (Built-In and Custom)

Today, we’re going to insert and modify image watermarks in Microsoft Word. This is the second in a three-part series about watermarks in Microsoft Word. In the first part, we inserted and modified text watermarks. In the third part, we will insert text and image watermarks on specific pages in Word. Image watermarks can be anything from logos to background pictures or … [Read more...] about How to Insert and Modify Image Watermarks in Microsoft Word

Newspaper-style columns, which are also called newsletter columns, allow text and images to flow from one column to the next. This tutorial shows how to create newspaper-style columns in Microsoft Word. We’ll also look at how to create column breaks and how to return to a single column. Quick Links: How to Create Newspaper-Style Columns How to Create Column Breaks … [Read more...] about How to Create Newspaper-Style Columns in Microsoft Word

Watermarks are semitransparent words, phrases, or images that identify ownership (e.g., Copyright Generic Brand, LLC), indicate confidentiality (e.g., Confidential, Do Not Copy), or show status (e.g., Urgent, Draft). Last week, we added watermarks to PDFs with Adobe Acrobat. Inserting watermarks in Microsoft Word is more complex than in Acrobat, so we are going to divide the … [Read more...] about How to Insert and Modify Text Watermarks in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to insert placeholder text in Microsoft Word without copying and pasting it from another source. Placeholder text, which is also called random text, filler text, or dummy text, fills space in a document for formatting or layout purposes. First, we’re going to look at how to create three types of placeholder text: random text, the classic “quick brown … [Read more...] about How to Insert Placeholder Text in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to create drop caps in Microsoft Word. A drop cap is a large letter at the start of a paragraph. Drop caps are traditionally used as decorative elements at the start of a document or the start of a chapter. In addition to creating drop caps, we’ll also look at how to add extra customizations such as different font colors, background colors, and drop … [Read more...] about How to Create Drop Caps in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to change the default font in Microsoft Word. Specifically, we will look at how to change the default font for normal body text. Then, we will look at how to restore Word’s original defaults by replacing the normal.dotm template file through the Windows File Explorer. Quick Links: How to Change the Default Font for Body Text How to Restore … [Read more...] about How to Change the Default Font in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows three ways to change the font, font size, and font color in Microsoft Word. First, we’ll use the font options in the ribbon. Then, we’ll use the Mini toolbar. Finally, we’ll use the Font dialog box. Do you want to change your default font, font size, or font color? Check out my other tutorial "How to Change the Default Font in Microsoft Word." Quick … [Read more...] about How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to insert images in Microsoft Word. We will also look at how to resize images, align images with the text, and add a border. Quick Links: How to Insert an Image How to Resize an Image How to Align an Image with the Text How to Add a Border to an Image Important Note: This tutorial covers the basics of working with images. Word offers … [Read more...] about How to Insert and Modify Images in Microsoft Word

We recently created hyperlinks in Microsoft Word to external files, websites, and email addresses. In today’s tutorial, we are going to change the style of hyperlinks in Microsoft Word. Style includes the font, font size, font color, and emphasis (i.e., bold font, italics, and underlining). The style settings for followed and unfollowed hyperlinks are different, so we will … [Read more...] about How to Change the Style of Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows how to create external hyperlinks in Microsoft Word. Specifically, we will create links to separate files, websites, and email addresses. We will also look at how to edit or remove hyperlinks. Lastly, we will go through the steps to turn off automatic hyperlinking in Word. Quick Links: How to Create Hyperlinks to Separate Files, Websites, and … [Read more...] about How to Create External Hyperlinks in Microsoft Word

In my last tutorial, we looked at how to create bulleted lists in Microsoft Word. Today, we’re going to create custom bullets in Microsoft Word using built-in font symbols and using your own images. At the end, we will also remove custom bullets from the Bullets Library. Quick Links: How to Use Symbols to Create Custom Bullets How to Use Images to Create Custom … [Read more...] about How to Create Custom Bullets in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows two ways to create bulleted lists in Microsoft Word. We will also look at how to change list levels and how to change the size and color of bullets. Quick Links: How to Create Bulleted Lists — Basic Method 1 How to Create Bulleted Lists — Basic Method 2 How to Change Bulleted List Levels How to Change the Size and Color of Bullets Do you … [Read more...] about How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word

This tutorial explains the basics of working with page numbers in Microsoft Word. We will begin by adding page numbers. Then, we will format page numbers, remove page numbers from the first page, and start the second page with page number 1. Table of Contents How to add page numbers How to format page numbers How to remove the page number from the first page … [Read more...] about How to Add Page Numbers in Microsoft Word (Step-by-Step)

This tutorial shows how to convert Microsoft Word files to PDFs. There are several ways to accomplish this task in Microsoft Word, so today we will focus on the method I believe is the most user-friendly. In the final section, we will also briefly discuss the Adobe Acrobat PDFMaker add-in and look at how to use it. (The Acrobat PDFMaker add-in is not required to follow the … [Read more...] about How to Convert Microsoft Word Files to PDFs (Step-by-Step)

Managing citations for research papers, theses, dissertations, and other nonfiction works can be overwhelming. However, you can ease the process by learning how to insert citations in Microsoft Word using the software’s citation and bibliography tools. This tutorial covers six topics: How to select a citation style How to insert citations for new sources How to … [Read more...] about How to Insert Citations in Microsoft Word (Step-by-Step)

There are three different ways to adjust page margins in Microsoft Word: Adjust page margins with the ruler Use preset margins Create custom margins This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time. https://youtu.be/tTJEZ4egnZI Watch more than 100 other document software tutorials on my YouTube channel. The images … [Read more...] about How to Adjust Page Margins in Microsoft Word (Three Methods)

This tutorial shows how to insert playing card symbols in Microsoft Word. The four traditional playing card symbols—the heart, club, diamond, and spade—were popularized in the fifteenth century.* In fact, we might consider them antique emoji because they have a storied history of expressing emotion well beyond the gaming table. This longevity makes them an excellent option … [Read more...] about How to Insert Playing Card Symbols in Microsoft Word

There are several ways to adjust line spacing in Microsoft Word. Today’s tutorial explains the basic method using the ribbon and a more advanced method using the Paragraph dialog box. See the Quick Tip at the bottom of this tutorial to learn how to single-space an entire document from the Paragraph dialog box. This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the … [Read more...] about How to Adjust Line Spacing in Microsoft Word

Superscripts are numbers, letters, or symbols that appear slightly above the surrounding text. Subscripts are letters, numbers, words, or phrases that appear slightly below the surrounding text. This tutorial shows how to insert superscripts and subscripts in Microsoft Word using three different tools: 1. The Superscript and Subscript Buttons 2. The Symbol Dialog Box 3. … [Read more...] about Three Ways to Insert Superscripts and Subscripts in Microsoft Word