Microsoft Word (or MS Word) is a popular word-processing program used mainly for creating documents. This page provides information on using some of the basic features of MS Word. You can also access a printable handout below.
Open MS Word on your desktop. To begin a new document, click Blank document. Title and save your document to a desired location by clicking the File tab at the top and then Save.
Margins can be changed by clicking the Layout tab at the top, and then clicking Margins. Margins can then be adjusted in the box that pops up. 1” margins are usually standard for college papers.
Paragraphs are usually aligned at the left margin, while titles are centered. To change alignment of selected text, highlight the text you want to change, then click the desired alignment icon on the toolbar.
To change spacing between lines of selected text, highlight the text you want to change, then click the line spacing icon on the toolbar. There are various options available, including single, 1.5, or double spacing. Additional options for spacing can be accessed from the Paragraph dialog box by clicking the tiny arrow in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph toolbar section. Double spacing is usually standard for college papers.
Change the font and the font size of selected text using the options on the toolbar. Bold, italics, underline, and text color are also formatting options available on the toolbar, as well as additional options for text formatting. 12-point Times New Roman is usually recommended for college papers.
Add a bulleted or numbered list by clicking the appropriate icon from the toolbar. Formatting options can be selected by clicking the arrow next to the list choice.
To insert an image, first place your cursor where you want to image to be placed, then click the Insert tab at the top. The toolbar gives you several options from which to select an image. When you’ve selected the appropriate source and found an image, click Insert and it will be inserted into your document.
Insert a header, footer, or page number by clicking the Insert tab at the top, then Header, Footer, or Page Number. Options for formatting will then appear in a drop-down menu.
Select the text that you want to add a link to, then click on the Insert tab at the top, then select Link from the toolbar. Copy and paste the URL of the web site that you want to link to, then click OK.
To insert a table into your doc, click on the Insert tab at the top, then select Table. Click to select the desired number of rows and columns.
If you make a mistake, you either undo (or redo) the last change made by clicking the undo (or redo) arrow on the toolbar.
As you type, spelling errors will be underscored with a red squiggly line. To make a correction, right click on the underlined word, review the suggested corrections, and click to select the desired replacement. To access the full spelling and grammar check tool, click the Review tab at the top, and then select Spelling & Grammar.
To save your document, click the File tab at the top, then Save. Save in your desired location and in the format of your choice. Word Document is the default, but you can also choose to save as a PDF.
Microsoft Word (or MS Word) is a popular word-processing program used mainly for creating documents. This page provides information on using some of the basic features of MS Word using the Microsoft 365 web app. A printable handout is also available below.
Log in to Microsoft 365. To begin a new document, click New blank document. Title and save your document to a desired location by clicking the File tab at the top and then Save as. From there, you can either Download a Copy and choose to work offline using he Desktop app (if installed on your computer), or Save as (name your file) and continue to work online. Any changes you make to the document will automatically be saved.
Margins can be changed by clicking the Layout tab at the top, and then clicking Margins. Margins can then be adjusted in the box that pops up. 1” margins are usually standard for college papers.
To change alignment of selected text, highlight the text you want to change, click the text alignment icon on the toolbar, then click to select the desired alignment icon. Paragraphs are usually aligned at the left margin, while titles are centered.
To change spacing between lines of selected text, first highlight the text you want to change. Next, click the three dots at the right end of the toolbar to access the Paragraph settings box and click Line Spacing. There are various options available, including single, 1.5, or double spacing, in addition to other spacing settings. Paragraph settings can also be accessed from the Layout tab. Double spacing is usually standard for college papers.
Change the font and the font size of selected text using the options on the toolbar. Bold, italics, underline, and text color are also formatting options available on the toolbar, as well as additional options for text formatting. 12-point Times New Roman is usually recommended for college papers (note this is not the default setting in Word).
Add a bulleted or numbered list by clicking the appropriate icon from the toolbar. Formatting options can be selected by clicking the arrow next to the list choice.
To insert an image, first place your cursor where you want to image to be placed, then click the Insert tab at the top. Click Picture, then select the location from which you would like to choose an image. When you’ve found an image, click Insert and it will be inserted into your document.
Insert a header, footer, or page number by clicking the Insert tab at the top, then Header & Footer or Page Numbers respectively. Options for formatting of page numbers appears in a drop-down menu.
Select the text that you want to add a link to, then click on the Insert tab at the top. Select Link from the toolbar. Edit the Display Text in the box as needed, copy and paste the URL of the web site that you want to link to in the Address box, then click Insert.
To insert a table into your doc, click on the Insert tab at the top, then select Table. Click to select the desired number of rows and columns.
If you make a mistake, you either undo (or redo) the last change made. To undo, click the Undo arrow icon (accessible from the Home tab). Access the Redo option from the drop-down menu by clicking the small arrow to the right.
As you type, spelling errors will be underscored with a red squiggly line. To make a correction, right click on the underlined word, review the suggested corrections, and click to select the desired replacement.
To save your document, click the File tab at the top, then Save as. Save in your desired location. You can also choose to download in a different format from here (such as PDF). Please note if you named and saved your file initially, all changes should have been saving automatically and this step is not required.
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