Many friends are inseparable from Word during daily work. However, whenever they open a new document, save a document, or modify content, they always feel that the process is complicated and it is difficult to improve efficiency.
In fact, there are many useful functions hidden in Word 2016 and later versions. If used properly, it can save a considerable amount of time.
This article is specifically aimed at real-life scenarios such as writing reports, making plans, and organizing data. It explains the most commonly used and easily overlooked operating skills at once, helping you to make it smoother from creating a new document to printing it out.
Templates get started much faster than a blank page
Many people's first reaction when opening Word is to click "Blank Document", and then adjust the font from the beginning, set the line spacing, and change the title style. Just these basic formatting operations take several minutes.
In fact, whenever you open Word, the software has already prepared a rich template library for you, which includes report styles, resume styles, press release styles, leaflet styles and other common styles divided according to categories.
On the start page, you only need to click on any template to open a preview of the large image and create it directly after confirming that it meets your needs.
The preset themes and styles are embedded in the template. You only need to fill in the content to achieve the corresponding operations. The visual effect of the overall layout is more professional than manual adjustment.
If you need to search the company's internal specialized templates through the Internet, you can also enter keywords in the search box at the top of the template library to search.
Of course, it’s not too late to fall back to a blank document without a suitable template.
The new version is no longer compatible when opening old files.
If you get an old file in .doc format sent by a colleague, or open a document that you archived ten years ago, the title bar of the Word window may display "Compatibility Mode" at this time.
This mode is designed to ensure that the old version of the content and layout will not be confusing. However, there will be restrictions on functionality. For example, some new charts and font effects cannot be used.
A more appropriate approach is to upgrade it to the current version and click in the following sequence, first click "File", then click "Information", and then click "Convert". After this confirmation, the document will be converted to .docx format.
After the upgrade, all new editing tools and collaboration functions can be used normally, and the file size will generally become smaller.
If there is no way to know for sure whether the format will be misaligned after the upgrade, it is recommended to "save as" a copy first, and then perform other operations.
In addition, the "Recently Used Documents" list you see every time you open Word is extremely useful. It can help you open yesterday's unfinished article in a flash, without having to go to the folder again to find the path.
Save location determines whether collaboration is convenient
When saving a document for the first time, most people are used to saving it directly to their computer desktop.
If this document needs to be revised repeatedly with colleagues and comments need to be made remotely, it is best to save it in an online place, such as OneDrive or company SharePoint.
This operation is very simple: first click "File", then select "Save As", then select the location above "Save as type", or just click "Add Location" to log in and enter your cloud disk account.
After the file is stored in the cloud, you can directly copy the link and send it to others, who can view it when entering the browser, and multiple people can edit it at the same time and add comments.
What is even more practical is that Word can automatically save version history. If an error occurs, you can return to the state half an hour ago at any time.
Note that Word saves in .docx format by default. If you need to send it to someone who uses an older version of Word, you can select "Word 97 – 2003 Document (.doc)" through the drop-down menu under "Save as Type".
Reading mode and revision make reviewing easier
When you get a contract with dozens of pages, or a paper, the toolbars and buttons that fill the screen can easily become distracting.
At this time, you can switch to reading mode and click "Reading Mode" in the "View" tab. All editing tools will be hidden, and the page will slide left and right like turning a book. You can also adjust the text size and background color to protect your eyes.
If this is an important document that requires multiple people to take turns modifying it, be sure to open it. Revision function .
Enter the "Review" tab and turn on the "Revise" function. After that, any deletions, additions, and format changes made by anyone will be recorded as colored marks and will not directly change the original text.
Respectively, you can select one by one by right-clicking to decide whether to accept or reject, so as to prevent your colleagues from secretly modifying key data without you knowing anything about it.
If you develop the habit of making revisions in your team, you can save at least half the time on document rework.
Print preview and output pitfall avoidance guide
Many people realize that after clicking the print button, the page margins are inappropriate, the table is cut off, or an extra blank page appears out of thin air.
The correct method is: click "File", then click "Print", the actual effect of the current document after printing will be immediately displayed on the right side. Here you can adjust the direction, change the paper size, set the number of pages to be printed per version, and you can also set to print only odd pages or only the current page.
It is particularly important to note that Word's default "reduce font fill" may be turned off. If a piece of content happens to run to the next page by itself, you can manually narrow the page margins by a millimeter or two.
Click the print button after confirming that there is no problem, so that not a single piece of paper is wasted.
If you always need to print double-sided documents, you must remember to check "Double-sided printing" in the printer properties, and select "Manual double-sided printing" in the "Print" interface of Word to cooperate.
Quickly use the mode to start the process, properly save the files stored in the cloud so that important items can be retained, start collaboration for revision, and use the mode to verify and review the manuscript. These four skills can cover 90% of daily office situations.
It is recommended that everyone starts writing a weekly report next time and forces themselves to look for templates first instead of clicking on blank documents. After a week, you will find that the document typesetting speed and professionalism have been significantly improved.
When you are not particularly familiar with the specific location of a specific function, just press the F1 button to bring up the help window. By searching for keywords, you can see the official operation animation.
