Word styles: what they are and how to create and modify your own
Learn what a Word style is, how it differs from direct formatting, and how to apply, modify and create your own. Step by step with pictures, in 6 minutes.
Microsoft Word · 60 guides
Word like an expert
Everything that makes Word stop fighting you, in 3-to-8-minute guides with pictures. Pick a path or go straight to what you need.
If you only read three guides, make it these
Make Word switch to Normal text automatically after a heading
Set the “Style for following paragraph” so pressing Enter after a heading takes Word back to Normal text automatically. Step by step with pictures, in 4 minutes.
Create an automatic table of contents that updates itself
Build an automatic table of contents in Word (References › Table of Contents) from your headings and update it in one click. Step by step with pictures.
Learning paths
Guides in order for a concrete goal, with progress tracking.
Word from scratch, no fear
The path for people who use Word “their own way” and want to stop fighting the formatting. Short guides, in order.
Theses, dissertations and long reports
Everything a 40-page document needs: table of contents, numbering, sections, figures, citations and notes.
Word for lawyers
Clause numbering that never breaks, Track Changes, version comparison, reusable clauses and metadata-free documents.
Templates and corporate branding
One template, one palette and one set of styles for the whole company: consistent documents for clients without chasing anyone.
Word + AI: don't let formatting slow you down
For people who ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude for everything and then suffer when pasting it into Word. AI writes; you own the document.
All guides, by topic
Foundations nobody taught you
What makes Word stop fighting you.
Word styles: what they are and how to create and modify your own
Learn what a Word style is, how it differs from direct formatting, and how to apply, modify and create your own. Step by step with pictures, in 6 minutes.
Make Word switch to Normal text automatically after a heading
Set the “Style for following paragraph” so pressing Enter after a heading takes Word back to Normal text automatically. Step by step with pictures, in 4 minutes.
Formatting marks (¶): see the invisible and understand why your document shifts
Turn on formatting marks (¶) in Word, learn what every symbol means and find out why a blank page appears or text jumps around. Step by step with pictures.
Paste without formatting: copy from the web or AI without breaking your document
Learn to paste text only in Word with Keep Text Only, Paste Special and the new shortcut, and make plain-text paste the default. Step by step with pictures.
Format Painter and Clear Formatting: fix a document in seconds
Learn to use Format Painter (single vs double click), Clear All Formatting and Select All Text with Similar Formatting to clean up any Word document, step by step.
Navigation Pane: move around the document and reorder chapters by dragging
Turn on Word's Navigation Pane to jump between headings, search text and move whole chapters by dragging. Step by step with pictures, in 4 minutes.
Advanced Find and Replace: formatting, line breaks and wildcards
Master Word's Find and Replace: special characters (^p, ^l, ^t), formatting, wildcards and recipes to clean up pasted text. Step by step with pictures.
Text selection tricks: by column, everything with the same formatting, and more
Learn to select text in Word like an expert: vertical blocks with Alt, sentences with Ctrl+click, everything with the same formatting and more. Step by step.
AutoCorrect as a shortcut: type 3 letters and Word writes the whole phrase
AutoCorrect shortcuts in Word: type “ssec” and get “Securities and Exchange Commission”. Formatted entries, exceptions and what to switch off. Step by step.
Tables that don't break: repeating header row, AutoFit and alignment
Build Word tables that don't fall apart: repeat the header row on every page, stop rows splitting, AutoFit the width and align cells. Step by step with pictures.
Pictures that stay put: text wrapping, anchors and position
Place a picture in Word and make it stay put: text wrapping, anchors, fixing its position and stopping it jumping to another page. Step by step, in 5 minutes.
Word keyboard shortcuts you'll actually use (Windows and Mac)
Tables of the Word shortcuts worth learning: file, editing, formatting, styles, navigation, fields and review, with the Mac key for each. Step by step.
Recover an unsaved or corrupted Word document (and never lose work again)
Get back a Word document that closed without saving or won't open, then set up AutoRecover and AutoSave so you never lose work again. Step by step.
Delete that blank page that refuses to go away
Find what causes the blank page Word won't let you delete (empty paragraphs, breaks, a table at the end) and remove it in seconds. Step by step.
Customize the ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar: your buttons one click away
Put the commands you use most one click away: show the Quick Access Toolbar, create your own ribbon tab and export your setup. Step by step.
Keyboard shortcuts for your styles: apply any style without touching the mouse
Assign a key combination to any Word style and apply it without touching the mouse. Which shortcuts Word includes and which are free, step by step.
Typography in Word: smart quotes, em dashes, small caps and proper capitals
Type smart quotes, em and en dashes, nonbreaking spaces and small caps in Word, and get title case and sentence case right. Step by step, no odd hacks.
Word is acting strangely: reset the Normal template, add-ins and repair Office
Fix a Word that’s slow, crashes or behaves oddly: Safe Mode, add-ins, the Normal.dotm template and Office repair, step by step and without losing your work.
Write in columns, with or without images, like a newspaper or newsletter
Set your text in two or three columns in Word, with a full-width title, pictures that fit and balanced columns. Step by step with pictures.
Create your own ribbon tab with your favorite buttons (for example, one for reviewing)
Build your own Word ribbon tab, Quick Review, with Track Changes, comments, Compare and Restrict Editing, then share it with your team. Step by step.
Long, professional documents
Tables of contents, numbering, sections and references that update themselves.
Create an automatic table of contents that updates itself
Build an automatic table of contents in Word (References › Table of Contents) from your headings and update it in one click. Step by step with pictures.
Page numbers: start on page 3 and use Roman numerals for the front matter
Add page numbers in Word, keep them off the cover, start counting on page 3 and use Roman numerals up front and Arabic in the body. Step by step with pictures.
Section and page breaks: when to use each (and stop pressing Enter)
Page break or section break in Word? Learn what each section controls, how to see breaks with ¶ and how to delete one without wrecking the layout. Step by step.
Different headers and footers per chapter and a different first page
Give each chapter its own header, keep the cover page clean and show the chapter title automatically with the StyleRef field. Step by step with pictures.
Automatic heading and clause numbering (1, 1.1, 1.1.1) without losing your mind
Number headings, articles and clauses in Word with a multilevel list linked to Heading 1, 2 and 3. It renumbers itself when you move chapters. Step by step.
Figure and table captions, cross-references and a table of figures
Number figures and tables with Insert Caption, write “see Figure 3” as a cross-reference that updates itself, and build a table of figures. Step by step.
Footnotes and endnotes: insert, format and convert
Insert footnotes and endnotes in Word, change the numbering and formatting, convert one kind into the other and delete them cleanly. Step by step, in 4 minutes.
Cover page, blank pages and a single landscape page
Insert a cover page from the gallery, keep it unnumbered, add blank pages and turn one page landscape without rotating the whole document. Step by step.
Automatic citations and bibliography in APA, ISO 690 or Chicago
Insert citations in Word, pick a style (APA, MLA, Chicago, ISO 690, IEEE…) and generate a bibliography that updates itself. Step by step with pictures, in 6 minutes.
Alphabetical index: mark entries and generate it
Build an alphabetical index in Word: mark entries and subentries, add “See” cross-references, generate the index in columns and keep it updated. Step by step.
Widows, orphans and “Keep with next”: no heading left alone at the bottom of a page
Stop headings stranded at the bottom of a page, single orphan lines and “Sec. 5” split across two lines with Word's pagination options. Step by step, in 5 minutes.
Equations in Word: type them fast and number them on the right
Type equations in Word from the keyboard (LaTeX or UnicodeMath), number them on the right with an invisible table and cite them with cross-references. Step by step.
Bookmarks and internal links: jump to any part of a long document
Create bookmarks in Word, link to them with internal hyperlinks, jump to them with F5 and repeat their text with REF fields that update themselves. Step by step.
Corporate branding and templates
Make your whole team write in the same style, without policing anyone.
Create a corporate template (.dotx) so the whole team writes alike
Build a Word template (.dotx) with your styles, colors, logo and cover page, save it where Word finds it and share it with your team. Step by step in 8 minutes.
Your brand palette in Word: theme colors and fonts
Set the 12 theme colors with exact hex codes, pick heading and body fonts, save the theme as a .thmx file and reuse it in Excel and PowerPoint. Step by step.
Style sets and Normal.dotm: make your styles the default in every new document
Learn what Normal.dotm is, how to store your default font, styles and style set in it, copy styles between documents and reset it when it breaks. Step by step.
Quick Parts and AutoText: signatures, clauses and reusable paragraphs in one click
Save your signature, a standard clause or your company details as a building block and drop it in by typing a name and pressing F3. Step by step with pictures.
Export to PDF with quality, bookmarks and no hidden information
Turn your Word document into a professional PDF: bookmarks from headings, links that work, the right file size and no hidden changes or comments. Step by step.
Clean design: margins, line spacing, typography and professional spacing
Design rules that make a Word document look professional: margins, A4 or Letter, fonts, line spacing, paragraph spacing and hyphenation. Step by step, 6 minutes.
Letterhead and watermark: logo in the header and “Draft” or “Confidential” text
Learn to create a professional letterhead with logo in the header and insert watermarks like “Draft” or “Confidential”. Step by step with practical examples.
Print a booklet: letter or A4 sheets folded in half, with pages in the right order
Set up Word's Book fold to print a half-letter booklet on Letter paper: pages in order, room for staples and two-sided printing. Step by step with pictures.
Make a trifold brochure in Word: three panels, two sides and folds in the right place
Make a trifold brochure in Word on landscape Letter paper: three columns, column breaks, front and back cover in the right panel, two-sided printing. Step by step.
Convert Word to PDF: Print, Save As or Acrobat (with bookmarks and comments)
Compare the ways to turn Word into PDF (Print, Save As and Acrobat) and create PDFs with bookmarks, visible comments or real PDF notes. Step by step.
Automate and collaborate
Track Changes, comparisons, macros and fields: less repetitive work.
Track Changes and comments like a professional
Turn on Track Changes, choose which markup to see, accept or reject edits, use comments and deliver a clean final version. Step by step with pictures, in 6 minutes.
Compare two versions of a document and see every difference
A contract comes back “unchanged” and you don't buy it. With Review › Compare, Word marks every word that was touched between two versions. Step by step, 4 minutes.
Macros without fear: record your first macro and run it with a shortcut
Record your first Word macro from View › Macros, give it a keyboard shortcut and run it to clean up pasted text in a second. Step by step, in 8 minutes.
Automatic fields: date, file name and data that updates itself
Insert Word fields for the date, file name, page count and author, and avoid the date that silently changes in a contract. Step by step with pictures.
Mail merge: personalized letters and labels from Excel
Generate hundreds of personalized letters, labels or emails from an Excel list with Mail Merge in Word. Step by step, including rules and number and date formats.
Protect the document: restrict editing, mark as final and remove metadata
Mark as final, encrypt with a password, restrict editing and strip comments, tracked changes and personal data before you send a Word file. Step by step.
Line numbering and table of authorities for legal documents
Number the lines of your filings so you can cite “page 3, line 12”, and build a table of authorities that lists every case and statute. Step by step.
Dictate, Read Aloud and Editor: write faster with fewer mistakes
Learn to dictate in Word with voice commands, transcribe recordings, hear your text read back to catch mistakes, and run Editor in the right language. Step by step.
Accessible documents: alt text, Accessibility Checker and accessible PDF
Make Word documents a screen reader can understand: Accessibility Checker, alt text, headings, tables and an accessible PDF. Step by step with pictures.
Write numbers and amounts in words automatically with fields
Make Word spell out “one thousand five hundred” next to 1,500 with the CardText switch, store the amount in a bookmark and number paragraphs in words. Step by step.
Type the client's name once and have it repeat throughout the contract
Create a “Client” property, insert it with DOCPROPERTY fields and update the whole contract with F9. Plus linked content controls and bookmarks. Step by step.
Fillable forms in Word: checkboxes, drop-downs and date pickers nobody can break
Build a fillable form in Word with checkboxes, drop-down lists and date pickers, then lock it so people can only fill in the blanks. Step by step, with pictures.
Advanced mail merge: If…Then…Else rules, formatted dates and amounts
Master mail merge: nested If…Then…Else rules, date and currency formatting with field switches, precise filters and multi-record lists. Step by step.
Create a multiple-choice test in Word (with checkboxes and an answer key)
Build a multiple-choice test in Word: numbered questions, a) b) c) d) options, checkboxes, an answer key and a version B. Step by step, in 6 minutes.
Word + AI
Let AI draft; you own the formatting.
Paste text from ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude into Word without breaking the formatting
Paste ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude answers into Word without odd fonts or asterisks: text only, heading styles and a quick cleanup. Step by step.
Turn AI Markdown (##, **, -) into real Word headings and lists
Turn the ##, ** and dashes in AI-generated text into real Word headings, bold, lists and tables with Find and Replace. Step by step, with pictures.
Copilot in Word: what it does well, what it doesn't, and how to ask
Learn to use Copilot in Word to draft, rewrite, summarize and build tables, how to write good prompts and when not to trust it. Step by step, with sample prompts.
Word for lawyers
Contracts, pleadings and briefs: clause numbering, Track Changes, version comparison, reusable clauses and metadata-free documents.
See the path for lawyersDo you use Word like an expert?
12 questions, 3 minutes. At the end we tell you your level and which guides to read first.
Word glossary
The terms that appear in the guides, explained in one or two sentences. Each one links to the guide where it's covered in depth.