Make It Fit
Do you work with tables in MS Word?
Does it drive you crazy when the text you’re entering into a cell is just a character or two too long and Word automatically text wraps down to a new line? You know, something like this:
I don’t know about you, but I don’t appreciate the different row heights it creates. So, what can you do?
Well, I… Continue reading
A Blank Line Above
Ever have a table at the very top of the first page in one of your MS Word documents and then decide you need text above it?
What did you do?
Did you try to click above the table, only to find that you selected an entire column?
Frustrating, wasn’t it?
You click and click, but a blank line above the table just never shows up… Continue reading
Vertical Selection in Word
Ever need to select a “weird” portion of an MS Word document? I’m talking about a selection that doesn’t follow the usual line by line highlighting the program implements by default.
Maybe you’re looking to copy a vertical column of information from the center of your document, which is a difficult prospect with the usual methods. You could highlight and copy/paste each item on the list… Continue reading
Text to Excel: The Easy Way
Do you frequently copy text from MS Word to Excel? Do you dislike the way it pastes into the cells, causing a nightmare when it comes to formatting your pages? Want a quick solution?
Then try pasting your text as a picture!
In older versions of Excel, you’ll need the Edit menu, Paste Special choice.
In Excel 2007, on the Home ribbon, click the… Continue reading
Did I Already Use That Word?
Have you ever found yourself repeating the same word in a document over and over again? What did you do? Wish you had a thesaurus? Well, guess what. You do!
MS Word comes with a built in thesaurus and all you have to do is get it started!
First, you’ll need to highlight the word you want replaced.
Now, you’re ready to activate the… Continue reading
Ever try to print a page border on an MS Word document, only to find out the bottom is missing?
What did you do?
Probably everything you could think of, right? You know, choosing a narrow border, changing margins and so on.
Did it work?
Probably not. So, what did you do then? Remove the border completely?… Continue reading
Bring It On Over
Recently, I had a reader write in and ask about resizing items that have been copied from MS Excel and pasted into MS Word. It seems as if the usual copy/paste routine isn’t doing the job, because the pasted items are just too big.
(Note to Office 2007 users: I found that the regular paste works just fine in Word. It could be resized and moved… Continue reading
Formatting Lists with a Quick Click
Do you use a lot of numbered or bulleted lists in MS Word?
Are you using Word 2007?
If so, you may be interested in this little tidbit of information!
In older versions of Word, you had to go into the Bullets and Numbering dialogue window to make changes to numbering or bullet styles. It wasn’t a terribly long process, especially if you’re fond… Continue reading
Faster Scrolling in Word
Do you have an MS Word document that’s completely full of graphics? Hate the extra time it takes to scroll through a document like that? Would you like Word to work a little faster with the document for you?
If you’ve answered, “Yes, yes and yes,” here’s a quick trick to help with the slowdown that all the extra pictures tend to cause.
Word has the… Continue reading
Find and Replace with Graphics
Ever find yourself working with a graphic in an MS Word document that had to be repeated and repeated and repeated?
Did you get tired of all the graphic insertions or the continuous copy and paste routine of placing the graphic in the file multiple times?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a way to place it just once and then have Word “magically” place… Continue reading
Powered Up Arrow Keys in Word
I’m sure you all know the basic ways of navigating through an MS Word document using the Page Up, Page Down, Home, End and arrow keys, right? Well, today, I thought we would take a look at turbo charging what the arrow keys can actually do for you!
You all know the left and right arrow keys will move you one character in either… Continue reading
No Accidental Replacement Saves
Do you have an MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint file you frequently open, make changes to and then save under a new name? Is it important for you not to lose the original information? How many times have you accidentally overwritten the original information with the new file?
I bet the answer to that is something along the lines of, “Way too many to remember!” I’d… Continue reading
Space It Out
Ever find that you need a little extra space between two paragraphs in an MS Word document?
Thinking maybe a quick way to add a 12 point space before a paragraph would be a nice little trick to have up your sleeve?
Well, to insert that extra space before a paragraph, all you have to do is simply place the cursor anywhere in the paragraph and use… Continue reading
No More Misplaced Text
Have you ever found yourself proofing an MS Word document, only to find that the text seems out of order?
You’re looking at the words and you’re thinking, “Now, what happened here?”
You know you didn’t type the text that way and yet, there it is. Your thoughts are all in a jumble.
Hmmm, was it a program glitch? A virus?
Fortunately, I can say, “No… Continue reading
Text to Table in Word
Here’s the situation: you have a list of items or names in MS Word that is in perfect condition. There are no typos and it’s exactly in the order you need it to be.
But of course, there’s always a catch. You now realize you need the list in a table.
So, now what?
You could draw/insert a table and then copy and paste each… Continue reading
More on Accents
If you recall, we have previously discussed accented letters in MS Word. You know, things like ñ and à.
Well, it’s possible you’re not thrilled with the “finger acrobatics” that are required to make all those key combinations and maybe you’re looking for another way to insert some of those symbols.
So, here’s an alternate method you can use to insert accented letters!
First of all, you… Continue reading
Picture Perfect
Do you use a lot of pictures in your MS Word documents?
Do you spend a lot of time resizing them so that they will fit perfectly into the space you planned on?
After awhile, does your perfect picture look distorted and just plain wrong?
Want to reset it to its original size?
You could use the Reset Picture button from the Picture toolbar (Picture Tools ribbon in… Continue reading
See the Whole Page
Here’s one that came in from a reader regarding MS Word and labels.
The reader inquired about how you could see a document that’s a whole page of labels in Word. You know, where you can edit them and make each one different, if that’s what you please.
It’s a very useful thing to know. I use this all the time at work and very rarely… Continue reading
What Grammar Rules Are You Using?
Have you ever found yourself wondering about the rules MS Word is using to make its grammar recommendations when you check your documents?
Ever wish you had a little peek into the madness behind it all?
Wish you could tell Word to stop checking a few things that just drive you crazy?
If any of this sounds familiar, read on to take a look… Continue reading
Give Me a Break!
Have you ever had a bulleted or numbered list in either MS Word or MS PowerPoint that really needed a blank line half way through it? You know, maybe for a visual break.
Maybe your list contains subsets and it would just make more sense if there was a break in the flow.
Maybe something like this:
Seeing Continuous Text Flow in the Print Layout View
Everyone has one. It’s inevitable. Yes, we all have a preferred view in MS Word. Some of us like the Normal view and others use the Web Layout view on a daily basis.
If you’re like me, you are a fan of the Print Layout view in Word. To me, that view is basically, “What you see is what you get,”… Continue reading
Reversing a Spell Checker “Oops”
Have you ever realized that either part way through a spell check or when you’re done, you’ve just told MS Word to Ignore All on something that should have been corrected?
Did you find yourself staring blankly at your computer, dreading the Find/Replace procedure you’re forced to run to fix the error? And even after that’s done, you’re probably going to double check the document… Continue reading
Zipping Around the Word Screen
So, I’m sure we all know about the Page Up and Page Down buttons in MS Word, right? They’re a quick and easy way to jump through a document, moving one screen space at a time and scrolling through the document as it goes.
But, what about a few other uses for the Page Up and Page Down buttons? Interested in seeing what else they… Continue reading
Envelopes and Labels with Pizzazz
Have you ever found yourself in MS Word’s Envelopes and Labels window, desperately trying to change a font, but with no luck?
You probably noticed that the ways you make those changes in your document are locked to you. As long as that window is open, you’re not going to have access to the Format menu or any of the drop down menus you’re accustomed… Continue reading
Out of the Table and into the Document
Have some information in an MS Word table you need to get out of the table and into your document, just as plain old text?
I bet you’re dreading the thought of the old copy/paste routine to get all of that information out of the cells.
Interested in a quick and easy way to get that information out of the table with… Continue reading
How Far to the Margin?
Have you ever felt frustrated when working with MS Word’s tabs? I mean, you’re trying to set up your tab stops, but you’re finding it difficult to ensure that they are placed properly between the margins.
You’ve got the ruler displayed (View menu, Ruler choice), but it’s still a bit of a pain to double check that you’ve got it “just right.” It’s easy to… Continue reading
Your Ruler Preference
Do you use MS Word’s ruler feature with your documents? (You know, View menu, Ruler choice).
Ever find yourself wishing it was in a different measurement unit? (Let’s say it’s in inches and you want it in centimeters). Or, maybe you weren’t even using the ruler, because the way it measured just isn’t the way you think in terms of distance.
Still wishing for that different ruler… Continue reading
