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17 May 2010

Five Time Saving Microsoft Word Tips

Most Microsoft Word users spend over an hour a week completing tasks that can be achieved almost instantly by applying tools that are built into Word. This is either because they did not know that these tools exist or they had no training in how to use them. Many of these functions are very simple to use, and after some basic training can be used immediately. Five of the simple tools described below.

Let Word type names and other commonly used words and phrases

If you still manually enter your name, company name or job title in your documents you will probably throw some ten to fifteen minutes each week. The AutoCorrect feature available in the menu will expand a two or three-letter abbreviation for a complete name, word or phrase that will save you having to type it manually. Once you have created, by simply typing in the abbreviation and press the spacebar Word will automatically enter the full text for you.

Let Word add your favorite text or graphics

Although instead of starting from scratch, you copy a favorite section of text or graphics from an old document in a new, you're still wasting time in relation to people who get Word to do it automatically. The AutoText feature allows you to give a short name for a particular piece of text or graphics. You can then paste this text into your document simply by typing in the short name.

Let Word add information on your document

Instead of manually adding information to your document such as filename, date and time it was created, you can get Word to look it up and add it to you. Such key words as "filename", "save date" or "author" can be written in, and then converted to Fields. At the touch of a button, these fields can then be updated to display current information for your document and the document changes, you can easily update the fields to reflect the changes. There is also an option in the Tools menu to ensure that these fields are changes when the document is printed.

Get Word to put lists in alphabetical order for you

Put a list in alphabetical order by hand could easily waste an hour of your time. Word can sort this list to you immediately on the Sort Text command. Found under the Table menu, the options allow you to sort the text, for example, either the first or second word. This will allow you to sort a list of names alphabetically quickly and easily that either their first name or surname.

Change the way Word works

There may be a special feature about the way Word works that you find really frustrating. Chances are that there is an option, so you can change this behavior. In the menu under Settings there are several tabs as Print, Save, or spelling and grammar checks can be used to change the default way Word works. For example, see the Spelling and Grammar tab can tell Word to ignore words that contain numbers. This would mean that you can save time by not having to jump spelling corrections marked up those words.

By making a course in Microsoft Word, you can understand exactly how to apply these time-saving tips and learn more about the many others that exist. Courses are easily accessible either online E-learning courses or instructor-led courses. Participating in such a course could really help you save time and utilize the full power of Word and all its functions.

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