Microsoft 365 Word Tips and Tricks E-Book

Heather Ackmann

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 362

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

If you’re proud of yourself for finally learning how to use keyboard shortcuts and the search function, but still skip a beat when asked to generate a table of contents, then this book is for you. Written by two experts who’ve been teaching the world about Word for decades, Microsoft 365 Word Tips and Tricks is a powerhouse of demystifying advice that will take you from Word user to Word master.
This book takes you on a step-by-step journey through Word essentials with plenty of practical examples. With it, you'll explore different versions of Microsoft Word, its full functionality, and understand how these versions impact collaboration with others. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of working with the legendary text editor, including a whole chapter dedicated to concentrating better with the help of Word. Expert advice will fill your knowledge gaps and teach you how to work more productively and efficiently with text, images, styles, and even macros.
By the end of this book, you will be able to make better documents faster and troubleshoot any Word-related problem that comes your way. And because of its clear and cohesive structure, you can easily come back to refresh your knowledge whenever you need it.

Leseprobe

Microsoft 365 Word Tips and Tricks

Discover better ways of creating, customizing, and troubleshooting your documents

Heather Ackmann

Bill Kulterman

BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI

Microsoft 365 Word Tips and Tricks

Copyright © 2021 Packt Publishing

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To my husband, Alan Ackmann, for your never-ending love and support. And to my mother, who will buy this book and never read it, thank you.

– Heather Ackmann

To my wife, Marilee Kulterman, thanks you for all your love and support, and putting up with me for all these years. I could never have done it without you.

– Bill Kulterman

Foreword

The only thing that's constant when it comes to technology is that people's expectations of technology keep rising with time and as advancements happen. Numerous entertainment surveys have concluded that an average viewer today expects no less than full-color HD content on streaming platforms such as Netflix. As we all know, there's an emerging trend to colorize classic black and white movies and make more and more corrections during post-production. When it comes to new shows and movies, the likes of "Emily in Paris" are shot in 4K UHD from the get-go.

If we take a parallel in the context of documents, the world today is similar. People have come to expect documents that are appropriately formatted, collaboration-ready, accessible in various ways, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and that maintain high fidelity across platforms and devices. Be it a resume, an assignment, a technical draft, an e-book, a script, or any kind of professional document, the skilled versus unskilled use of Microsoft Word could have a huge impact on how the content and the author are perceived.

Back as an undergraduate student, I once handed a copy of my resume to a recent-grad investment banker friend for proofreading. Within a second, he commented, "you will be rejected." I said, "at least read a few lines before you conclude that." He noted, "I don't need to, all the bullets here are misaligned." Then, he went on to explain how my resume reflected that I don't have an eye for detail, and how it was visible that the points in the resume have no structure or formatting. It was eye-opening for me how the entire conversation revolved around the formatting of the resume and the actual content, that is, my accomplishments, got completely sidelined.

This may have been a one-off judgment and there is also no denying that certain industries and sets of people are more serious about this stuff than others, but I got the basic principle – there is no getting around Microsoft Word skills. This was true then, and is truer now, with a massive increase in online collaboration over the last few years.

The comforting thing though is that Word itself has become much more powerful with time and tons of good news keeps emerging from Microsoft, especially around the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Unlike the perpetual versions, with Microsoft 365 Word, updates are available every month. More important to note is the nature of advancements within these updates. Microsoft is increasingly harnessing advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning to build complex scenarios and help authors in ways never possible before. The innovation shows conspicuously in features such as Editor and Accessibility Checker, where Word doesn't just act as an authoring tool but assumes the role of an assistant figuring out problems with document content and providing meaningful suggestions to improve it. There are also major advancements to note in collaboration and coauthoring, cloud storage, online templates, and numerous other areas that allow for much faster and richer formatting and exponentially better collaboration than was possible in the past.

In this book, Heather and William have done an incredible job of covering the basic tips and tricks of Word that are relevant for any Word version and have also gone into the relevant details of the latest features and scenarios that Microsoft 365 Word enables. There is a lot going on with Word and it's hard to decide where to start and where to finish when talking about it. In that regard, it's great to see that instead of just creating a feature guide, Heather and William have focused sharply on the must-know things and attacked some very real-life problems that authors face with Word.

I really hope that you all will find the content of this book extremely useful in your day-to-day use of Word. For me, as I reviewed chapters of this book, I just wished I had access to it earlier. Maybe I would have made a better first impression on my friend and had an alternate life on Wall Street. Just kidding!

Ramit Arora

Senior PM

Office Experience Organization

Microsoft Corp

Contributors

About the authors

Heather Ackmann is an author, Microsoft Certified Trainer Alumnus, and Microsoft MVP. Since 2006, she has designed, authored, and narrated over 300 hours of video-based training for a variety of public and private entities. In 2016, she cofounded AHA Learning Solutions to provide high-quality custom learning materials to educational institutions and businesses nationally. She is an active member of the presentation community and a proud member of the Presentation Guild. You may find her sharing advice and Microsoft Office news on Twitter (@heatherackmann). When she is not teaching, she is herself a student and is currently finishing an MS degree in human computer interaction at DePaul University.

I want to thank my friends at the Presentation Guild (Echo Swinford, Stephy Hogan, Nolan Haims, Chantal Bossé, Sheila Robinson, Julie Terberg, Glenna Shaw, Sandy Johnson, Rick Altman, and so many others), and my fellow Microsoft MVPs for their help and guidance over the years, especially Ed Liberman, Dan Rey, Doug Spindler, and Beth Melton. I especially want to thank Bill Kulterman for saying yes and for being so easy to work with, and to thank the greatest CEO I've ever had the privilege to work with: Scott Skinger. My career would not be what it is today without your support, encouragement, and constant never-ending improvement.

Bill Kulterman is an e-learning content author who has been involved with software education for many years. Focusing mainly on the Microsoft ecosystem, the last several years, he has spent most of his efforts on creating video training for SharePoint and the Power Platform. Recently, Bill has turned his attention to HR training, starting a UK-based training company specializing in generational and gender bias training, but MS Office will always be dear to his heart. When not teaching, Bill can be found either making cheese or relaxing beside his koi pond.

I would like to thank Ben "Coach" Culbertson. I would never have become an educator without his help and mentoring. I would also like to thank Scott Skinger for giving me an opportunity and launching my career in E-Learning. Big thanks also to Heather Ackmann, J. Peter Bruzzese, Tim Duggan, Aaron Quigley, Steven Fanizza, Georgia Delis, and all the people who never thought I would amount to anything. Lastly, thanks to Graham Parkinson, RIP brother.

About the reviewers

Ramit Arora is a senior product manager for Microsoft 365 Consumer Growth at Microsoft. He holds a BS in computer science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and has worked on various areas of Microsoft 365 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications. Ramit has driven initiatives in many important Office areas, such as Licensing and Activation, VB, Fonts, Office Collab, and so on, and is best known for his work on Office for Mac and mobile applications. You can find Ramit on Twitter and other forums interacting with customers about Microsoft 365. Ramit advises various start-ups on growth hacking, digital distribution, and App Store optimization and co-teaches an Intro PM course on Udemy with Dean Slawson, ex-Director of PM, MSR.

Stephy Hogan is two parts designer, two parts developer, three parts perfectionist, and one part impatient mother. She's a founding board member of the Presentation Guild, works on a UX team by day, runs the Accessible Design Lab and Maker Science Lab channels on YouTube, teaches how to design accessibly to anyone who will listen, and loves glitter. Once, she drove through a tire fire on a golf cart because it was part of her job as a chemist. Now she enjoys making typically mundane experiences a lot more fun – like sitting through an 80-slide benefits presentation, dealing with that really crappy website, or reading this bio. 

Table of Contents

Preface

Section 1: Working More Efficiently, Together or Alone with Word

Chapter 1: There Is No One Word

How to check your version

On a PC

On a Mac

The different versions of Word

Microsoft 365 Word

Word 2019

Older versions

Word for different devices

Word for the Web and mobile

Word on different operating systems

Word on a Mac

About this book

Summary

Chapter 2: Working with Others Remotely (Sharing and Collaboration)

Introduction to cloud storage

Saving Word documents to the cloud

Saving to OneDrive

Saving to SharePoint and Teams

Sharing a Word document

Accessing and sharing Word documents, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams

SharePoint and Teams

AutoSave

AutoSave is always on, unless it's not

Turning AutoSave off

Retrieving unsaved documents

When disaster strikes

Changing AutoRecover settings

Changing the AutoRecover interval

Changing the AutoRecover location

Summary

Chapter 3: Reviewing Documents Remotely

Using Track Changes

Turning on Track Changes

Commenting

Changing the privacy settings in Word

Replying to comments

Resolving and reopening a comment

Showing or hiding comments

Reviewing and deleting comments

Mentioning others in comments

Viewing, comparing, and combining changes

Comparing documents

Comparing versions of the same document

Comparing documents with tracked changes

Combining documents

Combining documents with tracked formatting changes

Summary

Chapter 4: Concentrating Better with Microsoft Word

The Navigation pane

Turning on the Navigation pane

Jumping to a specific page

Searching for a keyword

Dictate

What you will need before getting started

Starting dictation

Immersive Reader

Using the Immersive Reader tool

The reading view

Switching to the reading view

Getting out of the reading view

Focus

Turning on the Focus view

Getting out of the Focus view

Summary

Section 2: Making Sense of Formatting Short and Long Documents

Chapter 5: Working with Short Documents

Starting from a template

Browsing Microsoft Word templates

Downloading a template in Microsoft Word

Formatting essentials for templates

Exploring a template

Editing a template

Editing the template's content controls

Saving time with Quick Parts

Exploring the Quick Parts gallery

Creating your own custom Quick Part

Summary

Chapter 6: Lists and Characters

Working with bulleted and numbered lists

Creating a bulleted and numbered list

Creating multilevel lists

Applying a bullet

Defining a bullet

Applying numbering

Defining a number format

Applying a multilevel list

Defining a new multilevel list

Changing list indents

Renumbering a list

Viewing word and character counts

Special characters

Inserting special characters

Summary

Chapter 7: Structuring Long Documents for Better Organization

Creating breaks

Types of breaks

Creating a page break

Creating section breaks

Creating different page orientations

Changing the page orientation

Numbering sections and pages

Customizing the header and footer

Adding page numbers to your footer

Navigating Microsoft Word by section

Summary

Chapter 8: Saving Time and Ensuring Consistency with Styles

What is a style?

Applying Quick Styles

Types of styles

Using the Styles pane

Understanding how themes affect styles

Changing the theme

Changing theme colors

Creating a new style by modifying an existing style

Creating a style from formatting

Creating a new style by modifying an existing style

Summary

Chapter 9: Working Faster with Automation

Preparing for automation

Why automate?

Identifying tasks for automation

Prioritizing the list of tasks

Identifying the best automation system

Keyboard shortcuts

Viewing and customizing keyboard shortcuts

AutoCorrect and AutoFormat

AutoFormat as You Type

Creating custom Quick Parts

Creating a custom header

Creating and running a macro

Turning on the Developer tab

Understanding macro security

Creating a macro

Recording a macro

Running a macro

Summary

Chapter 10: Working with Illustrations, Charts, and Tables

Inserting illustrations

Inserting pictures

Inserting shapes

Inserting icons

Wrapping text around illustrations

Exploring the default layout for illustrations

Different text wrapping options

Editing wrap points

Keeping illustrations in place

Working with anchors

Using charts and tables as illustrations

Summary

Chapter 11: Writing for Everyone – Understanding Document Accessibility

Designing for document accessibility

Applying headings

Creating Word lists

Inserting meaningful hyperlinks and ScreenTips

Writing concise and contextual alt text

Writing alt text for pictures

The new and improved Accessibility Checker

Running the Accessibility Checker

Learning about accessibility guidelines

Checking accessibility from the status bar

Fixing accessibility issues from the Accessibility Checker

Typing with your voice

Turn on Dictate

Transcribing audio

Transcribing audio

Summary

Section 3: Help! Word Is Being Strange! Troubleshooting Common Problems

Chapter 12: Formatting Problems – Too Much Space

Removing different types of spacing

Removing extra space between letters

Hidden formatting marks

Turning on the hidden formatting marks and symbols

Troubleshooting paragraph spacing, line spacing, indents, and tab stops

Horizontal space issues – the ruler, tab stops, and indents

The easiest way to work with tab stops

Working with indentation

Using the Set As Default button in the Paragraph settings window

Vertical space – line, paragraph, and page

The magical Clear All Formatting button

Summary

Chapter 13: Transforming Annoying Automation

Stopping Word from automatically adding or changing text

Updating your name and initials in Microsoft Word

Understanding and working with AutoFormat

AutoFormat as you type

Changing how Word corrects and formats text automatically

Creating custom keyboard shortcuts

Creating a custom keyboard shortcut by inserting symbols

Creating a keyboard shortcut from Word Options

Customizing custom dictionaries

Adding or removing words from Word's custom dictionary

Summary

Chapter 14: Fixing Frustrating Numbers and Bullet Lists

Examining problems when copying lists

The number or bullet looks different than the line text

Defining a new list style

Summary

Chapter 15: Stuck Like Glue – Word's Deceptively Simple Paste Options

Paste options

Keep Source Formatting

Merge Formatting

Picture

Keep Text Only

Other options

The Word Clipboard

Changing default paste options

Summary

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Preface

Microsoft Word is a popular word processing program for document creation, editing, formatting, printing, and online collaboration. Business professionals use Microsoft Word to create, edit, format, read, print, and collaborate on short and long documents at home, at work, and while on the go. Business professionals working with Microsoft Word will be able to put their knowledge to work with this practical guide. The book provides a simple problem and solution-based approach to implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running and productive in no time.

Who this book is for

This book was written for business professionals who use Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10. Many screenshots, therefore, reflect the options and actions available for Microsoft 365 subscription Word users on Windows rather than on Mac or mobile devices. We do, however, provide notes and alternate directions if steps vary greatly or are missing on Mac versions. You can find some tips for using Word on mobile devices in Chapter 1, There Is No One Word.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, There Is No One Word, covers the difference between versions of Word for Windows, Mac, and mobile, and how these versions impact certain collaboration and sharing features and the basic look and feel of the user interface.

Chapter 2, Working with Others Remotely, explains how to share and collaborate, both locally and remotely, and how to save and recover files.

Chapter 3, Reviewing Documents Remotely, explains how to collaborate better by tracking changes, commenting, replying, and mentioning team members. You will also learn how to best view, compare, and combine changes.

Chapter 4, Concentrating Better with Microsoft Word, contains tips and tricks for using features of Microsoft 365 Word, such as the Immersive Reader, Dictate, and the Focus View, to help you focus your attention while reading and writing documents.

Chapter 5, Working with Short Documents, covers essentials and tips for writing short everyday kinds of documents faster with Office templates and Quick Parts.

Chapter 6, Lists and Characters, explains how to effectively use lists and custom list styles, as well as special and hidden characters, such as paragraph marks.

Chapter 7, Structuring Long Documents for Better Organization, covers how to better organize a long document by creating different kinds of breaks, sections, page orientations, and custom headers and footers so your readers will be able to locate the information they are looking for within the document more quickly.

Chapter 8, Saving Time and Ensuring Consistency with Styles, explains what styles are, which features of Word uses them, how to apply quick styles, and how to create custom styles.

Chapter 9, Working Faster with Automation, makes you rethink automation by using some of Word's built-in features for automating common processes, corrections, procedures, and sequences of commands.

Chapter 10, Working with Illustrations, Charts, and Tables, explains how to add illustrations, how to wrap text around them, and how to anchor them in place.

Chapter 11, Writing for Everyone – Understanding Document Accessibility, explains how to write for the most diverse audience possible by learning to design for document accessibility, how to use the new Accessibility Checker, how to type with your voice, and how to transcribe audio files.

Chapter 12, Formatting Problems – Too Much Space, explains how to troubleshoot common issues that may arise when someone sends you a document that contains unwanted and additional "white" or "blank" space.

Chapter 13, Transforming Annoying Automation, covers how to stop Word from automatically doing, changing, or suggesting things, such as automatically suggesting you should "correct" your name.

Chapter 14, Fixing Frustrating Numbers and Bullet Lists, explores ways to get lists to work the way they were intended to work.

Chapter 15, Stuck Like Glue – Word's Deceptively Simple Paste Options, discusses copying and pasting text, which sounds like it should be simple. Sometimes it is not. This chapter makes it simple again.

To get the most out of this book

To get the most out of this book, you should have some familiarity with Microsoft Word already. In other words, this book is not intended for total beginners but for people looking to fill the gaps or expand their skills in word processing using Microsoft Word.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code from the book's GitHub repository (a link is available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

Download the color images

We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://static.packt-cdn.com/downloads/9781800565432_ColorImages.pdf.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "If you would like to practice and recreate the preceding example yourself, just open a blank Microsoft Word document and type =random()."

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: "In the Show group, click on the Navigation Pane check box to open the Navigation Pane."

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

Get in touch

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Section 1: Working More Efficiently, Together or Alone with Word

In this section, you will learn how to share and collaborate, track changes, and comment, both locally and remotely, as well as how to use Word's navigation and view features to improve concentration and productivity.

This section comprises the following chapters:

Chapter 1, There Is No One WordChapter 2, Working with Others Remotely (Sharing and Collaboration)Chapter 3, Reviewing Documents RemotelyChapter 4, Concentrating Better with Microsoft Word

Chapter 1: There Is No One Word

Whether you've been using Microsoft Word every day for years or only occasionally, I can promise you that you haven't seen all that Word can do. Microsoft gives users a variety of choices in how to experience Microsoft Word from a variety of devices and operating systems. Often, with Word, your experience with the app will change based on which version you are using, the operating system, and the device. This chapter is meant to clarify the differences between the many possible options.

This chapter will cover the following main topics:

How to check your versionThe different versions of WordWord for different devicesWord on different operating systemsAbout this book

Before we start learning how to become more proficient in Microsoft Word, we need to figure out which version of Word we are using. There are several options available, and they are all slightly different from each other.

How to check your version

To check which version of Word you are using, open Microsoft Word.

On a PC

Follow these steps to check your Word version on a PC:

From the Word Home screen, click Account in the bottom-left corner of the window.Under the Product Information area, in the About Word section, you'll find the version and build number.

On a Mac

Follow these steps to check your Word version on a Mac:

From the Word Home screen, open the Word menu.Click on About Microsoft Word.

There, you will find the version number and other license information.

Why is this useful? You might be looking for a specific feature or tool that you have heard about from a friend or colleague and discover it doesn't seem to be part of your version of Word. Different versions of Word may have different features. It is important to understand that the subscription and online versions of Word receive product updates sooner than the Classic Word 2019 version. If you are missing something, you might need to update your version, or it simply may not have the latest updates available yet. The following screenshot is an example of the Product Information area within Microsoft 365 Word:

Figure 1.1 – Microsoft Word 365 version information

The following screenshot is an example of the Product Information area within Word 2019 perpetual version (that is, "Classic Word"):

Figure 1.2 – Classic Word 2019 version information

To look up the update history for your supported version, the best place to go is Microsoft's documentation on the web:

Update history (by date):

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-microsoft365-apps-by-date

Office for Mac:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac?redirectSourcePath=%252fen-us%252farticle%252fUpdate-history-for-Office-2016-for-Mac-700cab62-0d67-4f23-947b-3686cb1a8eb7

On these Microsoft web pages, you will find the most up-to-date information for changes and releases as they are rolled out. But to help you understand what is on these pages, you need to know a little about the various versions of Word out there.

The different versions of Word

In the next few sections, we'll take a look at the various versions of Word that you may or may not have used, starting with Microsoft 365 Word.

Microsoft 365 Word

Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service that includes the Microsoft Office suite of apps, which Word is a part of. There are several different subscription packages available, but all of them include some version of Word. There are subscription packages that are geared toward business, education, and home users.

Click-to-Run

The Click-to-Run version of Office installs Word locally on your computer. This allows you to use Word at any time, regardless of whether you are on the internet. The Click-to-Run version is available with all Microsoft 365 subscription packages, except for the Microsoft 365 Business Basic package. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic package only comes with the web and mobile versions of the Office apps.

If paying monthly or annually for a software package that continually updates is not something you want or need, you might want to consider the latest perpetual version of Word.

Word 2019

Word 2019 is the latest classic or perpetual version of the Word app. For those of you who have been using Microsoft Word for many years, this will be the purchase option you are most familiar with. You buy the software once, license it for a computer or device, and then can keep using it so long as that software is supported – in other words, perpetually. You don't need to purchase both a Microsoft 365 subscription for Office apps and the perpetual Office apps; you just need one version to use Office.

Do keep in mind, however, that the perpetual apps do not come with the same features or perks that the Microsoft subscription apps get. For example, the Word 2019 perpetual version will occasionally get security updates, but not get any new feature updates. Those on a Microsoft 365 subscription will get new features as they are released. Also, Word 2019 perpetual users do not have access to features that require Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI), such as the LinkedIn Resume Assistant and the new Editor in Word. Those advanced features are only available with a subscription since they require access to Microsoft AI services and ongoing updates. For many users, however, the Word 2019 perpetual version is more than enough. It is familiar and offers all the word processing power they require.

Older versions

There are many prior versions of Word that are still popular and in use; however, not all of them may be supported. Microsoft ended support for Office 2010 on October 12, 2020. These applications will still work, but they no longer receive any security updates. So, if users continue to use these outdated applications, they potentially expose themselves to security vulnerabilities. Using these outdated applications is incredibly risky, and we advise you to update to a supported version immediately.

Word for different devices

Word travels with you on a variety of mobile devices, which means Word has to adapt to a variety of different screen sizes and situations, as well as connectivity scenarios.

Word for the Web and mobile

All Microsoft 365 subscription packages come with the web and mobile versions of the Office suite, which includes Microsoft Word. Word for the Web is an online-only version of Word that is not as full-featured as the Click-to-Run version, while the Word mobile app can be installed on Android and iOS mobile devices.

Word for the Web

Word for the Web is a free, browser-based version of the app, and you must have a working internet connection to use it. You do not need a Microsoft 365 subscription to access Word for the Web, but you do need a free Microsoft account to log in. Word for the Web receives the latest product updates automatically, so you can be assured that you will be using the latest version. This is different from Word 2019, which receives updates much less frequently.

Word Mobile

Microsoft Word is currently available for download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as well as several Android stores. Even though the app is free to use, signing in with a Microsoft account or a subscription account will allow you to store files in the cloud and access files on your desktop. With a Microsoft 365 subscription, the mobile app will have more features available, such as Track Changes, as well as the ability to add and edit chart elements, edit headers and footers, insert section and page breaks, and more. So, if you plan on editing documents from your mobile device or tablet, having a Microsoft 365 subscription is an advantage. The following screenshot shows what Microsoft Word looks like on an iOS device:

Figure 1.3 – Word Mobile on an iPhone

Now, compare this to Word Mobile on an Android phone:

Figure 1.4 – Word Mobile on an Android phone

Word Mobile is not limited to phones. You can also run Word Mobile on tablet devices. The following screenshot shows Word Mobile on an Android tablet:

Figure 1.5 – Word Mobile on an Android tablet

Upon comparing these Android devices, even though both are running on the same operating system, we can see that the device sizes determine the look and layout of the interface. On a phone, all the buttons and commands appear at the bottom of the screen, making it easier to tap commands with your thumbs, while on a tablet, all the commands and buttons appear at the top of the screen, making it easier to tap with your index finger.

Word on different operating systems

In addition to Word changing its appearance with new updates and features being added every year, Word will also look different depending on what operating system you are using. Working on a Windows device or a Mac will have a subtle impact on how Word looks and behaves.

Word on a Mac

In addition to the different purchasing options for Office, you can also download either a Windows-based version of Office or Office for Mac. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you get access to both Mac and PC versions of Office. Word, for either PC or Mac, is essentially the same, though it will look and act slightly differently, depending on its host operating system. If you buy a perpetual version of Word, you can choose whether to buy a PC version or a Mac version, so be careful which version you choose.

Differences in user interfaces

Take a look at the following screenshots of Microsoft Word. They are using the same subscription but on different operating systems – one has been taken of Word for Mac, while another has been taken of Word on a Windows PC. The first screenshot shown is of the Mac version of Word:

Figure 1.6 – Word for Mac user interface

Notice the ribbon, menu, and title bar at the top of the screen and compare this screen to the Windows version of Word:

Figure 1.7 – Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10

On the PC version of Word, you will not have any of those menus at the top. Instead, you will find a File menu in the top left-hand corner of the screen that will open a kind of backstage view. In this view, you will find options and controls for both your document and your copy of Word:

Figure 1.8 – The backstage view

On the Account tab, you'll find all your account information. On the Options tab, you can open a window and find more advanced Word options. From here, you can even send feedback to Microsoft about things you like or dislike about the application. All these options look quite different on the Mac version.

Differences in features

On occasion, you may notice features available on the PC version of Word that are not available on every Mac version. A prime example of this is embedding fonts in documents, which has been available for many past versions of Word on PC but has only become recently available on Word for Mac for the Office 2019 and Microsoft 365 versions. So, if you are using an older version of Office, that particular feature may not be available.

On Word for Mac 2016 (version 16.16.27), inside the Save Options window (Word menu > Preferences > Save), you will see that there isn't an option to embed fonts anywhere in this window. If you are a Visual Basic developer, there are also differences in the object model between Mac and Windows versions of Office, so some macros may need to be rewritten or may not run at all on Mac:

Figure 1.9 – Save Options for Word for Mac 2016

Now, compare this to the Microsoft 365 Word for Mac version:

Figure 1.10 – Save Options for Microsoft 365 Word for Mac

At the bottom of the Save Options window in the Microsoft 365 version of Word for Mac, there is a new section for Font Embedding.

So, the version of Word will determine what features you have and when you will receive updates. The operating system will determine where features are located, how those features look, and, to a lesser extent, how those features behave.

So, as you can see, the differences within operating systems may be based on the version rather than the operating system. As such, you need to know what version of Word you and others (as well as books and help articles) are using. In the next section, we will explain a bit more about the version we will be using throughout this book.

Differences in Appearance

To make matters slightly more confusing, you may notice that your copy of Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10 may look different from your friend's or coworker's copy of Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10.

Have a look at the following screenshot:

Figure 1.11 – Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10

Notice the buttons and appearance of the Ribbon. Also, notice the Quick Access Toolbar in the upper left-hand corner. Now, compare the preceding image to the following image:

Figure 1.12 – Microsoft 365 Word on Windows 10 (Visual Refresh)

These differences are due to an update announced for select Windows 10 and Windows 11 Office apps (which includes Microsoft Word) referred to as Visual Refresh. Although things may look different, most of the functionality has remained the same with subtle differences here and there. With this refresh, Microsoft is trying to keep visual continuity and a consistent user interface between Word no matter which version you have.

The most striking difference you will encounter is that the color of the top bar of Word has changed from its traditional blue, to white, and the Quick Access Toolbar is hidden by default. If you use another theme, such as Dark Grey, then that theme will be consistent across all main Office apps and Windows.

Also, the Undo and Redo buttons have now moved to the Home tab, just before the Clipboard (cut and paste) commands:

Figure 1.13 – Missing QAT and Undo/Redo Buttons

If you would like to add commands or show the Quick Access Toolbar once again, there is now a menu underneath the Ribbon where you can do just that:

Figure 1.14 – Show Quick Access Toolbar

Just click the Ribbon Display Options drop arrow to the bottom right corner of the Ribbon to open a small menu. Towards the very bottom of the menu, you will see an option labeled Show Quick Access Toolbar. Select that option and your Quick Access Toolbar will appear as a small arrow either above or below your Ribbon. There, you can click and add commands just like you used to.

Now that we've learned a bit about what version we are using and how different versions of Word may look and act, let's learn how to use this book a bit more.

About this book

In this book, we will be using Microsoft 365 Word on PC for all the screenshots and demonstrations. The advice, tips, and tricks in this book are designed to be helpful regardless of the version of Word you are using. If, however, a piece of advice or a set of instructions do become version-specific, we will offer a version note and any suggestions, like this:

Note – Mac Users

If you are using Word for Mac, this feature is not available yet. If you want this feature, tell Microsoft by either sending a frown or by visiting http://word.uservoice.com.

Summary

Microsoft Word has been around since 1983 and has been growing, changing, and adapting ever since. Word is now available on multiple platforms and devices, allowing you to access your documents on the go from any device, regardless of connectivity.

If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can be assured that you will be one of the first to get the latest updates and features that Word has to offer. If this is not important to you, or your Word usage is minimal, perhaps the perpetual, classic, non-subscription-based option is better for you. Whichever version you choose and use, you will find that Microsoft Word will be a useful tool to learn and have.

In this chapter, we have given you a look at the many versions of Word to help you understand how the version you have will work for you. In future chapters, we will explore how to make the newest features of Word help solve some common everyday productivity problems.

Chapter 2: Working with Others Remotely (Sharing and Collaboration)

These days, it seems that everything is all about "the cloud." That term can be confusing because it often refers to many different services and platforms. In this chapter, we will be looking exclusively at Microsoft's cloud storage options – specifically, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, and how you can use them to store, access, and collaborate on all your Word documents.

This chapter will cover the following main topics:

Introduction to cloud storageSaving Word documents to the cloudAccessing and sharing Word documents, OneDrive, SharePoint, and TeamsAutoSaveRetrieving unsaved documents

Introduction to cloud storage

Cloud storage refers to a secure, shared location where files are stored. Once stored, they can then be accessed from anywhere if you have a connection to the internet. Now, documents aren't really stored in a mythical place called "the cloud." They are stored on secure servers all over the world. The Microsoft cloud storage option is called OneDrive and it can be used alone or as part of SharePoint or Teams.

Once your files are stored in OneDrive, they are automatically backed up and are accessible from any mobile device that has a connection to the internet. Files stored in OneDrive can be shared with an individual, a group, or your entire organization. Once a document has been shared, you can work with multiple people using the latest collaboration features that Word has to offer, such as tracking changes, reviewing, and commenting. A document that's shared to OneDrive can also be edited by multiple people in real time.

Before cloud storage, files were saved locally, either on your desktop PC or to a local network server. Files saved in this manner could be lost in the event of equipment malfunctioning or other mishaps, such as forgetting to save frequently. Using Word in conjunction with OneDrive helps prevent these kinds of losses.

Once your documents have been saved to OneDrive, you could experience a catastrophic disaster with your computer, and your files would still be safely stored on Microsoft's secure servers.

Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage protects your files from equipment failures, theft, and human error. It also allows you to collaborate no matter where you are, or what device you are using.

Cloud storage provides a convenient and secure way to save and access your documents. In the next section, we will look at how to use Word to save documents to OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.

Saving Word documents to the cloud

When saving a Word document for the first time, you have a variety of options regarding where you can save it. It could be saved locally on your PC or Mac, or in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams. Word makes it easy for you to save your document to OneDrive.

When a site is created in SharePoint, the document library is created in the site's OneDrive. Everyone who is a member of that SharePoint site has access to files stored in any libraries that have been created on that site.

When a new team is created in Teams, users can start saving files directly within the Teams chat and Teams channel. These files will then be available to other members of the team to view and edit.

Saving to OneDrive

To save a new Word document to the cloud for the first time, you will want to go to the File tab on the far left-hand side of the ribbon. This will open what's known as the backstage view. From here, you will see a column of options on the left-hand side of the page, including Save and Save As. Select Save As.

At the top of the page in large letters, you will see Save As. Below that, you will see a list of the various places where you can save this document. Typically, you will see a list of your OneDrive accounts. There can be multiple OneDrive for Business accounts and a single personal OneDrive account on the same computer. You will also see any SharePoint sites that you have permissions for listed.

The following screenshot shows the Save As page with OneDrive for Business