Editing Documents with Microsoft Word Online: Steps & Tips

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Learn the basics of Microsoft Word to create and edit documents
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Word has so many features, it can be daunting to use as a beginner or someone who's familiar with it. But don't worry, because this wikiHow article teaches you how to create, navigate, and format a Microsoft Word document.

How do you use Microsoft Word?

To create a new document, choose a template from the list provided or start with a blank document. Use the File tab to open, save, and start documents, and the Insert tab to add any images , symbols, or other media to your document. Highlight your text and play around with formatting options in the Home tab.

Section 1 of 4:

Creating a New Document

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  1. Do this by double-clicking the Microsoft Word icon.
  2. As soon as you open Word, you'll see some options:
    • Blank document – A blank document with default formatting.
    • Welcome to Word – A document that covers the basics of document creation and allows you to edit, so you can learn by doing.
    • Templates (like Birthday invitation or college newsletter) – You'll see a few different templates, which change based on what you've previously used. A template is a Word document with colors, themes, formatting, and every element already added; you just need to add your words.
    • You can also search for specific templates online from within Word by using the search bar or the More templates link at the top of this screen.
    • In the Windows version of Word, you can click a template to see more about it. Click Create if you want to use it.
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Section 2 of 4:

Opening a Document

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  1. 1
    Open Word. You can double-click the MS Word icon in your taskbar or Start menu (Windows) or the Dock (Mac), or you can go online to use Word for free .
    • This method walks you through an existing document. You can edit it to make changes or just look at it.
  2. 2
    Click the document you want to open. It might be under "Recent," "Favorites," or "Shared with Me." However, if you can't find it, click More documents and look through the locations on your computer.
    • You can also go to File > Open to browse for documents.
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Section 3 of 4:

Navigating the Microsoft Word Toolbar

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  1. It's in the top left side of the screen (or in the menu bar for Mac users). From here, you have several useful options on the far left side of your screen: [1]
    • New - Click this to bring up the "New Document" page that lists all of the pre-formatted templates. Opening a new document will prompt you to save your old one.
      • On a Mac, you can select New in the File menu to open a new blank document, or select New from Template to see template options.
    • Open - Click this to review a list of recently opened documents. You can also select a directory (e.g., "This PC") in which to search.
      • On a Mac, select Open to browse your computer for documents to open, or Open Recent to see a list of recently opened documents.
    • Share - Click this to view sharing options for this document, including email and cloud options.
    • Info - This shows you information about your document, like whether it's locked or protected, and if it has any issues.
      • In the Mac version of Word, this option is called Properties .
    • Save a Copy or Save As - Use this to save another version of your document. This is not the same file that it saves to automatically.
    • Print - Click this to bring up your printer settings.
    • Export - Click this to quickly create a PDF or change the file type.
      • On a Mac, you can do this using the Save As option.
    • Transform (not available on Mac) - Use this tool to quickly turn your Word document into a web page.
    • Close - This closes the document.
    • Account - This shows you your account information.
      • On Mac, you can see your account information by clicking your user icon at the top left side of the page when you first open Word. Select New from Template in the File menu to get back to this page when you have a document open.
    • Options - You can quickly change how Word works in this menu.
      • In the Mac version of Word, this is located in the Word menu and it’s called Preferences instead of Options.
      • Note that the File options are very different if you're using Word on the web.
    • Click the back button to navigate out of the menu. On Mac, simply click anywhere off the File menu or click File again to close it.
  2. At the top of your screen–from left to right–are five subsections of this tab. These are the same on Windows and Mac, but these sections aren’t labeled in the Mac version:
    • Clipboard - Whenever you copy text, it is saved on your clipboard. In the Windows version of Word, can view copied text by clicking the Clipboard option here. On a Mac, click the clipboard icon to paste your text. You can use the other tools in this section to adjust how copying and pasting works in your document.
    • Font - From this section, you can change your font style, size, color, formatting (e.g., bold or italic), and highlighting.
    • Paragraph - You can change aspects of your paragraph formatting–such as line spacing, indentation, and bullet formatting–from this section.
    • Styles - This section covers different types of text for various situations (e.g., headings, titles, and subtitles). You'll also see the popular "No Spacing" option here, which removes excess spaces between lines of text.
      • In the Mac version of word, paragraph spacing options are located in the Paragraph section instead.
    • Editing - A couple of commonly-used tools–such as "Find and Replace", which allows you to quickly replace all appearances of one word with another–live here.
      • This menu is a little different in the Mac version. In this part of the Home tab, you can turn on features like comments, suggested changes, and dictation. However, many editing features, such as the Find and Replace function, are located in the Edit menu at the top of the screen (in this example, the path is Edit > Find > Replace) .
  3. Insert is to the right of the Home tab. The Insert tab allows you to add things like graphics and page numbers to your document. From left to right, a couple of notable options include the following:
    • Table - Clicking this option will allow you to create an Excel-style table right in your document.
    • Pictures - Use this feature to insert a picture into your document.
    • Header, Footer, and Page Number - These options are all essential for writing in MLA- or APA-style formatting. The Header places a space at the top of the document for comment, while the Footer goes at the bottom–page numbers are customizable.
    • Equation/Symbol - These options use special formatting to accurately display simple equations or add special symbols to your document. You can select these equations or symbols from the pertinent drop-down menu.
  4. It's to the right of the Insert tab.
    • The Design tab contains pre-designed themes and formats listed across the top of the page.
  5. This tab contains options for changing the following aspects of your document:
    • Margins
    • Page orientation (vertical or horizontal)
    • Page size
    • Number of columns (defaults to one)
    • Location of page breaks
    • Indentation
    • You can also use this tab to edit the position and formatting of images and other objects in your document.
  6. If you have a bibliography page, you can also manage it from here.
    • For quick bibliography formatting, click the Bibliography drop-down menu and select a template.
    • In the "Citations & Bibliography" group of options, you can change your citation and bibliography formatting from APA to MLA (or other citation styles).
    • The "Captions" group has an option to insert a table of figures . This is useful for scientific review papers or similar documents in which statistical data is prioritized over quotations.
  7. You can review your email settings and share your documents from within this section. This is also the section where you can create custom envelopes, labels, and other useful features for documents you plan to mail. [2]
    • In Word for Mac, the sharing options are available on every tab. Just click the blue Share button at the top right side of the document.
    • You can also print an envelope or label template by clicking the pertinent option in the top left corner of your screen.
    • The Select Recipients drop-down menu allows you to choose Outlook contacts as well as an existing contact list within Word.
  8. The Review section is geared towards editing, so it includes options for marking up documents and proofreading. A couple of important options include:
    • Spelling & Grammar - Click this option (far left corner) to underline any spelling or grammatical errors.
    • The "Changes" section - This is to the far right of the toolbar. From here, you can enable the "Track Changes" feature, which automatically formats any additions or deletions you make in a document to appear in red print.
  9. If you're a student, for example, you'll likely use the Insert and References tab often. Now that you're familiar with the toolbar options, you can format your first Word document.
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Section 4 of 4:

Formatting Your Writing

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  1. If you have an existing document, you can open that instead. [3]
  2. Do this by clicking on the blank section of the document and typing away. [4]
    • If you opened an existing document, be sure to save your work before reformatting.
  3. To do this, click and drag your cursor across your writing, then let go when you've highlighted the section you wish to edit.
  4. Some potential options include:
    • Quickly format your writing. Do this by right-clicking (or two-finger clicking, or Ctrl -clicking on a Mac) your highlighted text and then selecting an option from the right-click menu.
      • For example, if you’re using Word for Windows and you want to create a heading from the text you have selected, right-click it and select Styles > Heading. Some of these options may differ between the Mac and Windows versions of Word.
    • Change the font of your selection. You can do this by clicking the drop-down bar at the top of the "Font" section (Home tab) and then selecting a new font.
    • Bold, italicize, or underline your highlighted section. To do this, click the B , I , or U in the "Font" section of the Home tab.
    • Change your document's spacing. This is easiest to accomplish by right-clicking your selected text, clicking Paragraph , and modifying the "Line Spacing" options at the bottom of the window.
  5. Your preferred options for your documents will differ based on the intention behind creating them, so the more you work within your own particular format, the more proficient you'll become.
    • If you want to add a header and footer , for example, go to Insert > Header & Footer .
    • If you don't want to have to format each and every document the same way, you can create a template . That way, you can make a copy each time and not have to re-create specific fonts, formatting, or elements!
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  • Question
    How do I make a document blank again after have completed it and saved it. Then I want to use it again but I need it blank?
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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    In that case, it might be best to save the original document as a template. That way you can create a copy to fill out, but you still have the blank template to go back to.
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    How do I copy and paste?
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    To copy a certain piece of text, highlight it and press Ctrl + C. Then click the spot you want to place the copied text and press Ctrl + V to paste.
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    How do I place a logo in MS Word?
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    Press the Insert tab and then press the Pictures button. You will then be allowed to select the image.
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      • If you right-click (or two-finger click) a word that’s been flagged as misspelled with a red underline, you'll see a replacement suggestion at the top of the right-click menu.
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      • A red line under a word means the word is misspelled, a green underline suggests a grammatical error, and a blue underline pertains to formatting.
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      • You can quick-save your document by holding down Control (or Command on Mac) and tapping S .
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-navigation-pane-in-word-394787be-bca7-459b-894e-3f8511515e55
      2. ↑ https://gps.uml.edu/online/tutorial/word_trackingxp/
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-and-format-text-2e76a31b-a6d6-4b4e-95c2-fb780e3ac8d3
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-and-format-text-2e76a31b-a6d6-4b4e-95c2-fb780e3ac8d3

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Create blank documents or from templates.
      2. Format text colors, fonts, and sizes.
      3. Insert media like photos and animations.
      4. Insert data like tables, page numbers, headers, and equations.
      5. Customize the on-screen and print layouts.
      6. Add references and citations.

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