Version 3.0
March 20, 2008
60 indispensable Microsoft Word tips
Tips submitted by Jeff Davis, Bill Detwiler, Travis Frazier, Jody Gilbert, Susan Harkins, Mary Ann Richardson, and
Vidyaramanan S.
No matter how long you've been using Microsoft Word, you can always learn new techniques to help you work
faster and smarter. Here are some of TechRepublic's favorite tips and tricks for Word 97, 2000, 2002(XP), 2003,
and 2007, organized into four sections: The Basics, Advanced Tips, Things You Don't Have to Do, and New to
Word 2007.
The Basics
1. Learn to use Undo – Make a mistake? Press [Ctrl]Z or choose Undo from the Edit menu right away.
Keep pressing [Ctrl]Z to backtrack through and undo the most recent editing changes you've made. In
2007, the Undo button is on the Quick Access toolbar in the top-left corner. Redo does double duty with
the new Repeat button.
2. Save often – Press [Ctrl]S or click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. Save your work frequently.
You can also instruct Word to automatically save your work periodically. Open the Tools menu, select
Options, click the Save tab, and activate the Save AutoRecovery Info Every option. You can specify an
interval from 1 to 120 minutes. In 2007, click the Office button (in the top-left corner) and then click the
Word Options button at the bottom right of the resulting dialog box. Now, click Save. You’ll find the Save
AutoRecovery Information Every option in the Save Documents section.
3. Quickly move to the beginning or end of a document – To move to the top of a document, press
[Ctrl][Home]. To move to the bottom of a document, press [Ctrl][End].
4. Open menus and select commands with the keyboard – Press [Alt] plus the letter that's underlined to
open a menu, such as File, Edit, View, and so on. Once a menu is open, you don't need to press [Alt] to
select a command; just press the underlined letter of the command you want to select. Here are some
common examples: Quick Print: [Alt]F, P. Quick Save As: [Alt]F,A. Quickly reopen th