Helpful Tips Blog
Microsoft Word Tips
How to group a picture and a shape in Word
Yes you can group them. In the following example I've inserted an image and then a shape. Currently the Group option is disabled. As soon as you change the text wrap of the image to anything other than Inline, the Group option becomes enabled and you can group them...
My table cells have 0 margins, why can’t I remove all padding?
If you've already checked Table Properties and all borders are set to zero, check Page Layout and see if there is spacing set on the text entered in the table. Select all of the text and set the spacing before and after to zero pts.
How to change the background color of a single page in Word?
Unfortunately, page color is document-specific so you can't change it for different pages. Perhaps the easiest way is for the particular page you want colored differently to include a header with a colored shape that fills the entire page. Create the new page in its...
How do I lock text boxes in Microsoft Word?
If by “lock” you mean to lock the position so that your text box moves with the text, you do that with the Text Wrapping dialog box. On the Position tab there are two settings at the bottom: Move object with text and Lock anchor. With these two options selected, this...
How do I create newspaper-style columns in Microsoft Word?
To format text into columns, click the Page Layout tab and click Columns in the Page Setup group. If you click on More Columns at the bottom, Word will display the Columns dialog box. The Columns dialog box provides options for setting the number of columns and...
How do I split a huge image onto multiple pages in Microsoft Word?
I'll share something I've done a few times when I really wanted to include an image that was too large for the page. Try grabbing the image and shrinking it while constraining the size (with the shift key) until it's narrow enough to fit on one page. You'll have to...
When to use soft and hard returns in Word
You should always use a hard return (Enter key) whenever you complete a paragraph. I still see many documents where people type a hard return after each line like they would on a typewriter. Word knows by the margins set in a document when to wrap the text to the next...
How do I insert a table in a Microsoft Word document?
There are a few ways to insert a table. Probably the most direct way is from the Insert tab. You can click on Table and then you have the option of dragging until you build the number of columns and rows you want. Or you can select Insert Table… and get a dialog box...
How do I change internal links to links in another document in Word?
You can add hyperlinks to places within your own document quite easily. Refer to this tip for a quick review how to do so: How to Set Up Hyperlinks in Word Suppose you had the following list and wanted to add hyperlinks to places in another document. Select the...
How do I set a different footer for each page in Microsoft Word?
Elements like headers and footers reside within sections, and from section to section they can be changed. The following illustration shows the footer of Page 1. Notice that Page 1 is also in Section 1. Within one section you can have a different footer for the first...
Is there a way to fix caps-lock errors in Microsoft Word?
You can do this with AutoCorrect. Access it with Proofing tab on Word Options and then the AutoCorrect Options... button. From the AutoCorrect dialog box and the AutoCorrect tab, make sure that Correct accidental usage of cAPS LOCK key is checked. That should do it.
How can I insert a drop-down list in a page in Microsoft Word?
If you'd like to add a drop-down box, you need to use the Developer tab. If that’s not visible, modify the Ribbon so that it is enabled. On the Developer tab the Controls section includes form elements. The Drop-Down List control is highlighted in the image below. ...