Quick Reference Card
To find out how to do something, click the Microsoft® Office Word Help button in the upper-right corner of the window. Then type your question in the Type words to search for box, next to Search.
For example, to find out how to show or hide formatting marks, you could type "Turn formatting marks on."
Show or hide formatting marks
Show formatting marks to see if you have extra spacing in a document. To delete extra spaces, delete the extra formatting marks.
On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Show/Hide to see formatting marks. Click the button again to hide them.
Change page margins
On the Ribbon at the top of the window, click the Page Layout tab. In the Page Setup group, click Margins. Select a margin setting.
Revise words underlined in red, green, or blue
Word enters a wavy red underline under misspelled words or under words it does not recognize. A wavy green underline under text means that Word thinks the grammar should be revised. A blue underline means a word may not be the correct word in the sentence.
When you see an underline, right-click the word the word that is underlined, and then select a suggested revision. Word will replace the underlined word with your selection, and the underline will go away. Note that every once in a while Word may not be able to offer any alternatives. You can always type your own correction over the selected word.
If you enter something that is correctly spelled but Word doesn't recognize it, such as a proper name, for example, right-click, and then click Add to Dictionary.
A note of caution about green and blue underlines: Word is really good at spelling, which is pretty straightforward (most of the time). But grammar and correct word usage take some judgment. You can click Ignore or Ignore All to ignore suggested revisions and get rid of the underlines.
Tip If you would prefer to check spelling and grammar all at once instead of reviewing each red or green underline, click the Review tab at the top of the window, and click Spelling & Grammar in the Proofing group.
Or place the insertion point at the top of the page. Then, at the bottom of the window, click this book button with a red X on it . The red X means Word thinks there are corrections to be made. The insertion point will move to an underlined word, and you'll see a menu with suggested revisions. Click to move the insertion point to each underlined word in the document. If you don't see the button, right-click the bar at the bottom of the window, and click Spelling and Grammar Check.
Save your document early
To keep your work, you have to save it, and it's never too early to do that.
- To save your document for the first time, either click on the Quick Access Toolbar toolbar, or click the Microsoft Office Button and then click Save, or press CTRL+S.
- In the Save As dialog box, choose a location to save your document in.
Enter a name for the document in the File name box.
The Save as type box should say Word Document. Then click Save.
- In Windows Vista™, select a location to save the document in the Address bar at the top of the dialog box. Documents is the main location.
- In Microsoft Windows® XP, select a location to save the file in the Save in list at the top of the dialog box. My Documents is the main location.
Once you save your document for the first time, click Save on the Quick Access Toolbar every so often as you work to save your changes, or press CTRL+S.
- You can create a copy of a document by saving it with another name. Click the Microsoft Office Button , click Save As instead of Save, and then type a new name in the File name box. Then you have two copies: your original and the copy with the new name.
For example, if a document is a completed letter to your uncle about your vacation plans, but you want to send it to your sister with an additional paragraph to her, you might save it with the same name but with a "2" added to it, or with your sister's name.
- To see a list of the documents you've most recently worked on, click the Microsoft Office Button . Click any document in the Recent Documents list to open it.
Close a document
- When you are through with the document and have saved your work, close the file. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Close.
- To close Word, click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Exit Word in the lower-right corner.
Create a new document
- To open a new, blank document, click the Microsoft Office Button at the top left of the window, and then click New. In the New Document dialog box, double-click Blank document.