Practical manual to learn and master Microsoft Word easily.

Word is one of the most popular tools of the Microsoft Office package and its domain is essential for any academic, professional or administrative activity. If you are just starting out or want to reinforce your basic digital skills, this Manual on how to use Word it will guide you step by step through its essential functions.

Keep reading this short Word manual!

Managing Word Templates

Let's start by talking about Word templates. This format consists of a pre-designed document which contains an already available structure to help users create documents more efficiently and professionally. These templates can cover a variety of document types, such as letters, resumes, reports, flyers, business cards, and more. They are especially useful when you need to maintain a homogeneous structure, as is the case in any procedure manual in Word.

What is a template and how is it used in Word?

Un Template o template is a file with a pre-set design that includes styles, tables, images or sections ready to customize. They allow you to save time and maintain a consistent format.

How to use a template in Word:

• Open Word and select New.
• Choose one of the pre-designed templates or search for a specific template.
• Customize the fields (text, tables, images...).
• Save your document as a regular file or as a template if you want to reuse it.

How to save your own template:

• Go to File > Save As.
• Select Word Template.
• Assign a name and save.

What is Word mail merge for?

La Word correspondence it is very useful when you want to send the same communication to a group of people, since it allows you to generate multiple personalized documents based on a template and a list of recipients. This feature is particularly useful when you need to send the same information to several people, but with specific details for each, such as names, addresses or reference numbers.

Word mail merge is primarily used to create:

• Personalized cards: you can create letters that are addressed to each recipient individually, automatically inserting their names, addresses or other relevant information in the template.
• Labels and envelopes: it is possible to generate personalized address labels or envelopes for each recipient of a list.
• Emails: In addition to letters and printed documents, the mail merge can also be used to send personalized emails to a list of recipients.
• Invitations and cards: if you're organizing an event and want to send personalized invitations or cards, combining correspondence will allow you to create these pieces efficiently.

How do you create forms in Word?

Creating forms in Word can be very useful for gathering information in an organized way. Here are the basic steps for creating forms in Microsoft Word:

1. Open a Blank Document: Open Microsoft Word and create a new blank document.
2. Enable the “Developer” Tab: By default, the “Developer” tab is not usually enabled in Word. To do so, go to the “File” tab and select “Options”. In the window that appears, choose “Customize ribbon” and check the “Developer” box. Then, click “OK”.
3. Design the Form: Go to the “Developer” tab.
4. In the “Controls” section, you'll find several types of fields that you can add to the form, such as checkboxes, text boxes, drop-down menus, option buttons, and so on.
5. Click on the type of field you want to add to the form and then click where you want to insert it in the document.

Customize the Fields:

• Once you add a field, you can right click on it and select “Control Properties”. Here you can configure the name, label text, and other field-specific options.
• If you want a field to be of a multiple selection type (for example, check boxes), you can configure the available options.
• Protect the Form: To prevent users from accidentally modifying unwanted areas of the form, you can protect the form. Go to the “Developer” tab and click “Protect document”. You can choose “Restrict editing” and configure the options according to your needs. You may need to define a password if you want to remove the protection later.
• Save and distribute: Once you've designed and protected the form, save it. You can then print it out and distribute it in hard copy format or save the file in digital format for electronic sharing.

What is change control for in a Word document?

If you work in teaming, this feature will be very useful to you. Change control in Word is a function that allows you to track and display changes made to a document. It is especially useful when several people collaborate on editing a document, as it allows us to identify who made what changes and when they were made.

When Change Control is turned on, any changes made to the document are highlighted in a distinctive way.

How to work with Word's change control?

Before we begin, it's important to understand that change control is part of Word tools and their functions aimed at the collaborative review and supervision of documents.

How to use it:

1. Activate change control

Go to the “Review” tab in the Word toolbar.

Click the “Change Control” button to activate it. Once activated, Word will start tracking the changes you make to the document.

2. Make changes

Make the necessary changes to the document. Word will highlight the inserts in color and show the deletions as crossed out text.

3. Add comments

In addition to direct changes to the text, you can add explanatory comments in the margins of the document.

4. Review the Changes

The changes will be highlighted and visible in the document while Change Control is turned on.

You can navigate through the changes using the navigation arrows in the review toolbar.

5. Accept or Reject Changes

You can accept or reject changes one by one or as a group. Right-click on a change to choose whether to accept or reject it.

6. Disable Change Control

Once you've reviewed and accepted or rejected the changes, you can turn off Change Control from the “Review” tab.

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