The Get to the Point! Guide to Microsoft Word 2016

Introduction

Let's be honest: there are many reasons to use Microsoft Word 2016, but often there's only one that matters: because you have to. Even those who hate Word and profess wanting it to ‘die’ will concede that their hostility springs from the program’s ubiquity—for many today, Word is essentially unavoidable. An estimated half a billion people use some version of Word as part of their normal routine, orders of magnitude ahead of its nearest competitor.

For better or for worse, Word virtually defines the standard for word processing—and perhaps more importantly, creation of standardized documents. So many venues require delivery in Word .doc and .docx formats that to list them here would be prohibitively lengthy, not to mention tiresome. And while it may not surprise you that this book was created and submitted entirely using Microsoft Word 2016, you might be shocked to find that many of your favorite authors likely used Word to draft their most famous works.

But whether you like it, love it, or hate it, chances are that Microsoft Word is here to stay for the foreseeable future—so as long as we have to deal with it, let's make it as easy, comfortable, and painless as possible. Fortunately, while Microsoft Word 2016 is a behemoth of a program boasting a dizzying array of powerful tools, few users will ever need to use more than a fraction of its immense capabilities. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of people can comfortably sustain a typical academic, office, or corporate career after having mastered only a few basic techniques—and mastering those simple techniques is precisely the point of the Get to the Point! Guide to Microsoft Word 2016.

Within these pages, I’ve boiled down a lifetime of experience using Microsoft Word as a professional technical writer to just the commands, techniques, and secrets you’re likely to use on a daily basis, in order to get you up and running with Word as rapidly as possible without getting bogged down in page after page of impossible-to-remember keystroke combinations or obscure formatting marks that only professional graphic designers and typesetters generally know about.

Instead, you may be surprised to find just how quickly you can learn the relatively small percentage of useful commands most users use on a regular basis, weaving them into a comfortable workflow you can slide easily into each workday—and if those are the only techniques you ever need, you’ll be set for life! However, if like most users you do find occasional need for more advanced formatting outside your basic Word mastery, don’t worry—we will provide solutions to cover such circumstances as well.

Of course, if your job requires routine use of Microsoft Word 2016’s more advanced features such as macros or your installation is heavily customized with a variety of add-ins or other modifications, you might be better served with a more comprehensive book, as this Get to the Point! Guide to Microsoft Word 2016 is intended for the day-to-day user who needs to use the program for typical academic or office purposes. But whether you’re a complete novice to the program or a casual user who has never dipped their toe further than a few familiar commands, chances are you’ll find something here to simplify your workflow, speed your work, and get on with your day.

Chapter 1

A note regarding Apple Macs

As Word has evolved over the years, the differences between PC and Mac versions of the software have eroded to the point of virtual invisibility—though variances still exist, the Mac version of Microsoft Word 2016 brings the program in line with its comparable Windows version, so in practical terms the programs can be used more or less interchangeably. As you will notice, this book does not heavily emphasize keyboard shortcuts or other platform-specific details, but if you are using a Mac you are probably already quite aware that slight differences often pop up between Windows and OSX software. I myself use both platforms regularly, and the advice in this book has been tested thoroughly to apply equally.

For the most part, as long as you keep the typical Mac substitutions in mind (Ctrl on Windows → Command on Mac, Enter → Return, etc.) the strategies elaborated here should work equally well on either platform, but you should note that minor variations on the information presented here may be apparent. Regardless, you should be able to use the information contained herein to achieve an equal command of Microsoft Word 2016 on your Mac as any Windows user with their respective machine.

Chapter 2

The basic basics

Microsoft Word 2016 is a type of program popularly known as a word processor, because its primary function is document creation through text input, editing, and formatting, using a graphic interface controlled both via keyboard and input devices such as a mouse or trackpad. While there are many programs to choose from to perform this seemingly simple function—many of which claim full Word compatibility—in practical use, it’s difficult for any program to live up to Microsoft Word 2016’s position as the default standard for creation of .doc and .docx files. Therefore, when it is required that deliverables be submitted in .doc or .docx format, the most direct solution for many users in order to ensure full compliance with Word’s standard is simply to use Word for all document-creation needs.

Certainly it cannot be denied that while several programs directed specifically at professional writers have managed to attract a not insignificant core of devotees, when measured by sheer volume it’s an inescapable fact that many more authors choose to stick with Word whether due to inertia, comfort, or lack of motivation to bother switching. And hey, for all its quirks and eccentricities, some of us even like the program! (Shh, don’t tell anyone.)

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget than only fifty years ago, to use a program with only a fraction of Word’s current capabilities would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars—and yet, even the attractive promise of free software and browser-based services now available nearly everywhere hasn’t been enough to lure over five hundred million active users away from reliance on Word for their document processing needs, even in the rare occasion such free services do offer full-featured editing capabilities—so it’s safe to say Word will likely be around for a while.

Word isn’t perfect, however; the program has a number of quirks which can be confusing to beginning users. Many a Word neophyte has accidentally switched on one