Tricks and Treats for Microsoft Word

They may not be too spooky, but we've got lots of good tricks for you this month for the program you probably use the most - Microsoft Word.



Use Office.com Templates: Have you ever needed to create an agenda, job description, time sheet, proposal, schedule, inventory sheet - or just about anything else? Do it faster by using templates from Office.com. Select New document, then under Office.com templates, select the one you need, press Download and it opens on your screen.

Convert a List to a Table: Select the text in your list, then select Insert and Table and Convert text to table. Select tabs (if that was how your list was made). Format and reposition new table as needed.

Convert a List to Smart Art: Cut existing bulleted list, then select Insert and Smart Art. Select List and choose your style. In the next dialog box, highlight all bullets and paste in your existing list from the clipboard. Resize art as necessary.

Crop Picture to a Shape: Images add interest to your document, but why settle for a standard rectangle? Select the image already placed in your document, verify you are in Format mode, then select Crop and Crop to Shape and select your desired shape.

Zoom in with the Mouse: Hold down the Ctrl key and turn your mouse wheel up to zoom in. To zoom out again, turn wheel down.

Select Items Faster: You probably already know you can double click a word to select it, but did you know you can triple click to select a whole paragraph? You can also move your cursor into the left margin for some super fast selecting. When your cursor changes to an arrow, click to select one line, double click to select the paragraph, and triple click to select the entire document.

Hide Ribbon to Increase Work Area: Need more workspace? Select Ctrl + F1 to hide the ribbon. Repeat this command to bring it back or double click any tab.

Add Functions to Quick Access Toolbar: Are there commands or functions in Word that you use every day? Save time by accessing them faster. Simply right click over that command and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar (which is located above the main ribbon).

Watch short videos on each of these tips.

>>SOFTWARE LIBRARY<<

Windows 10 - What you need to know

• When can I upgrade and how much will it cost? The release is slated for 2015, but the cost has not yet been determined.
• What happened to Windows 9? Well, we could say that Windows 7 ate 9, but more seriously ... Microsoft states that this version represents a fundamental change in how Windows works and skipping a release number emphasizes this fact.
• Can this version run on my computer - and my tablet? Windows 10 will run on desktops, smart phones and everything in between.
• What will happen to my apps? Apps will be included in this new version and it's expected that developers will make universal apps that will work on all devices including desktops, tablets and phones.
• The big question ... will there be a Start menu? Many if not most people will be happy to know that the familiar Start menu is back on the left side of the screen with the pop-up column of shortcuts. However, this new menu also includes Live Tiles and it can be customized.
• What about the full-screen "modern" apps? In Windows 10, the full-screen apps will be optional. When using a convertible device, like Surface Pro 3, you'll see the standard desktop and "new" Start menu when the keyboard is docked. Once you remove the keyboard, the OS will let you switch to the finger-friendly full screen mode.
• How is this Windows better? Windows 10 includes a more powerful Snap, the function that lets you quickly arrange apps side by side. There is even a new quadrant layout that lets you split your display among up to four apps. Multiple desktops are also now supported.
• Will Windows 10 run on my machine? It may be too early to tell. The 64-bit architecture of Windows 8.1 did rule out some ancient machines, but most of the older ones were fine.

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