Surely you already know and use the Word processor for word processing. But are you also aware of how to format it? If right now how to format a Word sheet is your main Google search key, here is the information you need to succeed.
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What it means to format a Word sheet and why it should be done
Formatting a Word sheet or, more generally, a text document, means making it graphically compliant with its own standards (or those requested by the client, in the case of proofreading, for example). It is therefore a matter of intervening on the paragraphs, on the character and on all the page attributes, through appropriate commands. If you are writing your curriculum vitae, if you are completing your degree thesis, if you are creating an e-book or correcting a text for your client, you will be dealing with text formatting.
It is a graphic modification that is both functional (to the type of document produced and its intended use), and aesthetic. Because obviously, in presenting a text document, the eye also wants its part.
Here’s how to format a Word sheet: what commands to execute quickly and easily
- Format the page layout: on the Microsoft Word menu bar, click on Page Layout (or page layout, if you have the Italian version). Options are opened to set margins, page orientation, page breaks and individual paragraph settings, including spacing. What values should you enter? The Word document has its own standard and default settings, however your client might give you different values to enter in these fields.
- Define the alignment and the font: on the Microsoft Word user interface menu, click on Home (if you are not there already, since it is the menu that opens by default when you start the program). Here you already have the most common commands to format a Word sheet. You can change the alignment of the text (justified, aligned to the right or left, centered); you can change the font size and font.
- Format the document style: the default style of a Word document is called Normal. However, there are other styles that you may need to use. You can view them all in a short preview by scrolling through the corresponding menu: Format-Styles (on the menu bar). The style you choose will, by default, be applied to a whole paragraph. If you want to apply it only to a part of it, just select it with the mouse.
- Activate the text again: this could be a setting that you will have to use often and above all if you have inserted images in the document. This command will allow you to position the text around the image, to incorporate it harmoniously – regardless of where it is placed in the document. To activate this setting, place the cursor on the image and click the right mouse button. From the drop-down menu select “new text” and select the optimal alignment using the previews.
How to remove formatting from a Word sheet
We have seen how to format a text document. However, you may need the exact opposite, which is to remove formatting from a Word sheet. How to do? Is simple:
- Select the text in the document to which you want to remove the formatting
- Go to edit menu, choose delete and then delete formatting
The document will be restored to its default format, which is the standard format of any Word sheet. In other words, it means that the words in bold, the colors, the links (hyperlinks), the custom margins, the modified lines and so on will be removed. To return a Word document to its standard format, you can also use a shortcut directly from the keyboard, typing Ctrl + space.
Author Bio:
MeganMax studied visual arts from a reputable university in London. She worked as a video animator at Animation Sharks during her professional studies. A passion for animation coupled with a creative mind makes her an amazing animator and designer.
