Posted On December 10, 2015

Here are 5 timesaving tips to help you work smarter in Word 2013.

  1. Check a word definition

Not sure about the definition of a word?

  • Right-click on the tricky word and choose Define from the drop down menu
  • A list of dictionaries will appear in a column on the right of your page
  • Download a dictionary from the list
  • Type in any word to get the definition. It will even help you with pronunciation if needed!

  1. Edit PDFs

Now you can not only open a PDF document in Word 2013, but you can also edit it. There’s no need to have a separate PDF editing tool.

  • Open the existing PDF and the Convert File dialogue box will be displayed
  • Select PDF Files and OK
  • Edit the file.

Images can be moved around the document, and tables can be edited too.

Once you have completed your editing, you can save as a PDF again or keep it as a word document. Very handy if you are using PDFs regularly.

  1. Zoom, zoom, zoom!

If you’re using a touchscreen laptop or tablet with Office 2013, you can use two fingers to zoom in or out as you do on your smartphone.

  • If you don’t have a touch screen, you can use the touchpad in the same way.
  • If you’re using a mouse, you can hold down the CTRL key and run the mouse wheel back and forwards.

  1. Tart up your table

Want to make your table stand out without working too hard?

  • Create your table as normal
  • Select the line Style, Weight and Color from the table Design Or select a pre-set from Border Styles
  • The mouse pointer is now depicted as a pen:
  • Click on the table borders to apply the new format.

Extra Tip: Use the Border Painter tool for copying border formatting.

  • Click on the table format you want to copy
  • Select the Border Painter tool
  • Click on the table borders to apply the new format.

  1. Easily convert a list to a table

Do you have a list in Word that you now want to display in a table? In the past you may have used the labour intensive ‘Cut and Paste’ method – now it’s much easier!

  • Select your list
  • Click the Insert tab
  • Click the Table tool in the Tables group
  • Select Insert Table and it’s done.

If you have more than one column, separated by tabs, it will accommodate that too.

I hope that helps you get to know Microsoft Word a bit better.

If you’d like more comprehensive training, take a peek at our Word training courses for beginners, intermediate level and advanced users.

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