Add and Edit Text
Follow these steps to add, replace, and format text in Word.
Add text
1. Place the cursor where you want to add the text.
2. Start typing.
Replace text
1. Select the text you want to replace.
- To select a single word, double-click it.
- To select a line, click to the left of it.
2. Start typing.
Format text
1. Select the text you want to format.
2. Select an option to change the font, font size, font color, or make the text bold, italics, or underline.
Copy formatting
1. Select the text with the formatting you want to copy.
2. Click Format painter, and then select the text you want to copy the formatting to.
Tip: Double-click Format painter if you want to copy the formatting in more than one place.
Find and Replace Text
Find and replace lets you locate a word or phrase and replace it with new text.
1. On the Home tab, choose Replace (or, press Ctrl+H).
2. In the Find what box, enter the word or phrase you want to locate.
3. In the Replace with box, enter your new text.
4. Select Find Next until you come to the instance you want to update.
5. Choose Replace. Or, to update all instances without stopping at each one, choose Replace All.
Tip: To specify only upper or lowercase in your search, select More > Match case.
Check Spelling, Grammar and Clarity
Word autocorrects a lot of mistakes for you, and if it’s not autocorrected, you’ll see colored underlines appear under words to check for spelling, grammar, and clarity.
- To check each item that Word finds, right-click the underlined text and learn more about the issue. Accept the change that Word suggests, or ignore it.
- To check the whole document, moving to each issue Word finds, press F7.
Show Word Count
Word counts the number of words in a document while you type. Word also counts pages, paragraphs, lines, and characters.
When you need to know how many words, pages, characters, paragraphs, or lines are in a document, check the status bar.
For a partial word count, select the words you want to count. The status bar shows the word count for that selection and for the entire document.
Tip: Find the number of characters, paragraphs, and lines by clicking on the word count in the status bar.
Use fields to insert word count in your document
To see the word count in your document, look at the status bar at the bottom of the Word window. Word can insert the word count into your document and update that information as often as you want.
1. Click in your document where you want the word count to appear.
2. Click Insert > Quick Parts > Field.
3. In the Field names list, click NumWords, and then click OK.
Note: You can also add the number of pages or characters by clicking NumPages or NumChars in the Field names list.
To update the information, right-click where you added the field and then choose Update Field.
If you’d like the information to update automatically when you print, click File > Options > Display and then under Printing options select Update fields before printing.
Insert Hyperlinks
Word automatically turns a web address into a link when you press Spacebar or Enter, if you typed “http://” at the beginning.
If you want to link from “friendly text” in your document, the fastest way is to start by copying the address to the clipboard:
1. Copy the address from your browser’s address bar.
2. Go to your document in Word, and select the text that you want to be the link.
3. Press Ctrl+K
4. Paste the address and press Enter.
5. Later, if you want to change the link, right-click it and choose Edit Hyperlink.
Follow links while editing
While you’re editing your document, clicking a link lets you edit its display text (friendly text). To follow a link, press Ctrl+Click.
Tip: If you’d rather follow links just by clicking them, Go to File > Options > Advanced and clear the Use Ctrl+Click to follow hyperlink check box.
Remove Hyperlinks
Removing a hyperlink keeps the text; it just removes the link.
Right-click the link, and choose Remove Hyperlink.
Tip: To prevent Word from automatically creating a link when you type a web address, go to File > Options > Proofing, and click AutoCorrect Options. On the AutoFormat As You Type tab clear the Internet and network paths with hyperlinks check box.