There are so many amazing things you can do with Microsoft Word. Let’s look at seven tips that we are sure will greatly benefit you.
Tip 1. Did You Know You Can Use Your Phone to Snap a Picture of a Published Article, Send it to MS Word, and Extract the Text?
Here’s how.
First, you need to have the Microsoft Office app installed on your phone.
You may use the Microsoft Office Lens app, but there’s a quicker method. First, from Microsoft Office, click the + button at the bottom of the screen. Then, from the list of displayed icons, click “Word,” displayed at the bottom left corner.
Then click on “scan text,” which immediately activates the camera. You can then zoom into the magazine or book and snap the section of the text you need.
Although you can crop the picture to fine-tune the image, you can also save it for further editing later. Click “confirm” to save the image, and then click “Done.”
The image is then presented in a more editable format from where you can then name the Word file, and save it to an appropriate destination, preferably, OneDrive. OneDrive is a cloud storage service that Microsoft offers to store files securely and can be accessed from anywhere.
You can then open the image from the Microsoft Word app on your computer. From Microsoft Word, click “Open,” and then click on OneDrive. Look for the file by the name you saved it with and click on the MS word document.
It immediately opens as a text, with pictures, if any. You can then easily delete the pictures and edit the selected text further.
So, you can pull out highlighted text from scanned pages and edit them in a matter of seconds, all in a text box on Microsoft Word.
Tip 2. Did You Know You Can Use Microsoft Word to Also Edit PDF?
If you’ve been sent a PDF file, you can open it with Microsoft Word, edit, save, and send.
If you have a PDF file on your computer or it is saved on your desktop, open it via Microsoft Word by clicking “Ok” when Word informs you of changing the PDF to a Microsoft Word document. To edit the Word doc, you need to enable editing by clicking “Ok” when Word informs you it is going to make a copy of the PDF and convert its contents. You can then edit the document and re-save it.
The text is opened via Microsoft Word, and you can immediately edit the Word file and save it as a PDF file.
You can also edit scanned documents in MS Word as well. If your scanned documents are saved into OneDrive, you can follow Tip 1 above, enable editing, and re-save the Word file as a PDF. You can then send the edited version with the different formatting.
So, to edit PDFs, you don’t need another program. Instead, you can conveniently use your Microsoft Word program.
Tip 3. Research and Citations Made Easier in Microsoft Word
When writing your research, you can take advantage of Microsoft Word tools that make citations easier in whatever format is applicable for your paper.
Across the tabs on top of the Microsoft Word page, click on References. It gives two options: researcher and insert citation.
Researcher, when clicked on, opens up on the right side of Microsoft Word and allows you to search for publications in line with your research while still on the same page. Once you type your keywords or questions, researcher provides materials in line with the topic.
When you find a desirable article from the ones provided, you can click on it. From there, you have the option of fully opening it up in a browser or simply add the source as a citation directly.
This feature allows you to research materials conveniently from your word document.
If you click on citation, it immediately imports the citation of the referenced article under “Bibliography” into your documents.
Remember, you’ve done this with Researcher tool under References tab. There’s much you can also do with Insert citation as well. If you click on it, it allows you to add new sources. You can also switch the citation style as well to reflect the appropriate one. The citation is automatically adjusted.
All this can be done while on the Microsoft Word page.
Tip 4. You Can Transcribe Audio with Microsoft Online!
When you want to transcribe an audio file, you can get it done via Microsoft Online.
Get started by creating a new word document on MicrosoftOffice.com. On the Home bar, go across until you come to “Dictate.” Click on it, and it reveals a dropdown containing the “Transcribe” option.
Clicking on Transcribe allows you to record your audio. A box opens and you can click on “start recording.” Once you’re done recording, click save, and it automatically uploads to OneDrive and is then transcribed for you.
You can go ahead and edit on the spot if a word is not transcribed correctly. Once you’re satisfied with the document, you then click on add, and it is added directly to the Microsoft Word document.
If there’s an audio file on your computer you want transcribed, you can upload it and get it transcribed as well. At the bottom right corner, click on “new transcription” and then click “upload audio” from the dialogue box. This leads to the audio files on your computer, and you can select the one you want to upload.
Once it’s selected, it uploads. The upload speed depends on the size of the file.
It automatically transcribes the audio into editable segments.
Just click “add to document” at the bottom to add the transcript to the word document.
Tip 5. Turn Word Documents into PowerPoint Presentations
This is one of our Microsoft Word tips that teaches how to export a Word document to PowerPoint.
If you have a document on your computer you want to convert to a presentation on PowerPoint, simply open the document, click on “file,” and then “export.” Under export, you’ll find the option “export to PowerPoint presentation.” Click on it, and you’ll find different design templates. Select one and then click “export.”
It then automatically prepares the presentation in PowerPoint slides, and you can go ahead to download this or save it in your OneDrive.
But you may want to edit the design. Just click on “designer” to change the outlay to suit your preference.
Remember, PowerPoint makes the presentation easier; it doesn’t tamper with the text.
Tip 6. Make a Webpage Out of Your Documents Using Microsoft Sway
Microsoft Sway is more like PowerPoint but is slightly different in that it makes creating and sharing reports, presentations, and personal stories easier.
So, you have your document ready? The first thing is to go to File. Under file, there is a Transform icon. Click on it, and just to the right, you’ll see “transform to web page.” Below it, you find “transform your document into an interactive, easy-to-share Microsoft Sway.”
Sway is not only great for storytelling, but it’s also easy to use.
Just below, you’ll find several templates, which are called styles in Sway. Select one template and click “Transform.”
It automatically opens Microsoft Sway and presents your document in an interactive format. You can then do so much like editing and sharing from the Sway webpage.
Tip 7. Operate Your Microsoft Word Like Excel
Of course, you know you can use tables on Microsoft Word. But do you know you can add formulae to your tables and make calculations on them just like in Excel?
If you have a table of numbers and wish to add up the numbers, simply go to the layout tab, and look for formula.
Click on it, and you can apply any formula like a summation. If you drop down the chatbox, you’ll find several other formulae you can use on your figures. For example, to add up the numbers in your table, click on sum and then ok. It immediately adds up the numbers and provides the answers in the space provided.
Remember, there are so many formulae you can try out, including advanced ones. Turn your Microsoft Word into Excel, and operate it like a pro.
We hope these Microsoft Word tips have taught you how to maximize the value of your MS Word program while enlightening you on the different functions of the home tab, status bar, and highlighted text options you can use.
