Microsoft Word - 9 tips and tricks to make your life a little easier

LEVEL: BEGINNERSo you have upgraded to Microsoft 2013. Did you download the apps as one-offs, or did you sign up for the Office 365 subscription package? Whichever direction you went there's lots to love about the new version of Word.But hold that thought, rather than just jump straight into some tips for Word, here are a couple of general tips that you might find useful across the board.GENERAL TIPS:

1 - Stream office anywhere: Use your Microsoft ID to stream copies of all your Offices apps to other PCs.

2 - Pin Locations: Do you use particular folders over and over? Well you can save your most-used folders to the Open Screen - use the pin icon to the right of a recently opened workbook or folder.

3 - Use SkyDrive: You can save your files to the cloud with your SkyDrive account. There are so many uses for a cloud account - use it as a back-up, as a way to share information or just being able to access your material from anywhere.

4 - Zoom it: If you have a tablet with Office 2013, know how to control your fingers. Use two fingers to zoom in or out on any document.

5 - Add More Apps: Visit the Office website to find apps you can run on top of Word (along with Excel and Outlook). It is labelled US-only but there’s something for everyone here, no matter where you live.

6 - Get rid of the Start Screen: To see a blank new document, select File and options then un-tick the Start screen option on the General tab.

7 - Parallel Install: You can keep older versions of Microsoft Office running alongside the 2013 version (Outlook is the exception).

Now you've warmed up with some general tips, let’s jump into some great Word Tips:WORD TIPS

1 - Read Easy: Under the View Tab, look for the Read Mode which makes browsing documents faster and easier.

2 - Embed Videos: You can now embed video clips from YouTube and elsewhere using the Online Video Button. Very handy!

3 - Definitions: Ever wish you could have a dictionary right there? Well now you can just right click the word, choose Define and see what it says.

4 - Reply to comments: For a smoother workflow you can now reply to document comments and mark them as 'done'. This will save you time if you share documents frequently.

5- Borders: Who doesn't love a pretty border? Use the Border Painter Tool to copy border formatting. You will find this under the Design section of the Table Tools tab.

6 - Edit PDFs: Full PDF editing has arrived with 2013, though you may lose some layout settings. You can save your edited documents as PDF or docx files.

7 - Live Alignment: Click and drag an object on the page and you will see green marker lines appear, enabling you to line up elements.

8 - Inline wrapping: Text wrapping options can now be found by clicking on the icon at the top-right whenever a picture is elected.

9 - Rearrange lists: Not a new feature but it sure is handy - use Alt+Shift then up or down arrow to rearrange items in a bulleted or numbered list. Yay, an end to cutting and pasting.

So what do you think of Word 2013? Do you have other tips and tricks that you find helpful and would like to share?