Need a report, résumé, or letter with consistent formatting and a clear page layout? Microsoft Word for Windows combines document editing with tools for styling text, adding visuals, and preparing files to share.
How do styles keep a long document organized?
Word’s ribbon groups editing, formatting, page layout, and review controls. Font choices, alignment, spacing, indents, numbering, and margins let you shape individual pages, while heading and paragraph styles apply consistent formatting across a report or other multipage file.
Use heading styles to establish a document’s structure. Word can build a table of contents from those headings, and page numbers can be added for navigation through longer work. Templates provide a starting layout for items such as reports, letters, résumés, and brochures.
Tables, images, and page layout
Documents can include more than text. Insert pictures, shapes, icons, tables, charts, SmartArt diagrams, or mathematical equations, then position them within the page layout. Text-wrapping controls determine how paragraphs flow around visual elements.
Word’s page view lets you work with the placement and appearance of content on each page.
Reviewing, sharing, and protecting files
AutoCorrect and grammar suggestions flag common writing issues during editing. For collaborative review, comments and Track Changes let readers discuss edits and make revisions visible within the document.
Besides its own DOCX and older DOC files, Word opens PDF, RTF and plain-text files, and can save a document as PDF or a web page. Document protection options include password encryption and restrictions on editing. Digital signatures and content inspection tools are also available for documents that need signing or metadata review before sharing.
Pros
- Apply heading and paragraph styles throughout a document
- Create tables of contents from document headings
- Export documents to PDF or HTML
- Add tables, images, equations, and SmartArt diagrams
System requirements: Windows 10, Windows 11 · 1.6 GHz, 2-core processor · 4 GB RAM (64-bit) or 2 GB RAM (32-bit) · 4 GB available disk space · 1024 × 768 display · DirectX 10 graphics card for hardware acceleration · Internet access · Microsoft account
Can Word create a table of contents automatically?
Yes. Apply heading styles to sections, then create a table of contents based on those headings.
Can Word save a document as a PDF?
Yes. Word can export documents to PDF, as well as HTML.
How can edits be shown during review?
Track Changes displays revisions in the document, and comments let reviewers add notes.
