6 underrated Microsoft Word features worth using to boost your productivity

Unlock a smarter way to work in Microsoft Word with six overlooked features that make writing, formatting, and editing more efficient.

6 underrated Microsoft Word features worth using to boost your productivity
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Microsoft Word comes equipped with time-saving tools that simplify common tasks and improve productivity. However, many of these features are buried deep within menus, so most users never discover them. Here are some underrated Microsoft Word features that can automate repetitive tasks and make working with documents easier.

Spike Cut and Paste

While most people are familiar with the basic cut, copy, and paste commands, fewer know about Spike - a handy feature that lets you collect multiple pieces of text from different parts of a document and paste them all at once. Unlike the standard clipboard, Spike stores several selections without overwriting previous ones, making it much easier to gather and move content.

To use Spike, highlight the text you want to move and press CTRL + F3. This cuts the selected text and adds it to Spike. Repeat the same step for any additional text you want to collect. When you're ready to paste everything, place your cursor where you want the content to appear and press CTRL + SHIFT + F3. All the stored text will be inserted at once.

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Quick Parts

We often need to insert the same phrase, paragraph, disclaimer, or formatting element repeatedly in Microsoft Word, and typing it each time or copying it from another source isn't the most efficient use of time. That's where Quick Parts comes in - it allows you to save reusable pieces of content and insert them instantly into any document.

To create a Quick Part, select the text or content you want to save, go to the "Insert" tab, then choose Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Give it a name, optionally assign it to a category, and click "OK." Once saved, you can insert it at any time by going to Insert > Quick Parts and selecting the stored entry, which appears instantly in your document.

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Compare Documents

There are times when you may have multiple versions of the same document, and identifying changes manually can be difficult. However, this becomes much easier with Word's Compare Documents feature, which allows you to quickly spot differences between two files, including added or deleted text, formatting changes, and content reordering.

To compare documents, go to the "Review" tab and click Compare > Compare. Then select the original document and the revised version, and click "OK." Word will generate a new file that highlights all differences in a detailed comparison view. You can then review the marked-up document with tracked changes, making it much faster to evaluate edits and revisions.

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Document Inspector

Word documents often contain hidden or sensitive information that we unintentionally expose when sharing or publishing files. This usually happens because locating and removing such data can be difficult. That's where the Document Inspector tool becomes useful - it helps you detect and remove metadata, comments, annotations, hidden text, tracked changes, and other embedded information.

To use Document Inspector, go to the "File" tab and select "Info." Then click "Check for Issues" and choose "Inspect Document." Select the types of content you want to scan for and click "Inspect." After the scan, review the results, then use "Remove All" to delete any unwanted items. This helps ensure your document is clean and removes anything you don't want others to see.

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Shrink One Page

Do you ever notice a few lines spilling onto an extra page right before printing, making you manually adjust formatting just to fit everything on a single page? The "Shrink One Page" feature removes this hassle. It reduces font size, adjusts line and paragraph spacing, and optimizes the layout automatically so your content fits more efficiently on a single page.

To enable it, first add the feature to the Quick Access Toolbar. Go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar, then open the "Choose Commands From" dropdown and select "All Commands." Find "Shrink Page" in the list, click "Add," and confirm. After that, open your document and click "Shrink One Page" from the toolbar to automatically adjust the layout.

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Read Aloud

The best way to proofread a document is often to read it aloud, but what if Microsoft Word could do that for you? The Read Aloud feature uses built-in text-to-speech to turn written content into spoken audio. This makes it easier to catch grammar and spelling mistakes, improve sentence flow and readability, and identify awkward phrasing - all without straining your eyes.

To use Read Aloud, open your Word document, go to the "Review" tab, and click "Read Aloud." You can then use the controls to play, pause, skip, or adjust the reading speed. There's also a shortcut, CTRL + Alt + Space, for quick access. Many users prefer listening at a faster speed, as it helps spot repetitive words and issues more quickly.

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Microsoft Word is more powerful than it may seem at first glance. By using the tools mentioned above, you can create, edit, and review documents far more efficiently. Incorporating them into your daily workflow can improve proofreading, formatting, and managing long documents. So, take full advantage of the tools already built into the platform to work more efficiently.

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Shan Abdul is a tech journalist who primarily covers gaming, browsers, social media, and operating systems, especially Windows. While he wasn't around for Windows 1.0, he's been a lifelong Windows user, starting from Windows 95 to Windows 11. Over the years, he's encountered (and fixed) just about every issue imaginable, which has only improved his expertise with the OS. Outside of writing, he enjoys testing his luck in the cryptocurrency and forex markets.

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