Common Errors We Make When Using Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word can be found on almost every computer in the known world, and not just PCs either. Macs run Word too. It’s probably because it’s so widely used that most people never get trained in how to use it and, as a consequence a lot of Word users make some pretty basic mistakes when creating their documents.

* When creating a document to be printed on a particular type of stationery, such as letter-headed paper, many Word users have the habit of using the Return key to create space at the start of the document. What they should be doing is changing the top margin. To change the margins in Word 2007, click on Margins then Custom Margins in the Page Layout tab on the ribbon. In previous versions of Word, choose Page Setup from the File menu.

* A lot of Word users have the habit of entering two spaces after a full-stop. This is a recommendation that used to apply when typewriters were being used with monospace typefaces such as Courier. With the advent of word processors, and now computers, the two space rule is redundant because electronically generated fonts are proportionally spaced and it’s easy for the eye to pick out the end of each sentence.

* A lot of Word users also like to press the Return key twice after each paragraph. This tends to create too much space. It’s better to use just one Return then adjust the paragraph spacing by choosing Format - Paragraph (in Word 2003 and earlier) or clicking on the Page Layout tab (in Word 2007) and entering the desired amount in the box marked Spacing After.

* People who have never had any formal Microsoft Word training can perhaps be forgiven for not fully understanding how tabs work. You will even see some users attempting to align elements by using the space bar and, of course, when they print the document, nothing is properly aligned. As experienced users will know, the Tab key should be used; not the space bar.

* Although you can get away with pressing the Tab key to create columns of text without actually setting any tabs, it’s not usually a good idea. This method uses Word’s default tabs and means that the user often inserts a varying number of tabs between columns. It’s much better to set up your own tabs by clicking on the Word ruler. That way, you will only ever need to press the Tab key once between columns.

* A lot of newbie Word users will always format their documents, even long ones, either manually or by using the Format Painter. The best way to format text in long documents is to use Microsoft styles. Each style has multiple attributes associated with it which are applied automatically to any text formatted with that style. In addition, if the attributes of a style are changed, all text in that style is updated throughout the document.

* Word AutoCorrect and other text optimisation features can sometimes seem a bit too much to some users but many people do nothing to adjust the way these features work. In Word 2007, the AutoCorrect and other settings can be changed at any time by clicking on the Office Button and choosing Word Options. The equivalent in Word 2003 and earlier is Tools - Options.