Category Archives: Word

How to Paste Multiple Lines Into Single Cell in Excel

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Have you been frustrated when pasting text that is more than one paragraph (even if just two lines) from Word to Excel when it pastes into more than one cell? Wondered how to paste multiple lines into a single cell in Excel?

Frustrated man viewing strange Excel paste results

It doesn’t matter if you use the keyboard shortcut or the Paste icon(s), your text will split into additional cells each time the Enter key was pressed in the original program. Also, the default formatting will be from Word (the source program).

Paste Multi Lines into One Cell

If I paste two or more lines that are actually multiple paragraphs into Excel in cell C4, the second paragraph will end up on C5, the third in C6 and so forth because the Enter key was used as explained above.

Force All Text into One Cell

Fortunately, there’s an app for that, so to speak. Here’s the magic fix:

  1.  Copy your text in Word to the Clipboard.
  2.  In Excel, double click in C4 or desired cell (activates Edit mode).
  3.  Paste using your favorite method (mine is CTRL V)

All your text (regardless of  the number of paragraphs) is now in that single cell (and row)!

Note that your pasted information is automatically in the Destination format to match the rest of your spreadsheet and that it will word wrap to the width of that column.

Options

Other ways of activating Edit Mode are to be in the desired cell and click in the Formula Bar or press the F2 function key in the cell for the same result.

Controlling Line Breaks

If you would like the line break(s) to be different in your single cell contents:

  1.  Click where you want to end that line.
  2.  Press Alt+Enter to move everything after that down to the next line (same row).*
  3.  Excel automatically adjusts the row height.

*Adjust the column width if needed before using the command. If you want Excel to take care of the line breaks, use the Word Wrap command  on the Ribbon in the Home tab |  Alignment group. It toggles on and off with every click.

Word Wrap icon location in Excel

Alert: Be careful how much text you try to paste into a single cell as Excel has a character limit for cells. A cell can only contain a maximum of 32,767 characters. Anything over that will be cut off.

Be sure to check out my blog for more tips that will get your work done faster in Excel: https://gaylelarson.com/5-amazing-must-have-excel-tips/

Have you had issues with pasting information from other programs and getting unexpected results in Excel? Let me know in the Comments below.

The Power of the Go To Command in Word

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Available in all versions of Word

That long newsletter or report with lots of images, tables, comments, etc., is staring you in the face, and you need to edit or format several of them. Not knowing the shortcuts can involve an annoying amount of scrolling, zooming or anything else that will propel you through the pages to get to that next picture or special object.

Reviewing or editing someone else’s work that you are not familiar with makes it even more difficult but not to worry…Rescue is close at hand. Word has a solution that lets you zip through the document and skip to the next object you are searching for in a jiffy.

How to Navigate to Next Object of Same Type

That’s the job of Word’s Go To command. You have probably used the Find and Replace commands to speed up searching and replacing text.  In that same dialog box lives the Go To command tab. It allows you to jump to a specific Page or next Comment, Graphic, Table, and several other features. The default is Page but just select the command you want for navigation.

Ribbon: Home tab/Editing group/Find/Go To…

Keyboard: CTRL G or F5 function key


We’ll choose Graphic for the Go To example here but it can be anything in the Go to what: list. Following is an example of a document on Efficiency Tips that has a graphic on page 3 and the next one on page 10:

  1. Start at the top of the document (CTRL HOME)
  2. Display the Go To tab
  3. Click the Next button to go to first picture on page 3
  4. Click Next again to jump to next picture which is on page 10
  5. Continue until completed or move back through the pictures with Previous

“Efficiency Tips

Do you want to be more efficient? The following tips can help you increase your productivity and are easy to implement. Being more productive will help you achieve your goals and success more quickly.

Don’t Multi-Task:
Focus on one task at a time. This will ensure that you are giving your full attention to what you are doing and increase your ability to utilize the power of the flow state. Use your to do list and pick off one item at a time.


Page 3

Plan:

You can’t achieve anything without knowing what it is you want to achieve. You need to know your goals. It’s also important to create a plan on how to achieve them. Set yourself daily goals and use a to do list to help you identify what you need to achieve each day. Tick things off as they are completed.


Page 10

Remove Distractions:
If you want to become more productive then you need to remove distractions. shut down all social media and email. Turn off the T.V. and your mobile phone. Set a specific time aside each day when you can you use those things and you’ll get a lot more accomplished when not constantly disturbed by messages and notifications.

You can become more productive if you use these tips!”

In the above example, you jump from first graphic on page 3 to next on page 10 with a quick click on the Next button!

Go To Options in Older Word Versions

Word 2010 and prior versions had an additional method for navigating through objects with the Object Browser which was located at the bottom of the vertical scrollbar. Clicking that icon gave you the same list of objects that you see on the Go To tab command. It uses arrows for Next and Previous navigation. Not sure why this handy tool was removed but when Word 2013 arrived, sadly the Object Browser did not.

The Go To dialog box is such a great, fast way to leapfrog through an object-heavy document with no guess work – no scrolling required. And, if you use the keyboard shortcuts for quick access, it’s even better!

If you like fast ways to move around your lengthy document, you might want to look at this post on Styles where instead of special objects, you can use text styles to navigate:   https://gaylelarson.com/word-styles-make-formatting-easy-peasy/ 

Let me know in the Comments  if you have saved time using the Go to what: feature on a long document! 

Use MS Graph to Convert Word Tables to Charts

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Convert Word Tables to Charts

Switching back and forth from Word to an Excel spreadsheet to depict numerical data from a table in your document can be awkward as the Chart feature does not play well with a table. Instead, use MS Graph to convert Word tables to charts inside Word so that you have both your original table and a graph based on that data.

 

Convert Chart in Word with MS Graph

Steps to create a Microsoft Graph Chart

Inside of Word:

  1. Select your table.
  2. Click Insert tab on the ribbon.
  3. In the Text group, click the Object icon to display the dialog box.
  4. Scroll down the list of objects and choose Microsoft Graph Chart.
  5. Click on OK to display a columnar graph of your table (default style).
  West Central East
Qtr 1 9110 9005 11600
Qtr 2 9845 10700 8940
Qtr 3 11660 9995 8850
Qtr 4 14990 13445 12360

What if I don’t like the formatting or the figures change in the future? Can I edit or do I have to redo the whole table and/or chart? Funny you should ask. Thankfully, no, and here’s the fix…

Format the Graph

MS Graph behaves differently than most special features in Office in that clicking it does not automatically display a contextual ribbon for formatting. However, double clicking on the graph border (or in white space inside the border) will activate a toolbar so that you can change the chart type and other formatting. A Datasheet will also display.*

Edit the Data

Changing the figures in the table will not update the graph. Edit the figures by double clicking the graph to display a data table and a toolbar at top of window. This Datasheet can be moved above or below your graph by dragging its title bar. Make changes in the Datasheet and watch the graph auto update. When done click outside of the data table and graph (or press ESC) to return to your regular ribbon. (Your original table will not change).*

*Editing and formatting the graph can also be done by right clicking in the graph and choosing Edit or Open.

As much as I love all the continuous new features in MS Office, sometimes the old stuff does the trick!

Let me know if this was new to you and/or how you used it to amplify your Word document or report.

Want more options for using tables, graphs and charts? Check out some of the Excel posts here:

Use Excel Sparklines Instead of Charts to Display Data Trends

The Magic of Excel Tables

 

 

 

Print a Key Assignment List in Word

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Print a Key Assignment List in Word for Shortcuts

If you have customized Word with shortcut key assignments for commands, macros or styles, you can print a key assignment list of those shortcuts. Depending on your version, follow these steps. (Note the other options for printing here such as AutoText Entries as well):

Print a shortcut key assignment in Word

Word 2010 and above:

  1. Press Ctrl+P to display the Print option selected at the left side of the page.
  2. Click the drop down arrow under the Settings category and choose Key
    Assignments.
  3. Click the Print button at the top of the page.


Print a Key Assignment List in Older Versions of Word

Word 2007:

  1. Press Ctrl+P. Word displays the Print dialog box.
  2. In the Print What box, select Key Assignments.
  3. Click on OK.
 


This is a great timesaver when you use a program regularly!

Don’t Know How to Customize Shortcut Keys?

If you like the idea of having and printing out key assignments but don’t know how to create keyboard shortcuts for your favorite commands, here’s a short tutorial:

Create Keyboard Shortcuts for Ribbon Commands (Word 10 and above)

Not all available commands are displayed on the ribbon as there is just not enough room but every command is accessible by customizing the ribbon.

Access the Customize Keyboard Shortcuts feature:

  1. Right click anywhere on the ribbon
  2. Choose Customize the Ribbon
  3. Click the Customize button at bottom in Keyboard Shortcuts:

The Customize Keyboard dialog box displays and you can scroll through the Tabs on left and choose the desired Command on the right.

Create Shortcut Key dialog box

  1. When the desired command is displayed any previously assigned shortcuts will display in the Current keys: box. You can make note of it and use that key combination or create your own.
  2. Create your own shortcut by pressing the keys you want to use for a shortcut. in the Press new shortcut key: box at right.

NOTE: Most letters are already in use in Windows and/or Word when combined with the CTRL key. For instance, CTRL F is Find. If you replace that shortcut with one of your own, you are overwriting the previous shortcut. If you want to keep the common shortcuts, just add SHFT so a shortcut could be CTRL SHFT + a letter.

TIP: You can also use the function keys (F1 – F12) as well as the CTRL, SHFT and ALT keys as shortcut assignments. (You can also add CTRL and/or SHFT here as well).

 You can also use the TAB and UP and DOWN Arrow keys to move through the command dialog boxes to select Categories and Commands.

Want more fast ways to get your documents done in Word? Visit this post…

Remove Formatting from a Word Document

Let me know if you have questions or have some ways you have Word work for you!

 

5 Ways to Copy Images from PDF or Word Document

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Ever had a long document with several pictures and wanted to copy images only? Well, there’s an app for that as they say and here’s 5 ways to copy images from PDF or Word that will cover most any circumstance. Further good news is most methods don’t require any additional software!

Copy Multiple Images

First things first…If the document is a PDF, you want to convert it to a Word file. If you have Word 2013 or above, you can do this without any other software.

Convert a PDF to a Word File

You must open the file inside of Word. Double-clicking it in a directory would open it in the PDF software.

Open MS Word:

  1. File | Open or CTRL O and browse to the PDF file.
  2. Depending on your version of Word:
    • The PDF may load with an Info Bar to Enable Editing. Click that link and the PDF is loaded and can be edited like any Word file but is still in PDF format.
    • Click Save icon and the Save As dialog box will display and automatically change the format to .docx, OR
    • Word will notify that the file is being converted to the Word format. Click OK. The PDF will then load as a Word document. When file is converted, choose File | Save As or press F12 function key. Change the filename if desired or you can keep the same name as the original PDF as they are two different formats.

Now you have both PDF and Word formats of the document.

Copy Just the Images

Here’s what will automatically put the images in a separate folder:

  1. Do Save As again (get in the habit of using F12 as it works across Office and saves time and maybe even saves a little carpal tunnel).
  2. Change the file type in Save as type: to Web Page (*.htm; *.html) OR Web Page Filtered (*.htm,*.html). Either works; only difference being that Web Page preserves all Office formatting tags and Web Page Filtered saves with regular tags and some formatting may be lost. The former format would maintain quality as well.
Save As Web Page Type Option

Note: After saving in this format, your Word document will display in Web Layout View. If you want to switch back to Page Layout View, click its icon on lower right of Status Bar or select View | Print Layout in Views group on Ribbon.

Locate the Graphics

Saving in either Web Page format will automatically create a folder with the same name as your Word file with _files added to the end of the folder name and saved to same directory. This contains all the pictures as separate files in the .jpg or .png format depending on type of graphic. Filenames will be labelled Image001, Image002, etc., and can now be renamed, copied or moved. Like magic…who knew?

Here’s another method if you already have a Word file containing images, by changing the file extension:

Change the File Extension from “.docx” to “.zip”

This way extracts all the images from the document as a batch just by changing the file extension! Ensure your file is in the .docx extension (Word 2007 and above), and it’s not a bad idea to make a copy of the Word file and use the copy to change the extension, for safety’s sake.

Note: If you just send the Word document to a zipped folder without changing the extension, the document gets zipped and unzipped as a whole, and the images are not extracted.

  • Ensure that document is closed, and in the file directory, right click on the filename and choose “Rename” (or press F2 function key to select the name).
  • Change the extension to “.zip”. (Make sure you don’t delete the “.”) Press ENTER.
  • You will get a warning dialog box but just click Yes button.
Changing file extension to .zip warning
  • The new zipped folder will display with the same filename as your Word file.
  • Double click on that folder and Windows will display the Extract group on the Ribbon.
  • Click Extract All icon.

The same folder displays but is now unzipped Double click the Word  folder and then Media folder. All images are there in .jpg format.

Copy Images with Save As Picture
Method

This is a direct method to copy images you can do one by one if you want a single or small number of pictures:

  • Right click over desired picture.
  • Choose Save As Picture…
Save As Picture command
  • Save As dialog box opens with Pictures folder as location. Change filename or location as needed. Image will automatically be saved in .jpg format.
  • Can now be opened in any image editing program .

Copy and Paste Method

This is last resort if you have an older Office version and the Save As Picture… command does not display on right click. A simple and copy and paste will work for one or two pictures:

  1. Right-click on the image and choose Copy.
  2. Open any image editing software such as Paint in Windows or freeware such as Paint.NET.
  3. Paste the image and click Save button (or CTRL S) to save the image.
  4. Paint will save in .png format but you can change to .jpg or choose from many other formats .

Use Zip Software to Extract Images

Third party unzipping software is usually no longer needed but there are free, reliable options such as 7-Zip for compressing/extracting files and graphics. After installing, when you right click on a picture, that software option should display in the shortcut menu. Click it and a separate folder should be created containing the pictures.

Hopefully, one of these was “picture perfect” for you and now your images are all in one place for easy access.

If you would like more information on different ways to save a Word or Office document as a PDF, see my blog here…https://gaylelarson.com/word-document-pdf-format/

Let me know which technique(s) worked best for you in the Comments below. Thanks for reading!

Inspect and Remove Sensitive Document Properties with Document Inspector

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It may come as a shock to some just how much information Microsoft collects in Document Properties during the creation of a file. This blog reveals how to inspect and remove sensitive document properties with Document Inspector. We have enough to handle just getting the document to be correct and look the way we want to present it without worrying about broadcasting sensitive data!

Office collects personal data

There are positive uses for this information and even for creating our own custom Document Properties, but we’ll cover that in a future blog as this is about protecting your information in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

If the document is not leaving your computer or office, it may not be an issue to have unexpected details revealed about the creation path and timeframe for editing, how many revisions and more. On the other hand, if this is confidential or going to another department, or worse yet, to a client or outside organization, there could be a problem Houston!

NOTE: Document Inspector tends to be an all or nothing thing. Might want to create and save a copy of the document before you inspect, remove and send, because it may remove elements that you want to keep in your original.

What Data is Collected

As you work, here is what starts to accumulate about your document and you (or the user who is working on it).

Click File tab to display the Info screen (Backstage) with the Properties of the current document (left screenshot):

Word Document Properties

Much of the data is what you would expect to see if you were looking at the file in a directory, but note there are fields such as Total Editing Time, Author, Last Modified, Last Printed (and by whom).

If you click the link for Show All Properties at the bottom of the screen, you see more information is revealed such as Company and Manager (shown on the screenshot on the right). There are also several fields where you, the user, can enter details to identify the file for searching and clarity.

Let’s go one step further…At the top of the Properties column (in either screen), click the dropdown arrow and then click Advanced Properties button:

The Advanced Properties dialog box will display with five tabs that collect different data:

  1. The General tab contains the information you would see with the Details view in a directory.
  2. The Summary tab is where you can choose to add your own information to identify and describe the document.
  3. Statistics tab contains some file details but adds personal data about the construction of the file.
  4. The Contents tab pulls document properties from fields. For example, if you added a Title in the Title tab, it will appear here.
  5. The Custom tab is where you can add properties from the list such as Department or Editor or create your own.

As mentioned, you may want to utilize these properties for various reasons but, for now, we’ll just concentrate on what Word is collecting and tracking, and how to get rid of the information, if needed.

Note: Previously you could display the Document Panel from Advanced Properties directly at the top of your document and fill in the property tags there. It was removed from Office 2016.

Review with Document Inspector

Let’s look at all the document and personal information being collected:

  • Click the File tab and ensure Info is selected.

Inspect Document screen

  • Click Inspect Document under the Check for Issues dropdown arrow.
  • The Document Inspector displays where you can choose what content to check for.
  • Leave them all checked and click the Inspect button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Document Inspector dialog box pre-run

The same list displays again with the requested data flagged with a red exclamation mark and a list of the information found.

Document Inspector after running

Remove Hidden Data

If you want that data deleted, click the Remove All button. Click Reinspect to ensure it is gone or remove other information.

You can now send that file without fear that it is revealing your inner most document secrets, but you might want to take it one step further if the document has ever been shared, or you have cropped images! (See below).

Document Properties in Excel and PowerPoint

Both these programs use the same method for collecting data about your file but because of their diverse purposes, track some different information. You inspect and remove the same way with the Document Inspector.

Like Word, Excel and PowerPoint collect data on:
  • Comments, and Annotations
  • Document Properties and Personal Information.
  • Invisible Content
  • Custom XML Data
Excel adds:
  • Headers and Footers
  • Hidden Rows and Columns
  • Hidden Worksheets
PowerPoint adds:
  • Off-slide Content
  • Presentation Notes
 Word adds:
  • Revisions and Versions,
  • Metadata, Microsoft SharePoint properties, custom properties, and other content information.
  • Headers, Footers, and Watermarks
  • Hidden Text
  • Task Pane add-ins

How to Inspect and Remove

The same for all programs. Go to File | Info |Check for Issues | Inspect Document.  Note the list of things that will be inspected, leave them all selected and click the Inspect button.

Check Before Sending

There are some things not covered by the Document Inspector that could cause embarrassing or legal issues if the original information remained intact. Cropped images may display as you edited in the document, but the complete original image remains unless deleted. Same is true of Tracked Changes that have been edited if someone turns on All Marks.

Delete Cropped Areas of Images

  • Click on an image
  • In the Picture Tools | Format tab | Adjust group, click Compress Pictures

Compress pictures and delete cropped areas

  • Ensure there is NO checkmark in Apply only to this picture.
  • Ensure there IS a checkmark in Delete cropped areas of pictures.
  • Click OK.

Remove Tracked Changes

Accept or reject tracked changes to remove them from your document:

  • To look at each revision one at a time, on the Review tab, click Next in the Changes group, and then Accept or Reject.

Use Ribbon to remove tracked changes

Word keeps or removes the change and then moves to the next tracked change.

  • To accept all the changes at the same time, click the arrow below Accept, and then click Accept All Changes.
  • To reject all the changes at the same time, click the arrow below Reject, and then click Reject All Changes.

IMPORTANT:  Choosing the No Markup view helps you see what the final document will look like, but it only hides tracked changes temporarily. The changes are not deleted, and they’ll appear again the next time someone opens the document. To delete the tracked changes permanently, you’ll need to accept or reject them.

Whew! Now your clean and lean document can be sent without all that hidden data. If you want more information on security for your Office files, see the related blogs…

https://gaylelarson.com/word-document-protection/

https://gaylelarson.com/delete-personal-content-from-public-computers/

Have you had any surprise experiences with sharing sensitive information? Let me know in the Comments.

 

Document Protection in Word

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Word document protection can be turned on by restricting style selection and types of editing. This prevents others from changing your prized content! Regardless of your version of Word, you have a lot of security control when sharing a document.

Word security lock graphic

Word Document Protection in 2007

The steps are very similar in all the later versions of Word, but the ribbon button is different as is  the wording in the 2007 task pane:

  • Click the Review tab on the ribbon.
  • Click the Protect Document button in the Protect group of the Review tab.

Word Document Protection for 2007 task pane

  • Select Restrict Formatting and Editing from the drop-down menu so there is a check mark next to the option.
  • The Restrict Formatting and Editing pane displays.

Restrict Editing in Word 2010 and Above

  • Click the Review tab on the ribbon.
  • Click the Restrict Editing button in the Protect group.
  • Limit  style formatting by clicking in that box under 1. Formatting restrictions.

Word Restrict Editing task pane options

  • The list of styles displays where you can choose approved styles and make other formatting selections:

Word Protection Formatting Restrictions for Styles

  • Limit the types of editing, such as only allowing filling in form fields or Comments  by clicking the box under 2. Editing Restrictions:

Word Protection Restrict Editing Types

  • Click Start enforcement when you have applied all desired restrictions.

Exceptions

You can allow editing to select parts of the document even if you have made it Read Only. If you are on a domain, specific users can be selected by name in More users… under the Groups: section. This option will display after checking the box under 2. Editing restrictions. (See link below).

Note: Ignore the Restrict permission… link under the See also section at the very bottom of the task pane, as it requires Information Rights Management and must be installed and enabled by your company. If not configured, you will get this dialog box:

Word Protection IRM Alert Display

Permit Changes to Parts of a Document

Word document protection can be configured to allow changes to only select areas of your document. There is an excellent step by step instruction for permitting editing parts of your document at the Microsoft Support Site:

Allow Changes to Parts of a Protected Document

Insert a Watermark on Selected Pages in Word

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A Watermark is inserted on all pages by default but sometimes you want it only on selected pages or only on one page. The steps below will accomplish both these tasks. For steps to display a text or image watermark on all pages, see the link to a previous blog for watermarks below.

Example of transparent Word Watermark

Add a Watermark Only to Selected Pages

By default, Word documents are all in the same section (Section 1), regardless of the number of pages you create. This applies the same page layout, margins etc., across the board. If you want different headers or footers, margins or layout for one or more of the pages, the trick is to create section break(s)

Add a watermark only to particular pages by creating a section break. You can then apply a watermark only to that section. Sections are linked by default so you need to unlink them, before inserting the watermark or sections will automatically copy each other.

Place the cursor on the page (after the section break) where you want the watermark to appear:*

  • On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark

Insert Watermark from Word Ribbon

  • Select a watermark from the displayed gallery or create a custom watermark (covered in previous blog, link below).

Add a Section Break

There are several choices when creating a section break but they are all located in the same drop down list:

  • Click the Layout tab, and in the Page Setup group, choose Breaks.
  • Choose the type of section break you want:

Word Section Break Options from Micosoft

If you are not familiar with the details of section breaks, they can vary with the different versions of Word. See this Microsoft web page for excellent steps for each:  Microsoft support for section breaks in Word

Add a watermark to a single page

You can add an image or a text watermark such as Confidential to a single page in a document:

  • Place your cursor on the page that needs the watermark.
  • On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark.
  • Right-click on any watermark in the watermark gallery and choose, Insert at current document position.

The selected watermark is inserted only on a single page.

Remove a Watermark

  • Click on the Watermark icon (Design tab | Page Background group).
  • Click Remove Background.

It is done!

NOTE:  If you are in the Watermark dialog box, you can remove the watermark by clicking in No Watermark at the top.

For the basics of inserting custom watermarks, see this previous post:  https://gaylelarson.com/insert-watermark-in-word/

Insert a Watermark in Word

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What is a Watermark?

A Watermark is text or a picture placed behind the content in your document as a faded background. You can add a text watermark, such as Draft or Confidential or Do Not Copy to your document (these are already included in the Watermark Gallery), or you can create your own custom watermark, such as “Property of…”, etc., or insert a picture or company logo for your document.

Not only is this a great way to protect your intellectual property, it is also a good way to “brand” the document with your company logo or any desired text or graphic.

Example of Watermark (Washout) in Word Document

Add a Text Watermark from the Gallery

In the beginning, the steps are the same whether adding text or graphic:

  • On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark

Ribbon Page Background group for Word Watermark

  • The dialog box will display with built-in text options:

Built-in Word Watermark Text Gallery

  • Choose one of the built-in watermarks in the displayed gallery or add one of your own by clicking Custom Watermark… (see below for steps).

Word automatically applies the watermark to every page (except a designated cover page).

Add a Custom Text Watermark

  1. Click the Design tab, Page Background group, Watermark.
  2. Choose Custom Watermark.
  3. Select Text watermark and the options will change to allow you to type your custom text, choose the font, size and color, and if you want it displayed diagonally or horizontally. (Tip: Leave the size on Auto as Word will adjust to appropriate size for page).
  4. Semi-transparent should be auto selected but if not, check it.

Custom Text Watermark dialog box

Add a Picture Watermark

  • Click the Design tab, Page Background group, Watermark.
  • Choose Custom Watermark.
  • Select Picture watermark, and then choose Select Picture.

Picture Watermark dialog box

  • Select the picture that you want, and then choose Insert. (Note the options to search for an image online or use an existing image from your storage sources).

Insert Picture Options for Word Watermarks

  • The Washout box should be checked automatically but, if not, click it to lighten the picture so that it doesn’t interfere with your document content.
  • You are back in the dialog box where you can choose Apply to see what it looks like on the page and make changes, if needed. Note the Scale box that is set to Auto. If you want to increase or decrease the size of your graphic, choose from the 0% to 500% options in the drop down list.
  • When satisfied, click OK and Print Preview your document to see it WYSIWYG (Geek speak for: What you see is what you get).

NOTE: You can turn any picture, clip art, or a photo into a watermark that you can use to brand a document.

Remove a Watermark

This one is simple pie:

  • Click on the Watermark icon (Design | Page Background).
  • Click Remove Background.

Done…Don’t we wish all of life were this easy!

NOTE:  If you are in the Watermark dialog box, you can remove the watermark by clicking in No Watermark at the top.

Want to add a watermark to selected pages only or to a single page? This is a little more complex and we’ll cover that  here: https://gaylelarson.com/insert-a-watermark-in-word-part-2/

What watermarks have or will you use? Let me know in the Comments below. Thanks for reading!

Save Word Document as PDF

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Save an Office Document in PDF Format

PDF format is the perfect solution for a Word or other type of Office document when we don’t know if the intended viewer has MS Office, or we don’t want them to be able to change our content. Saving as a PDF allows opening, viewing, printing and saving but not editing our original (except for last couple of versions of Word – see note). *

Word file as PDF

You can use the File | Export | Create PDF/XPS Document command from the Ribbon or the Save As dialog box to create in PDF format. Both methods have the same result but use a little different path to get there.

If you want just a portion of your document to be saved as a PDF, select that section before you publish or save as a PDF. It is also a good idea to save as a regular Word document before creating the PDF. Just sayin’…

Export as a PDF Document

Create your PDF from the File tab:

Click File | Export and click Create the PDF/XPS icon on lower right

Word File Export Create PDF/XPS Document

This displays the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box:

Publish as PDF dialog box

  • Change the file name and location for saving, if desired
  • PDF is automatically chosen in the Save as type: box
  • The Open file after publishing box should be automatically checked
  • Click the Options… button for choosing to capture specific pages or a selection (if you highlighted previously) or for removing Document Properties which may contain sensitive information. Be aware it is checked by default.
  • Click the Publish button at the bottom to display the file in your default reader software (newer computers will have this automatically installed, such as Adobe Reader)
  • Close the PDF reader to return to your document

Save As Dialog Box for PDF

The F12 function key automatically brings up the Save As dialog box in all Office applications and then you can choose PDF as the format. This is the same as File | Save As but bypasses the Backstage and the extra steps:

Press the F12 function key to display the Save As dialog box

Save As PDF dialog box

  • Change the file name if desired
  • Choose PDF in the drop down in the Save as type: box
  • The Open file after publishing box should be automatically checked
  • Click the Options… button for additional choices (same as above)
  • Click Save when completed to display the file in your default reader
  • Create Save As PDF Shortcut on Quick Access Toolbar

If you need to create PDF’s on a regular basis, put a shortcut on the QAT. This is in two steps as you’ll create a shortcut icon for multiple formats, and then use that one for making a shortcut icon just for creating a PDF:

  • Right click on the Ribbon or Quick Access toolbar (QAT)
  • Choose Customize Quick Access Toolbar
  • Choose All Commands from the Choose commands from: drop down box
  • Wheel down to: Save As Other Format: (the one with the arrow at the right)
  • Click Add button and relocate position with arrow boxes, if desired
  • Click OK

Add Save as PDF format icon to Quick Access toolbar

Once back in your document, you can now create a PDF shortcut with the new QAT shortcut:

  • Click the drop down arrow on your new Save As icon on the QAT to see the list of available formats
  • Right click over PDF or XPS and choose Add to Quick Access toolbar
  • You now have icons for saving as a PDF and Save As other formats 

As you can see, there are several ways to get the job done. Whether you use Publish or Save As dialog boxes is a matter of preference but I vote for the PDF shortcut on the QAT for easy peasy!

*Note:  If you (or your viewer) has Word 2013 or above, PDF’s can be opened directly in Word as Word converts them to a regular document – a great feature but be aware if you have previously used PDF format specifically for document protection!

Saving in the PDF format is also a great way to preserve any special formatting or styles you created in the Word document. For instance, you might “brand” it with your logo or a text message as a watermark on all pages. If you want to explore that, take a look at this blog on Watermarks:  https://gaylelarson.com/insert-watermark-in-word/

You can save other Office files in PDF format as well. The Excel process is pretty similar to above but there are differences in PowerPoint, Access and OneNote and will cover those in a future post.

Have you saved PDF’s on a regular basis and used other methods?