FAQ - Word for Mac

Word for Mac

Issue/Environment/User Role

A Student, Faculty, or Staff member using Mac OS would like more information on Word.

Cause

The user has not previously used the platform, and would like more information on Microsoft Office Word.

Resolution

New to Word for Mac? Use this guide to learn the basics.

Create something

Begin with a “Blank Document” to get right to work. Or save yourself a bunch of time by selecting and then customizing a template that resembles what you need. To return to these options at any time, click “File” > “New from Template”.            

Find recent files

Whether you only work with files stored on your Mac’s hard drive or you roam across various cloud services, clicking “File” > “Open Recent” takes you to your recently used documents and any files that you may have pinned to your list.               

Stay connected

Need to work on the go and across different devices? Sign in to easily access your recently used files anywhere, on any device, through seamless integration between Office for Mac, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint.                                            

Set your preferences

Something not working quite as expected? It’s easy to change and customize options at any time. On the “Word” menu, click “Preferences”, and then set up Word the way you want.

Discover contextual tools

You can display additional ribbon commands by selecting relevant objects in your document. For example, when you click within a table the “Table Design” and “Layout” tabs appear, and when you click on any inserted picture the “Picture Format” tab appears.

Format documents with style

On the “Home” tab, click the “Styles Pane” button to visually create, apply, and review formatting styles in your current document. You can filter which styles to show, and you can turn the optional style and formatting guides on and off.                                                                  

Review and track changes

Whether you want to check spelling, keep your word count in check, or collaborate with other people, the “Review” tab unveils essential commands that help you track, discuss, and manage all of the changes made to your documents.                                                                                                                             

Share your work with others

Click the “Share” button in the top right corner to invite others to edit your current document, to copy a link to the file’s cloud location, or to send a copy as a file attachment from your preferred email service.

Get help with Word

On the menu bar, click “Help” to search for the Word features and commands that you need help with, or click Word Help to browse through popular content. To let us know if the information we’ve provided has been useful to you, use the feedback form at the bottom of each of our Help articles.

Need more help?

Visit http://aka.ms/office-mac-guides to download our free Quick Start Guides for Mac versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.