Word has always been the workhorse app of the Microsoft Office suite. Nearly everyone who uses Office ends up using Word at some point, whether it be for writing memos, typing up agendas, creating reports, crafting business correspondence or any of a thousand other uses.Microsoft sells Office under two models: Individuals and businesses can pay for the software license up front and own it forever (what the company calls the perpetual version of the suite), or they can purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription, which means they have access to the software for only as long as they keep paying the subscription fee.When you purchase a perpetual version of the suite say, Office 2021or Office 2024 its applications will never get new features, whereas apps in the 365 subscriptions are continually updated with new features. For more details, see our in-depthcomparison of the two Office models.This cheat sheet gets you up to speed on the major business features that have been introduced or changed in Microsoft 365s Word for Windows desktop client over the past few years. (If youre using the perpetual-license Office suite, see our separate Office 2021 and 2024 cheat sheet, which includes Word tips.) Well periodically update this story as new features roll out to Word in Microsoft 365.In this guide:Use the RibbonSearch to get tasks done quicklyCollaborate in real timeUse Microsoft 365 Copilot in WordGet instant translationsAdd new types of chartsUse AutoSave as a safety net while you workReview or restore earlier versions of a documentOther new features worth checking outUse keyboard shortcutsUse the RibbonThe Ribbon interface, which puts commonly used commands in a tabbed toolbar running across the top of the application window, is alive and well in the current version of Word. As always, just click one of the Ribbons tabs to see related commands for example, click Insert to find buttons for inserting tables, images, page breaks, and more.Microsoft has tweaked the Ribbons looks numerous times over the years, but it still works the same way it always has, and youll find most of the commands in the same locations as in earlier versions. Also note that you can use the search box above the Ribbon to find commands.Through the years, Words Ribbon has gotten a variety of cosmetic changes, but it still works largely the way it always has.Preston Gralla / FoundryJust as in earlier versions of Word, to make the commands underneath the tabs on the Ribbon go away, press Ctrl-F1. (Note that the Ribbontabs File, Home, Insert, and so on stay visible.) To make the commands appear again, press Ctrl-F1. You can also make the commands on the Ribbon go away by clicking the name of the tab youre currently on. To make the commands reappear, click any tab.Youve got other options for displaying the Ribbon as well. To get to them, click theRibbon display optionsicon (a down arrow) on the bottom of the Ribbon at the far right, just below the Share button. A drop-down menu appears with these four options:Full-screen mode:This makes Word take up your entire screen and hides the Ribbon. To get out of full-screen mode, click the three-dot icon at the upper right of the screen.Show tabs only:This shows the tabs but hides the commands underneath them. Its the same as pressing Ctrl-F1. To display the commands underneath the tabs when theyre hidden, press Ctrl-F1, click a tab, or click theRibbon display optionsdown arrow and selectAlways show Ribbon.Always show Ribbon:This displays the entire Ribbon, both the tabs and commands underneath them.Show/Hide Quick Access toolbar:This displays or hides the Quick Access toolbar, which gives you fast access to Word features you want to have always available, such as New, Save, Print, and many others. When you enable the toolbar, it starts off empty. To populate it, click the small down arrow to the right of the toolbar and from the menu that appears, choose which features to put on it. If you dont see a command you want, clickMore Commands. Find the command you want on the left and clickAdd. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?quality=50&strip=all 493w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=269%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 269w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=151%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 151w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=75%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 75w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=431%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 431w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=323%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 323w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-02-quick-access-toolbar.jpg?resize=224%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 224w" width="493" height="549" sizes="(max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px">You can add commands to the Quick Access toolbar for easy access.Preston Gralla / FoundryYou can have the toolbar appear either at the top of the screen, just to the right of the AutoSave button, or instead just underneath the Ribbon. To move it from one place to another, click the down arrow to the right of the toolbar and from the menu that appears, select either Show Below the Ribbon or Show Above the Ribbon.Microsoft has for many years teased a simplified version of the Ribbon that hides most of the commands to reduce clutter. That simplified Ribbon is available in the Word web app, but theres currently no sign that it will appear in the Word desktop app.Theres a useful feature in what Microsoft calls the backstage area that appears when you clickFileon the Ribbon: If you clickOpen,Save a Copy, orSave Asfrom the menu on the left, you can see the cloud-based services youve connected to your Microsoft account, such as SharePoint and OneDrive. Each location now displays its associated email address underneath it. Select Add a Place on the left to add a new cloud storage service for Word.Preston Gralla / FoundryThis is quite helpful if you use a cloud service with more than one account, such as if you have one OneDrive account for personal use and another one for business. Youll be able to see at a glance which is which.Search to get tasks done quicklyIts easy to overlook one of Words most useful features, Search, which is extremely helpful when you want to do a task that you havent done before or have forgotten how to do.To use it, click in the Search box its above the Ribbon in the blue title area. (Keyboard fans can instead press Alt-Q to go to the Search box.) Type in a word or phrase related to a task, and youll get a list of possible matches. Click the task you want to get instructions on how to do it.For example, I typed envelopeand chose theEnveloperesult, and the screen you use for addressing envelopes appeared. When I typed in the querywrite an essay, it popped up a link to Words Researcher feature that lets you do research from within Word, add sources from the research you find, and then cite the sources in the document. (More on Researcher in a moment.) If you type in a query and hover your mouse over a result instead of clicking it, youll see a screen describing what you can do if you click the results.The Search box gives advice on addressing an envelope (or any other task).Preston Gralla / FoundryIts a big time-saver, because you dont have to hunt through the Ribbon to find the command you want. And it remembers the features youve previously selected in the box, so when you click in it, you first see a list of previous tasks youve searched for. That way, tasks that you frequently perform are always within easy reach.Users of enterprise and education editions of Microsoft 365 can also use the Search box to find people in their organization, SharePoint resources, and other personalized results from within Word. (See the Microsoft Search support page for more details about all it can do.)Collaborate in real timeWith Word for Microsoft 365, you can collaborate in real time on documents from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Microsoft calls this co-authoring.There are only three requirements for collaboration in Word for Microsoft 365: You must be logged into your Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 account; the document must be stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online; and AutoSave must be turned on.To share a document so you can collaborate on it with others:first open it, then click theSharebutton in the upper-right part of the screen. If you havent yet saved your file in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online, youll be prompted to do so.Clicking theSharebutton pops up the Send link window. Here you can send an email with a link where others can access the document.Use the Send link pane to share a document and the Link settings pane to fine-tune its access permissions.Preston Gralla / FoundryFirst, decide whether anyone with a link can edit the document, or only those whose email addresses you enter. If you see the text Anyone with the link can edit near the top of the pane, you can change that by clicking it, then choosingSpecific peopleon the screen that appears. Similarly, if Specific people appears above the email addresses, you can change that by clicking it, then choosingAnyone with the link can editfrom the screen that appears. (If you use a business, enterprise, or education edition of Office, you may have somewhat different sharing permissions and options set up by your IT department, such as an option to allow anyone within your organization to edit the document.)On this second screen you can also determine whether people can edit the document or can only view it without making changes. To do that, click Can edit and select Can view. You can also set an expiration date after which people wont be able to access the file. And you can set a password so that only people who have the password can access it.Back in the main Send link window, enter the recipients email addresses (as you type, Word will suggest people from your address book whom you can select), optionally type in a message, and clickSend. An email is sent to all the recipients with a link they can click to open the document.(If youd rather send recipients a copy of the file as a Word document or PDF rather than a link, and thus not allow real-time collaboration, clickSend a copyat the bottom of the Send link screen and choose either Word document or PDF.)Your link will be sent via Outlook. If you dont use Outlook, or simply prefer to send the link yourself rather than relying on Outlook to do it automatically, theres another way to share a file stored in a personal OneDrive for collaboration: At the bottom of the Send link window, pane, clickCopy link. When you do that, you can copy the link and send it to someone yourself via email. Note that you have the same options for allowing editing, not allowing editing, and so on as you do if you have Word send the link directly for you. Just clickAnyone with the link can editorSpecific peoplebelowCopy link, and follow the instructions above.(Note that if you want to copy a link, you dont have to go to the Send link screen. Instead, when you click Share button on the upper right of a Word document, choose Copy Link rather than Share.)To begin collaborating:When your recipients receive the email from you, they click a button or link to open the document, which opens in the Word web app in a browser rather than in the Word desktop client. They can either edit or read it in the web app, depending on the permissions you granted, or open it in the Word desktop client by typing open in desktop in the search box at the top of the screen, and selecting the Open in Desktop option that appears. The web version isnt as fully featured as the client version for instance, there arent as many formatting options and you cant insert shapes, take screenshots, use mail merge, or use several other features. But for basic editing, it works fine.When any collaborators open the document, youll see a colored cursor bar for each person that indicates their presence in the document. Each person gets their own unique color. Hover your cursor over anybody elses cursor bar to see their name. Once they begin editing, you can see what each collaborator does as they do it, including deleting, editing, and adding text. They see what you do as well.You can see other collaborators edits in real time, with a different colored cursor for each collaborator.Preston Gralla / FoundryCollaboration includes the ability to make comments at specific places in a document without actually changing the documents contents. To do it, place your cursor in the document where you want the comment to appear (or select a word or phrase), click theCommentsbutton in the upper right of the screen and selectNew.A new comment box appears in the right margin; type in your comment there.If you want to draw a colleagues attention to a comment, @ mention them in the comment type@and the first few letters of the persons name, then choose their name from the list that appears. Theyll receive an email notification with a link to the comment in the document.Everyone collaborating can see all comments in the right margin. To reply to a comment, hover over it, click theReplybutton, and type your response. Theres also aResolvebutton that grays out the comment.To reply to a comment, hover over it, click the Reply button, and type your reply.Preston Gralla / FoundryBe aware that how well real-time collaboration works depends on the strength of your internet connection. On slow or flaky connections, you wont immediately see edits that other people make and they wont see yours immediately there will be a lag. So its always best, when possible, to have the strongest connection possible when collaborating.At any time, you can see who has access to the file by clicking theSharebutton. In the Send link screen that opens, click the three-dot icon in the upper right and selectManage accessto see a list of people who can access the file. Here you can change edit/view permissions, revoke someones access, or remove the sharing link altogether.Use Microsoft 365 Copilot in WordFor an additional subscription fee, business users of Word can use Microsofts generative AI add-in, Microsoft 365 Copilot. You can have Copilot create new documents from a description you give it or from an existing document, summarize documents, and more. If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, many of those features are now bundled with your core subscription.To get started using Copilot in Word, you can click the Copilot icon in the left margin of your document or press Alt + I to bring up the Draft with Copilot panel (this is the more powerful option for writing drafts), or you can click the Copilot button at the right end of the Ribbons home tab to open the Copilot sidebar on the right (better for getting summaries or asking questions about the document). In Word, Microsoft 365 Copilot can help you summarize a document or generate a draft.Preston Gralla / FoundryFor details about how to use Copilot in Word, see our guide to using Copilot for writing tasks in Word, Outlook, and OneNote.If youre wondering what happened to Words Smart Lookup and Researcher features, well, Copilot ate them. Until recently, these two useful features let you search the internet from inside Word, with Smart Lookup intended for quick web searches and Researcher for more in-depth searches across academic journals and other sources.But at the beginning of 2025, Microsoft removed Smart Lookup and Researcher from Word and the other Microsoft 365 apps. Now the only way to search the web and do research from inside Word is via Copilot. Copilot lacks some features of Smart Lookup and Researcher, notably the ability to insert citations and footnotes in documents.Also, keep in mind that Copilot at times suffers from hallucinations that is, it makes things up that arent true. So youll have to double-check its results. For help in reducing the number of Copilots hallucinations, see Microsoft Copilot tips: 9 ways to use Copilot right.Get instant translationsAnother useful addition is the Translator pane, useful for those who need to work in multiple languages. To translate words or phrases, select them, right-click your selection, and chooseTranslatefrom the menu that appears.The Translator pane appears. The top of the pane shows your selection, and the bottom shows the translation. The top pane attempts to identify the original language, which it does with uncanny accuracy. If it misidentifies the language, though, simply select the right one. After that, in the bottom of the pane select the language you want to translate to.The translation appears. To insert it somewhere into the document, move your cursor to the spot where you want it to appear, then click theInsertbutton at the bottom of the pane. You can also copy and paste any part of the translation into the document or another document. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?quality=50&strip=all 352w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=128%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 128w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=297%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 297w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=72%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 72w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=36%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 36w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=205%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 205w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=154%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 154w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-09-translator.jpg?resize=107%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 107w" width="352" height="825" sizes="(max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px">With Translator, you can translate a word, a section of a document, or the entire document from one language to another.Preston Gralla / FoundryTranslator can also translate an entire document. To do it, go to theReviewtab on the Ribbon, and in the Language section, clickTranslate > Translate Document. The Translator pane appears. You can let it auto-detect the original language or click theFromdrop-down to set it. Then click theTodrop-down to set the language you want to translate the document to and click theTranslatebutton. Word opens the translated document in a new window.Keep in mind that Translator is part of Microsofts Intelligent Services, the artificial intelligence behind other Office features including Search and Researcher. Youll need to enable it before using any of these features.Translator is also available in Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint; see our story ontranslation in Officefor details.Add new types of chartsOver the last decade, Microsoft has added several new types of charts you can add to documents, spreadsheets, and presentations: Treemap, Sunburst, Waterfall, Histogram, Pareto, Box & Whisker, Funnel, and Map charts. Each provides a unique way to display data visually. See ourExcel for Microsoft 365 cheat sheetfor details about the new chart types, including what each one looks like and what type of data its best suited for.To insert any of the new chart types (or any other chart) in a document, selectInsert > Chartand then choose the type of chart to insert. When you do that, the chart appears in your document with placeholder data, and a pop-up window appears that looks like a mini Excel spreadsheet. Enter or edit the data, or else click theEdit Data in Microsoft Excelbutton to open it up in Excel and edit it there.When you insert a chart, a window where you can edit the data pops up.Preston Gralla / FoundryNote that the Pareto chart does not show up when you selectInsert > Chart. To insert one, selectInsert > Chart, selectHistogram, and at the top of the screen that appears, select the option to the right,Pareto.Use AutoSave as a safety net while you workIf youre worried that youll lose your work on a document if you dont constantly save it, youll welcome the AutoSave feature. It automatically saves your files for you, so you wont have to worry about system crashes, power outages, Word crashes, and similar problems. It only works only on .docx documents stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. It wont work with files saved in Words older .doc format or files saved to your hard drive.AutoSave is a vast improvement over the previous AutoRecover feature built into Word. AutoRecover doesnt save your files in real time; instead, every several minutes it saves an AutoRecover file that you can try to recover after a crash. It doesnt always work, though for example, if you dont properly open Word after the crash, or if the crash doesnt meet Microsofts definition of a crash. In addition, Microsoft notes, AutoRecover is only effective for unplanned disruptions, such as a power outage or a crash. AutoRecover files are not designed to be saved when a logoff is scheduled or an orderly shutdown occurs. And the files arent saved in real time, so youll likely lose several minutes of work even if all goes as planned.AutoSave is turned on by default in Word for Microsoft 365 .docx files stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. To turn it off (or back on again) for a document, use theAutoSavebutton on the top left of the screen. If you want AutoSave to be off for all files by default, selectFile > Options > Saveand uncheck the box markedAutoSave files stored in the Cloud by default on Word.Using AutoSave may require some rethinking of your workflow. Many people are used to creating new documents based on existing ones by opening the existing file, making changes to it, and then usingSave Asto save the new version under a different name, leaving the original file intact. Be warned that doing this with AutoSave enabled will save your changes in the original file. Instead, Microsoft suggests opening the original file and immediately selectingFile > Save a Copy(which replaces Save As when AutoSave is enabled) to create a new version.If AutoSave does save unwanted changes to a file, you can always use the Version History feature described below to roll back to an earlier version.Review or restore earlier versions of a documentTheres an extremely useful feature hiding in the title bar in Word for Microsoft 365: You can use Version History to go back to previous versions of a file, review them, compare them side-by-side with your existing version, and copy and paste from an older file to your existing one. You can also restore an entire old version.To do it, click the file name at the top of the screen in an open file. A drop-down menu appears. ClickVersion History, and the Version History pane appears on the right side of the screen with a list of the previous versions of the file, including the time and date they were saved.Use Version History to see all previous versions of a document, copy and paste from an older file to your existing one, or restore an entire old version.Preston Gralla / FoundryIn the Version History pane, clickOpen versionunder any older version, and that version appears as a read-only version in a new window. Scroll through the version and copy any content you want, then paste it into the latest version of the file. To compare the two versions, clickCompareon the old version, and youll see them side-by-side, and also see edits made to the older version. To restore the old version, overwriting the current one, click theRestorebutton at the top of the editing window.Version History works best when used in conjunction with AutoSave. You can use it without AutoSave, but its not as useful because you dont get as many saved versions to go back to.Other features worth checking outSeveral other features added over the past few years may prove useful for business users:Work in a distraction-free environmentIf youre the kind of person who needs help focusing on the work at hand, youll be pleased with Words Focus mode. When you put Word into Focus mode, the Ribbon and all toolbars are hidden, and all parts of your screen that arent Word turn black. So youll find no distractions at all.To put Word into Focus mode, chooseView > Focus(the Focus button is in the Immersive group near the left end of the Ribbon) or pressAlt-W, thenO. To get out of Focus mode, press theEsckey. When youre in Focus mode, if you want the Ribbon to appear (with white text and icons against a black background), move your cursor to the top of the screen. PressEscor start typing in Word to make the Ribbon go away. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?quality=50&strip=all 1280w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=300%2C156&quality=50&strip=all 300w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=768%2C400&quality=50&strip=all 768w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=1024%2C533&quality=50&strip=all 1024w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=1240%2C645&quality=50&strip=all 1240w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=150%2C78&quality=50&strip=all 150w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=854%2C444&quality=50&strip=all 854w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=640%2C333&quality=50&strip=all 640w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-12-focus-mode2.jpg?resize=444%2C231&quality=50&strip=all 444w" width="1024" height="533" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">Focus mode helps you block out distractions when youre working on a document.Preston Gralla / FoundryIf you want more options for getting rid of distractions, you can use what Microsoft calls Immersive Reader. It gives you even more options for focusing on your text, including displaying only a few lines of text at a time, changing the page color, and more. You can also have it read the text to you, and have it display text in which words are broken down into individual syllables. To use it, choose View > Immersive Reader, then choose your options. Click Close Immersive Reader to return to your normal view.Get to favorite folders quicklyYou likely have a handful of folders where you frequently save and frequently open files. And you likely get annoyed every time you have to browse through your disk to get there. Pinned folders solve the problem.When saving or opening a file, in the Save or Open dialog, hover your mouse over any folder that you want to pin, and then click the pin icon. From now on, that folder will stay at the top of the Save or Open dialogs, so you can get to them quickly.Note that Save and Open dont share pinned folders you pin them separately.Write better with the EditorThose who want to make sure their writing is concise and grammatically correct should turn to the Editor, a beefed-up version of grammar- and spell-checking. SelectHome > Editor,and the Editor pane appears with an easy-to-scan summary of a documents readability, along with tools to improve it. At the top youll see your overall score, with 100% being the best. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?quality=50&strip=all 516w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=159%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 159w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=370%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 370w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=89%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 89w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=45%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 45w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=255%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 255w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=191%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 191w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/word-m365-cheat-sheet-13-editor-pane.png?resize=133%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 133w" width="516" height="973" sizes="(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px">You dont have to be a word maven to improve your writing skills. Words Editor offers solid help.Preston Gralla / FoundryIt then shows you the number of sentence-by-sentence improvements you can make in various writing categories, including corrections in spelling in grammar and refinements for clarity, concision, and so on. Click any category, and Editor will bring you to each issue that can be improved and offer recommendations.Paste in the format you wantWord also includes an improved way to handle content pasted from the web or other sources. You can now set your default paste options so whatever you paste matches the look and feel of the document into which youre pasting it rather than the source material.When you paste something, you get three options:Keep source formatting. This keeps the original formatting and layout, such as font size, color, bold and underlining, list formatting, and so on, of the content youre pasting.Merge formatting. This uses some of the original formatting of what youre pasting (such as bold, underline, lists, and table structure), but matches it to the style of the document into which its being pasted (such as font family, size, and color).Keep text only. This keeps the text but strips out things such as bullets, table structure, and images. The text will match the formatting of the existing text just before your cursor.To change your default paste option, select Select Default Paste and from the list that appears, select which you want it to be. To change it to another option, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll down to Cut, copy, and paste, click the Pasting from other programs down arrow, and select what you want the new default to be.Make documents more inclusive with the Accessibility CheckerMany people have problems accessing a documents content, such as those who have issues with their vision. Microsofts Accessibility Checker in Microsoft 365 can check documents you create to make sure that theyre more accessible to people, such as by eliminating colors with poor contrast that can be hard to read.Get to it from the Ribbon by selecting Review > Check Accessibility > Check Accessibility. A right-hand pane called the Accessibility Assistant appears. It flags and helps you fix accessibility issues.The Accessibility Checker checks documents for accessibility issues.Preston Gralla / FoundryCreate a Sway web page from a documentIf youre one of the few people who use MicrosoftsSway app, which lets you easily create simple, web-based presentations, youll want to try out a feature that lets you create a Sway page from a Word document.To do it, selectFile > Transform. The Transform to Web Page pane appears. Select a style in the pane, then click theTransformbutton. A web page is created on the web and opened in the Sway app in your browser. To share it with others, select theSharebutton on the Sway page and follow the instructions.Note that if you have problems with doing this, your administrator may not have given you the proper permissions, or you may need to update your copy of Microsoft 365. Check with your administrator for details.Use keyboard shortcutsUsing keyboard shortcuts is one of the best ways to accomplish tasks quickly in Word. You can even use them to navigate the Ribbon. For instance, Alt-H takes you to the Home tab, and Alt-G takes you to the Design tab.Press the Alt key to see tool tips calling out the Ribbon shortcuts.Preston Gralla / FoundryBut there are many other keyboard shortcuts to help you accomplish a vast array of tasks in Word. See our story Handy Word keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac for the ones we find the most useful.This article was originally published in October 2019 and most recently updated in March 2025.[ See more Microsoft cheat sheets ]