Word Cheat Sheet
Formatting, styles and page layout, so documents look clean and consistent.
Last updated: September 23, 2026
Basic terms
The building blocks of a Word document.
ParagraphA connected block of text, ends with the Enter keyPage breakForces a new page to start, regardless of how full the current one isFormatting marksMakes hidden characters like paragraph marks or spaces visible, helps you understand the layoutFormatting text
The basics for highlighting text.
Bold, italic, underlineHighlight selected text via the toolbar or a keyboard shortcutFont and sizeDetermines what the text looks like, body text is usually 11 to 12 pointsAlignmentLeft, centered, right, or justifiedLine spacingControls the space between the lines of a paragraphStyles
So a long document stays consistent.
StyleA saved combination of font, size and spacing, applied with one clickHeading 1, 2, 3Structures a document into chapters and subchaptersAutomatic table of contentsGenerated automatically from the headings used, and can be refreshedPage layout
How a document looks from the outside.
Header and footerA recurring area at the top or bottom of every page, for example for page numbersInsert page numbersNumber pages automatically via the header or footerPage marginsThe space between the text and the paper edge, adjustable in the page settingsInserting objects
More than just text in a document.
Insert an imageEmbed an image file into the text via the Insert tabInsert a tableCreates a grid of rows and columns directly in the documentInsert a linkTurns selected text into a clickable link to a websiteCollaboration and proofing
Handy when several people work on a document or proofread it.
Insert commentLeaves a note on a piece of text without changing the text itselfTrack changesShows every change in color, can be accepted or rejected laterSpell checkAutomatically underlines possible spelling and grammar mistakesLonger documents
Useful once a document has several pages or chapters.
Section breakAllows different headers, footers or orientation within one documentInsert footnoteAdds a numbered note at the bottom of the pageHyphenationAutomatically breaks long words at the line end, for cleaner justified textKeyboard shortcuts
For the actions used most often.
Ctrl + B / I / UBold, italic or underlineCtrl + ZUndoes the last actionCtrl + KAdds a link to selected textCtrl + EnterInserts a page break