How to use the word faster

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1. CTRL Key Shortcuts

In Microsoft Word, the CTRL key can be used to navigate through your document more efficiently.

• Hold CTRL and press Right Arrow to go right one word at a time.
• Hold CTRL and press the Left Arrow to go left one word at a time.
• Hold CTRL and Backspace to delete a whole word at a time.
• CTRL + SHIFT + Right Arrow will highlight one word at a time
• CTRL + END to move cursor to the end of the line.
• CTRL + HOME to move cursor to the beginning of the line.
• CTRL + Page Up to move up one page.
• CTRL + Page Down to move down one page.
• CTRL + UP Arrow to move cursor up one paragraph at a time.
• CTRL + Down Arrow to move cursor down one paragraph at a time.

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2. Save as PDF

If you need to share your document in a fashion that can not be edited by others and will preserve the pagination and formatting as you’ve designed it, save it as a PDF. This file format (Portable Document Format) was developed by Adobe in the early 1990s as a way for people to share documents and have it appear exactly the same no matter what computing platform is use to view it from. There are other benefits of PDF as is the defacto standard for business documents.

Follow these step to save your Microsoft Word document as a PDF:

1. Open the Word document you want to create a PDF of.
2. From the menu bar, click File > Save As, as highlighted in the illustration below.
3. From the drop-down list, find and select PDF (*.pdf) and then click Save.

   

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3. Scroll Zoom

You can quickly zoom in and out of your Microsoft Word document with this easy keyboard and mouse combination.

1. Press and hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard.
2. Then scroll your mouse wheel forward and backward to zoom in and out, respectively.

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4. Add a Horizontal Line

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5. Shrink One Page

As you finalize your Word document, you may find yourself with the last page looking a bit odd by it having just only a few lines of text. You can use the Shrink One Page feature of Microsoft Word to easily have it attempt to adjust your document to include those few lines of text without having to print that last extra page. It does this by reducing the size and spacing of your text with adversely affecting the overall presentation of your document.

Before using this feature, we’ll need to make the Shrink One Page icon accessible to us on our Quick Access Toolbar by performing this one-time setup:

1. Click on the down arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
   
2. Select More Commands from the list of options that appears.
   
3. In the Word Options dialog box, from the Choose Command From drop-down list, select All Commands.
4. From the list of commands, scroll down to find and highlight Shrink One Page.
5. Click the Add button to add the Shrink One Page option to your Quick Access Toolbar.
   
6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Shrink One Page option is now accessible through your quick access toolbar. To use this feature, simply follow these steps:

1. Highlight all the text in your Microsoft Word document (you can press CTRL + A)
2. Then click on the Shrink One Page icon, as illustrated below.

   

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6. Have Word Read To You

Microsoft Word has a built-in text-to-speech feature that is able to read your document to you. You’ll be able to hear it speak your text out loud. Having Microsoft Word read aloud is a great feature for the visually-impaired. For others, this feature can be a time saving by having Word read to you while you are working on other things.

Before using it, we’ll need to make the Speak icon accessible to us on our Quick Access Toolbar by performing this one-time setup:

1. Click on the down arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
   
2. Select More Commands from the list of options that appears.
   
3. In the Word Options dialog box, from the Choose Command From drop-down list, select All Commands.
4. From the list of commands, scroll down to find and highlight Speak.
5. Click the Add button to add the Speak option to your Quick Access Toolbar.
   
6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Speak option is now accessible through your quick access toolbar. To have Word speak your text, simply follow these steps:

1. Highlight the text you want Microsoft Word to read to you.
2. Click on the Speak icon, as illustrated below.

   

You can stop speak at anytime by clicking on the Speak icon again.

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7. Add Random Text

At times, you may find a need to quickly add filler text into your Microsoft Word document preview your document flow or a set of document design format. Word allows you to use one easy-to-use command to quickly populate your document with English or Latin text.

rand()

The =rand() will quickly add a few paragraphs into your document. To use, follow these steps:

1. In your document, position the Microsoft Word cursor (not your mouse cursor) where you want random text to be inserted. The cursor needs to be at the beginning of a line. It does need to be a blank line, the cursor just needs to be at the beginning. This command will not work if you attempt to use it within a sentence.
2. Type =rand()and press Enter. Random text is now added to your document as illustrated below.

rand(paragraphs, sentences)

The rand command allows you to customize the random text generated by specifying the number of paragraphs and the number of sentences per paragraph to created.

For example to generate 2 paragraphs with 6 sentences each, follow these steps:

1. In your document, position the Microsoft Word cursor (not your mouse cursor) where you want random text to be inserted. The cursor needs to be at the beginning of a line. It does need to be a blank line, the cursor just needs to be at the beginning. This command will not work if you attempt to use it within a sentence.
2. Type =rand(2,6)and press Enter. Random text is now added to your document as illustrated below.

   

lorem()

Instead of English text, you can use the lorem command in insert random Latin text. You use this command in the same manner as rand as illustrated above. In its simplest form type in =lorem() and press Enter.

To specify the number of paragraphs and sentences to generate, use command syntax is lorem(paragraphs, sentences).As an example, to insert 3 paragraphs with 4 sentences each, type =lorem(3,4) and press Enter. The result is illustrated below.

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8. Convert Tabbed Text to Table

If you create rows and columns of text using tab, you can easily convert them into a table using the built-in Convert Text to Table feature in Microsoft Word. This feature will also work if you have a delimited list (e.g, comma delimited text). To use, follow these simple steps:

1. In Microsoft Word, highlight your text.
2. From the menu bar, click Insert tab > Table > Convert Text to Table, as illustrated below.

   

3. In the dialog box that appear, define the criteria for the text you want to convert to a table then click OK.

   

4. Your tabbed text (or delimited text) is now converted into a table, as illustrated below.

   

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9. Insert Hyperlinks

You can add links to websites (or even to a different section of your document) into your document easily. This enables your reader to click on the hyperlink to go to the external resources. This is a great tool to use if you want to share or reference additional information from websites.

To insert a hyperlink, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the text you make to make a hyperlink
2. Press CTRL + K
3. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box that appears, select one of four available choices
   1. Link to Existing File of Web Page
   2. Link to Place in This Document
   3. Link to Create New Document
   4. Link to E-mail Address
4. Enter the URL or select the target destination for your link
   1. For links to a web page, enter the website address (URL), as illustrated below.

      
   2. For links to a place within your document, select the position from the list of available places
   3. For a link to create a document, specify the folder path for your new file
   4. For e-mail address, enter the email address in textbox provided
5. Your highlighted text will now turns to a blue clickable hyperlink. To test the link, hold CTRL then click on the link.

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10. Insert Date/Time

You can quickly insert the current date and/or time into your document with the Date & Time button. This feature enables to define whether to insert the current date only or with the time. You are also able to define the format of how the date and time should appear. This is a great time saver if you constantly need to add date or time into your document, such as for your work logs, laboratory workbooks, and similar.

Before using it, we’ll need to make the Date & Time icon accessible to us on our Quick Access Toolbar by performing this one-time setup:

1. Click on the down arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
   
2. Select More Commands from the list of options that appears.
   
3. In the Word Options dialog box, from the Choose Command From drop-down list, select All Commands.
4. From the list of commands, scroll down to find and highlight Date & Time.
5. Click the Add button to add the Speak option to your Quick Access Toolbar.

   

6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Date & Time option is now accessible through your quick access toolbar. To have Word insert the current date and time into your document, simply follow these steps:

1. Position your cursor in your document where you want to insert the file path.
2. Click on the Date & Time icon, as illustrated below.

   

3. From the Date & Time dialog box, select the format on how you want your data/time to appear then click OK.

   

The current data and/or time is now inserted into your document.

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11. Insert a File Path/Location

As you and your colleagues share Word documents with each other, you may find yourself needing to know where a particular document is saved. This is particularly the case if you have a printed copy of the document or the document was emailed to you as an attachment. By using the Insert File Path command in Microsoft Word, you can easily include the full file path of your document so others can locate it when needed (e.g., network file share).

Before using it, we’ll need to make the Insert File Path icon accessible to us on our Quick Access Toolbar by performing this one-time setup:

1. Click on the down arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar.
   
2. Select More Commands from the list of options that appears.
   
3. In the Word Options dialog box, from the Choose Command From drop-down list, select All Commands.
4. From the list of commands, scroll down to find and highlight Insert File Path.
5. Click the Add button to add the Speak option to your Quick Access Toolbar.

   
6. Click OK to close the dialog box.

The Insert File Path option is now accessible through your quick access toolbar. To have Word insert the file path of your document, simply follow these steps:

1. Position your cursor in your document where you want to insert the file path. A good spot may be on your cover page or in the document footer.
2. Click on the Insert File Path icon, as illustrated below.

   

Your document’s file path is now inserted into your document.

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12. Insert a Screenshot/Screen Clipping

Microsoft Word includes a built-in feature to enable you to easily insert a screenshot (or screen clipping) into your document without the need of using the Print Screen key on your keyboard and then using Microsoft Paint to crop your image. This feature provides you with a list of selectable thumbnail preview of the windows you have open (windows that are minimized will not be included in this list).

To insert a screenshot into your Word document, follow these steps:

1. In your Microsoft Word document, position the cursor where you want the screenshot to be inserted.
2. From the menu bar, click on Insert > Screenshot.
3. From the list of thumbnail images, click to select the screenshot you want to insert, as illustrated below.

   

4. Your screenshot is now inserted and you can resize and re-position as needed.

Screen Clipping

If you need the ability to manually select a specific area of your screen to capture and insert into your document, use the Screen Clipping feature. You’ll be able to select a rectangular area of your screen to capture and insert.

You access this feature as follows:

1. In your Microsoft Word document, position the cursor where you want the screenshot to be inserted.
2. From the menu bar, click on Insert > Screenshot > Screen Clipping.
3. Using the drawing pointer that appears, draw a rectangular area of your screen to capture.
4. Your screenshot is now inserted and you can resize and re-position as needed.

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13. File Share Email

If you are like most, you will often need to share your Microsoft Word documents with your team or colleagues for peer review, edits, and feedback. With the Share feature in Microsoft Word, you can quickly and easily attach open Microsoft Outlook and attached your document with a few clicks of the mouse.

Follow these steps to use this feature:

1. While in Microsoft Word, click File > Share > Email.
2. Click Send as Attachment.

An Outlook new message window will automatically open with your document attached.

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14. AutoCorrect

The AutoCorrect feature can be used to automatically insert frequently used text or sentences with a simple short keystroke combination. Long disclaimer statements, reference terms, and any other long series of text can easily be inserted by typing in just a few letters.

1. In Microsoft Word, click on File > Option.
2. In the Word Options dialog box, select Proofing from the left side bar.
3. Then click the AutoCorrect Options button.

   

4. In the AutoCorrect dialog box, type in a short key stroke combination you want to use and type in the sentence(s) you want Word to automatically replace it with. In the example below, we use the key strokes !safe to have Word insert the sentence Safety is our #1 priority and everyone's responsibility!

   

5. Click Add and the OK button.

Now, as you edit your document, when you type !safe and press Space Bar, Word will automatically replace it with Safety is our #1 priority and everyone's responsibility!

This is a quick and easy shortcut to type in repetitive text into your documents.

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15. Triple Click to Highlight a Paragraph

This tip quickly highlights the entire paragraph. Simply triple click on your left mouse button anywhere within a paragraph to highlight.

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16. Show Formatting Marks

There are many formatting options in Microsoft Word that you can use to make your document look perfect. These include spaces, tabs, and page breaks. Why many of these are visible as you edit your document, there are some that are not. This can be a cause of frustration if you are trying to format text but are not getting the desired effect as invisible formatting are working against you.

You can have all the formatting options used in your document become visible by using the show/hide formatting mark option in Microsoft Word. Do one of the following to show and hide the formatting marks.

1. Click on the paragraph symbol ¶ on the toolbar to show/hide, as illustrated below.

   

2. Or press CTRL + SHIFT + * to show/hide.

Once displayed, formatting marks are shown, as illustrated in the example below.

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If Microsoft Word is your go to Text Editor, then you should learn these most helpful 113 MS Word keyboard shortcuts to speed up your work.

Everyone uses microsoft word irrespective of whether he is in business or in his student life. But, most of the people are unaware of the powerful hidden features which can let them use ms word 2016 more efficiently and intelligently. So, here goes a list of 100 such tips and tricks to make you a ms word master quickly.

• Type =rand(7,10) and hit enter. 7  paragraphs each with 10 lines will be generated quickly.
• Type three hyphens and press enter. A horizontal line will be generated.
• Press CTRL key and click any sentence to select that sentence.
• After opening a word file, Press Shift + F5 and cursor will move to the location, when you last saved the file.
• Also while working on a word document, pressing Shift + F5 will take you to the last edited locations.
• Pressing CTRL+Shift+> makes the font bigger for the selected text, similarly CTRL+Shift+< makes it smaller in size.
• Just use tell me what to do to quickly find what you want to do in microsoft word 2016.

• Keeping CTRL key pressed and then hitting backspace key deletes the whole word.

• To insert links quickly just press CTRL + K and type the url in the address field.
• Select any term and Right click on it and then choose smart lookup to quickly find information about that term from the web.
• To apply a format just copy the format by selecting the piece of text and then clicking on format painter. After that, just select another piece of text on which you want to apply the format.

• Click three times to select any paragraph in Microsoft word .

• Select any sentence and press shift + F3  to change the sentence to lower upper or capital case.

• To write on any place in Microsoft window just Double click on that location.
• When you copy any piece of text from internet or anywhere, the formatting of that piece comes attached with that.
• To remove the formatting quickly, just select that piece of text and then CTRL + Space key.
• The fastest method to cut and paste is not CTRL + X and CTRL + V . Just select any piece of text and press F2. Now, click on that location and then hit enter , paste that piece of text.
• To insert Unicode character in your Doc, just type the code and then press ALT + X . For example, to insert $ in your document, just type U+0024 and press ALT + X.

• For quickly inserting serial numbers in a table inside microsoft word, just select the column in which you want to put the serial numbers. Now, click the numbered bullet to quickly fill all the serial numbers in that column.

• There is a hidden calculator in your Microsoft Word. Just Go to File -> Options -> Quick access toolbar.

Now, Choose Commands not in the ribbon option from the dropdown (Choose commands from). Now, select calculator and click on add and finally click on OK.

Now, write select any math equation in the microsoft word and click on calculator icon on the top toolbar. You can see the result instantly on the bottom.

• To change the font settings quickly, just click on small arrow to the right of the font section in the toolbar as shown below.

• Turn of red and blue spell error warnings (Proofing) in Microsoft word. Just Go to File ->  Options. Choose proofing and then check both options for the current document saying hide spelling and grammar errors in this document only.

• To open the last document in Microsoft word 2016, just search winword.exe /mfile1 in search box of windows PC. You can also run this in run command box to open the last word file.

• To password protect a file, Just click on file and click on protect document -> Encrypt with password. Choose and set a password.
• To remove the password, just click on protect document -> Encrypt with password again and clear password.

• To replace all the images in a word document, first of all copy any image first to stick it to clipboard. Now, press CTRL + H to open find and replace window. Now, enter ^g in find what and enter ^c in replace with field. Now, Click on replace all to replace all images with the copied image.

• Choosing mark as final, make the document as read-only.

Whooosh! Zooom! Wheee! Today, we have a need for speed, so we’re looking at the words “quick” and “fast.” Both terms are related to rapidity, but there is a subtle difference between them that many people overlook. So, join us for a speedy look at how to use these words correctly!

Quick (Speedily or in a Short Time)

One use of the adjective “quick” is to refer to something that happens at speed:

John was always quick to respond.

The emphasis here is brevity of action. We also see this in another use of this term, which is to show that something happens in a short amount of time:

I’ll give your essay a quick look before you hand it in.

These uses are similar, but the second doesn’t necessarily require speed. You could have a “quick nap,” for example, which would be short but static (unless you fall asleep on a skateboard at the top of a hill).

The adverbial form of this word is “quickly.” “Quick” and “quickly” are sometimes used interchangeably, but you should always use “quick” for nouns and “quickly” for verbs in formal writing.

Fast (At High Speed)

“Fast” is another adjective that refers to something happening at speed:

John was always fast to respond.

However, it can also be used to describe something that is capable of moving quickly. Or it can indicate that something happens at a high pace:

I’ve always loved fast cars.

The fast pace of change took some by surprise.

In these cases, it is the sustained speed/rate of something that matters, not the time it takes to occur. We say that a car is “fast,” for example, because this reflects its potential for sustained speed, whereas “quick” would imply a brief action.

An important exception to this is “fast food,” which is so called because it is made quickly. It does not usually move fast unless you throw it across the room, which is widely considered impolite.

In addition, we can use “fast” as an adverb when describing an action:

You always drive too fast.

“Fast” has some other meanings, too, such as “hard to move” or to abstain from food for a period of time. However, these are much harder to confuse with the word “quick”!

Quick or Fast?

These words are often interchangeable when referring to something that happens at speed. But this is not always the case. The key to avoiding errors is therefore considering whether time is relevant.

If you’re describing something that happens in a short time, it will typically be “quick.” But if it is something that is capable of moving fast or that occurs at a high rate, the correct word will be “fast.”

Quick = Happening at speed or in a short time

Fast = Happening at a high speed or rate, or capable of moving at speed

Try These Great Keyboard Shortcuts to Speed Up Formatting in Word

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated March 14, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can save a lot of time using formatting shortcuts in Microsoft Word. Keep in mind that character formatting applies to one or more characters. Paragraph formatting applies to entire paragraphs.

Recommended article: 3 Strikethrough Shortcuts in Microsoft Word

Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Word? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom Word courses >

1. Display the Font dialog box

Select the text and press Ctrl + D to display the Font dialog box.

2. Remove formatting from the selected text

To remove character formatting from the selected text, press Ctrl + spacebar.

To remove paragraph formatting (such as alignment or line spacing) from the selected text, press Ctrl + Q.

3. Increase font size by standard increments

Select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + > to increase font size by standard increments.

4. Decrease font size by standard increments

Select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + < to decrease font size by standard increments.

5. Increase font size by point

Select the text and press Ctrl + ] to increase font size by point.

6. Decrease font size by point

Select the text and press Ctrl + [ to decrease font size by point.

7. Align left

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + L to align to the left.

8. Align right

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + R to align to the right.

9. Align centre

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + E to align centre.

10. Copy formatting

Select the text with the formatting you want to copy and press Ctrl + Shift + C to copy to the clipboard.

11. Paste formatting

Copy formatting and then select the text you wish to copy the formatting to and press Ctrl + Shift + V to paste the formatting.

12. Apply italics

Select the text and press Ctrl + I to apply italics.

13. Apply bold

Select the text and press Ctrl + B to apply bold.

14. Apply underline

Select the text and press Ctrl + U to apply single underline.

15. Apply/remove all caps

Select the text and press Ctrl + Shift + A to apply or remove all caps.

16. Apply single spacing

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + 1.

17. Apply double spacing

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + 2.

18. Apply 1.5 spacing

Select the paragraph(s) and press Ctrl + 5.

19. Apply bullets

Select the paragraphs and press Ctrl + Shift + L to apply the default bullets.

20. Increase/Decrease Indent

To increase indent of the selected paragraph, press Ctrl + M. To decrease indent, press Ctrl + Shift + M.

21. Display the Reveal Formatting task pane

To display the extremely useful Reveal Formatting task pane (which displays the formatting of the selected text), select the text and press Shift + F1.

Try them out. There are more shortcuts but these are the most useful for formatting.

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More resources

14+ Word Selection Shortcuts to Quickly Select Text

How to Superscript or Subscript in Word (with Shortcuts)

5 Ways to Insert the Division Symbol in Word (Type or Insert ÷)

3 Strikethrough Shortcuts in Excel to Cross Out Text or Values in Cells

How to Create Shortcuts in Word for Keep with Next and Keep Lines Together

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Microsoft Word, a program that is part of the famous office suite Microsoft Office, is an application widely extended and used all over the world, in fact for many users it is a fundamental tool for their daily work.

This is why they spend a good part of the day almost continuously using this particular program which focuses on the creation and the text editing , as most of you may already know. It is an element that can be used both individually and in conjunction with the rest of the applications that are part of the office suite we have mentioned, Microsoft Office .

Well, although many think that Word is a simple text editor with an spelling and grammar checker , you have to take into account that it is much more than that, because it has a good number of functions who over the years have come to the program to increase its potential and versatility . And it is necessary to keep in mind that this is one of the most widely used tools globally of all those in Redmond to their credit, hence the efforts that they have deployed to improve it.

Therefore, due to the huge amount of functions , features and menus that it makes available to us, while we work in Word it It can be a bit annoying to have to navigate through some of the multiple menus offered by the application, to perform certain tasks fluently. tasks used. So, as we will see in these same lines, it will never hurt to use some of the main keyboard shortcuts which Microsoft itself has integrated into Word, all in order to streamline work with the application .

Here are the main Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts

Therefore, if you want to speed up your daily work with the editor of Redmond, we recommend that you take a look at the shortcuts which we will show you below, because some of them will certainly be of great help to you. In fact, some of them are valid for others applications of the same suite such as Microsoft Excel ou Power point .

• CTRL + N: apply bold to selected text
• CTRL + K: italicize the selected text
• CTRL + S: apply the underline to the selected text
• CTRL + U: create a new document
• CTRL + A: open a document
• CTRL + R: close a document
• CTRL+G: Save En
• CTRL+C: Copier
• CTRL+X: Cut
• CTRL+V: paste
• CTRL+B: Search in Word
• CTRL + L: replace
• CTRL+P: Print
• CTRL + T: center a paragraph
• CTRL + J: justify a paragraph
• CTRL+1: spacing tailored
• CTRL + 2: double space
• CTRL + <: Decrease the size of the police
• CTRL + SHIFT +>: increase the font size
• ALT + CTRL + C: insert the symbol of copyright
• ALT + CTRL + R: insert the symbol of the trademark
• ALT + CTRL + T: insert the symbol of the trademark
• CTRL + SHIFT + Arrows: select until the end of a word
• CTRL + SHIFT + U: switch to uppercase or lowercase
• ALT + CTRL + D: switch to mode Layout

Microsoft Word is one of the popular text processing applications available. Though there are many alternate apps, Word is an ultimate document app due to universal use. However, slow performance of Microsoft Word is quite common on many computers due to various reasons. This may result in reduced productivity for business professionals and normal computer users. In this article let us explain how to fix slow Word when opening, typing and saving documents to speedup productivity.

Related: How to fix slow Microsoft Excel and speedup your productivity.

Fix Slow Microsoft Office Problems

Here are the fixes to solve the performance problem with Microsoft Word.

1. Deleting default template file
2. Disable graphics acceleration in Word settings
3. Use registry editor to disable graphics acceleration
4. Install updates
5. Update your OS
6. Reinstall Microsoft Office
7. Delete temporary files
8. Optimize the document
9. Open Word in safe mode
10. Check locked files
11. Disable add-ins

Method #1: Delete Normal.dot File

Microsoft Word uses template files to create documents. Normal.dot is the global template file that Word uses for creating a blank document file. This essentially means, the template file is always in use when Word is in use. Word also stores all style related settings, such as font size and font type in this template. So, problematic or corrupted ‘Normal.dot’ template can cause slow performance when opening or closing your documents.

An effective solution is to delete the Nomal.dot or Normal.dotm template file. You don’t need to worry about deleting this file as Word will recreate a fresh Normal.dot file when you open the application. However, it is a bit tricky task, since Normal.dot or Normal.dotm file is a hidden file. Therefore, you need to first enable the option in Windows to show hidden files. Then save all your open documents and close Microsoft Word.

The file location may be different depending upon your Windows version. Generally you can find the Normal.dot (Word 2007) or Normal.dotm (Word 2007/10) or Normal.dotx (Word 2013 and above) file in the following location:

C:UsersUsernameappdataMicrosoftTemplates

In Windows 10, you can look for the file in the below path:

C:UsersYour User NameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates

If you use Office on Mac, go to Finder and press “Command + Shift + G” to open “Go to folder” box. Type the following location and press enter key.

~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/

After locating the template file in your PC or Mac, simply delete it. Now, open Microsoft Word to create a new Normal.dot/dotm/dotx file. Check whether this helps to solve the slow processing issues in Microsoft Word.

Related: How to quickly insert dividers in Microsoft Word?

Method #2: Disable Hardware Graphics Acceleration

In some cases, when you type on a Word document, it will lag for few seconds or longer from the moment you press the key. This will badly affect your productivity by causing delay and diverting your concentration when doing important work. Newer Office versions use hardware graphics acceleration to speed up the performance. However, slow computers often have limited hardware resources, which make Word less responsive. Follow these steps to disable hardware acceleration in Word:

• Open Microsoft Word and create a blank document.
• Click “File” menu and choose “Options” in the left pane to go to backstage view.
• On the “Word Options” screen, choose “Advanced” in the left pane.
• Look for “Disable hardware graphics acceleration” option at the right pane under the “Display” section and enable it.
• Click the OK button to apply your changes.

Restart Microsoft Word and verify whether the problem has been resolved.

Method #3: Disable Hardware Acceleration in Registry Editor

If Microsoft Word still performs slowly, it may be a good idea to perform changes in the registry. Note that modifying registry is not recommended and you may not have access in the administered computers. If you have access to registry editor then backup your data and follow the below steps:

• Press “Win + R” keys to open Run prompt. Type the command “regedit” and hit enter. Alternatively, use Windows search box and type in “regedit” to open Registry Editor.
• Navigate to the entry HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice16.0common.
• Note that 16.0 is the version of Microsoft Office 2016, your version could be different.
• Right click on the right pane select “New > Key” to create a new key under the “common” folder.

• Windows will create a key with the name as “New Key #1” with an option to edit. Type in “Graphics” for the name of the key.
• Click the newly created “Graphics” key and right click on the right pane. Select “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

• Type in “DisableHardwareAcceleration” as the name of the new DWORD value.
• Double click on the new DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1.

Close the registry editor and restart your computer. Check Word works smoother now.

Related: Fix slow Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

Method #4: Install Latest Updates

If Microsoft Word seems to react poorly to any command for processing a task, you may need to look for updating to the latest service pack. The latest service pack may provide you with bug fixes and performance optimization. Microsoft releases service pack regularly, generally they are installed automatically if you have auto update enabled. Otherwise you need to check and update them manually. Often, by installing a new service pack, you can regain lost performance.

Note that Apple stopped supporting 32-bit applications from macOS Catalina. Hence the 32-bit Mac Word 2011 or 2016 apps will no more work on your Mac. Ensure to purchase Office 365 subscription to work with 64-bit compatible Office apps on your Mac.

Method #5: Update Your OS

Also ensure your Windows OS is getting automatic security updates to make sure that rest of the system is working properly. Microsoft updates Windows 10 automatically, however follow the below steps to check the status and manually update:

• Press “Win + I” keys to open Windows Settings app.
• Click on “Update & Security” section.
• Click on the “Check for updates” button to update your Windows 10 to the latest version.

If you have Mac, you can install the latest updates by following the below instructions:

• Go to “Apple menu” by clicking the Apple icon on top left corner of your Mac.
• Select “System Preferences…” and click on the “Software Update” option.
• Check any update is available and install the latest version.

Related: How to change embedded document name in Word?

Method #6: Reinstall Microsoft Office

If you use Microsoft Office regularly for creating complex documents, spreadsheets and presentations, there’s a possibility that it will become faulty or corrupted. You may remedy it easily by reinstalling Office package. Prepare your Microsoft Office DVD and product key to complete the re-installation process. Follow these steps to uninstall and re-install Office in Windows 10:

• Go to “Control Panel” and choose “Uninstall a program” under “Programs” section.
• Find Microsoft Office and click the “Change” button. Follow steps on the screen to remove the program.
• Use the installation disk or download from the Windows Store for re-installing again.

Note that Word 2000, 2002 and 2003 can be restored to original settings by choosing ‘”Detect and Repair” in the “Help” menu.

On Mac, you can simply drag the application file to trash bin and reinstall from the App Store.

Method #7: Delete “~.dot” or “~.doc” Files

When you open a document, Word will have a temporary file in the same folder indicated by the ~ (tilde) sign at the beginning. Generally, Word will delete them automatically when you save and close your document. however, if you accumulate lot of these temporary files, Word would become slow and sluggish. For example, if you zip the content when the document is open then the compressed folder will include the temporary file in addition to the original file. Follow these steps to cleanup the temporary files:

• Go to Windows Search box and type in ~*.dot.
• Hit enter and wait until you get all the files on your computer. Select all of them, right click and choose “Delete”.
• Repeat the process by typing in ~*.doc in the search box. Also select all of them, right click and choose “Delete”.
• You can also empty your Recycle Bin to save storage space on your PC.

Open Microsoft Word and make sure that the problem has been resolved

Method #8: Optimize Document Files

Often, less optimized document files cause slow performance. Check whether your document has plenty of embedded macros and remove any of them if possible. Many people also put high quality pictures with large resolution inside documents. You need to optimize the pictures by changing the dimension that matches the size of the page. You may also use Adobe Photoshop or Snagit to save these images in optimized format to reduce the file sizes without sacrificing the quality too much.

Method #9: Open Word in Safe Mode

One of the reasons for slow Word app is the corrupted documents. When you try to open corrupted document, Word will show a message like “Microsoft Word is not responding” indicating the problem. You can choose “Restart the program” option to cancel the current operation and try to reopen the file again.

If that does not help, then press “Win + R” keys and open Run Command box. Type “winword /safe” to open Word in safe mode. This will help you to speedup the document as Word will disable extensions and other unnecessary stuffs in safe mode. Sometimes, Word will also suggest to open a document in safe mode. Choose “Yes” to check whether the safe mode can help in improving the performance at least when processing that document.

Related: Fix slow Microsoft Outlook emails.

Method #10: Check File Lock

Some times people share the locked file in chat, emails or SharePoint. When you try to open locked file, Word will show you the “File in Use” warning and ask you to choose the action.

You may notice, slow response time in Word when you open and read locked documents. We recommend you to open the locked file in “Read Only” mode to open it faster. Otherwise, you can request the owner to share the file without edit lock.

Method #11: Disable Add-ins

If you use add-ins to enhance the functionalities then ensure to disable them when you have problem with Word.

• Go to “File > Options” menu in Word.
• Choose “Add-ins” to view all installed on your Word installation. you can click each add-in to check the function it does.
• Select the add-ins type from the “Manage” drop-down and click on “Go…” button.
• Uncheck the add-ins to disable them.

Check whether this helps to resolve your problems. You can enable the add-ins back any time when needed.

Conclusion

Microsoft Word is almost an essential utility in office workers and many user’s daily life. So when you experience slow response, typing delay or any other problem, it is a good idea to check all the above steps. This will ensure to fix the problems and focus on creating documents with improved productivity.