Word heading style type

Style is essential to making a strong first impression. Admittedly, this usually applies to fashion rather than formatting. But in the academic realm, you’ll win more points for applying clear and consistent heading styles in a document than for wearing a fancy outfit.

And since a well-formatted document is vital for clarity as well as grabbing the reader’s attention, today we’re taking a look at how to apply heading styles in Microsoft Word.

Using Headings

The ‘Headings’ styles in Microsoft Word are formatting options for making headings and subheadings stand out from the other text in your essay. This will help your reader, particularly in longer essays, by clearly indicating where different sections begin and end.

Microsoft Word actually comes with a number of default heading styles (named ‘Heading 1’ through to ‘Heading 9’). You can use these as you find them, but you may also need to change them to fit with any specific requirements for headings set out in your style guide.

But how should you use these headings? Like so:

1. Go to the ‘Styles’ section of the ‘Home’ tab on the main ribbon
2. Select the text you’re using as a heading and click on the appropriate ‘Heading’ style (e.g. ‘Heading 1’, ‘Heading 2’, etc.)
3. If the required style is not visible in the ‘Styles’ tab, click the little arrow in the bottom right to open a side menu with further options
4. If the required ‘Style’ still isn’t visible, click ‘Options…’ in the side menu and make sure ‘All styles’ is selected under ‘Select Styles to Show’, then click OK
5. Once the correct heading styles show in the menu, select the text you want to format and apply each heading and subheading accordinglyBe sure to use different styles to distinguish between different ‘levels’ of heading, since the formatting style of chapter titles should be distinct from those used for section or subsection headings: e.g. use ‘Heading 1’ for the main headings, then ‘Heading 2’ for the next level down, and ‘Heading 3’ for subsections, etc., being careful to apply each style consistently.

Numbered Headings

If you want to use numbered headings, Microsoft Word’s multilevel list options are very useful. This will apply numbering to titles and subtitles whenever a ‘Heading’ style is used, thereby ensuring clear and consistent numbering for all headings in your document.
To do this, you’ll need to:

1. Apply different heading styles to your document for each level of heading
2. Click on the ‘Multilevel List’ button in the ‘Paragraph’ section of the ‘Home’ tab
3. Select one of the list styles that refers to headings

This will apply a different numbering level to each heading style, while you can also modify and create multilevel list styles via the ‘Multilevel List’ menu.

This numbering will also update automatically if you add or remove headings, saving you the effort of re-numbering headings manually.

Headings make text stand out and help people scan your document.

The simplest way to add headings is with heading styles. Using heading styles means you can also quickly build a table of contents, reorganize your document, and reformat its design without having to manually change each heading’s text.

1. Select the text you want to use as a heading.

2. On the Home tab, move the pointer over different headings in the Styles gallery. Notice as you pause over each style, your text will change so you can see how it will look in your document. Click the heading style you want to use.

   

   If you don’t see the style that you want, click the More button to expand the gallery.

Tip: You can change the font and formatting of a heading style. Just select the heading text you want to customize, modify its styles the way you want, and then on the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click the heading style that you customized and click Update Heading to Match Selection. Every time you apply that heading style in your document, the heading style will include your customizations.

Styles can do a lot more, including a table of contents. Here’s a short video on why to write first and format later using Styles.

Headings can make text stand out and help people scan your document. The simplest way to add headings is to use heading styles.

1. Select the text you want to use as a heading.

2. On the Home tab, click the heading style you want to use.

   

   If you don’t see the style you want, click a left, right, or down arrow to see more available styles.

Apply and Customize Headings in Word Documents

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated April 19, 2022

Applies to: Microsoft^® Word^® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 (Windows)

You can create headings in Microsoft Word documents by applying Word’s built-in heading styles (such as Heading 1 or Heading 2). After you have applied styles, you can modify them and change the font, size, color, and other formatting attributes so the entire document will update. Once you have applied heading styles, you’ll be able to navigate to the headings using the Navigation Pane and create a table of contents.

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Heading styles are very important because they create structure in your documents and are readable by screen readers or assistive technology programs used by people with vision impairments. They can also save you a lot of time formatting and reformatting documents.

In addition to creating structure, heading styles are also used to:

• Generate a table of contents
• Reformat a document using Style Sets
• Navigate using the Navigation Pane (select Navigation Pane on the View tab in the Ribbon)
• Rearrange a document using the Outline View
• Create a structured PDF (portable document format) file with heading tags

Note: Screenshots in this article are from Word 365 but are very similar in previous versions of Word.

Creating headings by applying Word heading styles

To create or designate headings, you will need to apply the built-in heading styles in order (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, and so) to paragraphs. There are 9 levels of headings available in Word.

Heading styles are technically available as paragraph and character styles, but it’s important to apply them as paragraph styles to entire paragraphs. A paragraph in Word is anything with a hard return after it (you have pressed Return or Enter).

Heading styles are affected by your theme choices (overall theme, color theme, and font theme). You can change theme options using the Design tab in the Ribbon.

To create headings by applying heading styles:

1. Click in the paragraph (title or subheading) you want to designate or format as a heading.
2. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click the heading style you want in the Styles Gallery (such as Heading 1) in the Style group. You may need to click the More arrow on the bottom right of the Styles Gallery to view more styles and then click the style you want to use.

All available heading styles do not appear initially in the Styles Gallery. When you apply a heading level (such as Heading 3), an additional heading level should appear in the Gallery (such as Heading 4).

The Styles Gallery appears on the Home tab in the Ribbon and typically displays top level headings:

If you click the More arrow on the bottom right of the Styles Gallery, an expanded gallery appears:

Modifying or customizing heading styles using the Styles task pane

If you modify heading styles, every instance of the modified style will change in your document. Not only will this save time, but it will also ensure consistency. There are many ways to customize heading styles in Word. In this article, we will modify heading styles using the Styles task pane.

The Styles task pane appears with styles in the document (you can change this display by clicking Options at the bottom of the task pane):

To modify or customize a heading style:

1. Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
2. Click the dialog box launcher (diagonal arrow) on the bottom right in the Styles group. You can also press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S. The Styles task pane will appear. If the task pane is floating, double-click the title bar.
3. Click in a paragraph using the style you want to modify.
4. Click the arrow to the right of the heading you want to modify in the Styles task pane and then select Modify from the drop-down menu. You can also right-click the heading style in the task pane and select Modify. A dialog box appears.
5. In the Modify Style dialog box, select the desired options such as font, font size, font color, alignment, and line spacing. Buttons in this dialog box are comparable to those in the Ribbon.
6. If you want to change some other formatting options (such as paragraph formats), select Format at the bottom of the dialog box and select other options from the drop-down menu.
7. Select Only in this document so that the style is modified in the current document only.
8. Do not select Automatically Update unless you want the document styles to update when a user changes heading formatting in the document. It’s typically best to leave this option unchecked.
9. Click OK or press Enter. The entire document will change unless a heading has been manually formatted (which overrides the style). You can simply reapply the style if this occurs.

The Modify Styles dialog box displays the style name, the type of style and options for modifying the style:

When you save the document, the modified styles are also saved.

Styles are the most important formatting feature in Word to automate formatting in longer documents. Heading styles also have the added benefit of creating structured documents and are integrated with several other Word features such as generated tables of contents.

This article was first published on May 15, 2021 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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To add a heading style

1. Type the text you want into a Word document.
2. Select a sentence that you want to add a header to.
3. Select Home > Styles (or press Alt+H, then L), and then select the heading you want, such as the Heading 1 button.

How do I change heading styles in Word?

What you do is: ● Choose one Heading 2 that you want to change. Alter the Heading to the format you want. Highlight the Heading and right-click on Heading 2 from the Styles Group. Select “Update Heading to match selection” ● Every Heading 2 in the document will update to the new format!

How do you apply the Heading 1 style to numbered items in the list?

First, type your top level heading, and then with the cursor in the heading, click on the style Heading 1 in the Styles pane to apply it. On the Home tab, click on Multilevel List in the Paragraph group to display the List Library.

How do you make a header 1 and 2 in Word?

How to Create Headings Using Word’s Built-In Heading Styles

1. Select the Home tab in the ribbon. Figure 1.
2. Select the text you want to turn into a heading.
3. Select the appropriate heading level in the Styles group.
4. Press Enter on your keyboard to move your cursor to the next line.
5. Save your file to save your new heading.

How do you do numbered styles in Word?

Define a new number format

1. Select the text or numbered list you want to change.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the arrow next to Numbered List.
3. To change the style, click the down arrow next to Number style and choose numbers, letters, or another chronological format.

How do you write headings and subheadings?

A heading or subheading appears at the beginning of a page or section and briefly describes the content that follows.
Accessibility #

1. Make sure headings and subheadings always follow a consecutive hierarchy.
2. Do not skip a header level for styling reasons.
3. Do not use all caps.
4. Do not bold or italicize a heading.

How do I make a one hanging indent?

Create a hanging indent

1. Select the text where you want to add a hanging indent.
2. Go to Home > Paragraph dialog launcher. > Indents and Spacing.
3. Under Special, select Hanging. You can adjust the depth of the indent using the By field.
4. Select OK.

How do I insert French accents in Word?

Here’s the easiest way to type French accents on Word

1. Hold down the “CTRL” key and keep it held down.
2. Tap and release the punctuation mark which looks the most like the accent you need.
3. Tap and release the letter which will have the accent.
4. Let go of the “CTRL” key.

How do I make one hanging indent in Word?

Highlight one or more entries that you want to have a hanging indent. Right-click the highlighted text, then select Paragraph. In the Paragraph dialog box, go to the Indentation section, select the Special drop-down arrow, then choose Hanging.

How do you apply a title style?

To apply a style:

1. Select the text you want to format, or place your cursor at the beginning of the line.
2. In the Styles group on the Home tab, click the More drop-down arrow.
3. Select the desired style from the drop-down menu.
4. The text will appear in the selected style.

How do I insert a 1.1 Numbering in Powerpoint?

Insert a bulleted or numbered list

1. On the View tab, click Normal.
2. Click in the text box or placeholder where you want to add bulleted or numbered text.
3. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Bullets or Numbering. , and begin typing your list. Press Return to create a new list item.

What is a Level 1 heading?

Levels of heading
Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5. Headings are covered in Sections 2.26 and 2.27 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition.

Is conclusion a Level 1 heading?

The title of the paper does not count as a level.APA does not include an “Introduction” heading because it is assumed that papers begin with an introduction. The conclusion, however, should include a heading if headings are used.

How do I add sub headings in Word?

Number your headings

1. Open your document that uses built-in heading styles, and select the first Heading 1.
2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, choose Multilevel List.
3. Under List Library, choose the numbering style you would like to use in your document.

How do I align references in Word?

Aligning references

1. In a footnote, right-click and choose Style…
2. The Footnote Text style should be selected in the Style dialog.
3. In the Modify Style dialog, click Format, then Paragraph (or you can use the alignment, spacing, etc.
4. In the Paragraph dialog, select the desired settings.

How do you do a hanging indent on word online?

Add hanging indentation in Word Online

1. In Word Online, select some text in the paragraph or paragraphs that you want to have hanging indentation.
2. On the Home tab, click the arrow in the bottom right of the Paragraph group.
3. Under Indentation, in the Special list, select Hanging.

How do you type French accents on a PC?

Try these Windows ALT codes for French accent marks by just using your number pad:

1. Alt+0233 (é)
2. Alt+0224 (à)
3. Alt+0232 (è)
4. Alt+0249 (ù)
5. Alt+0226 (â)
6. Alt+0234 (ê)
7. Alt+0238 (î)
8. Alt+0244 (ô)

What is the Alt code for é?

Alt 0233
ALT Key Code Shortcuts and How To Make Symbols With Keyboard

Alt Codes	Symbol	Description
Alt 0233	é	e acute
Alt 0234	ê	e circumflex
Alt 0235	ë	e umlaut
Alt 0236	ì	i grave

How do I put an accent over a letter?

To type a lowercase character by using a key combination that includes the SHIFT key, hold down the CTRL+SHIFT+symbol keys simultaneously, and then release them before you type the letter.
Keyboard shortcuts to add language accent marks in Word.

To insert this	Press
â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û	CTRL+SHIFT+^ (CARET), the letter
ã, ñ, õ Ã, Ñ, Õ	CTRL+SHIFT+~ (TILDE), the letter