How to Apply Styles in Microsoft Word

You can apply a style, or a set of formatting rules, to a word, character, or entire paragraph in Microsoft Word 97 and 2000 (for the PC) and Word 98 (for Macintosh).

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Microsoft Word

1. Select the paragraph (or other text) you want to apply a style to.

2. Go to the Format menu.

3. Select Style.

4. Make sure the style sheet you want to use is selected in the drop-down List menu.

5. In the Styles box, select the style you want to apply.

6. Preview the paragraph and text style in the Paragraph and Character Preview windows.

7. Check the style description to make sure it is accurate.

8. Click Apply.

Tips & Warnings

• A style can include a font choice, margins, text alignment, and text attributes (italic, bold, underline, and so on).
• You can apply either Word's default styles or your own.
• You can also place your cursor in a paragraph, then choose a style from the Styles menu on the Formatting toolbar (the Styles menu is to the left on the Font menu).
• Styles are very useful for enforcing consistent formatting in longer documents. If you change your mind about a particular formatting decision, you can edit the style itself, rather than specific document paragraphs: when a style is changed, all text using the style is changed as well.