How to Edit Documents in Microsoft Word

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How to Edit Documents in Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word is a powerful word processing program, allowing you to write any kind of document. Microsoft comes with a variety of editing tools that save time and are perfectly suited for this fast-paced, modern world.

Step 1

Open your document to begin editing. If you're unsure about your editing skills, save an extra copy under the name "DocumentName-edit" so that your document stays in its original format. Edit the new version. If you like your changes, rename the document afterwards.

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Step 2

Delete single letters one at a time. Place the cursor to the right of the letters to be erased and press the "Backspace" key or place the cursor to the left and press the "Delete" key. Continue pressing the key until all the letters are gone.

Step 3

Erase entire words, sentences, paragraphs, or pages. Highlight the text you want to delete by either dragging the mouse to highlight the text, or by holding down the shift key and using the arrows. Once the text is highlighted, press "Backspace" or "Delete" to erase the text.

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Step 4

Add text by moving the cursor to where you want the new text and begin typing, pushing the existing text to the side. If you want to erase the old words as you type the new, press the "Insert" key on your keyboard. You can toggle between the two choices; when you are in overwrite mode the "OVR" in the status bar at the bottom of the screen will be highlighted. Another option is to highlight the text you want to delete and begin typing. The text will be erased automatically.

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Step 5

Rearrange sentences and paragraphs. Highlight the text you want to move by dragging the mouse over the text, and then selecting "Cut" from the "Edit" menu. Click the "Cut" icon on the toolbar, or pressing "CTRL X." Move the cursor where you want to move the text and choose "Paste" from the "Edit" menu. Click the "Paste" icon on the toolbar, or press "CTRL V."

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Step 6

Speed the process of moving text by using only the mouse. Highlight the text to be moved, hover the mouse pointer inside the highlighted area, hold down the left mouse button and drag the text to wherever you want to insert it. Release the mouse button, and your text will appear in its new location.

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