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Whether you've been using Microsoft Word for years or you're a beginner, you may not be taking full advantage of its capabilities
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So coming up, I'll show you useful tricks and hidden features in Microsoft Word that can make you more productive
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Let's get started. Using Microsoft Word's search function is useful for finding text within a document
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Many people don't know that it can also find elements within a document. such as graphics, tables, equations, and other stuff
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To bring up the search function on Windows, use the keyboard shortcut, Control Plus F
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On MacOS, that would be Command Plus F. You'll see it here on the left
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Click on the magnifying glass icon. Here below Find, you'll see graphics, tables, equations
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footnotes, end notes, and comments. In this example, I'll select tables. In a lengthy document, being able to search
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being able to search non-text elements can be a great time saver
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When collaborating with a team on a document, adding a timestamp that updates automatically can be beneficial
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to know when it was last updated by yourself or another team member
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You can add the timestamp anywhere in the dock. For this one, I'll add it after the title
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In the Home tab, I'll undo bold, change the text size to 12
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and add a parentheses to stick the timestamp in there. stamp in there Next go to the insert tab Then here on the right click on date and time You see various options Select the format that you want Do you have it automatically update in real time
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Check the box next to, update automatically. Then click on OK. Now when yourself or team member updates this document
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the timestamp will automatically be updated. The Smart Lookup feature is great for those times you need to search the internet for information
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without having to open a separate web browser and leave the document that you're currently working on
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To use it, highlight a word or phrase, right click on the highlighted text
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and select search followed by the word or phrase. A new panel will open on the right with definitions or quick explainers
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along with other resources on the internet to gather additional information. A question people ask me all the time is how can I edit a PDF file without having to pay for software
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One way is to convert it from a PDF to a Word document. Here's how to do that
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With a blank document open, go to the file tab here in the upper left
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then select Open. In other locations, click on browse. Select your file and click Open
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You'll get this pop-up that says Word will now convert your PDF to an editable Word document
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This may take a while. The resulting Word document will be optimized to allow you to edit the text
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so it might not look exactly like the original PDF, especially if the original file contained lots of graphics
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Click OK. When it done you have a document that you can fully edit with Microsoft Word Conversely if you want to save a Word document as a PDF to share with someone that does not have Word installed but does have a PDF reader
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Here in the left, click File. Click Save as. If need be, give your file a name
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Then in the drop-down menu, select the PDF format. When you're done with that, click on Save
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Many users of Word don't realize they have full access to a library of images that can be used at no extra cost. For example, to add an icon
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or emoji, select the insert tab, then click on icons. In addition to icons, you'll see other
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categories, including images with a ton to choose from. Cut Out People is great for promotional
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materials using a transparent background to place them wherever you want. There's also stickers, illustrations
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and cartoon people let's go back to icons to add a happy emoji
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just do a search for happy select the emoji and here at the bottom
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click on insert voice dictation is a fantastic feature that has improved so much
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that it's now actually great especially for those with disabilities You just speak the words and they get typed into the document
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Here's an example. To use it in the home tab, on the right side of the ribbon, click on dictate
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The use of machine learning algorithms allows companies government agencies and nonprofits especially those that work with large amounts of data to gain insights work more efficiently and develop products and systems that would have been unattainable just a decade or so ago Period
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Many people find when writing that the ribbon here at the top, the white space, and other
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stuff surrounding the document to be a distraction. To just focus on the space where you write, click on the view tab here at the top
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And click on Focus. To exit Focus, click the escape key on your keyboard
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Watermarks are a method to prevent unwanted use of a document or to let others know who owns
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the copyright. To use a watermark in your documents, go to the design tab
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Here on the right, click on Watermark. You have several to choose from, including Confidential, Do Not Copy, Draft, and many others
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select the one you want, I'll go with confidential, and it will appear in your document
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If you want to hide text, that won't be in the final version of your document, first select the
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text that you want hidden. In the Home tab, in the font section, click the small icon here in the
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lower corner. This will bring up an additional menu. In effects, check the box next to hidden
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Then click on OK. Thanks for watching. If this video is useful for
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for you, give it a thumbs up and share it with others. If you have a tip, trick, or hidden feature
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not mentioned, let us know about it in the comments. And if you're new to our channel, subscribe
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