Editing Microsoft Word (section)

==Features==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2010}}
Among its features, Word includes a built-in spell checker, a thesaurus, a dictionary, and utilities for manipulating and editing text. It supports creating [[table (information)|tables]]. Depending on the version, it can perform simple and complex calculations, and supports formatting [[formula]]s and [[equation]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Word Features Comparison: Web vs Desktop - Microsoft Support |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/word-features-comparison-web-vs-desktop-3e863ce3-e82c-4211-8f97-5b33c36c55f8 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=support.microsoft.com}}</ref>

The following are some aspects of its feature set.

=== Templates ===
Several later versions of Word include the ability for users to create their own formatting templates, allowing them to define a file in which: the title, heading, paragraph, and other element designs differ from the standard Word templates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/school/microsoft-word-document-formatting-essentials/lesson5/|title=Word Formatting: Mastering Styles and Document Themes|last=Klein|first=Matt|website=How-To Geek|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709204809/https://www.howtogeek.com/school/microsoft-word-document-formatting-essentials/lesson5/|url-status=live}}</ref> Users can find how to do this under the Help section located near the top right corner (Word 2013 on [[Windows 8]]).

For example, '''Normal.dotm''' is the master [[Template (word processing)|template]] from which all Word documents are created. It determines the [[Margin (typography)|margin]] defaults as well as the layout of the text and font defaults. Although Normal.dotm is already set with certain defaults, the user can change it to new defaults. This will change other documents which were created using the template.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Change the Normal template (Normal.dotm )|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-the-normal-template-normal-dotm-06de294b-d216-47f6-ab77-ccb5166f98ea|access-date=May 20, 2021|website=support.microsoft.com|language=en-US|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520001124/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-the-normal-template-normal-dotm-06de294b-d216-47f6-ab77-ccb5166f98ea|url-status=live}}</ref> It was previously Normal.dot.<ref>[http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=151 in-depth explanation of Normal.dot] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050620082713/http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=151 |date=June 20, 2005 }}</ref>

===Image formats===
Word can import and display images in common bitmap formats such as [[JPEG|JPG]] and [[GIF]]. It can also be used to create and display simple line art. Microsoft Word added support<ref>{{cite web |title=Edit SVG images in Microsoft Office 365 |url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/edit-svg-images-in-microsoft-office-365-69f29d39-194a-4072-8c35-dbe5e7ea528c |website=Office Support |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106162647/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/edit-svg-images-in-microsoft-office-365-69f29d39-194a-4072-8c35-dbe5e7ea528c |url-status=live }}</ref> for the common [[Scalable vector graphics|SVG]] vector image format in 2017 for [[Microsoft 365|Office 365]] ProPlus subscribers and this functionality was also included in the Office 2019 release.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is MS Word? - Basics, Uses, Features & Questions |url=https://byjus.com/govt-exams/microsoft-word/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=BYJUS |language=en}}</ref>

===WordArt===
{{Main|WordArt}}
[[File:WordArt.png|thumb|164x164px|An example image created with WordArt]]
WordArt enables drawing text in a Microsoft Word document such as a title, watermark, or other text, with graphical effects such as skewing, shadowing, rotating, stretching in a variety of shapes and colors, and even including three-dimensional effects. Users can apply formatting effects such as shadow, bevel, glow, and reflection to their document text as easily as applying bold or underline. Users can also spell-check text that uses visual effects and add text effects to paragraph styles.

===Macros===
A [[Macro (computer science)|macro]] is a rule of pattern that specifies how a certain input sequence (often a sequence of characters) should be mapped to an output sequence according to a defined process. Frequently used or repetitive sequences of keystrokes and mouse movements can be automated. Like other [[Microsoft Office]] documents, Word files can include advanced macros and even embedded programs. The language was originally [[WordBasic]], but changed to [[Visual Basic for Applications]] as of Word 97.

This extensive functionality can also be used to run and propagate [[Computer virus|viruses]] in documents. The tendency for people to exchange Word documents via email, [[USB flash drive]]s, and [[floppy disk]]s made this an especially attractive vector in 1999. A prominent example was the [[Melissa virus]], but countless others have existed.

These macro viruses were the only known cross-platform threats between Windows and Macintosh computers and they were the only infection vectors to affect any [[macOS]] system up until the advent of [[Zlob trojan|video codec trojans]] in 2007.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Microsoft released patches for Word X and Word 2004 that effectively eliminated the macro problem on the Mac by 2006.

Word's macro security setting, which regulates when macros may execute, can be adjusted by the user, but in the most recent versions of Word, it is set to HIGH by default, generally reducing the risk from macro-based viruses, which have become uncommon.

===Layout issues===
Before Word 2010 (Word 14) for Windows, the program was unable to correctly handle [[ligature (typography)|ligatures]] defined in [[OpenType]] fonts.<ref>[http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/what-s-new-in-word-2010-HA010372687.aspx What's new in Word 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618035713/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/what-s-new-in-word-2010-HA010372687.aspx |date=June 18, 2010 }}. Retrieved July 1, 2010.</ref> Those ligature glyphs with [[Unicode]] codepoints may be inserted manually, but are not recognized by Word for what they are, breaking spell checking, while custom ligatures present in the font are not accessible at all. Since Word 2010, the program now has advanced [[typesetting]] features which can be enabled,<ref>[http://jeffhuang.com/better_word_papers.html Improving the look of papers written in Microsoft Word] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526134119/http://jeffhuang.com/better_word_papers.html |date=May 26, 2010 }}. Retrieved May 30, 2010.</ref> [[OpenType]] ligatures,<ref>[http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/05/17/how-to-enable-opentype-ligatures-in-word-2010/ How to Enable OpenType Ligatures in Word 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611050447/http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/05/17/how-to-enable-opentype-ligatures-in-word-2010/ |date=June 11, 2009 }}, Oreszek Blog, May 17, 2009.</ref> [[kerning]] and [[Hyphenation algorithm|hyphenation]] (previous versions already had the latter two features). Other layout deficiencies of Word include the inability to set crop marks or thin spaces. Various third-party workaround utilities have been developed.<ref>Such as {{cite web |url=http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/BlankPage.htm |title=How to delete a blank page in Word |publisher=Sbarnhill.mvps.org |access-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505105925/http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/BlankPage.htm |archive-date=May 5, 2010 }}</ref>

In Word 2004 for Mac OS X, support of [[complex scripts]] was inferior even to Word 97<ref>{{cite web|title=Unicode and Multilingual Editors and Word Processors for Mac OS X|url=http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/utilities_editors_macosx.html|author=Alan Wood|access-date=December 3, 2013|archive-date=January 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114080658/http://alanwood.net/unicode/utilities_editors_macosx.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Word 2004 did not support [[Apple Advanced Typography]] features like ligatures or glyph variants.<ref>{{cite web |last=Neuburg |first=Matt |url=http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07715 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708192529/http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07715 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |title=TidBITS : Word Up! Word 2004, That Is |publisher=Db.tidbits.com |date=May 19, 2004 |access-date=June 21, 2010 }}</ref>

===Issues with technical documents===
Microsoft Word is only partially suitable for some kinds of technical writing, specifically, that which requires mathematical equations,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/automatically-numbering-equations-and-other/c3c4e43f-2ed1-438c-9810-09f884760ff5?page=2|title=Automatically numbering equations and other equation-related questions in Word for Mac 2011|date=February 6, 2013|website=Microsoft Community}}</ref> figure placement, table placement and cross-references to any of these items.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The usual workaround for equations is to use a third-party equation typesetter.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} Figures and tables must be placed manually; there is an anchor mechanism but it is not designed for fully automatic figure placement and editing text after placing figures and tables often requires re-placing those items by moving the anchor point and even then the placement options are limited.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} This problem is deeply baked into Word's structure since 1985 as it does not know where page breaks will occur until the document is printed.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Bullets and numbering===
Microsoft Word supports [[bullet list]]s and [[numbered list]]s. It also features a numbering system that helps add correct numbers to pages, chapters, headers, footnotes, and entries of tables of content; these numbers automatically change to correct ones as new items are added or existing items are deleted. Bullets and numbering can be applied directly to paragraphs and converted to lists.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McGhie|first1=John|title=Word's numbering explained|url=http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm|website=word.mvps.org|date=March 26, 2011|access-date=January 10, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209033637/http://word.mvps.org/faqs/numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Word 97 through 2003, however, had problems adding correct numbers to numbered lists. In particular, a second irrelevant numbered list might have not started with number one but instead resumed numbering after the last numbered list. Although Word 97 supported a hidden marker that said the list numbering must restart afterward, the command to insert this marker (Restart Numbering command) was only added in Word 2003. However, if one were to [[Cut, copy, and paste|cut the first item of the listed and paste it]] as another item (e.g. fifth), then the restart marker would have moved with it and the list would have restarted in the middle instead of at the top.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/ListRestartMethods.htm |title=Methods for restarting list numbering |website=Word.mvps.org |date=March 26, 2011 |first=Margaret |last=Aldis |access-date=April 25, 2007 |archive-date=May 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509134228/http://word.mvps.org/faqs/numbering/ListRestartMethods.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Word continues to default to non-Unicode characters and non-hierarchical bulleting, despite user preference for PowerPoint-style symbol hierarchies (e.g., filled circle/emdash/filled square/endash/emptied circle) and universal compatibility.

===AutoSummarize===
Available in certain versions of Word (e.g., Word 2007), AutoSummarize highlights passages or phrases that it considers valuable and can be a quick way of generating a crude abstract or an executive summary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.word-tips.com/auto-summarize/|title=How To Access Auto Summarize in Microsoft Word 2007|date=December 14, 2011|website=Sue's Word Tips|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709204810/https://www.word-tips.com/auto-summarize/|url-status=live}}</ref> The amount of text to be retained can be specified by the user as a percentage of the current amount of text.

According to Ron Fein of the Word 97 team, AutoSummarize cuts wordy copy to the bone by counting words and ranking sentences. First, AutoSummarize identifies the most common words in the document (barring "a" and "the" and the like) and assigns a "score" to each word – the more frequently a word is used, the higher the score. Then, it "averages" each sentence by adding the scores of its words and dividing the sum by the number of words in the sentence – the higher the average, the higher the rank of the sentence. "It's like the ratio of wheat to chaff," explains Fein.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gore |first=Karenna |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2419 |title=Cognito Auto Sum |work=Slate |date=February 9, 1997 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627072528/http://www.slate.com/id/2419 |url-status=live }}</ref>

AutoSummarize was removed from Microsoft Word for Mac OS X 2011, although it was present in Word for Mac 2008. AutoSummarize was removed from the Office 2010 release version (14) as well.<ref>[https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179199 Changes in Word 2010 (for IT pros)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826175549/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179199 |date=August 26, 2017 }}. Technet.microsoft.com (May 16, 2012). Retrieved July 17, 2013.</ref>

===Spike===
'''Spike''' is a specialized [[cut-and-paste|cut]] command in Microsoft Word. It is named after an implement in restaurants on which receipts are impaled, and similarly sequentially stores data to be pasted and adds them together to the document when the second function step, or paste, is performed. Please note that spiking (CONTROL–F3) performs a cut function, which can be immediately undone to simulate a "copy" command, while the pasting function (SHIFT–CONTROL–F3) will also clear the data from the spike, although this can be avoided by using alternatives to the three-key shortcut.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-spike-to-cut-and-paste-multiple-items-in-word-f378c7af-5116-4df7-97f1-1a4780e4c8e1|title=Use the Spike to cut and paste multiple items in Word|website=Microsoft|access-date=7 July 2023}}</ref>  <!--I believe it works like printing a queue data structure, but no firm citation.  I think it has been present since at least Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0 (1989). (not able to find source right now) The keyboard shortcut guide for Word for Windows 2.0 that I saw it listed on also called SHIFT-CONTROL-F3 'unspike' but again I did not find a published source.-->

===Hidden text===

Word supports marking selected text as "[[Hidden text|hidden]]". Hidden text is text that is stored in the document but is not displayed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/use-hidden-text-word/ |title=How to use hidden text to make one document do the work of two in Microsoft Word |first=Susan |last=Harkins |date=August 11, 2022 |website=[[TechRepublic]]}}</ref> For example, pages containing large amounts of [[markup language]] text can be made visually more readable during the editing process.

=== Password protection ===
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2024}}{{Main|Microsoft Office password protection}}

Three password types can be set in Microsoft Word:

* Password to open a document<ref name="office.com-password-prot">{{cite web |title=Password protect documents, workbooks, and presentations |url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212134311/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-HA010148333.aspx |archive-date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |work=[[Microsoft Office website]] |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> 
* Password to modify a document<ref name="office.com-password-prot" />
* Password restricting formatting and editing<ref>{{cite web |date=June 22, 2010 |title=How to Restrict Editing in Word 2010/2007 |url=http://www.trickyways.com/2010/06/how-to-restrict-editing-in-word-2010-2007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626230112/http://www.trickyways.com/2010/06/how-to-restrict-editing-in-word-2010-2007/ |archive-date=June 26, 2010 |access-date=April 24, 2010 |work=Trickyways}}</ref>

The second and third password types were developed by Microsoft for convenient shared use of documents rather than for their protection. There is no [[encryption]] of documents that are protected by such passwords and the Microsoft Office protection system saves a [[hash sum]] of a password in a document's header where it can be easily accessed and removed by the specialized software. ''Password to open a document'' offers much tougher protection that had been steadily enhanced in the subsequent editions of Microsoft Office.

''Word 95'' and all the preceding editions had the weakest protection that utilized a conversion of a password to a 16-bit [[Encryption key|key]].

[[Key size|Key length]] in ''Word 97'' and ''2000'' was strengthened up to 40 bit. However, modern cracking software allows removing such a password very quickly – a persistent cracking process takes one week at most. Use of [[rainbow tables]] reduces password removal time to several seconds. Some [[password recovery]] software can not only remove a password but also find an actual password that was used by a user to encrypt the document using the [[brute-force attack]] approach. Statistically, the possibility of recovering the password depends on the [[password strength]].

Word's 2003/XP version default protection remained the same but an option that allowed advanced users to choose a [[Cryptographic Service Provider]] was added.<ref>{{cite web |title=How safe is Word encryption. Is it secure? |url=http://www.oraxcel.com/projects/encoffice/help/How_safe_is_Word_encryption.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417033732/http://www.oraxcel.com/projects/encoffice/help/How_safe_is_Word_encryption.html |archive-date=April 17, 2013 |access-date=April 24, 2013 |publisher=Oraxcel.com}}</ref> If a strong CSP is chosen, guaranteed document decryption becomes unavailable and, therefore, a password can't be removed from the document. Nonetheless, a password can be fairly quickly picked with a brute-force attack, because its speed is still high regardless of the CSP selected. Moreover, since the CSPs are not active by default, their use is limited to advanced users only.

Word 2007 offers significantly more secure document protection which utilizes the modern [[Advanced Encryption Standard]] (AES) that converts a password to a 128-bit key using a [[SHA-1]] hash function 50,000 times. It makes password removal impossible (as of today, no computer that can pick the key in a reasonable amount of time exists) and drastically slows the brute-force attack speed down to several hundreds of passwords per second.

Word's 2010 protection algorithm was not changed apart from the increasing number of SHA-1 conversions up to 100,000 times and consequently, the brute-force attack speed decreased two times more.