Formatting Text

Lesson 9: Text Formatting, Font, Color

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In Lesson 9, we will walk through the basics of formatting text in Microsoft Word. I will show you how to select text using your mouse, discuss the floating mini toolbar, and demonstrate how to apply bold and italics. We will also cover how to align text right or center it, how to change the font and font size, and how to adjust font color. We'll talk about the ribbon and the different formatting options available there to help your documents look more professional.

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Keywords

TechHelp Word, formatting text, select text with mouse, mini toolbar, bold text, italics, align text right, center text, change font, change font size, font color, live preview, grow font, shrink font, ribbon, return address, recipient address

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Intro

Transcript

In lesson 9, we are going to learn about formatting text. I will show you how to select text with the mouse. We will learn about the floating mini toolbar. We will learn about bold and italics, how to align text right and center it, and how to change the font and font size.

In this lesson, we are going to learn how to start formatting our documents to look more professional. As a general rule of thumb, whenever you want to format something, you have to select it first. So let's begin by learning how to select text.

Let's say I want to highlight or select my name. I am going to move my mouse right in front of my name, click, hold the mouse button down, and drag it to the right. As you can see, I have just selected my name.

The first thing you are going to notice after selecting some text with a mouse is the ghostly image of a small toolbar floating up into the right of the mouse. If you move your mouse over it, you will see it comes into full view. This is called the mini toolbar.

The mini toolbar has many popular commands on it that Microsoft put there for you, thinking you are going to use them quite often after selecting some text. For example, you can change bold or italics, the font, or the justification, and we will talk more about these commands in future lessons.

But for now, if I want to bold that text - the text I just selected, my name - I will click on the B. You can see my name is bolded. Simply click off of the toolbar anywhere else in your document, and that deselects or unhighlights your name.

You do not have to use that mini toolbar if you do not want to. Let's say you want to use the ribbon. Again, I will highlight my name. Instead of clicking on the mini toolbar, I will come right up here to the ribbon and click on the B again. That turns the bolding off.

Notice that a lot of these buttons are on-off switches. For example, bold is either on or off. Italics is next, on or off, and so on. There are a lot of different commands on here, and we will talk more about them soon.

Now what I would like to do is select my entire return address and align it to the right margin. Basically, move it over here. I will begin by selecting all of this text. I will click here and then drag down and to the right. I selected all that text.

I will come up here to the ribbon in the Paragraph section. Here is Align Text Right. I will click on that one. Notice that moved all of the selected text, which in this case is just my return address, over to the right margin. It aligned it to the right.

There is also Align Center, which is right here, and it will center the text in the middle of the page. But I want this to be aligned to the right, so I will click on Align Text Right.

Now what I would like to do is change the font of my return address. The font is simply the way the text looks - the appearance of the text. There are many different types of fonts available in Microsoft Word. The default font is called Calibri. You can see it right here on the ribbon in the Font group. If you drop this box down here, you will see all the different fonts that are available on your computer in Microsoft Word.

Your font list might be slightly different from mine. There are some basic fonts that are installed with Windows, and then Microsoft Office 2007 comes with a lot of its own fonts. But if you scroll down this list, you will get a look at all the different fonts that are available on your system.

If you move your mouse over one of these fonts, you will see the text in the background over here changes. This is called Live Preview. Microsoft Word is trying to show you what the font change will look like before you actually commit to it.

So you can move your mouse over these different font styles here and see the preview of what your document is going to look like before you actually click on the font. As I am going down the list here, let's say I get to... oh, how about Bookman Old Style? We will go with that.

Once I decide that is the font that I want, I will click on it and Word commits the change.

You can also change the font using the Mini Toolbar. If I highlight the recipient's address and then move over the Mini Toolbar here, you will see the font is right there. Let's say I want to change this to Cambria, and there is the font change.

You can also change the size of the font. Let's say the return address is not large enough. Let's select it again. The size of the font, the point size, is right here. If you drop this box down, you will see the default size is 11. Let's make it - let's see - 12, there is 14, 16.

Again, you can see a live preview there of how big you want to make it. That is a bit too big. Let's come down to - how about 14 point? I will pick 14 and Word commits the change.

Same thing with the recipient address. Let's go 14 point there.

There are also two little buttons you can use to increase and decrease the size of the font in steps. For example, if I highlight this text here, there is the A up which is Grow Font, and the A down which is Shrink Font. I can hit this button - shrink, shrink, shrink, shrink - see how it gradually increases and decreases the size of the font. That is handy to know also.

Now I would like to emphasize the name of my company a little more. So let's come up here and select PCRESLE.net. I am going to bold it.

Let's change the color. Right here, the A button is the font color. You can see there is a little line underneath the A. That is the current text color. Right now it is just black. If you click on that, you get black, which is what it is.

To change the color to a different one, click on the little down arrow next to the A, and that will open up a color palette. You can pick any of the colors on here that you would like. Let's go with dark blue right about there. Now you can see it better if you click off of it. There, my PCRESLE.net is a dark blue instead of black.

Want to change the color again? Just select it, drop down the box, and this time I will pick dark red. There we go.

Quiz

Q1. What is the first step before formatting text in Microsoft Word?
A. Select the text you want to format
B. Open a new document
C. Save your document
D. Close the document

Q2. What is the floating toolbar that appears after you select text called?
A. The Action Bar
B. The Mini Toolbar
C. The Command Ribbon
D. The Status Bar

Q3. Which of the following actions can you perform using the Mini Toolbar?
A. Insert a table
B. Change bold or italics, font, and justification
C. Save your document
D. Add a page break

Q4. How do you turn bold formatting on or off for selected text?
A. Click the B button on the Mini Toolbar or Ribbon
B. Right-click and select "Bold"
C. Press CTRL+P
D. Open the Print dialog box

Q5. When aligning your return address to the right margin, which Ribbon section should you use?
A. Insert
B. Paragraph
C. References
D. Mailings

Q6. What is the main benefit of the Live Preview feature when changing fonts?
A. It automatically saves your document
B. It shows what the change will look like before you apply it
C. It prints the document automatically
D. It emails your document to others

Q7. If you want to see which fonts are installed on your computer, you should:
A. Look in the Font drop-down list on the Ribbon
B. Search your hard drive
C. Use the Task Manager
D. Open the Insert menu

Q8. How can you increase or decrease the font size in steps?
A. Use the Grow Font or Shrink Font buttons (A up and A down)
B. Change printer settings
C. Reboot your computer
D. Use the Undo command

Q9. How do you change the color of selected text?
A. Use the Font Color button (the A with a colored line) and pick a color from the palette
B. Insert a shape around the text
C. Change the document background color
D. Save the document as a PDF

Q10. Which feature allows you to preview changes to your text style before committing to them?
A. Live Preview
B. Page Layout
C. AutoSave
D. SmartArt

Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-B; 4-A; 5-B; 6-B; 7-A; 8-A; 9-A; 10-A

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Word Learning Zone will focus on essential text formatting techniques to make your documents look more polished and professional. In this lesson, I will walk you through selecting text, using the mini toolbar, applying bold and italics, adjusting alignment, and changing the font and font size.

We will start with the basics of selecting text. Any time you want to apply formatting in Word, you need to select the text first. For example, if you intend to highlight your name, simply position the mouse at the beginning of the text, hold down the mouse button, and drag across the desired section. Once your text is selected, you will notice a faint toolbar appearing close to your selection. This is the mini toolbar which provides quick access to several frequently used formatting commands.

The mini toolbar contains buttons for bold, italics, font changes, justification, and more. If you want to make your name bold, for example, select your name, then choose the bold option. The text will become bold. Clicking anywhere outside will deselect the text.

You are not limited to the mini toolbar for formatting options. The same tasks can be performed using the Ribbon at the top of Word. If you select your text and use the bold button on the Ribbon, you will see the same result. Many of these formatting toggles, such as bold and italics, function as on-off switches. Click once to turn on the style, click again to turn it off.

Next, let's look at aligning text. Suppose you wish to move your entire return address to the right margin. Start by selecting the address, then find the right alignment command in the Paragraph section of the Ribbon. The selected text will shift to the right side of the page. There is also an option to center text if that is what you prefer, but in this case, we will keep the address right-aligned.

Now I want to show you how to adjust the font for your return address. The font controls the overall look of the text. Microsoft Word uses Calibri as its standard font, but many other fonts are available. You can access the font menu from the Ribbon's Font group. Scroll through your font list to preview options. When you hover over a font name, Live Preview lets you see how your selected text will look before confirming any changes. Once you find a style that fits your needs - such as Bookman Old Style, for example - just select it and Word will apply it to your document.

It is worth mentioning that the mini toolbar also has font controls, so you can adjust the font from there as well. If you want the recipient's address to use a different font, simply select the text, move to the mini toolbar, and pick a new font like Cambria.

Font size can also be adjusted. If you think your return address text is too small, select it and change its size from the font size dropdown. The default is 11, but you might choose 12, 14, or even 16 depending on your needs. Again, Live Preview lets you view size changes in real time before committing.

There are also buttons to increase or decrease the font size in small steps. By selecting your text and using the Grow Font or Shrink Font buttons, you can fine-tune the exact size to your liking.

If you would like to further make part of your document stand out, such as the name of your company, you can use formatting features like bold and font color changes. For instance, select your company name, make it bold, and pick a new text color using the font color tool. The current color appears as a line beneath the font color icon. Click the arrow to open a color palette and choose your preferred color, such as dark blue or dark red. When finished, deselect your text to see the result.

All of these techniques can be repeated and combined in different parts of your document to achieve the look you want.

For a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions covering everything discussed here, visit my website at the link below.

Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Selecting text with the mouse
Using the mini toolbar
Applying bold formatting
Applying italics formatting
Aligning text right
Centering text
Changing the font
Using Live Preview for fonts
Changing font size
Using Grow Font and Shrink Font buttons
Changing font color

Article

In this lesson, we will focus on formatting text to make your documents look more professional. Formatting plays a significant role in making your work clear and visually appealing. The first thing you need to know is that before applying any formatting, you must select the text you want to change. To select text with the mouse, place the pointer where you want to begin, click, hold down the mouse button, and drag over the text you want to highlight. For example, if you want to select your name, position the pointer just before your name, then click and drag to the right until the entire name is highlighted.

Once you select some text, you might notice a small toolbar appearing faintly near your selection. This is known as the mini toolbar. Move your pointer over the toolbar and it will become fully visible. The mini toolbar gives quick access to commonly used formatting commands. Some of these commands include bold, italics, changing the font, the size of the font, and adjusting text alignment.

If you want to emphasize text, such as your name, you can click the button labeled B to make the selected text bold. After you have applied the change, you can deselect the text by clicking anywhere else in your document. Bold is an example of a formatting command that works like a toggle. You can click the B button again to turn it off, returning the text to normal.

You do not have to use the mini toolbar if you prefer using the ribbon at the top of the window. The ribbon also contains all the formatting commands discussed here. For instance, select your text, then click the B icon on the ribbon to turn bold on or off. The same goes for italics. These buttons act as simple switches and can be found in the Font group.

To adjust the alignment of text, such as moving your return address to the right side of your document, start by selecting the address. Then, go to the ribbon and look for the area that controls paragraph alignment. Click the icon for Align Right, and your selected text will shift to the right margin. If you want to center text instead, use the Align Center icon and your text will appear in the center of the line.

Changing the font is another way to alter the appearance of your text. The font determines how the letters and numbers look. The default font in Microsoft Word may be Calibri, but you can choose from many others. With your text selected, go to the Font box on the ribbon and click the dropdown arrow. This will display a list of fonts installed on your computer. As you move your mouse over the various fonts, you will see a live preview of how the text will look if you choose that font. Once you find one you like, such as Bookman Old Style, click on it to apply the change.

The mini toolbar also provides options for changing the font. After highlighting text, you can make rapid changes by using the font dropdown on the mini toolbar rather than the ribbon. Pick a font such as Cambria to see the effect on your selection.

The point size of the font determines how large or small the text appears. To change the size, with your selected text still highlighted, locate the font size box on the ribbon, click the dropdown arrow, and pick a new size. You will notice a live preview as you move through different sizes. For example, you can change from size 11 to 14 if you want your return address to stand out a bit more on the page. The mini toolbar also gives you access to different font sizes.

If you want finer control, you can use the A buttons next to the font size. The larger A increases the font size step by step, while the smaller A reduces it. Simply select your text and click the Grow Font or Shrink Font buttons to adjust the size up or down as needed.

To draw more attention to certain information, you can use more than just bold formatting. For instance, to emphasize the name of your company, select it and apply bold. If you want it to stand out even more, you can change the color. The font color button is labeled with an A and an underline showing the current color. Click the arrow next to the A to open a palette of different colors, then choose the color you prefer for your text. Once you select a color, click outside of your selection to see the final effect. You can repeat the process if you want to pick another color later.

Formatting your text is an essential skill for creating professional-looking documents in Word. By selecting your text first, you gain access to a range of formatting options such as bold, italics, alignment, font, size, and color. Using the mini toolbar or the ribbon, you can quickly adjust your document to make it clear, organized, and visually appealing. Experiment with these tools and features to find the style that best represents your message.