▷ 15 tips and tricks to get the most out of Word Online

word online tips tips

The arrival of Microsoft Office 365 together with Outlook marked the launch of the Microsoft suite on the Internet, making it possible to use programs such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint through the browser completely free of charge. Of all the Microsoft tools, Word Online is probably the one with the highest acceptance among users of the suite . And it is that despite the fact that the online version has some limitations, the interface inherits part of the characteristics of Word for Windows and Mac. Do you want to take full advantage of Word Online 2019? Take a look at these tips and tricks.

index of contents

  • Turn on the spell checker in Word Online
  • Export a document to Word, ODT or PDF in Word Online
  • Import Word and ODT files into Word Online
  • Key combinations for Word Online
  • Translate Word document without losing formatting
  • Download templates for Word Online
  • Recover an older version of a Word document
  • Recover a deleted or deleted Word file
  • Insert footnote in Word Online
  • List pages and sheets in Word Online
  • Find and replace text in Word Online
  • Put a background image in Word Online
  • Install Word extensions
  • Quote texts from Wikipedia automatically
  • Design custom templates in Word Online

Turn on the spell checker in Word Online

Good news for Word Online users: Word's spell checker is present in its browser version. To activate it, just scroll to the Review section of the interface's top menu .

cheats word online 1

Then we will go to the option of Spelling and grammar, and more specifically to the arrow that accompanies the option . Finally we will give Spelling so that the web enables the Word spell checker.

If we want to configure the correction, we can refer to Correction Options, where we can adjust the capitalization rules, automatic correction or the replacement of quotation marks in citations .

Export a document to Word, ODT or PDF in Word Online

As a general rule, Word Online will store the documents in our Outlook account. To export it to an external file and download it later on our computer, we will only have to click on the File section and then on Save as .

cheats word online 2

Along with this, Word will show us a series of options to export the original document in PDF, Word and even ODT format for Open Office, Pages and other third-party programs.

Import Word and ODT files into Word Online

If we want to carry out the opposite process, Word allows us to edit files locally through its web editor.

Inside the Word panel (we can access it through this link) we will click on Load and open. Then the web will allow us to upload any file with an ODT, DOCX or DOC extension .

Key combinations for Word Online

There are many key combinations to use in the online version of Word. We leave you below with several of the most useful combinations for Windows and Mac:

  • Bold : Control + N
  • Italic : Control + K
  • Underline : Control + S
  • Cut : Control + X
  • Copy : Control + C
  • Paste : Control + V
  • Paste plain text : Control + Shift + V
  • Cancel : Esc
  • Undo : Control + Z
  • Redo : Control + Y
  • Select all : Control + E
  • Print : Control + P
  • Bulleted List : Control + Period (.)
  • List with numbers : Control + Divide (/)
  • Align  Center : Control + E
  • Align Right : Control + D
  • Align Left : Control + Q
  • Increase the font size : Control + Closed square bracket (])
  • Reduce the font size : Control + Open Bracket ([)

Translate Word document without losing formatting

Why resort to a third-party translator like Google's when Microsoft has a native one. Using the Word translator is as simple as going back to the Review section, and more specifically to the Translate option .

cheats word online 3

Later, the application will ask us if we want to translate the selection or the entire document. Finally, different odd and even pages and the document will be translated automatically.

If the document is written in several languages, we can add two or more languages ​​by clicking on the gear wheel; specifically in the option to Add more languages .

Download templates for Word Online

Although Word templates are not compatible with Word Online, the web application has a series of quite interesting templates to apply in documents, such as CVs , cover letters or advertising brochures .

  • Access all Word templates

By clicking on any of the templates present in the template editor we can edit the document in question. Unfortunately the number of themes available is not very high.

Recover an older version of a Word document

Like the application for Mac and Windows, Word Online has a version history that allows us to view, and ultimately recover, all the changes that have been made to the original document .

Within the web editor, with the document that we want to recover open, we will click on the File section and then on Information . Later we will select Previous Versions and then the history will appear with the last changes made.

Applying the changes is as simple as double clicking on the version we want to recover , which will now be displayed in the Word editor.

Recover a deleted or deleted Word file

cheats word online 6

If we want to recover a deleted file in Word Online we can do it through the Recycle Bin . For this purpose, however, we will have to go to the Outlook web application.

  • Access the Word Recycle Bin

Within this we can see a list with all the files that have been deleted recently , either through Word, Excel, PowerPoint or any of the applications of the Microsoft Office 365 suite.

Insert footnote in Word Online

Inserting footnotes is another tool that Word Online inherits from its counterpart for Windows and Mac.

word web online 1

To make use of this powerful option we will go to the References section and then to the Insert footnote option . We can also play with the option of Insert note at the end if we want to add the bibliography of the citations at the end of the document.

In any case, the web will display a small box where we can add all the citations separated by numbers , which we will have to manually indicate throughout the text that we want to reference.

List pages and sheets in Word Online

You could not miss one of the most powerful features of Word. In the Insert section , specifically in Page numbers, we can add numberings within the sheets of the Word document.

word web online 5

If we want to start listing the pages without the cover or the index or from the second or third sheet, we will have to play with the different options that the editor offers us : Same throughout the document, Different first page, Different odd and even pages, Different first, even and odd pages ...

Find and replace text in Word Online

Probably one of the most powerful features in Word Web. With Search and Replace we can find a set of words in a certain document and replace them with the text string that we indicate (for example, “tweet” for “tweet” or “so” for “so”).

To access this tool we will go to the Home section with the document open and then to Search . Now we just have to click on Replace and the application will show us two boxes where we will have to indicate the search term and its replacement.

Put a background image in Word Online

Although it is true that the web version of Word does not have options to add corporate logos or watermarks on the pages , we can establish background images. In fact, the process is really simple: just add an image inside the document through the Insert section.

word web online 4

Once we have added the image to the document, we will right click on it and select the Adjust text option . Finally we will select Behind the text to put the image as the background of the sheet. Unfortunately, we will not be able to adjust the transparency of the image, so we will have to resort to a third-party image editor.

Install Word extensions

Did you know that you can install third-party extensions in Word Online? To install a certain extension we will have to go first to the Insert section; specifically to the option of Complements .

word web online 3

In the Store section, the application will show us a series of extensions that we can add for free by clicking on the Add button . To make use of the extension in question, just go back to the Accessories section and double-click on the extension in question.

Quote texts from Wikipedia automatically

Entering fully into the field of third-party extensions and tools, one of the most powerful extensions is precisely Wikipedia. The application of the popular website allows us to search for information and quote it automatically in a few seconds without leaving the Word editor .

word web online 2

The operation is really simple: we will only have to look for the information we want to reference ("Nikola Tesla", "Ford Mustang", "Felipe V" ...) and the extension will automatically show us the original article hosted on Wikipedia. To copy the text into the original document, simply select the text within the Wikipedia article and click on the More button . Not only the referenced text will be added automatically, but also the bibliography and the original source of the information.

Design custom templates in Word Online

Admittedly, the options for creating templates in Word Online are rather limited. The very small catalog of existing templates for the web version of Word does not help either. Using third-party extensions, however, we can alleviate this problem, and in this case iWriter 365 is the best option .

The add-in takes us in a much more visual way to build templates through a much more visual constructor than what Office offers us by default. Of course, some of your options are paid.