Tip of the week # 575
17 June 2019


See what styles are applied in a document (Microsoft Word) *

Some time ago I tried to make you fall in love with SHIFT + F1 to examine the formatting that is in effect in different parts of your document or email. During a recent event, organised by the Møller Centre, I was sharing SHIFT + F1 as one of the top tips, only to find that one of the PAs present knew a different way to see what styles are applied in a document.

Here's how: (Step 1-4 is a one-off exercise.)

  1. On the File tab click Options.
  2. Press the letter A or click on Advanced.
  3. Under Display, set your preferred size for the Style area pane. (Mine is 1.5 cm).
  4. Press ENTER or click OK.
  5. Click on the Draft button, found in the lower-right corner of the Word program window, next to the zoom. (Or click on the Draft button in the Document Views group on the View tab.)

In version 2016 the Outline and Draft view buttons can only be accessed from the Views group on the View tab. So, if you've upgraded I'd right-click the Draft button and stick it on the Quick Access Toolbar.

By the way, the Draft view displays only basic text, so don't worry if you don't see your headers and footers or pictures.

Finally, Tricia - many thanks for the tip inspiration! As mentioned on the day, this is why I continue to get a buzz out of my work after all these years, as I still learn from the attendees.

Related tips

  • Reveal, select and modify all text with similar formatting - tip_498.php
  • Clear all formatting and styles from selected text - tip_436.php
  • Applying and modifying Heading Styles to titles and subtitles - tip_423.php
  • Quickly show (or hide) paragraph marks - tip_394.php
  • Reuse formatting using the format painter shortcut - tip_352.php

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* Unless stated otherwise, these tips were written for Microsoft Office 2010.