Clever Clogs tip # 734
1 November 2023


Three reasons to use the Navigation Pane in Word *

Hello and welcome to the November tip! I hope you had a good October. Did your organisation do something to 'celebrate' Information Overload day on the 20th October in an attempt to reduce your information output? Speaking of which ...

How many emails do you have in your inbox from firms that ask you to complete a form telling them how wonderful they are? 'We delivered your parcel today. How did we do?' 'How many stars would you give us?' Etcetera etcetera! And then you even get reminders if you didn't write a review. I get it. Feedback is important! But with such an overload no wonder delegates hardly ever leave feedback. With special thanks to those of you who did. You know who you are!

This month's tip is inspired by one of those lovely people who did give feedback. Thanks, Vicky! Vicky wrote on her evaluation form that the favourite tip she picked up was the Navigation Pane.

Like Vicky, most people only use it to search for text. You probably just press CTRL + F and type in the pane that pops up.

But have you ever noticed it has three tabs: Headings, Pages and Results. When you 'hover with intent' over the Navigation Pane button in the Show group on the View tab the 'Tooltip' tells you 'It's like a tour guide for your document'.

So here are the three reasons to use the Navigation Pane - from left to right:

  1. Headings: Move or copy chunks, jump around or print just part of your document (I know that's already 3 reasons ;)
  2. Pages: Spot landscape and portrait formatting and whether text neatly fits on the page. What you see is what you get, aka WYSIWYG.
  3. Results: Find just about anything in your document. Text...

    ... or use the magnifying glass for anything else.

Thanks for the tip inspiration, Vicky. The bragging rights will last a lifetime ... tip_734.php

Related tips

  1. Move or copy chunks of your document without using Cut and Paste or Copy and Paste: tip_415.php
  2. Jump to and print just part of your document: tip_466.php
  3. Applying and modifying Heading Styles to titles and subtitles: tip_423.php
  4. Update all references in a long document: tip_542.php
  5. Top ten Microsoft Word shortcuts: tip_536.php
  6. Squeeze those last lines on a single page: tip_405.php

This month's CleverClogsTipTime on LinkedIn

  1. The people going 'monk mode' to limit social media use
  2. Can anyone explain why the Translate button is available in Excel and Word and PowerPoint) but not in Outlook?
  3. When does the 9th fall on a Monday?
  4. No, I don't want Microsoft Teams to automatically start when I turn on my PC, thank you very much
  5. Add the Paste Values button to Excel's Quick Access Toolbar
  6. 'Like watching Professor McGonagall transfigure into a cat.'
  7. We are 19!

That's it. Let me know of anything that you would like to see or learn by pressing CTRL + R. I always respond to ALL emails. I promise!

K.

PS Speaking of feedback ... As I know everyone hates writing reviews, as an incentive I make a donation to "Children of Nepal" for every completed form I receive, so that your comments can make a real difference! "Children of Nepal" is a small British charitable organisation, close to my heart, that has the aim of extending and improving educational opportunities for children living in Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. For further information see http://www.children-of-nepal.org.uk.

PPS Think before your print. Be green - keep it on the screen. Also, I am aware that the printed version of the tips look pretty bad. :)


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019.