Character Formatting
Topic 04

Character Formatting

Character formatting controls how individual letters and words look — font, size, style, color, and effects. It applies to whatever text you have selected, or to new text you type from the cursor position.

Section 1

The Font Group

All core character formatting lives in the Home → Font group on the Ribbon. You can also access every option through the Font dialog box.

Calibri
11
B
I
U
S̶
x²
x₂
A↑
A↓
Aa
A
A
Normal The quick brown fox
Bold The quick brown fox
Italic The quick brown fox
Underline The quick brown fox
Strikethrough The quick brown fox
Highlight The quick brown fox
Font Color The quick brown fox
Superscript E = mc2
Subscript H2O
Font Dialog: Press Ctrl + D or click the dialog launcher ↘ in the Font group to open the full Font dialog — it has every option in one place, including character spacing and advanced effects.
Section 2

Formatting Shortcuts

These keyboard shortcuts work on selected text — or toggle on/off for text you are about to type.

Shortcut Effect
Ctrl + BBold
Ctrl + IItalic
Ctrl + UUnderline
Ctrl + DOpen Font dialog
Ctrl + Shift + >Increase font size one step
Ctrl + Shift + <Decrease font size one step
Ctrl + ]Increase font size by 1pt
Ctrl + [Decrease font size by 1pt
Ctrl + Shift + AToggle ALL CAPS
Ctrl + Shift + KToggle Small Caps
Ctrl + SpaceRemove all character formatting — back to default
Format Painter: Select formatted text → click the Format Painter brush on the Home tab → click or drag over other text to copy the exact formatting. Double-click the brush to keep it active for multiple uses. Press Esc to stop.
Section 3

Change Case

No need to retype text to change its capitalization. Select the text and use Home → Font → Aa (Change Case) or press Shift + F3 to cycle through options.

Sentence case
The quick brown fox
First letter of sentence capitalized
lowercase
the quick brown fox
All letters lowercase
UPPERCASE
the quick brown fox
All letters uppercase
Capitalize Each Word
The Quick Brown Fox
Title case
tOGGLE cASE
tHE QUICK BROWN FOX
Inverts every letter's case
Section 4

AutoCorrect

AutoCorrect automatically fixes common spelling mistakes and typos as you type. It also handles smart quotes, capitalization after periods, and more. You can add your own entries to use it as a text shortcut tool.

teh → the Built-in
recieve → receive Built-in
(c) → © Built-in
msw → Microsoft Word Custom
afq → Ahmed Farouk · askfarouk.net Custom
1
Open AutoCorrect Options
File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options…
2
Add a custom entry
In the Replace field type your shortcut (e.g. msw). In the With field type the full text. Click Add.
3
Use it
Type your shortcut anywhere in Word, then press Space or Enter — Word replaces it instantly.
Undo a correction: If AutoCorrect replaces something you didn't want changed, press Ctrl + Z immediately to undo only that correction while keeping everything else.
Section 5

AutoText

AutoText stores longer blocks of content — a full address, a signature, a disclaimer — and lets you insert them with a few keystrokes. Unlike AutoCorrect, it does not trigger automatically; you choose when to insert it.

💾
Save an AutoText entry

Type and format the content you want to save. Select it. Go to Insert → Quick Parts → AutoText → Save Selection to AutoText Gallery. Give it a name.

⚡
Insert an AutoText entry

Type the first few letters of the entry name — Word shows a tooltip. Press F3 to insert it. Or go to Insert → Quick Parts → AutoText and pick from the gallery.

AutoText vs AutoCorrect

AutoCorrect fires automatically on trigger text — best for short replacements. AutoText is manual and supports rich formatting and images — best for longer reusable blocks.

Building Blocks: AutoText entries are stored in Word's Building Blocks library. You can manage, edit, or delete them via Insert → Quick Parts → Building Blocks Organizer.