Formatting text by using styles

If you want to quickly change the appearance of your text, tables or lists in your document you can apply a style. A style is a set of formatting characteristics, that, when you apply it, you apply a whole group of formats in one simple task.

If you want to format the title of your text, you can, instead of taking three separate steps to format your title as 16 pt, Arial and center-aligned, get the same result by applying the Title style.

There are four types of styles you can apply in your document:

• Paragraph style: controls all aspects of a paragraph’s appearance, such as text alignment, tab stops, line spacing, and borders, and can include character formatting;
• Character style: a style that effects a selected text in a paragraph, such as the font and size of text, and bold and italic formats;
• Table style: this styles provides a consistent look to borders, shading, alignment and fonts in tables;
• List style: applies similar alignment, numbering or bullet characters, and fonts to lists.

If you want to view or create a style, just go to the Styles and Formatting task pane. Direct formatting that you apply is also stored here, so that you can quickly reuse it.

Applying a different style to text

When you want to change the style of text, you can apply an existing style, also known as a built-in style. If you don’t see a style with the characteristics you want, you can create a new style, and then apply it.

Modifying a style

To quickly change all the text that is formatted with a particular style, you can redefine the style. For example, if your main headings are 14 pt Arial, flush left, and bold, and you later decide you want your headings to be 16 pt, Arial Narrow, and centered, you don’t have to reformat every main heading in your document. Instead, just change the properties of that style. Note that when you change a formatting element of the base style in a document, all styles that originate from the base style in that document will also reflect the change.

You can also have Microsoft Word modify a style automatically, meaning that Word detects when you alter the formatting of text containing a style, and then automatically updates the style. When Word automatically updates the style, all text formatted with that style is updated to match the formatting of the text you just changed. Automatically updating styles is recommended for users who are experienced with using styles.

Creating a new style

1. If the Styles and Formatting task pane is not open, click the Format menu and select Styles and Formatting. The Styles task pane appears on the right-side of the window.
2. In the Styles and Formatting task pane, click New Style.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the style.
4. Do one of the following:
   • In the Style type box, click Character.
   • In the Style type box, click Paragraph
   • In the Style type box, click Table.
   • In the Style type box, click List.
   
5. Select the option that you want, or click Format to see more options.

Tip: If you want to use text that you have already formatted, select it, and
then base the new style on the formatting and other properties applied
to the selected text.

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