This browser does not support basic Web standards, preventing the display of our site's intended design. May we suggest that you upgrade your browser?

Microsoft Word 2007

Style Basics

By using styles, you can quickly and easily give your documents a consistent look. Styles allow you to apply complex formatting changes to text with a single click. In addition, styles offer an advantage when you revise document formats. When you change the formatting of a style, all paragraphs that are formatted with this style will automatically change to reflect the new formatting. For more information on style, refer to Styles: An Overview.

return to topAccessing the Styles Task Pane

The Styles and Formatting task pane is used extensively when working with styles in Word 2007. Styles can be quickly set, applied, and modified by using the task pane.

  1. In the Styles group, click STYLESdrop button
    The Styles task pane appears.
    style task pane

return to topCreating Styles

Changes of style are normally considered to either be a change of character style or a change of paragraph style. Character styles set the formatting of font, font size, typeface, and color, whereas paragraph styles set the formatting of alignment, spacing, paragraphing, and indentation. You can create your own styles in two ways: from existing text or by using the Styles and Formatting task pane.

Creating Styles: From Existing Text

To create a style from existing text, you must first format a paragraph the way you want it, and then create a style based on the formatting of that paragraph. As you format the paragraph (the one you will be using as an example to create a style), remember that paragraph styles also contain character formatting such as font and font size. Also, if your example paragraph contains left and right indents or a border, those formatting choices will also be part of your style. Be sure to consider all of these components when creating your own style.

  1. Format your example paragraph using the desired character or paragraph formatting, typeface, borders, shading, spacing, and alignment
    WARNING: Make sure your character formatting is consistent. For example, if one word in your paragraph is bold, every word in your new style will be bolded.

  2. Place your insertion point within the newly formatted example paragraph

  3. In the Styles group, click MOREmore button» select Save Selection as a New Quick Style...
    The Create New Style from Formatting dialog box appears.

  4. To name the new style,
    1. In the Create New Style from Formatting dialog box, in the Name text box, type a name
    2. Click OK
      The new style is added to the Styles group, accessible from MOREmore button

Creating Styles: Using the New Style Dialog Box

To create styles before you use them, rather than creating them from existing text, use the New Style dialog box. Using this feature, you can name a new style, define its formatting characteristics, and select options (such as whether to base the style on another style, whether to follow it with another style, and whether to add the style to the current template). You can also import and export styles to and from other documents and templates.

When you create a style by using the New Style dialog box, you have the option to apply that style to the currently selected paragraph, or you may simply add it to the list of styles available in your document or your template.

  1. Access the Styles task pane

  2. Click NEW STYLEnew style button
    The Create New Style from Formatting dialog box appears.
    Create New Style from Formatting

  3. In the Name text box, type a name for the new style
    WARNING: All names are case sensitive, so be sure to type the name exactly as you want it.

  4. To create a character style, in the Properties section, from the Style type pull-down list, select Character
    To create a paragraph style, in the Properties section, from the Style type pull-down list, select Paragraph

  5. OPTIONAL: To base the new style on an existing style, from the Style based on pull-down list, select the existing style to base the new style on
    HINT: To create a completely new style, select (no style).

  6. In the Formatting section, make the appropriate adjustments for your style

  7. OPTIONAL: To make additional formatting selections,
    1. Click FORMAT
      A list of formatting selections appears.
    2. Select the attribute you want to change
      A dialog box corresponding to the chosen attribute appears
      EXAMPLE: Font dialog box, Paragraph dialog box
    3. Complete the corresponding dialog box
    4. Click OK

    5. To make more formatting changes, repeat steps 7a–7d

  8. Click OK

  9. To create additional styles, repeat steps 2–8

return to topApplying Styles

You can apply a paragraph or a character style by selecting one from the Styles group.

  1. Select the text you want to apply the style to

  2. From the Home tab, in the Styles group, click MOREMore button
    NOTES:
    A gallery of styles appears.
    When the cursor hovers over a style, a preview of the style appears in the selected text.

  3. Select the style you want to apply
    The style is applied to the selected text.

return to topModifying Styles

When you modify a style, all the text that has been formatted with that style is updated to reflect the changes you have made. Suppose that you finish a 35-page report with many subheadings formatted with a style called Subhead, which includes 18-point, bold, Arial, and centered text. Now you decide that the subheadings should be smaller and justified left. Simply modify the Subhead style to reflect the new formatting and all the text using the Subhead style will change.

Each time you begin a new document based on the Normal template, Word uses the Normal style to determine the font, font size, line spacing, and other formats. If you find that you are always changing the font, the point size, or some other aspect of the Normal style, you can change its default format settings.
NOTE: If you are working in a lab, Word may not permanently update the Normal template.

  1. Access the Styles task pane

  2. In the Styles task pane, move your pointer over the style you wish to modify
    An arrow for a pull-down list appears.

  3. Click the arrowpulldown arrow» select Modify...
    The Modify Style dialog box appears.
    Modify Style Dialog Box

  4. Make the desired changes

  5. OPTIONAL: To make additional formatting selections,
    1. Click FORMAT
      A list of formatting selections appears.
    2. Select the attribute you want to change
      A dialog box corresponding to the chosen attribute appears
      EXAMPLE: Font dialog box, Paragraph dialog box
    3. Complete the corresponding dialog box
    4. Click OK

    5. To make more formatting changes, repeat steps 5a–5d

  6. Click OK

  7. To create additional styles, repeat steps 2–6

return to topDeleting Styles

When you delete a custom style, Word applies the Normal style to all paragraphs formatted with that style. If you delete a character style you created, Word removes the style formats from any text that you applied that character style to.
NOTE: Not all built-in styles can be deleted.

  1. Access the Styles task pane

  2. In the Styles task pane, move your pointer over the style you wish to delete
    An arrow appears.

  3. Click the arrowpulldown arrow» select Delete...
    A confirmation dialog box appears.

  4. To delete the style, click YES
    To cancel without deleting the style, click NO
    The style is deleted.

return to topClearing All Formatting

There may be times when you want to clear all formatting from selected text or even an entire document. It may be that you are working with text from another source, or you just want to start fresh with unformatted text.

  1. Access the Styles task pane

  2. Select the text you want to remove the formatting from
    HINT: To select all the text in your document, press [Ctrl]+[A].

  3. In the Styles task pane, select Clear All
    All formatting is removed from the selected text.

Excellence. Our Measure. Our Motto. Our Goal.