If we are studying and want to make a summary of a topic or if we are looking for documentation for a project, once we have collected all the data we need, it is time to create a Word document with the most relevant information. When doing so, we must take into account the method that we are going to use. Changing the font format and size randomly is not the same as using the tools that Microsoft Word puts at our disposal to create outlines.

Many are the users who, when creating a document, only use the Word function that allows us to change the font and its size instead of using the different styles that this application makes available to us. The styles that this application offers us are the best way to organize a document always using the same design depending on what type of content we want to write.

Create outlines in Word

When creating a document that we want to quickly consult at a glance, we must use the different styles that Word offers us, styles that are located on the Start ribbon. Each of these styles has a specific format that we can modify to suit our needs and that Word uses to create schemes automatically without the user being aware.

Let’s put a example to make it easier to understand. If we are going to talk about diseases, we will use the style Title 1 in Types of diseases and the style Title 2 Infectious and Non-infectious. Under each of these titles, we can write all the information we need to know. If within the Heading 2 style, we want to add new subdivisions, we will have to use the style Title 3 for each of these.

When using the different styles available in Word, automatically, a triangle is shown oriented towards the lower right part of this that allows us to group all the content that is below this title, that is, all the styles that are lower than the Title 1 that we have used. When all content is grouped shown, the triangle changes its orientation to the right as we can see in the following image.

Once we have created the outline using the different styles available, we can access a simpler outline view that allows us to quickly identify any mistakes we may have made. This option is found within the View options ribbon, click on Scheme.

Change the format of the styles

If we don’t quite like the default design of the styles that Word offers us natively, we can modify it to change the font, its size and even the color to make it easier to identify them at a glance once we have got used to it. them. To change the format of a style, we place the mouse over the style we want to modify, click with the right mouse button and select the option Modify.

If we change our mind and we do not like the format established in one or several styles, it is not necessary to redo the document, we can modify the style and apply the changes to the document automatically, by checking the box update automatically.