Which View Is For You?

When you are working on a Microsoft Word document you have a few choices of how to view the document. There are different views for different purposes.  Choosing the correct view for your project will save you time and give you a better idea of what the finished printed document will look like.  Let’s take a look at the different views that are available and you can choose which one will be right for you. To choose a different view click on View in your menu bar and select the view. If you use a different word processor the views will most likely be similar.

Normal View

If you are just typing or editing a text document, normal view will be all you need.  It will show text formatting such as bold, italics, size and font. In this view you will not see graphics, backgrounds, objects, headers and footers. 

Web Layout

When you are creating a document that will be viewed on the web or your company’s intranet.

Print Layout

In the print layout view you will see all graphics, text, headers and footers. 

Outline

Outline view will show you the structure of your document.  By expanding or collapsing headings (clicking the plus or minus sign) you can easily work with large documents.  You are able to view just the main heading or all the headings.  This makes it easier to reorganize text within the large document. Background, graphics, headers and footers are not shown in this view.

Header and Footer

Choose this to add or edit a header or footer such as page numbers.

Print Preview

In print preview you are able to display multiple pages by reducing the size of your document. You can also zoom in.  If you have graphics inserted in your document you can make sure the document is visually pleasing in this view.  If not, change the view and make adjustments. You are not able to type or edit your document in print preview.

Full Screen

In full screen you will not see your menu bar, tool bar or rulers. If you find the toolbars to be distracting give this view a try. Keyboard shortcuts do not generally work in this view.

Document Map View

When you choose document view another pane will open.  The pane will list the headings in your document.  This will allow you to quickly navigate through your document.

Zoom

You can zoom “in” to get a better look at your document or zoom “out” to reduce the size. If you zoom out you can check if the document will be visually pleasing.