Applying and Modifying Styles in Microsoft Word 2016

Do you want your Microsoft Word documents to look neat and professional? Styles can help you do that easily. In Word 2016, a style is a set of formatting options like font type, color, and size. By applying styles, you can quickly give your text a consistent and attractive look without doing everything manually.

This guide will walk you through how to apply, modify, and create styles in Word 2016 in a simple, beginner-friendly way.

What Are Styles in Word?

Styles are ready-made text formats. When you apply a style, you change how your text looks in one click. For example, you can turn a normal paragraph into a bold and colorful heading instantly. Styles help maintain consistency throughout your document.

Tip: Styles are great for long documents like reports or books. They save time and keep everything uniform.

How to Apply a Style

Applying a style is simple. Follow these steps:

  • Select the text you want to format. You can also place your cursor where you want to apply the style.
  • Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
  • In the Styles group, click the More drop-down arrow to see all available styles.
  • Click on a style you like (for example, Heading 1, Heading 2, or Normal).

Your selected text will instantly change to match the chosen style.

How to Apply a Style Set

Word also provides style sets. These are collections of matching title, heading, and paragraph styles. Using a style set helps you format your entire document with one click.

  • Go to the Design tab.
  • In the Document Formatting group, click the More drop-down arrow.
  • Select a style set from the menu (like “Elegant” or “Simple”).

All your document’s headings and text will automatically adopt the new look.

How to Modify a Style

Don’t like how a style looks? You can change it to match your preference. Here’s how:

  • Go to the Home tab.
  • In the Styles group, right-click the style you want to edit.
  • Select Modify from the menu.
  • A box will appear. Change the font, color, or size as you wish. You can also rename the style if needed.
  • Click OK to save your changes.

Now every text in your document that uses that style will automatically update. This feature saves you from manually reformatting multiple sections.

How to Create a New Style

If you want something unique, you can create your own style. Here’s how to do it:

  • In the Home tab, click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Styles group.
  • The Styles pane will open on the right side of your screen.
  • At the bottom of the pane, click New Style.
  • Enter a name for your style and choose your desired font, size, and color.
  • Click OK to save.

Your new style will now appear in the Styles group and can be used just like any built-in style.

Pro Tip: When you create custom styles, try to keep them simple and easy to read for professional results.

Why Use Styles in Word?

Using styles has many benefits:

  • Consistency: Your headings and text look uniform.
  • Speed: Format large documents quickly.
  • Easy updates: Modify all similar text in one click.
  • Navigation: Styles make it easy to create tables of contents automatically.

5 FAQs of Applying and Modifying Styles in Word 2016

1. What is a style in Microsoft Word?

A style is a set of formatting features like font, color, and size that can be applied to text to give it a consistent look.

2. Can I change the look of an existing style?

Yes. You can right-click on any style, choose “Modify,” and update its appearance easily.

3. How can I apply styles to my entire document?

You can use a style set from the Design tab to change the look of the whole document at once.

4. Can I create my own custom styles?

Absolutely. Use the Styles pane, click “New Style,” and define your own format settings.

5. Do styles help with creating a table of contents?

Yes. When you apply heading styles, Word can automatically generate a table of contents based on them.

Conclusion

Styles are one of the easiest and most powerful tools in Microsoft Word 2016. They make your documents look polished and save you a lot of formatting time. Whether you apply built-in styles or create your own, you’ll notice how much cleaner and more professional your work appears. Try experimenting with different styles today and make your next document stand out!

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