# Text Formatting

Course: [Word](https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word) · Section: Working with Text
Source: https://www.devtutorials.ai/learn/word/working-with-text/text-formatting

> Change fonts, sizes, and colors, and use bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, highlight, superscript, subscript, and clear formatting.

Formatting is how you make text look the way you want: bigger titles, bold warnings, highlighted key points. Good formatting helps readers find what matters. In this lesson, you'll learn every text formatting tool on the **Home** tab, from fonts and sizes to superscript and subscript.

Open the **Word sandbox** and follow along. Remember the golden rule: **select the text first, then format it.**

## Where the tools are

All the text formatting tools live in the **Font** group on the **Home** tab. Here is a quick tour of each tool and its shortcut—you'll meet each one properly in the sections below:

| Tool | Button | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Font family | Font name box | none |
| Font size | Size box | **Ctrl + ]** bigger, **Ctrl + [** smaller |
| Bold | **B** | **Ctrl + B** |
| Italic | *I* | **Ctrl + I** |
| Underline | U | **Ctrl + U** |
| Strikethrough | ab with a line through it | none |
| Superscript | x² | **Ctrl + Shift + =** |
| Subscript | x₂ | **Ctrl + =** |
| Font color | A with a colored bar | none |
| Highlight | Marker pen | none |
| Clear formatting | A with an eraser | none |

Hover over any button to see its name.

## Font family

The most visible formatting choice you make is the font. The **font family** (or just **font**) is the design of the letters. Different fonts suit different jobs:

- **Calibri** and **Arial** are clean and modern, and good for most documents.
- **Times New Roman** and **Georgia** look traditional, and suit formal letters and essays.
- **Courier New** gives every letter the same width, like a typewriter.

To change the font, select the text, click the font name box on the **Home** tab, and pick a font from the list.

## Font size

Alongside the letter design, you can also control how big the letters are. **Font size** is measured in **points**. Bigger number, bigger text.

| Size | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 10 to 12 | Body text |
| 14 to 18 | Headings |
| 20 and up | Titles and posters |

Select the text, then pick a size from the size box, or type a number into it and press **Enter**.

## Font color

After choosing a font and size, you can also change the color of the text. **Font color** changes the color of the letters.

1. Select the text.
2. Click the small arrow next to the **Font Color** button (the **A** with a colored bar).
3. Pick a color.

Use color sparingly. Dark text on a white page is easiest to read. Save bright colors for a word or two that really matters.

## Bold, italic, and underline

These three are the most common ways to make text stand out:

- **Bold** (**Ctrl + B**) makes text thicker. Use it for titles and key words.
- **Italic** (**Ctrl + I**) slants the text. Use it for book titles, foreign words, or gentle emphasis.
- **Underline** (**Ctrl + U**) draws a line under the text. On screen, readers often mistake underlined text for a link, so use it carefully.

Each button is a **toggle**: click once to switch it on, and again to switch it off. You can combine them, so text can be bold and italic at the same time.

Too much emphasis means no emphasis. If half the page is bold, nothing stands out. Pick one or two important words to emphasize in each paragraph at most.

## Strikethrough

**Strikethrough** draws a line through the middle of the text, like ~~this~~. It's handy for to-do lists, or to show a price that has been reduced.

Select the text and click the **Strikethrough** button on the **Home** tab.

## Highlight text

**Highlight** works like a highlighter pen: it colors the background behind the text.

1. Select the text.
2. Click the arrow next to the **Text Highlight Color** button (the marker pen).
3. Pick a color. Yellow is the classic choice.

To remove a highlight, select the text and choose **No Color**.

## Clear formatting

When text has collected too many different styles, you don't have to undo them one at a time. **Clear Formatting** removes all the formatting from the selected text and puts it back to plain, normal text. It's the fastest way to start over.

Select the text and click **Clear Formatting** (the **A** with an eraser) on the **Home** tab.

Clear Formatting removes font, size, color, bold, italic, and similar settings. It does **not** delete or change the words themselves, so it's safe to try.

## Superscript

**Superscript** makes text small and raises it above the line, like the 2 in x² or the "th" in 5ᵗʰ.

Select the characters to raise and press **Ctrl + Shift + =**, or click **Superscript** (x²) on the **Home** tab.

## Subscript

**Subscript** is superscript's opposite: it makes text small and lowers it below the line, like the 2 in H₂O.

Select the characters to lower and press **Ctrl + =**, or click **Subscript** (x₂) on the **Home** tab.

Select **only** the characters that should move. For H₂O, select just the `2`, not the whole word. Otherwise the whole word shrinks and drops below the line.

## Common mistakes

Here are the most common traps, and how to fix them:

| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Clicking a format button with nothing selected | Only the next text you type gets the format | Select the text first, then click the button |
| Underlining for emphasis on screen | Readers think the text is a link | Use bold or italic instead |
| Selecting the whole word for superscript or subscript | The whole word shrinks | Select only the characters that should move |
| Using highlight in a document you'll print in black and white | The highlight prints as a gray smudge | Use bold for printed emphasis |
| Changing the zoom and thinking the font size changed | The printed text is a different size than expected | Check the size box on the **Home** tab |

## Exercise

Now it's time to practise formatting yourself.

Click **New** in the sandbox title bar to start with a blank page. Then type these three paragraphs:

- `Science Notes`
- `Water is H2O and area is measured in m2.`
- `Read chapter 4 before Friday. Old deadline: Monday.`

Now do each task and press **Check**.

## What to remember

- All text formatting tools are in the **Font** group on the **Home** tab.
- **Font family** is the letter design; **font size** is measured in points.
- **Ctrl + B** bold, **Ctrl + I** italic, **Ctrl + U** underline. Each is a toggle.
- **Strikethrough** crosses text out; **highlight** colors the background.
- **Superscript** (**Ctrl + Shift + =**) raises text; **subscript** (**Ctrl + =**) lowers it. Select only the characters that move.
- **Clear Formatting** resets text to plain without deleting it.
- Use emphasis sparingly so the important things stand out.

In the next lesson, you'll format whole paragraphs: alignment, spacing, and indentation.