Almost every writer or author uses a word processor. It’s the default tool for writing, editing, and storing work.
Most word processors look a little different on the surface, but under the hood, they all share the same core features.
You might think you are already using yours to its full potential. But in reality, many writers only use a fraction of what these tools can do.
That’s because some truly useful word processor tools are often the ones writers never think to use.
Word processors can do more than you might think
It’s so easy to write with a word processor. Simply open a new document and start typing.
That’s what makes them such a popular writing tool, because you don’t need to think about what’s happening in the background.
But there’s a lot going on that you don’t see. One simple task that you don’t notice is that your writing is being saved at regular intervals to safeguard your work.
Another is that you might see auto-complete suggestions for your next words, which can save time.
You will always have a menu bar, but have you investigated the options it gives you?
That’s where you can find many more features that are not only useful, but can also make your word processor a more complete tool for your writing.
Most writers only scratch the surface and use the most basic, visible features, such as choosing fonts, using bold or italics, and adding bullet lists.
But by taking a few minutes to dig a bit deeper, you can find tools, functions, and features that can improve your writing workflow.
Many useful tools are hidden away in menus and settings, so they’re easy to overlook. However, you’ll likely discover one or two things that can help you make writing easier and more efficient, or even replace a separate tool you’re currently using.
Once you start investigating your writing software, it becomes clear that word processors offer far more practical support for writing than you might realise.
10 Word processor tools to explore
In my list below, you’ll find ten extra features, tools, and functions that are common to all word processors.
Some might use different menu labelling, naming, or placement, but they are all there for you to find and use.
So take five or ten minutes to investigate and see how you can get the most from your current word processor.
1. Autosave and revision history
It’s not obvious, but your word processor is quietly helping you by saving regularly. But that’s not the only thing it’s doing.
It also uses auto-save to create a revision history you can access if you run into a technical problem or want to go back to an earlier version.
Here’s a screenshot of the revisions available for one of my documents.
It is one of the most useful tools that is so easy to miss or overlook.
2. Comments and notes inside a document
You don’t need a separate note-taking app because you can do your note-taking inside your document.
Here’s a quick look at how it works.
Keeping notes inside the document can save you time and effort by keeping everything together in one file.
3. Fit for purpose templates
The basic default template might be a quick and easy way to start a new project.
However, creating templates for different writing projects, such as blog articles, essays, or books, will save you time in the long run.
It’s easy to do. Simply format a document for your needs and then “Save as Template.”
Then you’ll have a new template choice to use.
4. Word count overall or by selection
Every program has a word counter.
But in most, you can change the view to show page count, word count, and sometimes even character count.
Most word processors can also count words from selected text if you want to check a section of your writing.
5. Styles (heading levels)
Word processor styles are not just for text and font formatting.
Using headings in your document is structural because they can help you navigate your document much faster, as you will see in the next tip.
In your word processor, it might be called Document Outline, Outline View, or View TOC.
When you activate this, you will see your headings in a list that you can use to quickly navigate to different sections of your text.
This function is particularly useful for long documents or manuscripts.
Here’s an image of the links in one of my documents.
You can also use thumbnails to move quickly between parts of a long document.
7. Full-screen / focus mode
When you’re writing, the last thing you want are distractions, ribbons, menu bars, or formatting options.
Using full-screen view is one of the most effective ways to reduce distractions.
One tip, though. Also, find out how to exit full-screen mode, because on some tools, it’s not always obvious. It’s often a keystroke command.
8. Find and replace
You probably use find, but find and replace can save you a lot of time.
I use it frequently to make bulk changes, or more often, to find tabs, returns, or spaces that appear when copying and pasting.
Another use is to change a character’s name, such as from “Kathy” to “Cathy.”
9. Export formats (RTF, EPUB)
You might use export on occasions for DOCX if your word processor doesn’t natively support it.
But also take a look at other useful export formats.
RTF or maybe TXT are two useful formats when publishing online because these files contain very little, or no background code.
I always export to RTF before pasting text into my WordPress editor. You can do the same for any online blogging or publishing platform.
Another is EPUB, because it makes it so easy to check a manuscript with an ereader or ebook app. It saves having to convert your document with another application.
10. Thesaurus (built-in or integrated)
I use this a lot! Depending on your tool, it might be built-in, or you might need to add it.
As I use Apple Pages, the thesaurus is a system tool that integrates with Pages.
All I need to do is highlight a word and click “Lookup”.
Instant and easy access to a thesaurus is a must-have tool for any writer.
Summary
It will only take you a few minutes to investigate these and many other word processor tools and options that you can use.
You won’t want or need to use all of them, but being aware of the extra features you’re not using might uncover a time-saving or workflow improvement you can adopt.
You could also discover that you don’t need to use extra tools or apps because your word processor can handle it.
That means you can stay in one place and concentrate fully on your writing.
Related Reading: The Safe Way To Write A Book With A Word Processor
