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You can copy formatting between selections and change how a Word document fits in its pane. Use Format Painter when several passages need the same appearance. Use zoom controls or gestures when you want to read a page more closely or fit it into the available space.

How to copy formatting to several selections and zoom the page

  1. Select the source text
  2. Double-click Format Painter
  3. Paint the first selection
  4. Paint the next selection
  5. Press Escape
  6. Open View, then Zoom
  7. Choose Fit
  8. Pinch to zoom

Athena 101 lesson: Work inside your Office files (broader walkthrough)

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Copy formatting

  1. Open an editable Word document. Select the source text with the formatting you want to reuse, or place your cursor in its paragraph.
  2. Open Home and select Format Painter in the Clipboard group, under Cut and Copy. The button is unavailable without edit permission. In viewing mode it stays enabled but does nothing.
  3. Select the destination text. The editor applies the copied text and paragraph formatting. A single use then turns the painter off.
  4. To apply the same formatting to several selections, double-click Format Painter instead, with two clicks within about 0.4 seconds. The pointer becomes a crosshair while the painter is armed. Select each destination in turn.
  5. Press Escape when you finish. You can also select Format Painter again to cancel it.
The painter copies appearance rather than the words themselves. If the source selection contains different formatting, it samples the first text run and its paragraph. Start with a source that has the appearance you want across the destination.

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Adjust the page view

  1. Open View and select Zoom to choose a level from 50% to 200%. The page also shrinks to fit when its pane is narrower than the page.
  2. Select 100% to return to that scale, or Fit to fit the page width to the window.
  3. For continuous adjustment, pinch over the document with a trackpad or use a two-finger pinch on a touch screen. You can also hold Ctrl or Command while scrolling over the document.
  4. Keep the pointer or gesture over the part you want to inspect. The editor keeps that position anchored while the scale changes.

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Good to know

Formatting changes require edit access. Format Painter is unavailable when the editor is not editable. Clicking outside the document can cancel an active painting operation. Zoom changes your view of the page. Pinch zoom is bounded from 25% to 400%. Use Fit again when you want the page width to match the pane.