Steps to Use Outline View in Microsoft Word

This guide provides a clear, practical overview of steps to use outline view in Microsoft Word, with useful context, important details, and straightforward takeaways for everyday readers.

Outline View

By default, Microsoft Word uses Print Layout when presenting documents. This option displays the size of the paper and its margins, along with information about the font. Reading mode, web layout, draft, and Outline View are other view options.

This view in Microsoft Word isn't for everyone, and it's not practical to use if you're writing documents. In general, when applied, the view discards everything in the Word document, leaving only its headings and subheadings. That way, you can better focus on the flow of the document and make structural changes as needed. Paragraphs in the document still exist in Outline View. However, they are truncated by default.

How to enable Outline View

To use this view in Microsoft Word:

Step 1. First, open your document in Microsoft Word.

Step 2. Click Outline below the Viewing area on the ribbon.

Unlike other views in Microsoft Word, Outline View has its own set of tools in the ribbon.

Adjust Outline View

This view is completely built on adjustable outline levels

This view is entirely built on outline levels that you can adjust using the drop-down box in the special Outline View ribbon. Use the arrows on either side of the box to decrease or increase the level. You can also rearrange the items directly below the levels.

On the other side of the Outline Level box you will find arrows. The ones on the right allow you to drop one level, while the ones on the left do the opposite, increasing one level. Below those arrows are additional options. For example, with the up and down arrows, you can move items in different directions and rearrange your key points. Meanwhile, the plus and minus signs allow you to expand and collapse the Outline levels. You can collapse or expand the level at any time.

Next is the 'Show Level' drop-down list . Use this tool to define the levels to display.

'Show Text Formatting' and 'Show First Line Only' are check boxes that you can use to adjust the current view by removing formatting or hiding text, if applicable.

Main document

When selected, 'Show Document' will allow you to include subdocuments, expanding those controls. For example, you want to attach a contract or other type of document to the Outline View. By clicking 'Insert' you can embed a saved file. Select 'Create' , you can create a new document.

With the subdocuments included, you can click the 'Collapse Subdocuments' button, which will collapse the content and show only a link to it. When this button becomes 'Expand Subdocuments' , you can use it to expand the content as you wish.

Other options

Additional options for Outline View in Microsoft Word include:

• Unlinked , which removes links to subdocuments , and also copies text into the current document.
• Merge brings together multiple subdocuments , so there's only one document left.
• When activated, Split splits the document's child content into different documents. You can create splits at insertion points.
• Lock Document makes it impossible to keep changes passed into the child document.

As you can see, you can do a lot with Outline View in Microsoft Word. It is beneficial when dealing with long documents or books.