Microsoft’s document editor, Word, isn’t always the most intuitive to use. However, with a little know-how and wherewithal, you can navigate your way through it like a champion.

These tips aren’t specific to 2003, 2004, or 2007, but a few may be Windows-specific. That said, there are almost always Mac alternatives.

Here are 10 tips to make using Word a whole lot easier:

1. F7 opens and begins spell check, and Shift-F7 opens the thesaurus. If you want to fix one particular word, though, just right-click it and select the right spelling.

2. "Print Preview" helps you see exactly what your document will look like once it’s on the page- sometimes Word’s editor lies.

3. To indent a bullet point in the hierarchy, press Tab. To move it outwards, press Tab and then Delete until it’s where you want it.

4. Press the "Home" key to go to the first character of a document, and the "End" key to go to the last character. To jump for a partc

5. To get rid of the obnoxiously large spaces between pages, double-click the empty space between them.

6. To make the font size bigger, press Control+Shift+>. To make it smaller, type Control+Shift+<.

7. To split the document window (really useful for seeing two parts of the document at one time), type Alt+Control+S.

8. To find, replace, or go to a word or phrase, type Control+F and click through the tabs.

9. To turn the "Track Changes" option on or off, which allows you to see all the edits you make, type Control+Shift+E.

10. To insert a footnote at the current location, type Alt+Control+F. To insert an endnote, type Alt+Control+D.

These are some of the tips I use on a daily basis, and they keep me from constantly hunting through menus just to find what I’m looking for. Word’s not always the easiest to use, but it does offer ways to make the experience a bit more worthwhile.

How do you make Word work for you? Share your tips in the comments.