Guide to Document Views

Document Views From the view menu in Microsoft Word you can easily switch between different document views that will change the way your document appears in the Word window.

While some experts will tell you that each view has a specific purpose, most users will likely pick a view that they are most comfortable with and stick with it for the majority of the work they do in Word, occasionally switching to a different view when a specific task requires it.

For the most part, you can use any view when you’re working in Word, regardless of what you’re doing.

The catch, however, is that the document view does actually affect what document element you see when you’re working, rather than just the overall look of the document on the screen.

I’ve put together this comparison list for you – not to suggest that you switch between views as a matter of habit, but to help you figure out what’s going on when you don’t see certain elements of your document.


Normal
Document appears with a dotted line separating the pages and/or document sections.
Columns, drawings, headers/footers, footnotes/endnotes, and comments do not appear.

Web Layout
Designed to show you how your document will look as a web page, with the text wrapping as it would in a web browser. Backgrounds and formatting will appear as they would in a web browser.

Print Layout
Everything that will appear in the printed document appears on the screen. The layout is more complete and accurate than in the other layout options. If you’re having problems finding something you inserted in your document, try this view before you start troubleshooting.

Outline
Shows the headings and subheadings in your document. Allows you to reorganize sections of your document and/or delete sections. NOT recommended for general editing.