Microsoft Word Tips: The Go To Feature

Microsoft Word Tips: The Go To Feature

Microsoft Word documents can, in some cases, become very long. You may have pages of information about your topic, frequently broken up by headers, page numbers, and more. Finding the location you need in those documents can become very challenging, especially as those documents grow longer.

Fortunately, Microsoft Word includes several features that allow you to easily move to your preferred location within a document. The Go To command is one of the easiest ways to achieve those goals.

Shortcuts

If you need to navigate quickly to the beginning or end of a document, Microsoft Word makes it easy. Simply hit Ctrl + Home to go to the very beginning of a document, or use Ctrl + End to navigate automatically to the end.

The Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane in Microsoft Word is also an incredibly valuable tool. Using it effectively, however, requires a much more in-depth look–so make sure you check out our video on the navigation pane to learn more!

Go To

The Go To tool is one of the most effective ways to navigate to exactly where you need or want to be in a specific document. There are several options for opening the Go To dialogue box.

• Press the F5 key.
• Use Ctrl + G
• Click on any of the displayed options in the status bar: Page, for example, which can open the dialogue box.

Specify where you want to go. The default option is a page number: just enter the page number you want to navigate to, and the platform will take you automatically to that page. You can easily jump from one page to the next this way as long as you know exactly what page or section of the document you need to go to.

A negative number will allow you to move relative to your current location: -4, for example, will take you back four pages, while -12 would allow you to go back 12 pages. This simple command can help you quickly jump through the document without taking a look at page numbers directly. It may also make it easier for you to make specific edits at various intervals throughout the document.

Specific Portions of Documents

You can move to specific segments of your documents. Instead of pages, you could choose to go to specific:

• Sections
• Bookmarks
• Lines
• Diagrams or images
• Footnotes
• End notes

There are a variety of options available that can allow you to jump to and explore specific areas throughout your documents. Check out the ones that make the most sense to you based on your editing needs. For example, if you need to check out comments on your document, you may find it much easier to navigate with the Go To feature as you attempt to find a specific one.

Go Back

Shift + F5 will take you back to the last 3 editing positions. It can also take you back to your most recent document, if that was your most recent editing position. The Go Back feature can make it much easier to return to the area you were working on just moments before, especially if something pulled your attention away from that task or you forgot where you last made an edit.

Microsoft Word is filled with features, shortcuts, and options designed to help make your life easier as you utilize this familiar platform. Fortunately, you do not have to navigate it alone. If you need more help checking out all the benefits of Microsoft Word or the rest of the Microsoft suite of products, contact us, or check out our library of tech tips to learn how we can help improve your productivity.