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Discover all of the free features that Word Web has to offer! This article compares the key capabilities available on desktop and web to help you select the best tool for your needs.

Formatting your Document 

Feature

Word Desktop

Word Web

Notes

Columns

Designer

Provides formatting, content, and document transformations such as consistency suggestions, smart paste, title enhancements, jumpstart, and custom templates. 

Gridlines

Modify Alignment and Spacing 

 

 

Ruler 

 

 

Styles 

 

 

Use styles to quickly apply a set of formatting choices consistently throughout your document.  

Templates 

Use templates to quickly create professional-looking documents. Find templates here.  

Text Editing and Formatting 

Polish text effortlessly with paragraph formatting, indentation, and various customization options including bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, font color, font size, and highlighting. You can also easily clear formatting with a single tap. 

Watermark/Theme/Page Color 

Reviewing your Document 

Feature

Word Desktop

Word
Web

Notes

Dictionary & Thesaurus

Dictionary: Word checks spelling and allows you to add words to your dictionary.  

Thesaurus: Word provides a built-in thesaurus, allowing you to explore different synonyms.

Editor

Provides writing tools such as spelling and grammar check, similarity checker, and rewrite suggestions to help writers reach their writing goals.

Transcribe

Generate, Record, or Upload your transcriptions. Learn more here.

Translate

Translate a document or section of a document with Word. Learn more here.

Word count

Inserting Objects in your Document 

Feature

Word Desktop

Word
Web

Notes

ActiveX Controls

Add interactive elements to your documents with ease. With custom forms, buttons, and more, you can enhance the functionality of your document.

Cover Page

Embedded Objects

Depending on the version of Word you're using, you can insert a variety of objects (such as PDF files, Excel charts or worksheets, or PowerPoint presentations) into a Word document by embedding them. Learn more here.

Gif, Emoji

Emoji

Header/Footer

Add headers and footers to your Word documents.

Note: To view headers or footers on Word for the web you can click the header/footer tab on the side of the page margin or view your document in Reading View.

Hyperlinks

Ink/Draw

Insert video or audio file

Video

List (Numbering and Bullets)

Use numbered and bulleted list to organize and present information in a clear and concise way.

Macros

Use Word to automate frequently used tasks by creating and running macros.

Models, Smart-Art, and Charts

Page Break

Page Numbers

Add page numbers to your Word documents.

Note: To view page numbers on Word for the web you must view your document in Reading View

Pictures & Images

Screenshots/screen clipping

Section Break

Shapes, Textboxes, and WordArt

Shapes, Textboxes

Learn more about Shapes,Textboxes and WordArt

Signature line

Special Characters, Symbols, Equations

Tables

Word for the web  supports table sorting, while the Desktop App offers additional features like Table-to-text, Text-to-table, and the ability to Embed excel tables.

References

Feature

Word Desktop

Word Web

Notes

Bibliography

Learn how to create a bibliography here.

Captions

Citations

Footnotes & Endnotes

Learn how to insert Footnotes and Endnotes here.

Table of contents

Table of contents in Word are based on the document headings. Learn more here.

Sharing, Collaboration

Feature

Word Desktop

Word Web

Notes

Autosave

Bookmark

Use bookmarks in Word to mark and quickly find important locations in your document. Learn more here.

Compare and Merge revisions

Learn about comparing and merging documents here.

Export as PDF

Link to Heading

Offline Viewing and Authoring

Realtime coauthoring

Collaborate with others in real-time on the same Word document.

Share as Link or Email

Learn more about sharing a document with others here.

Track Changes

Use track changes in Word to easily see and accept or reject edits to a document.

Version history

Word allows you to view and restore previous versions of your documents with version history.

Comments

Feature

Word Desktop

Word
Web

Notes

Comment Reactions

Insert Image in Comments

Link to Comment

Accessibility

Feature

Word Desktop

Word
Web

Notes

Accessibility Checker

Use Word's Accessibility Checker to ensure your content is easy to read and edit for people with disabilities.

Braille Support 

Co-Authoring Announcements

Dark Mode

Dark mode provides more comfortable reading and writing in low-light environments.

Dictation/Voice Typing

Use dictation to easily write documents using your voice.

Immersive Reader

Customize your reading experience and improve your skills with Immersive Reader.

Mailing

Feature

Word Desktop

Word
Web

Notes

Creating Envelopes & Labels

Learn more about creating envelopes and labels.

Mail Merge

Mail merge lets you create a batch of documents that are personalized for each recipient.  Learn how to use mail merge here.

Security

Feature

Word Desktop

Word Web

Notes

Password Protection

Read Only

Secure your documents with a password. When accessing a protected document in Word for the web, you'll only be able to view it in read-only mode. To edit the document, you'll need to open it in the desktop app. Learn more here.

Restricted Editing

Read Only

Learn more about the different ways to restrict editing here.

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