Word Features Comparison: Web vs Desktop

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
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.

Word Features Comparison: Web vs Desktop

Formatting your Document

Reviewing your Document

Inserting Objects in your Document

References

Sharing, Collaboration

Comments

Accessibility

Mailing

Security

Need more help?

Want more options?

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback!