How to Use Your Word Processor

Formatting Color

In Microsoft Word, you can format the color of text, autoshapes, and page backgrounds by using the following techniques:

Text: Select the text you want to format in color. Choose the FORMAT > FONTS command from the main menu to display the Fonts dialog box. You can also choose the FONT command with your mouse by right-clicking (in Windows) or control clicking (on the Macintosh). Click on the Font Color drop-down box to open the color picker and select the color you wish to apply to the text. If you have underlined the text, you can also select a color for the underline.

To format selected text using the toolbar, click on the Font Color icon and choose a color from the drop-down menu. Once you have chosen a color, it will stay active on the toolbar. To apply the same color to other text, click on the icon.

Autoshapes: To format the color of autoshapes (rectangles, circles, lines, and other shapes created with Microsoft Word's drawing tools), select the object or autoshape and use the FORMAT > AUTOSHAPE commands on the main menu. You can also use these commands by right-clicking (in Windows) or control clicking (on the Macintosh) on the object or autoshape. The Format Autoshape or Format Object dialog box will allow you to format the fill color and line color. Choose the Colors and Lines tab in the dialog and then click on the Fill Color or Line Color drop-down menus. You can also use the color icons on the Drawing toolbar to format objects or autoshapes.

Page Backgrounds: Choose the FORMAT > BACKGROUNDS command from the main menu to choose background colors for pages in a document.