How to Create and Customize Headings in MS Word

In today’s post, we’re tackling how to create and customize headings. This skill is essential not only for aesthetic document presentation but also for making your content user-friendly for everyone, especially those using assistive technologies.

Video Guide

Create Headings for Better Document Control

Imagine you’ve just drafted your document—it’s filled with insightful information but still looks like a plain block of text. Here’s where heading styles come into play. They’re not just about making text look bold and big. They structure your document like a well-organized file cabinet, where everything is easy to find.

Start by selecting the text you intend to be your main title or major section and apply Heading 1 from the Styles menu. This automatically sets your selected text as a major heading, establishing it as a primary entry point for readers and technologies alike.

Moving down the structure, you then apply Heading 2 to sub-sections. This continues with Heading 3 and Heading 4. Each level represents a deeper layer of your content. With the navigational pane open, you can see your document’s structure forming an outline—a roadmap guiding the reader through your content.

For users of screen readers, headings are the main navigation tool. Users can pull up a list of headings within the document and jump directly to the section most relevant to them. By structuring your document with clear and concise heading levels, you ensure no one wrestles with disorganized content.

Customize Headings

Now, let’s talk about customization.

Make your Heading 2s stand out by changing the font color to red, increasing the size, or making it bold. Once you’re satisfied with how it looks, right-click the Heading 2 style and select “Update Heading 2 to match selection.” This command changes all Heading 2s across the document to match your new style. It’s like setting the rules for how each section under a particular heading should appear, ensuring uniformity throughout your document.

Pro tip: avoid using the Title style for your document’s main title. It doesn’t communicate well with screen readers and doesn’t convert cleanly when moving your document to PDF format. Instead, treat your main title as a Heading 1. This ensures it carries over effectively when exported and remains prominent in navigation.

Let’s spice things up a bit. Suppose you decide to add some pizzazz to your Heading 2 by including a border or shadow. All these options are available under the “Format” button within the Modify Style dialog. Experiment to see what fits your content’s personality, but remember, accessibility is key—don’t overcomplicate things to the point of reducing clarity.

For a deeper dive, click the pop-out icon on the Styles ribbon under the Home tab. If you find some styles are missing from the displayed list, simply go to Options, select “All styles” in the ‘Select styles to show’ pop-up, and hit OK. Now, you have a complete arsenal at your disposal to tailor your document to perfection.

Wrapping up, today’s tutorial has equipped you with the know-how to create and customize headings in Microsoft Word, enhancing both the aesthetic and functional accessibility of your documents. Remember, the goal is to make your content as navigable and user-friendly as possible—your document’s readers will thank you for it.

Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!