How to open and edit a document

To edit a document, you first open it in a program that can read its file type, then make your changes and save the file. The most common way is to double-click the document on your computer — your operating system will open it in whatever program you set as the default for that file type. If nothing happens, or if the wrong program opens, you can right-click the document, choose "Open with", and pick a different program from the list.

Once the document is open, you can click anywhere in the text to place your cursor there, then type to add words, delete text by pressing backspace or delete, and move sentences around by selecting them and cutting or copying. Most programs show you unsaved changes with a dot or asterisk next to the filename at the top of the window. When you are done, press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac) to save, or go to File > Save.

Key Takeaways

  • Double-clicking a document opens it in your default program; right-click and choose "Open with" if you want to use a different one.
  • Click to place your cursor, type to add text, and use backspace or delete to remove words or characters.
  • Select text by clicking and dragging, then cut, copy, or delete it using keyboard shortcuts or the Edit menu.
  • Save your changes by pressing Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac), or use File > Save from the menu.
  • Different file types (Word, Google Docs, PDF) have different editing capabilities — some let you edit freely, others require special tools.

Selecting and moving text

To select a word, double-click it. To select a sentence or paragraph, click at the start, hold down the mouse button, and drag to the end. You can also click once, then hold Shift and click at the end of what you want to select. Once text is highlighted, you can delete it by pressing the delete key, or move it by pressing Ctrl+X (Windows) or Command+X (Mac) to cut it, then clicking where you want it and pressing Ctrl+V or Command+V to paste.

If you make a mistake, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo your last action. You can undo multiple times to go back several steps. If you undo something you did not mean to, press Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Command+Shift+Z (Mac) to redo it.

Finding and replacing text

Most document programs let you search for a word or phrase and replace it throughout the document. Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+H (Mac) to open the Find and Replace dialog. Type the word you want to find in the first box, the word you want to replace it with in the second box, then click "Replace All" to change every instance at once, or "Replace" to change them one at a time so you can check each one first.

If you just want to find a word without replacing it, press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac) to open the Find dialog. Type the word and the program will highlight every place it appears in the document, letting you jump between them.

Formatting text — bold, italics, and alignment

To make text bold, select it and press Ctrl+B (Windows) or Command+B (Mac), or click the Bold button in the toolbar. For italics, press Ctrl+I or Command+I. For underline, press Ctrl+U or Command+U. These shortcuts work in almost every document program — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and most others.

To change how text lines up on the page, select the paragraph you want to change, then press Ctrl+L (Windows) or Command+L (Mac) for left align, Ctrl+E or Command+E for center, or Ctrl+R or Command+R for right align. You can also click the alignment buttons in the toolbar if you can see them.

Working with different file types

The steps above work for most documents, but some file types have limits. A Word document (.docx) or Google Doc can be edited freely — you can add, delete, and format text however you want. A PDF is trickier: some PDFs let you click and type directly into form fields, but most PDFs do not let you edit the text itself without special software. If you need to edit a PDF, you may need to use Adobe Acrobat, a free online PDF editor, or convert it to a Word document first.

Plain text files (.txt) have no formatting at all — no bold, no italics, no colors. They are useful for notes and code, but if you need a formatted document, save it as .docx or .pdf instead. If you are not sure what type your document is, right-click it and look at the file extension (the letters after the dot in the filename).

Saving your work in different places

When you save a document, it goes to wherever you tell it to go. The first time you save, you will see a dialog asking you to choose a folder and give the file a name. After that, pressing Ctrl+S or Command+S saves it to the same place without asking. If you want to save it somewhere else or with a different name, use File > Save As instead.

You can save documents to your computer's hard drive, to an external drive or USB stick, or to cloud storage like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Cloud storage is useful because you can access your documents from any device and they back up automatically. If you save to your hard drive only, make sure you back up your files regularly so you do not lose them if your computer breaks.

Editing documents on your phone or tablet

You can edit documents on a phone or tablet using apps like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Apple Pages. Open the app, find your document (usually in a recent files list or by browsing your cloud storage), and tap to open it. Editing works the same way — tap to place your cursor, type to add text, select and delete to remove words. The main difference is that toolbars are smaller and some features may be hidden in menus.

If your document is stored in cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive, you can edit it on your phone and the changes will sync to your computer automatically. This means you can start editing on your computer, switch to your phone, and pick up where you left off without saving or moving files around.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if a document will not open?

Right-click the document and choose "Open with" to see what programs are available. If none of them work, the file may be corrupted or in a format your computer does not support. Try opening it on a different computer, or search online for the file extension (the letters after the dot) plus "how to open" to find programs that can read it.

Can I edit a document that someone else is also editing?

Yes, if it is stored in cloud storage like Google Docs or OneDrive. Both programs let multiple people edit the same document at the same time and see each other's changes when ready. If the document is only on your computer's hard drive, only one person can edit it at a time — the second person will get a message saying the file is locked.

How do I change the font or font size?

Select the text you want to change, then look for the font dropdown menu in the toolbar (usually shows the current font name). Click it and choose a different font. For size, look for a number next to the font menu — click it and choose a larger or smaller size. Common sizes are 10, 11, 12, and 14 points.

What is the difference between Save and Save As?

Save (Ctrl+S) updates the file you are currently working on in its current location. Save As lets you choose a new name, a new location, or a different file type. Use Save As when you want to keep the original file and create a copy with changes, or when you want to save a document in a different format.

Can I recover a document I accidentally deleted?

If you deleted it from your computer, check your Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac) — you can usually restore it from there. If you emptied the trash, recovery is harder but sometimes possible with data recovery software. If the document was in cloud storage, most services keep deleted files in a trash folder for 30 days before permanently removing them.