Easy Steps to Create a Add Drop Caps in Microsoft Word

Ever thought of adding an artistic touch to your Word documents, such as stories and articles? Well, Drop Cap is one such feature that makes the first letter of the first paragraph larger than the rest of the text. This not only helps you embellish your document but also makes it appear eye-catching. This wikiHow article covers the process step-by-step so you can create and customize drop caps in Word.

Things You Should Know

  • Add a drop cap to make your text interesting and dynamic to capture the attention of your readers.
  • Select the text and go to "Insert > Drop cap" (Windows) or select "Drop Cap" from the Format menu (Mac).
  • Edit your drop cap by going to "Insert > Drop Cap > Drop Cap Options".
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Windows

  1. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 1
    1
    Select the first letter of a paragraph. You must select existing text to be able to use the Drop Cap menu, if you have space selected, the option will be greyed out in your menu.
  2. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 2
    2
    Go to Insert. It's in the editing ribbon next to File and Home.
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  3. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 3
    3
    Click Drop Cap. You'll find this in the "Text" grouping of the menu and more options will drop down.
    • If you don't see this option, click the icon in the "Text" panel that has an A with several lines.
  4. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 4
    4
    Select an option. If you want to keep the drop cap aligned with your text and in your paragraph, select Dropped. If you want to add your drop cap to the outside of your text, select In margin.
    • To remove the drop cap, select the text then go to Insert > Drop Cap > None.[1]
  5. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 5
    5
    Customize the drop cap (if you don't like the default). Highlight your drop cap, then go to Insert > Drop Cap > Drop Cap Options. You'll have some options to customize your drop cap:
    • Font lets you change the font, which will only apply to your drop cap not the rest of your text.
    • The option of Lines to drop will change how big your drop cap appears.
    • Distance from text allows you to change how far away your drop cap is from your text.
    • Click OK when you're done to save your changes to your drop cap.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Mac

  1. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 6
    1
    Make sure you're in "Print Layout" view. It's the default view mode, but if it isn't active, you won't see the drop cap menus. If you're not sure if you're in "Print Layout," go to View and click Print Layout.
  2. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 7
    2
    Select the first letter of a paragraph. You must select existing text to be able to use the Drop Cap menu, if you have space selected, the option will be greyed out in your menu.
    • When you highlight the text, a menu should appear. If not, right-click your selection.
  3. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 8
    3
    Click Drop Cap. You'll find this in the "Format" menu that appears next to your cursor.
  4. Image titled Create a Drop Cap in a Word Document Step 9
    4
    Select an option for the drop cap. If you want to keep the drop cap aligned with your text and in your paragraph, select Dropped. If you want to add your drop cap to the outside of your text, select In margin.
    • To remove the drop cap, select the text then go to Drop Cap > None.[2]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Can I drop cap the first letter in every paragraph at once?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, I don't believe so, as the cursor position tells Word where you want the drop cap to be. Also, doing that to every paragraph would likely get messy and excessive.
  • Question
    What is a Word Drop Cap applied to?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    A Word Drop Cap is applied to word settings. It can help you organize the page.
  • Question
    What if "Drop Cap" is greyed out?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Try highlighting the letter you want to turn into a drop cap and then do it again.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-drop-cap-817fd19f-40fe-4b73-95e8-f3c0f5e01278
  2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-drop-cap-817fd19f-40fe-4b73-95e8-f3c0f5e01278#ID0EBBD=macOS

About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA
Written by:
Darlene Antonelli, MA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 189,386 times.
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Co-authors: 8
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 189,386
Categories: Microsoft Word
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