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Instructor Resources: Opening/Editing RTF files Using Microsoft Word or Google Docs

  • Updated

Setting Microsoft Word as Default Program

To set Microsoft Word as default program to open .rtf documents, please follow the instructions for the Operating System that is installed on your computer:

 

Windows 7

  • Click Start.
  • Click Default Programs (located at the bottom right).
  • Click Associate a file type or protocol with a program.
  • Click on the file extension that you want to change i.e. “.rtf”.
  • Click Change Program.
  • Select Microsoft Word.
  • Click OK.

Office Support documents for Windows OS: Change which programs Windows 7 uses by default and Change default programs in Windows 10.

 

 

Mac OSX  

  • Click the Finder icon (pictured above) in the Dock (bar of icons that sits at the bottom or side of your screen).
  • Right click (how to right click on MAC = https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207700) on the document icon once, and then click on the upper-left File
  • Select Get Info from the File
  • Click on the Open with… arrow for additional options.
  • Select Microsoft Word from the drop-down list.
  • Click on the Change All

Apple Support: OS X El Capitan: Choose an app to open a file.

 

 

Google Chromebook and Other Android Mobile Devices

  • Try editing rtf files using Microsoft Office Mobile or Microsoft Word app for Android. Both are available on Google Play.
  • Editing rtf files is also possible using Google Docs. Instructions follow. See Google Support for additional information: View and edit Office files.
    • To Download Files via Google Drive: Download rtf files from the RESOURCES section in your VHL Central program to Google Drive. In Google Drive use the New tab and the File Upload menu option. Note that you need a Google account.

googe_drive_rtf_download.png

google_downloaded_file.png

    • To Preview, Convert, and Edit Downloaded Files via Google Docs: PREVIEW all rtf RESOURCES files by using Open with, select Google Docs from the menu to convert the file. This creates a copy of the file which is compatible with Google Docs and ready for editing. Edit as suggested below in General Tips for Editing in Microsoft Word.

 

open_rtf_google_drive.png

google_downloaded_file_2.png

 

General Tips for Editing in Microsoft Word

Before you begin editing, be sure to make formatting marks visible, so that you can easily identify document formatting such as line, section, and page breaks.

For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

Word for Mac 2016: The quickest way to show or hide formatting marks in any version of Mac Word is to simultaneously press the Command + 8 keys on your keyboard. Otherwise see either Print a document in landscape or portrait orientation in Word 2016 for Mac or Delete a blank page in Word for Mac 2016.

 

 

Changing Line spacing

  • Select the questions or paragraphs for which you want to change the line spacing. NOTE: If you want to change line spacing for the entire document, simultaneously press Ctrl+ and A on your keyboard to select all text in the document.
  • From the Home tab/menu, select Line and Paragraph Spacing on the Paragraph
  • In the Spacing section, choose the desired line spacing.

For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

 

 

Inserting a Page Break

  • Place your cursor in the page location where you want to start a new page.
  • On the Insert tab/menu, click Page Break from the Pages

 

 For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.


 

Moving Questions or Paragraphs Blocked by a Resized Image image reference

  • Place your cursor at the beginning of the first line of the questions/paragraph.
  • Press Enter on your keyboard to move the insertion point (the cursor) and the question/paragraph to the next line.

 

For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

 

Extending Write-in Lines for Sentence Completion Questions 

  • Place your cursor in the page location where you want to extend a write-in line.
  • Make room for the line by pressing the space bar on your keyboard.
  • From the Editing group in the Home tab/menu, click Select, then Select Objects.
  • Click your line and expand it by using the resizing handles.

 

 For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

 


Removing page breaks between document sections

  • From the View tab/menu, click Draft in the Document Views

Select the page break by clicking in the margin next to the dotted line and then press Delete on your keyboard.

 

For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

 

 

Adding and aligning write-in lines after a question

  • Make room for the write-in line by pressing the space bar on your keyboard.
  • Add the additional line(s) by selecting, copying and pasting one of the default lines that you want to repeat.
  • From the Editing group in the Home tab/menu, click Select, then Select Objects.
  • Hold Shift on your keyboard and select all the lines that you want to align by mouse-clicking each line
  • On the Page Layout tab/menu, click Align in the Arrange group and then select Align Selected Objects.
  • On the Page Layout tab/menu, click Align in the Arrange group and then select Align Left.
  • On the Page Layout tab/menu, click Align in the Arrange group and then select Distribute Vertically.

 

 For reference, consult these Microsoft Office Support documents.

 

 

 

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