Condensing and Expanding Headings

When you are working Outline view, Word displays only the headings you want displayed. You control this by selecting a heading level on the Outline toolbar or (in Word 2007) on the Outlining tab of the ribbon. Word will only show those heading levels equal to or higher than the level you specify. You might, however, want to selectively condense headings or body text under specific headings. You do this in the following manner:

1. Position the insertion point somewhere in the heading whose subordinate information you wish to condense.
2. Click your mouse on the minus sign tool on the Outline toolbar or on the Outlining tab of the ribbon. This condenses the heading.
3. Click your mouse on the plus sign tool on the Outline toolbar or on the Outlining tab of the ribbon. This expands the heading.
4. Continue to click your mouse on the minus sign tool until the information is condensed to the level desired.

Word allows you to quickly condense or expand all the information under a heading by double-clicking your mouse on the minus sign or plus sign to the left of a heading. This assumes, of course, that the information under the heading had been previously expanded.