When most of us open Microsoft Word or Google Docs, we think about typing. We type a document, correct our mistakes, organize the information, and eventually get it ready to share. But modern word processors can do much more than provide a digital sheet of paper. They include tools that can automate repetitive tasks, help create content, catch mistakes, and even organize longer documents for you.

One of the simplest examples is Find and Replace. Imagine finishing a 15-page proposal only to learn that a product name has changed. You could read through every page looking for the old name, or you could let your word processor find every occurrence and replace it automatically. Find and Replace is also useful for correcting repeated spelling mistakes, updating names, or changing terminology throughout a document. Just remember to review replacements before changing everything at once. Sometimes the same word appears in places you didn’t intend to change.

You don’t even have to type everything yourself. Microsoft Word includes Dictate, while Google Docs offers Voice Typing. Both allow you to speak and have your words converted into text. Dictation can be especially helpful when creating a first draft, taking notes, or simply getting ideas onto the page quickly. You can even speak common punctuation such as “period,” “comma,” or “new paragraph.” It probably won’t eliminate your keyboard completely, but it can make getting that first draft started much easier.

Your word processor can also serve as your first proofreader. Spell checking has been around for years, but today’s tools go well beyond finding misspelled words. Word and Google Docs can identify potential grammar problems and suggest improvements while you write. Depending on the software and features available to you, they may also identify issues with clarity, sentence structure, or word choice. These suggestions shouldn’t replace your own proofreading, but they can catch mistakes that are easy to overlook after you’ve been staring at the same document for an hour.

Last week we discussed why you shouldn’t manually type numbers or bullets when creating a list. Automatic lists are another great example of letting your word processor handle repetitive work. Add a new item between numbers three and four, and the software automatically renumbers everything that follows. Remove an item and the remaining numbers adjust. It’s a small feature, but on a long checklist, agenda, or set of instructions, it can save a surprising amount of cleanup.

For longer documents, an automatic table of contents can save even more time. Instead of manually typing section names and page numbers, use heading styles to identify the major sections of your document. Word and Google Docs can then use those headings to generate a table of contents automatically. If your document changes and a section moves from page seven to page nine, you can update the table of contents rather than finding and correcting every page number yourself. This is especially useful for policies, employee handbooks, reports, and other documents that change over time.

Sometimes the task you want to automate is much simpler. Need to know whether you’ve stayed under a 1,000-word limit? Word Count can give you the answer instantly. Depending on the application, you can also see information such as character counts, page counts, and other document statistics. You can even select a specific section of text when you only need the word count for part of a document.

None of these tools are particularly complicated, and that’s exactly what makes them useful. Saving 30 seconds here or five minutes there may not seem significant, but repetitive tasks add up. More importantly, automation reduces opportunities for mistakes. You don’t have to remember to renumber 14 items or hunt through 20 pages for an outdated company name.

Before you spend time doing something manually, ask yourself one question: can my word processor do this for me? You may be surprised how often the answer is yes.

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