A drop cap is a stylistic feature used at the start of a paragraph to grab the reader's attention and improve the aesthetic of a document. It consists of a large capital letter that spans several lines of text, adding a decorative flair. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a drop cap in Microsoft Word on both Windows and Mac, as well as in Google Docs.

Create a drop cap in Word on Windows

Create a drop cap in Word on Mac

Create a drop cap in Google Docs

Video: Create a drop cap in Word and Google Docs

Create a drop cap in Word on Windows

Here is a detailed, optimized step-by-step guide to help you easily create a drop cap in Word on a Windows system.

1. Open your Word document. Click on the beginning of the paragraph where you want to add a drop cap.
2. Then, click Insert > Drop Cap, you’ll see a few different styles to choose from: None, Dropped, and In margin. See screenshot:
   
3. Select the drop cap option you need. After specifying, Word will automatically apply the drop cap to the first letter of the paragraph.
   • Dropped: makes the letter drop into the paragraph, aligning with the text.
     
   • In margin: places the letter in the margin, outside the normal text area.
     

Create a drop cap in Word on Mac

Creating a drop cap in Microsoft Word on a Mac is slightly different from the process on Windows. Please follow these steps to proceed:

1. Open your Word document. Click on the beginning of the paragraph where you want to add a drop cap.
2. Go to View tab, click Print Layout, see screenshot:
   
3. Then, go to the Format menu, and click Drop Cap, see screenshot:
   
4. In the Drop Cap dialog box, specify the following operations:
   • Choose Dropped or In margin option as you need;
   • Specify the font, lines to drop and distance from text for the drop cap letter to meet your need from the Options section;
   • At last, click OK button.
     
5. Now, you can see, Word will automatically apply the drop cap to the first letter of the paragraph.

Create a drop cap in Google Docs

You can enhance your document with a decorative touch by adding a drop cap. Although Google Docs doesn't provide a built-in drop cap feature like Microsoft Word, you can easily create one yourself in just a few steps.

Step 1: Create a drop cap in Google Docs

1. Open your Google docs. Click on the beginning of the paragraph where you want to add a drop cap.
2. Then, click Insert > Drawing > New, see screenshot:
   
3. In the Drawing window, click Actions > Word art, see screenshot:
   
4. In the text box, enter the letter that you want to use for the drop cap, and then press Enter key.
   
5. Once your letter is displayed in the drawing window, you have the flexibility to customize it extensively using the toolbar at the top.
   
6. After formatting the letter, click Save and Close button in the Drawing window. Now, you can see the drop cap at the beginning of your Google Docs document. See screenshot:
   

Step 2: Wrap the text around the drop cap letter

By default, Google Docs aligns the drop cap with the first line of the paragraph. To adjust the drop cap so it spans multiple lines of text, follow these steps:

1. Click to select the drop cap letter, a small toolbar menu will appear beneath it. Click Wrap text, you'll see the surrounding text adjust to wrap around your drop cap. see screenshot:
   
2. To resize your drop cap after text wrapping, simply select the letter and drag from one of the corners to adjust its size. See screenshot:
   
3. At last, delete the initial letter of the paragraph after creating a drop cap to prevent duplication. See screenshot:
   

This guide has detailed the process for creating and customizing drop caps in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. By following these instructions, you can add an artistic touch to your documents, enhancing their visual appeal and readability. To explore more tips and tricks for Microsoft Word, please click here to view additional options.

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