Word Documents: Create Professional Docs Without Fighting Formatting

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Official Anthropic skill on GitHub

Word Documents

Summary

You need a proposal by end of day. You open Word. Thirty minutes later you're still wrestling with paragraph spacing, heading styles, and page breaks that appear from nowhere.

Instead, describe what you need. Give Claude your content and get a polished, properly formatted document in minutes—headers, footers, table of contents, the works.

Stop formatting. Start delivering.

Generate from notes

Give Claude your outline or bullet points. It builds the document with proper styling, headers, and page layout—ready to send.

Consistent formatting

Need that same format next quarter? Claude remembers your preferences. Same headers, same styling, same professional look every time.

Merge and extract

Pull content from existing docs, combine sections from multiple files, or restructure documents without the copy-paste chaos.

Pros

  • Create properly formatted documents from bullet points in minutes, not hours
  • Consistent styling across all pages without fighting with Word settings
  • Generate contracts, proposals, and reports with professional structure
  • Iterate on formatting without starting over or breaking the layout
  • Export to .docx compatible with Word, Google Docs, and other applications
  • Official Anthropic skill with enterprise-grade document generation

Cons

  • Complex tables with merged cells or formulas work better in Excel—use xlsx skill for heavy data work
  • Custom fonts need to be available on the system opening the document
  • Very specific brand templates may need a round of review to match exactly

How to Use Word Documents Skill

Skill command:
1

Install the Skill

Install via the plugin marketplace, or download the skill file directly. Skills auto-activate when relevant—no manual invocation needed.

Option 1: Plugin Marketplace
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
Option 2: Direct Download
curl -o .claude/skills/docx.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/main/skills/docx/SKILL.md
2

Describe What You Need

Be specific about the document type and formatting. "Professional proposal" beats "a document." Include any branding or style requirements.

Example Prompt
Create a project proposal. Include executive summary, scope, timeline table, and budget section. Use professional formatting with our company blue (#1a365d) for headers.
3

Provide Your Content

Paste your notes, bullet points, or existing text. Claude handles the structure and polish. Messy input, clean output.

Example Prompt
/docx Turn these meeting notes into a formatted status report for stakeholders: [paste notes]
4

Request Changes

Not quite right? Ask for adjustments. Claude iterates on styling, structure, or content without starting over.

Example Prompt
Add a table of contents and make the headers larger. Also add page numbers in the footer.
5

Save and Send

Get a .docx file you can open in Word, Google Docs, or any compatible application. Ready to share.

Example Prompt
Perfect. Save this as Q1-Proposal-Final.docx in my Documents folder.

Example Prompts

Real-world scenarios showing how to use Word Documents effectively

Scenario: Exploring templates before committing

Your Prompt

/docx Before creating the full proposal, show me 3-4 different formatting approaches: formal corporate, modern minimal, structured technical, friendly startup. Preview the header style and layout for each so I can pick a direction.

Expected Outcome

Claude describes distinct visual approaches with sample headers and layout previews. You choose the direction before generating the full document.

Scenario: Proposal on a deadline

Your Prompt

/docx I need a client proposal in 2 hours. Here are my bullet points: [paste]. Create sections for Executive Summary, Our Approach, Timeline, Investment, and Next Steps. Professional formatting, nothing fancy.

Expected Outcome

A polished proposal document with proper headings, consistent spacing, and a structure that builds toward the close. Ready to customize and send.

Scenario: Meeting notes to formal report

Your Prompt

/docx Transform these raw meeting notes into a formatted board report. Add an executive summary at the top, organize by topic, include action items as a table at the end. Make it look like our CFO wrote it.

Expected Outcome

Messy notes become a structured report with headers, bullet points where appropriate, and a professional action items table. Board-ready.

Scenario: Contract generation

Your Prompt

/docx Create an NDA using these terms: parties are Acme Corp and Globex Inc, 2-year term, mutual confidentiality, standard exceptions. Include signature blocks and proper legal formatting.

Expected Outcome

A properly formatted NDA with numbered clauses, appropriate legal styling, and signature blocks. Review with legal before using.

Scenario: Template creation for reuse

Your Prompt

/docx Build me a monthly report template. Sections: Executive Summary, Key Metrics (table placeholder), Highlights, Challenges, Next Month Focus. Use our brand colors (navy headers, gray subheaders). Save as a template I can reuse.

Expected Outcome

A reusable template with placeholder sections, consistent styling, and brand colors. Fill in the blanks each month instead of rebuilding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both. Generate new documents from bullet points, outlines, or descriptions. Or point Claude at existing docs to edit, reformat, or extract content.
Yes. Claude generates standard .docx files that open correctly in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and other compatible applications. Fonts may substitute if not installed locally.
Word templates require manual content filling. Claude generates the content AND the formatting together. Describe what you need in plain English, get a finished document. No template hunting or manual adjustment.
Tables work well—timelines, data summaries, comparison grids. For images, you can specify placement and Claude will create placeholders, or reference local image files to include.
Claude can generate properly formatted contracts, NDAs, and agreements with appropriate legal styling. Always review with legal counsel before executing—Claude drafts, humans verify.
Yes. Specify your brand colors, fonts, and style preferences once. Claude applies them consistently. For frequent use, save the style description and paste it with each request.

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