How do I create a step-by-step guide with screenshots in Word?
You can do it entirely by hand. It works for a short guide and takes patience for a long one.
- Write the title and one sentence that says what the reader will be able to do.
- Add a numbered list for the steps. Use the list button, not typed numbers, so Word renumbers when you insert a step.
- Take one screenshot per step with the same window size, and insert it under the step with Insert, Pictures.
- Mark the target with a ring or an arrow, and crop the picture to the part that matters.
- Add alt text to every picture, one sentence about what it shows.
- Check page breaks. Keep a step and its picture together on one page.
The weak point is changes. When a button moves, you retake the screenshot, crop it again and fix the layout.
How do I get real headings and a numbered list?
Real headings are styled with Word's Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles, not made bold and large by hand. They give you the Navigation pane, a table of contents and a structure that screen readers follow.
- Style the guide title as Title or Heading 1, and each part ("Before you start", "Steps", "If something goes wrong") as Heading 2.
- Apply the numbering to the step list with the list button. A typed "1." is only text.
- Open the Navigation pane and check that every part is listed.
- For a longer document, add a table of contents from the References tab.
You do not have to do this by hand for a recorded guide. The Word file from Izly uses real heading styles and one numbered list for the steps, and a tip between two steps does not break the numbering. You can still open the Navigation pane to see the structure.
How do I get a recorded guide into Word?
- Record the task once in Chrome. Every click and typed text becomes a step with a screenshot.
- Tidy the guide in the editor: edit texts, reorder, delete, merge, add tips and warnings, crop and cover private data.
- Choose the Word export. It is part of Pro and Studio.
- Open the file. The headings are real heading styles and the steps are one numbered list.
- Add your own cover page, header or company styles, then save.
Edit in Izly first and export last. Changes made in the Word file do not flow back to the guide.
What does the result look like for a real task?
Example: a guide for the public practice form, a customer request form. Recorded once, it gives a step for each field plus Submit. Exported to Word, a hand-out for a new colleague could read as follows.
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Title | Send a customer request |
| Intro | One sentence: you will send a request and get a reference number |
| Steps 1 to 9 | One numbered action each, with the screenshot underneath |
| Check | The confirmation page lists what was sent and shows a reference number |
Which format is on which plan?
| Format | Free | Pro and Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, with a small footer | Yes, no badge | |
| Word | No | Yes |
| HTML | No | Yes |
| Markdown | No | Yes |
| Share link and embed | Yes | Yes |
Pro is 10 USD per creator per month and has a 14-day trial without a card. Studio is 30 USD and adds unlimited videos. Tax is added at checkout. See pricing.
Should I use Word or PDF?
- Word when someone will edit it, add a cover page, or place it in a larger document.
- PDF when it is final: a hand-out, an attachment to a mail, an audit folder. A PDF keeps the layout the same on every computer. Izly builds it with the product's own fonts, and a typical guide is a few megabytes.
- A share link when the guide changes often. A Word file or a PDF is a copy from the day it was made.
More about choosing a format is in how to create training documentation for software.
What can this not do?
Recording works in desktop Chrome only. The Word export is a copy, so keep one place as the master and re-export after changes. Izly does not write the text around the steps, such as a cover page or an approval table, so add them in Word or use a SOP template for the frame.
How does Izly produce the Word file?
Izly (izly.io) is a Chrome extension that turns a task you do once in your browser into a step-by-step guide, a narrated video and a no-code automation that repeats the task. The guide you record can be downloaded as PDF on every plan, and as Word, HTML or Markdown on Pro and Studio.
Passwords are never recorded, and covered pixels in a screenshot are removed on the server. Start free and try the PDF, or read the guide on screenshots.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the Word file on the Free plan?
No. Word, HTML and Markdown are on Pro and Studio. The Free plan exports PDF with a small footer, and you can try Pro for 14 days without a card.
Will changes in Word update the guide?
No. The Word file is a copy. Edit the guide in the editor and export again if the steps change, so the master stays in one place.
How many screenshots should one page hold?
Two or three steps with their pictures fit on a page. Keep a step and its picture together, and use a page break before a heading when needed.
Is PDF or Word better for an audit folder?
PDF is the usual choice, because it cannot be changed by accident and looks the same everywhere. Keep the Word file as the editable source.
Related pages
- GuideHow to make a step-by-step guide with screenshots
- GuideHow to Create Training Documentation for Software
- TemplateSOP Template with Screenshots
- TemplateWork Instructions Template with Pictures
- GuideHow to Create a User Guide for Software, with Screenshots
- Use caseFree Step-by-Step Guide Maker with Screenshots
Record it once and let the guide write itself
With Izly you do the task once in the browser. Clicks and screenshots become a step-by-step guide that you edit, share, turn into a narrated video or run again for every row of a table.