How to Add a Drop Cap in Microsoft Word

The Aesthetic Appeal of Drop Caps

If you have ever read a classic novel, a fairy tale, or a high-end magazine article, you have likely seen a “drop cap” (dropped capital). A drop cap is a large capital letter at the very beginning of a text block that has the depth of two or more lines of regular text. It is a classic typographical design element used to draw the reader’s eye into the story and add a touch of professional elegance to the page.

While you might think creating this effect requires professional desktop publishing software like Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Word has a built-in Drop Cap feature that takes only a few seconds to apply. You do not need to manually change font sizes, mess with text boxes, or struggle with line spacing.

How to Insert a Drop Cap in Word

This method works in all modern versions of Microsoft Word (including Microsoft 365, Word 2021, and Word 2019).

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word.
2. Ensure you have at least one full paragraph of text written. Drop caps cannot be applied to a completely empty line.
3. Click anywhere inside the paragraph where you want the drop cap to appear. (You do not need to highlight the first letter; Word will automatically grab the first character of the paragraph).
4. Click on the Insert tab in the top ribbon menu.
5. Look toward the far right side of the ribbon for the Text section.
6. Click the Drop Cap button. (It usually looks like a large “A” with horizontal lines of text wrapping around it).
7. A dropdown menu will appear with three options:
   • None: Removes an existing drop cap.
   • Dropped: This is the classic look. The letter drops down into the paragraph, and the text wraps around it seamlessly. (Recommended).
   • In margin: The large letter sits completely outside the paragraph in the left margin, and the text forms a straight block next to it.

Click Dropped, and your paragraph will instantly transform.

How to Customise the Drop Cap

By default, Word makes the drop cap three lines tall and uses the same font as the rest of your paragraph. However, for maximum visual impact, designers often use a completely different, highly decorative font just for that single letter.

1. Highlight your new drop cap letter by clicking and dragging your mouse over it.
2. Go to the Insert tab > Drop Cap button again.
3. Click on Drop Cap Options… at the very bottom of the dropdown menu.
4. A small dialogue box will appear with advanced settings:
   • Font: Change the font to something elegant like Old English Text MT, Garamond, or a script font. (This only changes the drop cap, not the rest of the paragraph).
   • Lines to drop: Increase this to 4 or 5 for a massive, magazine-style letter, or drop it to 2 for a more subtle look.
   • Distance from text: If the large letter is touching the smaller text and making it hard to read, increase this number (e.g., 0.1 cm) to add some breathing room.
5. Click OK.

Troubleshooting: Why is the Drop Cap Button Greyed Out?

If you click the Insert tab and the Drop Cap button is unclickable (greyed out), there are two common reasons:

1. You are not in Print Layout view. Drop caps are visual formatting elements that do not display in Web Layout mode. Go to the View tab and ensure Print Layout is selected.
2. You are trying to drop a symbol or a space. Word cannot apply a drop cap to an empty space, a tab indent, or certain special characters. Ensure the very first character of your paragraph is a standard letter. Delete any spaces or tabs before the first word.