How to display margins in Word 2013

On the View tab, click Ruler on the Show/Hide section.

Actually, the original poster is referring to text boundaries, which used to show the edges of each text "container" (for example, table cell, text box, page). These boundaries were quite useful, but that ended with Word 2013, unfortunately.

The downside of "contextual" tabs is that they're accessible only when the "context" is right. Like you, I find it a nuisance to have to insert a table to access the table tools (as opposed to the Table menu in Word 2003 and earlier, which is always available), a graphic to access the picture tools, etc., but that's because I'm usually just testing scenarios and checking for the exact content and wording of menus and dialogs (in order to help other users). In actual use, I suppose it makes sense to have them work this way.

There are a few instances in which Word makes settings more accessible than in earlier versions. Being able to access an empty header by double-clicking instead of having to use View | Header and Footer is a great improvement (one I often miss, working in Word 2003), but even better is the ability to access the Page Number Format dialog from any location in a document, which makes it far easier to restart numbering in a "landlocked" section in the middle of a page (with no header or footer).

Whenever there is a new version, it does seem we lose a bit of the old, and gain some of the new.  In general, once I installed several (many) icons on the QAT, I was fine.  But it did take some time to learn where and how to do even that back in 2007.  As a teacher of adults who use MS products all the time, I would say about 70% have no clue what the QAT is, or how to add icons, or where to find them.  

I created a document on how to do this, takes two pages, and if you are interested, send me an email at ******@aol.com.

To need to create a table is, in my opinion, a huge work around, but once on, it is kind of like the old "text boundaries" they are always on.  WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!!!!!

The downside of "contextual" tabs is that they're accessible only when the "context" is right. Like you, I find it a nuisance to have to insert a table to access the table tools (as opposed to the Table menu in Word 2003 and earlier, which is always available), a graphic to access the picture tools, etc., but that's because I'm usually just testing scenarios and checking for the exact content and wording of menus and dialogs (in order to help other users). In actual use, I suppose it makes sense to have them work this way.

There are a few instances in which Word makes settings more accessible than in earlier versions. Being able to access an empty header by double-clicking instead of having to use View | Header and Footer is a great improvement (one I often miss, working in Word 2003), but even better is the ability to access the Page Number Format dialog from any location in a document, which makes it far easier to restart numbering in a "landlocked" section in the middle of a page (with no header or footer).

I would not regard table gridlines as a "workaround." I keep them enabled all the time even in Word versions that do display text boundaries correctly, in part because I sometimes work in Normal/Draft view, in which text boundaries are not displayed at all.

OK, you have convinced me to turn View Gridlines on in Table Tools.

This will be another change in default settings that for a novice user (and some seasoned users) is a huge stretch when teaching mail merge and labels for the first time.

I have several pages of "default" settings that need to be changed from spacing, to dates, to paragraph spacing, etc.

I will now just add one more to the list - but first one needs to create a table to get to table tools!

It is so exciting to be a teacher and try to explain the reasons for the changes.

I do appreciate your responses and others.

THE ONLY WAY WE LEARN!