Manifestations of the Force, which were mentally-based abilities and tapped through the practitioner's willpower, could take many forms, and included telepathy, psychokinesis, and enhanced physical and metaphysical perception. The Force could be used to bend the will of weak-minded beings and guide an adept's body. Users who were very good at using the Force could cease merely reacting to their surroundings and actually predict events in the very near future, such as the next blow in a duel. Guidance like this enabled Luke Skywalker to launch a proton torpedo into an extremely difficult target on the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. The Force can also be used to sedate. Qui-Gon Jinn use this power on Jar Jar Binks when traveling the dangerous underwater path to Theed. Qui-Gon placed a hand on Jar-Jar's shoulder and asked him to relax causing the Gungan to almost lose consciousness. Obi-wan, observing the extreme change in Jar Jar's behavior, tell's Jin, his master, "You overdid it."

In addition to enhancing their own skill, Force users were capable of channeling the energy of The Force directly into the world around them. The Sith were infamous for making heavy use of this ability to conjure Force-lightning, or Force-choke enemies by constricting their windpipes. The Jedi preferred to use their abilities to heal and protect; closing wounds and shielding others with barriers of Force energy. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered that Jedi could achieve near-immortality through the Force by existing as a Force ghost after death.1

Some Force users even learned how to transfer their spirit into another body. Palpatine used this technique in order to prolong his life, and evidence suggests the legendary Dark Jedi Set Harth, who fell to the dark side in the aftermath of the New Sith Wars, used this power to leapfrog his essence between hundreds of clone bodies, lingering in the physical realm up until the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and beyond. Later Callista Ming transferred herself to the body of a dying friend so that she could stay alive. Callista, unlike Harth and Palpatine, lost her ability to touch the Force in the process of transference.

Others, like Darth Nihilus, could use the Force to feed off other Force users. Nihilus' power could encompass entire planets and drain them of life, like the Miraluka colony world of Katarr. Some dark side users could use a diffrent and weaker form of this technique to drain the strength of others into themselves, occasionally to fatal results. Darth Nihilus' ability to do this where from a "Death Echo" which is essentially a rip in the fabric of the force itself.

Palpatine mentioned that the Force can help one cheat death, or create life, a secret mastered only by Darth Plagueis. Another Sith Lord, Darth Sion, used a more indirect method to cheat death. As he could call upon his pain to strengthen his will and allow him to rise up again as strong as he was beforehand, he was arguably immortal.

The Force played a major part in the Jedi use of a lightsaber, in that their heightened awareness kept them from accidentally injuring themselves while using the weapon in combat, as the blade had no relative weight, making it difficult to judge its position. Similarly, the Force allowed a Jedi to use his/her lightsaber to deflect incoming blaster bolts. The Force also came into play during the construction of a lightsaber, both in assembling its intricate innards, and the initial charging of the power cell.

Manipulating the Force is not without risks, however. When a person uses the Force beyond their body's ability to sustain it, the individual could suffer physical damage, accelerated aging, or in the most extreme case, certain death by burning their own body cells from the inside out. Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Palpatine, and Dorsk 81 are prime examples of excessive Force usage and the consequences.