Apr 6, 2018 - Are you getting the most from Microsoft Word 2016 for Windows? Get to know the key features. In this free Word 2016 tutorial, learn how to format text, save and share documents, modify. Learn all about working with your Microsoft account and OneDrive.
Since you are reading this story on the Internet, there's a good chance that you would have heard of Microsoft Office, a suite of applications designed to help you manage your day-to-day office work.
MS Office comprises MS Word, MS Access, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook, etc.
This week we launch a new series, which demystifies these applications to help you maximise your work output. We start with MS Word, the most popular product of the Office suite. Note: Microsoft Word has quite a few versions like Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 and the recently released MS Office 2007. The syntax (execution of commands) used in this article is relevant to MS Office 2003, the most commonly used one. It may be different for the version installed on your computer.
Part II: Now you don't need to type
Part III: Tips, tricks and shortcuts Installing MS Word Microsoft Word is pretty user friendly. Creating a basic document in Word will not take much time. But, before you can do that, make sure Microsoft Word is installed on your PC.
To check if Word is already installed:
~ Click on the 'Start' button on your computer (this is generally located on the lower left corner of the screen).
~ Click on 'Run' and type in 'WINWORD' and press 'OK'.
~ If Microsoft office is already installed on your computer, then you will see a new window opening up. If you spot a blue-coloured icon on your desktop that has a 'W' written on it, you can double click on it to start Microsoft Word.
~ Otherwise, you will see an error box that says, 'Windows cannot find WinWord'.
~ If MS Word is not installed, you will have to purchase MS Office and install it on your PC. Purchasing it along with a new PC is a good idea as it will cost less. Except for the most recent version of MS office, all others are compatible with PCs that are two to three years old.
Creating a Word Document
Presuming Microsoft Word is already installed and running on your computer, we will go ahead and create a document in MS Word.
When you start Word for the first time, you will automatically be greeted by a blank document. On top, you will see a task panel that offers you a few options. Clicking on a 'Blank Document' will open another window with a blank document in it. You can also open a new blank document by clicking on 'File' on the Menu bar (at the top of your screen) and then clicking on 'New'.
From now on, whenever there is a reference of any selection from the Menu Bar, we will refer the action to be performed as 'File -> Action.' For example, if we were telling you how to open a new Word file when you have an old one open, we will say 'File -> New.'
Typing a document is the easiest part; users who have had any previous experience using a typewriter or a computer can immediately begin with typing on a Word document. Simply use the keys on your keyboard to type a letter, memo or anything else you want.
Do save the document by giving it a relevant name. You could save it in the My Documents folder by clicking on the Save Button (third button in the panel) or going to the Menu Bar and doing 'File -> Save as...' You could also create a new folder to save your word document -- when you do Save As, click on the fifth button; this will create a new folder.
Formatting the document
Microsoft Word offers a whole lot of features to help you format your document (organise the way it looks). It has an inbuilt 'Styles' feature, which defines the way the text is arranged on a document. Using Styles, you can provide a consistent formatting to the text in the document, which makes your document more readable.
To access Styles, click: Format->Styles.
Using this style panel, you can apply different styles to the text on your document. For instance, if you want the headings of all the documents to be presented in a particular style, select the text (place the cursor at the beginning of the text that you wish to select. Press 'Shift' with your left hand and choose the relevant arrow key with your right hand while keeping the shift key pressed until you have finished selecting the text you want to modify. Then choose the heading style.
The selected style will apply to all the selected text. This helps in mantaining consistency across the document without bothering about the smaller aspects in defining a style.
You can also modify existing styles. Click on 'Format -> Style'. Now select the style to be modified and click Modify.
The Dialog box gives you the control to change the values for font (font is the way each aphabet looks -- the size and the face; popular font styles are Arial and Times Roman), paragraph, border and other style related parameters.
Think of a scenario where you need to use different fonts with different size and colour on the same page.
To accomplish this task, you would need to create hundreds of styles to be used. What you can do, instead, is, change the values of the different parameters that define a 'style'. You can do this for each and every character in your document. We will check out a few important properties, which you can play around with.
~ Font size
For changing the font size (or the size of the alphabets/ characters), select the text for which you want to increase or decrease the size. Then click on the Font Size dropdown just below the Menu Bar. Click on the font size that you would like and the text you have selected will increase or decrease as per the selected size.
~ Font type
Changing the font type is also similar to changing the font size. Select the text, click the Font Type dropdown, (usually on the left of the Font Size dropdown) and select the font type. You can also play around with the Font Type by clicking on 'Format -> Font', this properties panel will bring to you a whole new set of properties you can play around with. In fact, you can also change the font size from this window.
The other set of enhancements that you add to your text are making the text bold, Italicising it and underlining it. If you want to jazz up your document, you can add colour to your text or apply any effect from the 'Text Effect' section in this window. You can see the preview of the effect in a small preview pane just near the options.
~ Spacing and indents
Indents are meant to align the text on the page properly. You can use the default Indent spacing for Microsoft Word or you may change the settings. To change the Paragraph Indents, select the text for which you want to change the Indent, now click on 'Format -> Paragraph'.
You can set the Indentation, Alignment and Spacing using the dropdowns provided. Changing the value for left or right under the 'Indentation' section will affect the 'Left' and 'Right' page margins for the document respectively. At the bottom of this Dialog box, you will see the 'Tabs' button. Clicking this button offers you the option to control the number of places the cursor should move when the 'Tab' key is pressed.
~ Colours, pictures, borders
If you plan to make a small poster or a notice, you would like to add some colour, pictures/ images and borders to your document.
You can add colour to the whole page by 'Format -> Background and then selecting the desired colour'. Images can be adding by ' Insert -> Picture -> From File' search for your desired image file and click 'Insert'.
Borders can be added from the Dialog box that opens when you click on 'Format-> Borders and Shading'.
After finishing your document, you can permanently save it on your computer by clicking 'File -> Save' provide a file name and click on 'Save'.
This concludes the first stage in mastering Microsoft Office.
Part II:Now you don't need to type
Part III: Tips, tricks and shortcuts
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A Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office
Microsoft Word is a word processing program that was first made public by Microsoft in the early 1980s. It allows users to type and manipulate text in a graphic environment that resembles a page of paper. Extra features, such as tables, images and advanced formatting give users more options to customize their documents. Over the past three decades, there have been a number of updates and additions to Microsoft Word. Today it is one of the most widely used word processors available for Macs and PCs. It is often taught to students in schools and required as part of the basic computer requirements for many office jobs. In this guide, new users will learn the basic functions of Microsoft Word and how to use them.
Alignment – The alignment options dictate whether the left and right edges of the text in a document adhere to the right side, left, center or justified. Alignment can be set from the formatting toolbar at the top of the window or under by choosing “Paragraph” under the Format menu.
Bullets/Numbering – When creating a list of text items, users can choose from several bullet or numbering system to add a small graphic icon or series of numbers before each item. To add bullets or numbering to a series of text, click on the corresponding buttons in the formatting toolbar or choose “Bullets and Numbering” from the Format menu.
Clipboard – The clipboard acts as a type of storage area when a piece of text is temporarily removed and stored for later use within the same session. Using the Cut or Copy commands will place the text in the clipboard. Click on “Clipboard” under the Edit menu to view any text that may be temporarily stored in it.
Copy – Copying text simply means making a replica of any text that is currently selecting and saving it to the clipboard. Pressing the Control and C keys in Windows or Command and C on a Mac will copy the text. Alternatively, users can also select the text and then click the “Copy” option under the Edit menu or in the main toolbar.
Cut – Cutting text removes the text entirely from the viewable document and stores it in the clipboard. Control-X or Command-X are the keyboard shortcuts for the Cut function on Windows and Mac respectively. The Cut function can also be found under the Edit menu or the toolbar.
Document – Each document in Microsoft Word is essentially a new file. Each document can be several pages long. A new document can be created by hitting Control-N or Command-N, or by choosing the “New Blank Document” option from the File menu or the standard toolbar.
Edit – The edit menu or toolbar in Microsoft Word allows users to perform basic editing functions in their document such as copying, cutting and pasting. It also contains options for the Undo and Find/Replace functions.
Font – A font is a type of design for text and typically incorporates this design into each letter, number and symbol found on a keyboard. Fonts can range from formal to whimsical. Microsoft Word comes with a series of provided fonts and additional ones can also be downloaded if needed. To change the font used in a document, select the text and either click on the main Font menu, the Font drop-down menu in the formatting toolbar or hit Control-D or Command D.
Footer – The footer is the text that consistently appears on every page of a document, at the bottom of each page. Footers normally include details such as the page number, or a company’s name and contact details in formal documents. Add or edit a footer by choosing “Header and Footer” under the View menu.
Format – The Format menu (or toolbar) goes one step further than the Edit menu. Users can make stylistic changes by changing the look of the text itself, paragraphs, lists and more.
Header – The header is similar to a footer except that it sits at the very top of every page in a document. Headers often contain page numbers, the document name or sub-titles within a document. The header can be edited by clicking on “Header and Footer” within the View menu.
Justify, left justified, right justified – Justification is a type of alignment for text in a word processor. Justify ensures that both the left and right sides of the text in every paragraph run in a straight line. Left justify makes only the left side of the text aligned, while the right side remains ragged. Right justified does the complete opposite, with only the right side of the text aligned. Users can apply justification to their text by clicking on the corresponding buttons in the formatting toolbar or by selecting the text and clicking on “Paragraph” under the Format menu.
Open – The Open command opens an existing document in Microsoft Word. Command or Control plus O, or choosing “Open…” from the File menu will provide a pop-up window for users to select the document they wish to open.
Paste – The paste command takes any previously copied or cut text and lays it down within the document where the cursor is pointing. Control or Command plus V, or “Paste” from the Edit menu or standard toolbar will run the paste function.
Print – The print command first opens a window where users can specify parameters of the paper, printer and ink they wish to print with and it provides a preview of what the physical print will look like. Control or Command plus P, or clicking on “Print” in the File menu or standard toolbar lets users access the print window.
Quick access tool bar – The quick access toolbar is a small and moveable toolbar at the top of the document window. It usually contains buttons to save, undo, redo and print. This toolbar can also be customized to include or remove other commands.
Ribbon – The Ribbon is a type of toolbar found in versions of Microsoft Office 2007. It contains graphic buttons for commands and similar commands are shown in groups for easy access.
Save – The save command is one of the most important ones. It saves all of the work done to date within a document. The save command enables users to return to the same document later and continue writing, editing or printing. Control or Command plus S, or clicking “Save” under the File menu or standard toolbar will save the document. The “Save As” option is slightly different; it allows users to save the document as a different version by adding a different file name.
Text – Text is any of the words and paragraphs that a user types within a document.
Standard tool bar – The standard tool bar is the row of icons at the top of the document. Each of these buttons are used for basic functions such as saving, opening or printing documents, among other commands.
Undo – The undo feature keeps track of each command that a user issues while working on their document. Issuing the undo command allows the user to go back one step and restore the document as it was before their latest editing command. Related to the Undo command is Redo, which lets the user redo the same formatting command again. Control or Command plus Z, or “Undo” under the Edit menu is used to undo a command, while Control or Command plus Y or “Redo” under Edit is to redo a command.
Additional Resources
1. Basic to Advanced Microsoft Word Quiz
2. The Microsoft Word Toolbar Quiz
3. Test Your Knowledge of Microsoft Word Basic Functions