Learning microsoft office word

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Audience

This tutorial has been designed for computer users who are willing to learn Microsoft Word in simple steps and they do not have much knowledge about computer usage and Microsoft applications. This tutorial will give you enough understanding on MS Word from where you can take yourself to higher levels of expertise.

Prerequisites

Before you begin with this tutorial, we assume you have a basic understanding of Computer peripherals like mouse, keyboard, monitor, screen, etc. and their basic operations.

This Microsoft Word beginner guide provides free & basic lessons, tutorials & fundamentals for learning MS Office Word software.  Microsoft Word is everyone’s favorite text editor. With so many features, it can meet all your requirements. It may look complicated to use initially, but once you get the hang of it, things start falling in place. This blog post is for those who want to learn the basic functions and features and know more about Microsoft Word.

To start the Microsoft Word application, click on the START button > Microsoft Office > Word or simply search for ‘Word’ in the search box and then click on the result. Once it is opened, select New document.

This is how the opened blank Microsoft Word document will look like.

Now let us take a look at the features that it has to offer.

1] Title and the Quick Access Toolbar

At the top, you have the Title of the document, the Quick Access Toolbar and a few other functions such as Minimize, Restore Down / Maximize, Close and Ribbon Display Options.

In the Quick Access Toolbar to the left of the Title Bar, you will find the Save button (Ctrl+S), wherein you can save the document in the desired folder; the Undo Typing button (Ctrl+Z); the Repeat Typing button (Ctrl+Y); and the Customize Quick Access Toolbar, wherein you have the various commands as shown in the image below.

In the Ribbon Display Options, it is possible to Auto-hide the ribbon, show the ribbon tabs only or show the tabs and commands all the time. Refer to the image below.

Below the Title Bar, you will see what is called the Ribbon which consists of various tabs such as File, Home, Insert, Design, Layout, References, Mailings, Review, View, Help, Search. Now let us go through every Tab and its commands.

2] Home

The Home tab is the default tab in Microsoft Word. This tab comprises of features related to the clipboard, font, paragraph, styles, and editing.

In the Clipboard section, you will find commands such as copy, cut and paste. Next, we have the Font section. Here you can change the font and the font size for your text, change the case, apply bold or italic formatting, underline, change the font color and highlight text and also add various text effects and typography. Go ahead and explore all the different options to make your text look great and innovative!

The Paragraph section includes the alignment options where you can choose to align your text in the center, left, right or justify it (that is, evenly distribute the text between the margins).

You can add or remove borders, increase or decrease indent, adjust the line and paragraph spacing, and also add bullets and numbers from the bullets and numbering libraries.

You can also create a multilevel list to organize items or create an outline.

From the Styles section, you can select any style of your choice to change the way your document looks. In the Editing section, you can find text or any content in the document and also replace a specific word or text with something else.

3] Insert

The next tab is the Insert tab.

You can add a stylish cover page from the numerous styles available to make your document look more professional and also add a blank page from the Pages section. Another important feature is inserting a table, a picture from your picture gallery, an online picture from the web, shapes, 3D models, charts, SmartArt and screenshots from the Tables and the Illustrations section. Refer to the images below for guidance.

You can insert Tables.

You can insert  Shapes.

You can insert SmartArt – and more!

In the Header & Footer section, you can add a built-in header and a footer or from online sources. You can also add page numbers to your document.

Similarly, there are a lot of other features and commands in the Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments, Text and Symbols sections.

4] Design

The Design tab comprises of commands related to Document Formatting and Page Background. To make your document look more consistent and classy, choose the right theme of your liking from the various options available. Additional features include colors, fonts, effects, and paragraph spacing.

If you wish to go for a splash of color for the document background, you can change the page color as well, add Watermark and page borders.

5] Layout

In this tab, in the Page Setup section, you can adjust margins for the entire document or for a particular section; and also customize it. You can change the Page Orientation to Landscape or Portrait; choose the page size for your document, and add or remove columns.

You can also decide the Size for the document.

Find the settings to increase or decrease the Indent and Spacing in the Paragraph section.

Other features related to the placement of text and pictures, grouping multiple images and rotation options will be found in the Arrange section.

6] References

In the References tab, you will find different commands related to the table of contents, footnotes, research, citations and bibliography, captions, index and table of authorities.

7] Mailings

Here, you will find settings that will help you to create envelopes and labels, start the mail merge wherein you can send it to multiple recipients, write and insert fields, preview results and finish mail merge.

8] Review

The Review tab includes various functions related to proofing, speech, accessibility, language, comments, tracking, changes, compare, protect and ink. Out of all these, the Spelling and Grammar function (F7) is of utmost importance. Do check for spelling and grammatical errors after you are done writing your document.

9] View

In the View tab, you can change the views such as Read Mode, Print Layout, Web Layout, etc. Feel free to explore the additional features from the immersive, page movement, show, zoom, window, macros, and SharePoint sections.

10] Help

In the Help tab, you can contact an office support agent and give feedback.

11] Search

In the Search tab, you can type any feature that you are looking for and get help.

12] File

In the File tab, you can save the document, print and share the document, and also publish it.

In this post, I have tried to cover all the basic and useful features and functions of Microsoft Word.

This is my first blog post and I hope it was helpful to you. Your suggestions are most welcome.

Do try out all these features in order to make your MS Word document absolutely presentable and perfect!

Next, you might want to take a look at our Microsoft Word Tips And Tricks post.

Introduction

Microsoft Word is a word processing application that allows you to create a variety of documents, including letters, resumes, and more. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to navigate the Word interface and become familiar with some of its most important features, such as the Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, and Backstage view.

Watch the video below to become more familiar with Word.

About this tutorial

The procedures in this tutorial will work for all recent versions of Microsoft Word, including Word 2019, Word 2016, and Office 365. There may be some slight differences, but for the most part these versions are similar. However, if you’re using an earlier version, you may want to refer to one of our other Word tutorials instead.

The Word interface

When you open Word for the first time, the Start Screen will appear. From here, you’ll be able to create a new document, choose a template, and access your recently edited documents. From the Start Screen, locate and select Blank document to access the Word interface.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about the Word interface.

Working with the Word environment

All recent versions of Word include the Ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar, where you’ll find commands to perform common tasks in Word, as well as Backstage view.

The Ribbon

Word uses a tabbed Ribbon system instead of traditional menus. The Ribbon contains multiple tabs, which you can find near the top of the Word window.

Each tab contains several groups of related commands. For example, the Font group on the Home tab contains commands for formatting text in your document.

Some groups also have a small arrow in the bottom-right corner that you can click for even more options.

Showing and hiding the Ribbon

If you find that the Ribbon takes up too much screen space, you can hide it. To do this, click the Ribbon Display Options arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon, then select the desired option from the drop-down menu:

• Auto-hide Ribbon: Auto-hide displays your document in full-screen mode and completely hides the Ribbon from view. To show the Ribbon, click the Expand Ribbon command at the top of screen.
• Show Tabs: This option hides all command groups when they’re not in use, but tabs will remain visible. To show the Ribbon, simply click a tab.
• Show Tabs and Commands: This option maximizes the Ribbon. All of the tabs and commands will be visible. This option is selected by default when you open Word for the first time.

To learn how to add custom tabs and commands to the Ribbon, review our Extra on Customizing the Ribbon.

Using the Tell me feature

If you’re having trouble finding a command you want, the Tell Me feature can help. It works just like a regular search bar. Type what you’re looking for, and a list of options will appear. You can then use the command directly from the menu without having to find it on the Ribbon.

The Quick Access Toolbar

Located just above the Ribbon, the Quick Access Toolbar lets you access common commands no matter which tab is selected. By default, it shows the Save, Undo, and Redo commands, but you can add other commands depending on your needs.

To add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:

1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.

   
2. Select the command you want to add from the menu.

   

3. The command will be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.

   

The Ruler

The Ruler is located at the top and to the left of your document. It makes it easier to adjust your document with precision. If you want, you can hide the Ruler to create more screen space.

To show or hide the Ruler:

1. Click the View tab.

   

2. Click the checkbox next to Ruler to show or hide the Ruler.

   

Backstage view

Backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening a file, printing, and sharing your document. To access Backstage view, click the File tab on the Ribbon.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Backstage view.

Document views and zooming

Word has a variety of viewing options that change how your document is displayed. You can choose to view your document in Read Mode, Print Layout, or Web Layout. These views can be useful for various tasks, especially if you’re planning to print the document. You can also zoom in and out to make your document easier to read.

Switching document views

Switching between different document views is easy. Just locate and select the desired document view command in the bottom-right corner of the Word window.

• Read Mode: This view opens the document to a full screen. This view is great for reading large amounts of text or simply reviewing your work.

  

• Print Layout: This is the default document view in Word. It shows what the document will look like on the printed page.

  

• Web Layout: This view displays the document as a webpage, which can be helpful if you’re using Word to publish content online.

  

Zooming in and out

To zoom in or out, click and drag the zoom control slider in the bottom-right corner of the Word window. You can also select the + or — commands to zoom in or out by smaller increments. The number next to the slider displays the current zoom percentage, also called the zoom level.

Challenge!

1. Open Word, and create a blank document.
2. Change the Ribbon Display Options to Show Tabs.
3. Using Customize Quick Access Toolbar, add New, Quick Print, and Spelling & Grammar.
4. In the Tell me bar, type Shape and press Enter.
5. Choose a shape from the menu, and double-click somewhere on your document.
6. Show the Ruler if it is not already visible.
7. Zoom the document to 120%.
8. Change the Document view to Web Layout.
9. When you’re finished, your document should look something like this:

   

10. Change the Ribbon Display Options back to Show Tabs and Commands, and change the Document View back to Print Layout.

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