What is the use of microsoft word document

What is Word?

Overview

With Word on your PC, Mac, or mobile device, you can:

• Create and format your document with Themes.

• Review work with Track Changes.

• Polish your words with proofing tools like Editor.

• Save to OneDrive, to get your documents from your computer, tablet, or phone.

• Share your work to chat, comment, and collaborate with others, wherever they are.

Want more?

What’s new in Word for Windows

Word Quick Start

Discover more Word training at LinkedIn Learning

In this tutorial, you’ll learn all about MS Word. You’ll discover what it’s used for. You’ll explore some of the features of Microsoft Word. Plus, we’ll show you how to get started and share some helpful resources.

What Is Microsoft Word?

You may be wondering: what type of program is Microsoft Word? A good definition is that it’s a word processor. That’s an application you use to “process”— format, manipulate, save, print, share — a text-based document. 

Microsoft Word is arguably the most popular word processor on the planet. That’s because it’s part of Microsoft’s Office Suite, which is installed in 1 billion devices in the world (according to groovyPost). 

When Word 1.0 for Windows was released in 1989, it was one of the first word processors that offered a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface. 

This combination of ease of use and robust features makes it the go-to word processor in both homes and offices today. It’s now also available for the Mac operating system as well as a web-based version through an Office 365 subscription.

What Is Microsoft Word Used For?

Now you’re ready to learn how to use MS Word. Use it to create many kinds of business and person documents. Here’s just a sampling of how to use it:

For Business or School

Microsoft Office’s Word is a great tool for creating business documents. Of course, you could design business and school documents from scratch. Or you could get a head start using a professionally designed template.

You can also find templates to help you create the following:

• letter
• report or paper
• proposal
• newsletter 
• brochure
• catalog 
• poster
• flyer
• postcard
• sign 
• banner 
• resume
• business card
• invoice
• receipt
• product packaging
• mailing label

For Personal Purposes

There are also many personal uses of MS Word. Here are just a few:

• invitation
• card
• gift tag
• recipe card
• place card
• certificates

As you can see, Microsoft Word comes in very handy for both your personal and professional lives!

How to Get Started Using Microsoft Word (+Top MS Word Features)

Microsoft Word has become more intuitive through the years. Even if you’re just starting to use it, you can easily figure things out and navigate your way through the simplest tasks. 

That said, it’s got a ton of features for the more advanced user. And you’re not aware of those features and how to use them, you can miss out on things that can make your workflow much easier.

1. Make Your Way Around: The Microsoft Word User Interface

Whichever version you’re using, the user interface is very similar:

The main menu gives you access to the major command groups:

• file
• edit
• view
• insert
• format
• tools
• table
• window
• help

Click on any of these items to reveal more detailed commands. For example, when you click on File, you get the following options.

Next, you see the Quick Access Toolbar lets complete frequently used tasks in Word with a single click. These include:

• save
• undo
• redo
• print
• search

This is also where you see the title of the document you’re working on.

You can customize which buttons appear on your Quick Access Toolbar. 

1. Go to Word > Preferences….

The Word Preferences dialog opens. 

2. Click on the Ribbon & Toolbar button.

The Ribbon & Toolbar dialog pops up. 

3. Click on the Quick Access Toolbar button.

4. Add, remove, or reorder the command buttons.

To add a button to your Quick Access Toolbar, find the command you wish to add from the left box. Click to select it, then click the right arrow. This moves it to the box on the right.

To remove a command from your Quick Access Toolbar, click on a command on the right. Then, click the left arrow.

You can also drag and drop the commands in your Quick Access Toolbar to change the order in which they appear.

5. When you’re done, click Save.

Next, you’ll find the tab and ribbon. Each tab displays a different ribbon of buttons for various related commands. For example, the Home tab displays this ribbon:

Follow the same steps above to customize the ribbon for each tab. Instead of selecting Quick Access Toolbar in the Ribbon & Toolbar dialog, click on the Ribbon button.

Let’s look at just some of the things you can do.

2. Create a New Document

You could fire up Microsoft Word and create a document from scratch. The interface is intuitive enough to figure out. But if you need it, here’s a quick guide to creating, opening, and saving files:

Earlier versions of Word create files in the DOC file format, a proprietary format. This means only Microsoft Word officially supported files with the DOC extension. But with some reverse engineering, other applications were able to open and save DOC files. That said, they may not fully support all its formatting and features.

Since 2007, Word started saving files as DOCX by default. The X stands for XML standard or Open Office Extensible Markup Language. 

DOCX makes for smaller files that are less prone to corruption. It can also be read by any robust word processor, like Google Docs. DOCX is now the standard file format of Word documents. Although, Word can save to DOC and other file formats as well (see Exporting to Other File Formats below).

3. Work With Text in MS Word

Microsoft Word shines when it comes to manipulating and formatting text. You can create the most basic, plain text-based documents to extremely creative layouts that previously required graphic design software.

Below are a few tutorials on the basics of working with text:

4. Go Beyond Text

Almost any document can benefit from the added impact of visuals. Read these articles to learn how to add and format pictures, as well as go beyond the basics with your layouts. 

And if you find yourself using Microsoft Word more and more, you’ll appreciate learning the keyboard shortcuts for your frequently used commands. Find out more below:

5. Print in Microsoft Word

You can print to standard-sized paper as well as custom sizes. Print on matte, glossy, or photo paper. You can even print large documents, such as a banner, by printing them on separate sheets that you then piece together.

To print a document:

1. Go to File > Print….

The Print dialog opens.

Select your printer. Then choose the printer settings you want to use, including which pages to print, how many, and print quality.

2. Click Print.

6. Export to Other File Formats

Microsoft Word isn’t just for making printed documents! 

Thanks to the exporting feature, you can export your document to other file formats. The most common one is a PDF, which you can upload to a website, email, or share in other ways.

Follow these steps to export your document:

1. Go to File > Save As….

The Save As dialog appears.

2. Choose a file format.

Give your document a name. Then, click on the File Format drop-down menu to display all the different formats you can export to. Select the format you want to use, then click Save.

Go to the Next Level With Word Templates

If you want to take your documents to the next level without getting a graphic design degree yourself, then use a template.

The best templates are created by professional designers who make the biggest design decisions for you: fonts, colors, formatting, image placement, and more. All you’ve got to do is to add your own text and images, customize the formatting elements as you see fit, and you have a professional-looking document. Read this article on how to use Microsoft Word templates:

For best results, use a premium Word template. These are specifically designed to be customizable. They often come with after-sales support from the designers. 

A great source of premium templates is Envato Elements. For one small monthly subscription, get unlimited downloads of templates and other design pieces you need, such as fonts, photos, and more.

For one-off projects, consider the Word templates from GraphicRiver. Here, you can access thousands of templates and other design tools, but on a pay-per-use basis.

5 Top Microsoft Word Templates from Envato Elements in 2021

Envato Elements has most of the templates you’ll need for any project in MS Word. Here are five different types of premium templates that can be used in Microsoft Word:

1. Word Resume

Edit this resume in Microsoft Word and in Adobe InDesign. The design of this template is minimal and modern. This template comes with a picture placeholder where you can add your image. Everything can be easily edited as needed.

2.  Product Catalog

If you’re looking for a product catalog, consider this one. Here are some features of this MS Word template:

• US letter size (8.5″ x 11″)
• 12 pages to add information on
• can be edited in Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign

This template comes with a customer feedback page, membership information page, terms & policies page, and a bestsellers page.

3. Flower Word Wedding Invitation

Another use for templates in Microsoft Word is an invitation template. The Flower Word Wedding Invitation is a premium invitation template. This template has a simple and elegant design. The size of this template is A4 paper size, which can be folded and put in an envelope or passed out like a flyer. 

4. Business Brochure

Another template useful in Microsoft Word is a brochure that can be used to give any type of information. Here are some highlights of this templates:

• both US letter size (8.5″ x 11″) and A4 size (8.27″ x 11.69″)
• 16 pages you can add information on
• edit it in Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign

You can easily edit everything in this template to fit the project you’re working on.

5. Clean and Minimal Business Invoice

The Clean and Minimal Business Invoice can be edited in Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Word. This template has a professional and clean look. The size of this template is US letter size (8.5″ x 11″), meaning it can be easily mailed in an envelope. This template comes with some icons at the bottom of the page.  

5 Ways You Can Customize Your Premium Template 

Customizing your template is a way to add a personal touch to your template. In this tutorial, we’ll use the CV Resume Word Template.

Here’s what the template looks like without any edits made:

Let’s get started on some customizations:

1. Insert a Headshot Image

There’s an image area that you can add your image to in this template. Add an image by clicking on the Insert tab in the top left corner of your window. Next, click on the Insert Picture button located below the toolbar.

When you click on Insert Picture, a menu drops down. Select the correct option for you depending on where your image is located. Once you’ve located your image, double click. You can resize and move the image as needed.

2. Add Your Information

To add your information, you need to delete the text that is already there. To delete text, highlight the text that you want to get rid of.

After the text is highlighted, press Delete on your keyboard. Next, click on the Insert tab in the top left corner of your window. Then, click on the Draw a Textbox button below the toolbar in the right side of your window.

Finally, click on where you want to add the textbox and draw a diagonal line to add the text box. Now, click in the text box and start typing.

3. Use the Spelling and Grammar Check

Bad spelling and grammar can cause an employer not to hire you. Microsoft Word has a helpful feature that’ll check spelling and grammar for you. 

To begin using the spelling and grammar check, highlight all the text that you want to check for errors. Next, click on the Review tab. The first button on the left side of the window under the toolbar is the Spelling & Grammar button. Click on the Spelling & Grammar button.

When you click on the Spelling & Grammar button, it’ll check the highlighted text for errors. When it’s done, a pop-up window pops up. Click on the correct spelling of the word and click on the Add button.

Keep repeating the previous step until every error is fixed. Then click on the Close button.

4. Change the Font 

Changing the font is the easiest way to customize your Microsoft Word template.

First, highlight the text that you want to change the font of. Next, click on the Home tab in the toolbar. The Home tab is the first option in the toolbar on the left side of your window.

Then click on the arrow next to the font menu. Clicking on the arrow next to the font menu causes a menu of fonts to drop down. Choose the font that you want from the drop-down menu. 

5. Delete an Object

Deleting an object that you don’t want can help you open up your Microsoft Word template layout. To get rid of an object, click on the object that you want to delete. When the object is collected, click the Delete key.

How to Get Microsoft Word Help and Support

Microsoft Word brings powerful word processing tools at your fingertips. But more features also mean more complexity. Fortunately for us, Microsoft provides a Help & Learning page. Here, you’ll find training, access to a community of other users, and a way to get support.

Good-Looking, High-Impact Documents at Your Fingertips

For beginners and advanced users alike, Word continues to be the top word processor in the world. Its intuitive features allow you to create visually attractive and effective documents.

You can create a document from scratch or shortcut the process by using a template. For unlimited downloads of templates and other design ingredients, subscribe to Envato Elements. But if you need a template for a single use, then GraphicRiver may be a better source for you. Why not download your favorite template today and get started?

Editorial Note: This post was originally published in April of 2020 It’s been updated with contributions from Sarah Joy. Sarah is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

Microsoft Word is a word processing program that was first developed by Microsoft in 1983. Since that time, Microsoft has released an abundance of updated versions, each offering more features and incorporating better technology than the one before it. The most current web-based version of Microsoft Word is Microsoft 365, but the software version of Microsoft Office 2019 includes Word 2019.

Microsoft Word is included in all of the Microsoft 365 application suites. The most basic (and least expensive) suites also include Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel. Additional suites exist and include other Office programs, such as Microsoft Outlook and Skype for Business.

Do you need Microsoft Word?

If you only want to create simple documents, consisting of paragraphs with bulleted and numbered lists with very little formatting, you don’t need to purchase Microsoft Word. You can use the WordPad application included with Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. If you need to do more than that though, you’ll need a more powerful word processing program.

With Microsoft Word you can choose from a variety of preconfigured styles and designs, which provides an easy way to format long documents with just a single click. You can also insert pictures and videos from your computer and the internet, draw shapes, and create an insert all kinds of charts.

If you’re writing a book or creating a brochure, which you can’t do effectively (or at all) in WordPad or an application like Abiword, you can use the features in Microsoft Word to set margins and tabs, insert page breaks, create columns, and even configure the spacing between lines. There are also features that let you create a table of contents with a single click. You can insert footnotes too, as well as headers and footers. There are options to create bibliographies, captions, a table of figures, and even cross-references.

If any of these things sound like what you’d like to do with your next writing project, then you’re going to need Microsoft Word.

Do You Have Microsoft Word?

You might already have a version of Microsoft Word on your computer, tablet, or even your phone. Before you make a purchase you should find out.

To see if you have Microsoft Word installed on your Windows device:

1. From the Search window on the Taskbar (Windows 10), the Start screen (Windows 8.1), or from the Search window on the Start menu (Windows 7), type msinfo32 and press Enter.

2. Click the + sign beside Software Environment.

3. Click Program Groups.

4. Look for a Microsoft Office entry.

To find out if you have a version of Word on your Mac, look for it in the Finder sidebar, under Applications.

Where to Get Microsoft Word

If you are sure you don’t already have it, you can get the latest version of Microsoft Word with Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 is a subscription though, something you pay for monthly. If you’re not interested in paying monthly, consider purchasing Office outright. You can compare and purchase all of the available editions and suites at the Microsoft Store. If you want to wait though, you can get Microsoft Word 2019 during the latter part of 2018 by purchasing the Microsoft Office 2019 suite.

The History of Microsoft Word

Over the years there have been many versions of the Microsoft Office suite. Most of these versions came with lower-priced suites that only included the most basic apps (often Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), to higher priced suites that included some or all of them (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, SharePoint, Exchange, Skype, and more). These suite editions had names like “Home and Student” or “Personal”, or “Professional”. There are too many combinations to list here, but what’s important to note is that Word is included with any suite you can buy.

Here are the recent Microsoft Office Suites that also contain Word:

• Microsoft Word 365) is available and updated regularly in Microsoft 365
• Word Online is a free limited version.
• Word 2019 is available in Office 2019
• Word 2016 is available in Office 2016
• Word 2013 was available in Office 2013
• Word 2010 was available in Office 2010
• Word 2007 was included with Office 2007
• Word 2003 was included with Office 2003
• Word 2002 was included in Office XP

Of course, Microsoft Word has existed in some form since the early 1980s and has had versions for most platforms (even from before Microsoft Windows existed).

Thanks for letting us know!

Learn more advanced basic features of Microsoft Word. Full explanations of Microsoft Word use and features.

In this article, I am writing about detailed features and uses of the Microsoft word application. These features help you to learn the basics of MS Word 2007, 2013, and 2016 versions.

Microsoft Word is the most important word-processing office application used by students, teachers, IT professionals, and companies, etc. around the world. Microsoft Word is used to create and edit professional-looking documents such as resumes, books, admission forms, letters, papers, reports and booklets, cover pages, notes, assignments, brochures, and even web pages.

Features and uses of Microsoft Word 2007,2010 … and Microsoft 365

1. Microsoft Word Templates Features and uses

• Templates: – In MS Word are a pre-defined professional design for users. In which all the page layout, fonts, colors, graphics, outline, text boxes, etc. word processor user gets by default. To insert the template you need to go to File Menu -> New then you can see available templates and the office.com template. MS word application contains so many templates such as business cards, educational layouts and graphics, event planner documents and event management templates, flyers, invoice templates, invitations templates, many types of forms, resume templates, etc. This is the most beneficial feature of the Microsoft Word Application. Because of even less Microsoft word, literate users can use Microsoft word without the knowledge of other menus and functions.

The benefit of Templates in MS word technically is that any student or professional only needs to replace the existing text and their document is ready to print.

If anyone wants to create a resume but don’t how to do it then they have to go into the file menu->new->template they only need to search for a resume under the office.com template option. But to access these all features of MS word templates it is required users that they’re already connected to the Internet.

If the user wants to send an invitation card but doesn’t know how to create it in MS word then again they need to search for the invitation card template in MS Word, select the design and edit the pre-defined text.

This is the easiest way to use Microsoft Word and it saves lots of time for the users. This is how Microsoft Word use can be productive if anyone uses it smartly.

Related: Importance of MS Word in Education

2. Microsoft Word Home Menu Features and its Uses

Microsoft word home menu contains all the basic standard formatting options such as font settings, paragraphs, styles, and editing. The home menu is very important to practice for MS Word processor students.

• Clipboard: – In Microsoft Word Home Menu Clipboard is the first category menu that is used to store copied material temporarily.  Such as text and pictures or any object in Microsoft Word. The uses of the clipboard function are that users can copy, replace, and place the text from one section to another section of the page. Also, the uses can be extended to this function such as copied texts remaining saved temporarily until not deleted.  You can see your copied text and image in Clipboard when you click on the bottom right corner (little arrow sign-in box). And if you want to Copy then use CTRL+C and for paste use CTRL+V’

• Font: – In which the user can set the font style according to the nature of the document. For example, if someone is writing an application or resume then the font can be Calibri or any professional font. If anyone is writing a fancy paragraph or poem then the font can be Freestyle Script. You can also type in Hindi, and Punjabi in Microsoft Word by downloading Hindi or Punjabi fonts and then installing those fonts. Such as AGRA, Kruti Deve, Kundli, etc. Hindi fonts are common in use. MS word provides more advantages for users other than any word processor. In MS word, home menu users can set and change font sizes easily. They can fill the color background behind the text, and users can set text transformation to uppercase, lowercase and in Title case, etc. any line can be underlined and italic based on the document style. If you want to use all font options from one place then press Ctrl+Shift+F on the keyboard. This is a shortcut key to open Font options.

• Paragraph: – The paragraph sub-menu is another great feature in MS-word that can be used to align paragraphs, and highlight features and important points by using bullets and numbers. MS Word users can also set the line spacing to improve the readability of the document.

• Style: – If users don’t know anything about the font, or paragraph formatting then they can use the style category menu under the home menu. In which any text can be highlighted according to the predefined style. E.g. heading size, subheading size, etc. confusion can be easily solved in the styles category. Such as if you’re using various headings in your essay or document but don’t know how to set the font size, then you don’t need to worry, just select the text you want to make a heading and then click on Heading 1. In the styles category, there are 6 types of heading such as Heading1, Heading 2, Heading 3, Heading 4, Heading 5, and Heading 6. Such options are very useful in education or educational material. Books and study materials can be designed professionally by using these options in Microsoft Word.

• Change styles: – Users can set any style for their document in Microsoft Word. This is another very useful option in which document style can be edited or created according to the reader of the document. In the change style menu, you can set your document style to distinctive, elegant, fancy, formal, modern, newsprint, perspective, modern, simple and traditional, etc. Also, you can set paragraph spacing to tight, compact, relaxed, etc. based on the user’s demand or according to the reader’s point of view.

• Editing: – Another use of the home menu in Microsoft word by using the Editing Category Menu. The user can find any word or line in between documents. They only need to press F5 or Ctrl+F and then they can find and replace any text in the document. They can select, and replace any object in the document. They can visit any page or section in the document by pressing Ctrl+G from the keyboard then they can put the page number and click on Go To. These wonderful features are not available in one place in such an easy style in other word-processing applications.

Such technical users of the Microsoft word Home menu are very beneficial for all kinds of users such as students to create assignments and notes. Teachers can use these options to highlight the main topic of the document. A business professional can use these options to create professional-looking letters. E-book writers can design their books according to this. Bloggers can write their posts amazingly with the use of these options.

3. Insert Menu Features in Microsoft Word and Uses

• Insert means in MS Word to insert something from outside into the page. Such as pages (cover pages, blank pages, and page breaks), Tables, pictures, clip art, shapes, smart art, hyperlink, header and footer, and text boxes symbols) All are great features of the Insert menu in Microsoft Word. These functions provide exceptional uses for the word user. Let’s understand these features and uses below:

• Pages (Cover Page, Blank Page, and Page Break): – In MS Word, the Page sub-menu contains three main features.

• The cover page feature can be utilized at the start of the document or it will be used on the first page of the document. Such as students, teachers, professionals, and writers can insert cover pages in stories, assignments, notes, articles, etc. to highlight the title of the written story, notes, description, and author name. There are so many pre-defined cover page templates that can be used to get the attention of readers while they will receive your printed or pdf copy. Also if you’re not satisfied with these templates then there is another option called more cover pages from office.com. According to Google translator cover is a thing that lies on, around something, and conceals. The magazine’s front page is also a cover page it can be edited photographs or designed text. Books front page, and greeting cards’ first page are examples of the cover page. I think you got this.

• The blank page option provides the user for inserting any blank page after the cursor. For example, if you want a blank page after writing the first paragraph on one page then you can click on this option. You can also use Ctrl + Enter to insert a blank page after the cursor. The use of the blank page function is mostly found outs in book publishing or eBook designing. People also can use their notes and documents. The benefits of using this function are that it will consume less memory of a computer or it will help to create fewer .docx (extension of MS word file) file word or .pdf(Portable document file extension) files.

• Page break is similar to the blank page option (You can use the same key: Ctrl+Enter) but it will start a new page after the click. But the difference between a blank page and a page feature is that you can insert the blank page at the cursor position, where the page break starts the next page at the current position. No big difference.

• Tables Menu uses in Microsoft Word: – The use of the table menu is that you can insert or draw a table in the document. You can insert a table, draw the table, convert text into a table, and insert a quick table (pre-designed tables). This is the most important function in the Insert menu that is mostly used to design or draw calendars, reports, and invoices and is used while creating forms, labels, and newsletters.

• illustrations: – Illustrations menu is used to insert the picture, clip art, shapes, smart art, chart, and screenshots. The use of the illustrations menu in Microsoft word will help users to visualize the document’s view to readers. Such as by inserting an image, adding clips, smart art, etc. The purpose of using these visually appealing options is to explore the creativity in readers’ minds while reading printed word files or pdf documents.

• The picture menu is used to insert a picture from your computer hard drives or from the desktop to the current position of your cursor. You can also insert pictures anywhere in the text box, word art and smart art, etc. Whenever you have to insert the image inside any object in Microsoft word then click on Picture Option under Illustration Menu.

• Clip Art uses MS word to insert Art clips such as drawings, movie clips, and sounds that illustrate the concept written in the document. These features help students to understand the concept by seeing clips. Also good to use in all kinds of educational and study materials.

• The shapes feature is used to insert rectangular, circles, arrows, charts, lines, and symbols based on the demand of the document. For example, while giving examples of something such as water consumption or electricity consummation in a document then we can use these shapes in MS word. We can also highlight, colorize, decorate or insert text and images inside the shapes. This is also a great feature of presenting reports in meaningful and professional methods.

• Smart Art is one of my favorite options in MS word. The uses of this option are great especially while educating. You can visually communicate information by using process diagrams, hierarchy diagrams, list diagrams, and relationship diagrams such diagrams is very important and we can use them to display organizational structure, and processes such as (Input->Processor->Output). SmartArt is easy to understand and teaches any complex problem. The option is also available in Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Charts are used to illustrate and compare data in MS word by using Bar, Pie, Line, Area, and surface mostly used charts in MS word. We can insert an excel chart into MS word. When you click on the chart it will open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that we can use to write figures. The uses of a chart are very beneficial to display data comparison and data analytics. You can find such options mostly in math or economics books and newspaper economics pages. Publishers are using such kinds of charts to display facts and figures.

Related: Top 5 Microsoft Word Courses Online to become master in document writing and editing

• A screenshot is a great option in MS word and it is used to take a screenshots of opened programs or applications on the computer and on the internet. You can insert the same captured clip in an MS word document in real time. It’s like a web camera in MS word. The use of illustration options for teachers and students in Microsoft word is great. Students and teachers can use these options to explain data organization, story maps, cause and effect, topic building, and clocks to teach about time. Also, entrepreneurs or managers can use these options to highlight decision trees, pros, and cons, and brainstorming exercises. English tutors can use these options to enhance students’ English vocabulary etc. There are so many uses but tough to share them in one post. But I hope you got the ideas about the uses of Illustrations in Microsoft Word.

• Links: –Insert menu category contains a hyperlink, bookmark, and cross-reference function. What users use to link any internal or external file, picture, the web page from the document. Also, the bookmark can be inserted anywhere on the page, and then we can create the hyperlink to visit that position on the same document without scrolling.

• The hyperlink is used to create the link from text to any file, picture, video, or website. For example, if you want your reader to find more information about certain causes or solutions then you can link that source using the hyperlink option. Such as when you search on Google for something then all the list of search results is also hyperlinked.

• Cross-reference is similar to the Hyperlink option that is used to refer the user to headings, and tables. You can find such an option in E-books in which the table of content of the eBook is connected to the pages and figures. To insert a hyperlink on the selected document text from the keyword press Ctrl+K on the keyboard.

Here you can read the complete tutorial about hyperlinks: Hyperlink Example within Microsoft Word Document

• Header & Footer: – Microsoft Word users can use the header and footer option to insert text, image, and symbol that is important to appear at the top and bottom of each printed page. After adding content such as graphics, page number, author of the book, title of book, date, and time. Microsoft Word automatically inserts the same text with the correct page number and other graphics on the next pages or on each printed page. Such as if you want to highlight or want to print page numbers on each page you’re writing you can insert and align page numbers on the right or left or center of the document and after adding the page numbers, it will automatically appear on the next pages with number 2, 3,4. Word process users can also use a pre-designed header and footer and can edit too. If you want to insert only a page number then just click on the page number and select the desired position.

• Text: – Text category in Microsoft word under the home menu is used to insert TextBoxes, Quick Parts, Word Art, Drop Cap, Date &Time, and any kind of object. Uses of Text are very great for book writers, students and for teachers to insert preformatted text boxes anywhere in the document to highlight important words, sayings or main points of written paragraphs. The user can also draw text boxes from their own anywhere in the document such as forms, books, invitation cards, and invoices. Also if they don’t know how to format text boxes, then they can download more pre-formatted text boxes from office.com.

• Quick parts are used to insert a reusable piece of content including fields, document properties such as author name, the title of a document, comments, company name, etc. such options are mostly used by news editors, books, and magazine editors.

• WordArt is a good option to create and decorate a slogan, and quotes in documents in Microsoft Word. To use this you only need to select the piece of text and then select the appropriate color style or decorative text. WordArt is also useful to insert decorative text in invitation cards, happy birthday greetings and other kinds of funny or less professional documents.

• Drop Cap is used in books, letters, notes and new stories or newsletters to display the first letter larger at the beginning of the paragraph.
• Signature line: – The signature link is used mostly in the legalities of the document. Such as in government notification PDF files and legal notices signed with a stamp at the end of the page. This is similar to Microsoft Word in that government notification letters can use a signature line or they can add a digital signature on the spot. Also, any word user can insert a signature line at the end of the document or paragraph which specifies the individual who must sign or sign. Also, a digital signature is used in mostly Income tax returns, company audits, and company registration numbers and can be used in related legal documents.

• Date & Time: The date and time are easy-to-use features that can be inserted anywhere in the document. In Microsoft Word, there are so many dates and time formats (such as Saturday, December 31, 2016, or 31-Dec-16) that are two different formats that can be used according to the nature of the document.

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• Object: – Object is an advanced feature of Microsoft Word that is used to insert any object into the document and also by creating in real-time. Such as you can insert paint program functionality by creating a bitmap image in real-time, excel spreadsheets, videos, and PowerPoint presentations mean you can insert the embedded object.

• Symbols: – In this option, you can insert mathematical equations and can do plus, minus by using a table. Also, there is a symbol option that is used to insert a special character or symbol that is not commonly available on the keyboard. For example, you can insert a trademark symbol (™), copyright (©) and Unicode characters to display the ownership or authentication of the document that other people cannot use without permission.

This option in Microsoft word is mostly used in legal, marketing, and promotional documents. Also, you can find such symbols in the company’s logo, website footer, and Wikipedia contents footer.

4. Features and uses of Page Layout Menu in Microsoft Word

• Page layout menu in Microsoft word gives various uses for the user to set themes, page setup, page background, paragraph and arrangement in the document. Page layout features in Microsoft word is very useful for eBook publisher and document printing business and also for common word users.

• Themes: – In Microsoft Word, a theme is a set of pre-designed document designs fonts, headings, and effects.  By the use of the theme option in Microsoft word, the user can change the overall design of the page such as fonts, effects, and colors.

• Page Setup: – Page setup is the most important option and the users start after creating a new document. I always recommend to all my students that before writing, creating, designing or doing anything in Microsoft you should first do the page setup. Why because all the page margins, page orientation and size create problems later when you print the document or do the arrangement of objects.

• The margins option is used to set blank spaces from edges toward the inside from outside. Margins are page edges that are outside the main content of the document. The margin will help us to define the paragraph’s starting point and ending point. By doing click on the margin option there are various pre-defined margins such as narrow in which margins are 0.5 from the top, bottom, left and right. Where normal is 1” from all four sides. If the physical paper is the A4 size it means its width is 8.27” and height is 11.69” then you can set 0.5” margin from all corners recommended. Because the fewer margins on the edges will use less paper for your document. Else if you set 1” then it will use more printouts for the same document.

• The orientation used is to set the page layout from Vertical to Horizontal or Portrait to Horizontal. A simple way to understand the uses of orientation in Microsoft Word is that it will allow the users to switch the page layout according to the text writing flow. Portrait means layout style from left to right and landscape means the right to left. This will be a best-used example, if you’re printing your document on the A4 size and your text in the document goes outside the page from the right and uses less space towards the bottom then you can set landscape. For example Exam Date Sheets, Marriage cards, and Diploma certificates. are printed in the Landscape layout. Where mark sheets and admission forms are printed in portrait. The best way to switch to one option then sees the document samples that you want to print or check if the page sizes or margins are not meeting your design criteria. Most 90% of the time we use a portrait layout in page setup. So, if you find your document text is not getting proper arrangement on the printed page then you can do the experiment to switch the portrait layout to the landscape in the Page setup option in Microsoft Word.

• Page size as I discussed above that it depends on the kind of document you’re printing. If you’re printing your document on the A4 paper size that you purchased in the market then set A4. Because you can’t set A5 in this condition because then some text will not be printed in the document. You can vary the page sizes according to the section. In Microsoft word, there are Letter sizes for letter documents, Tabloid, executive sizes and envelope sizes available. But if you want to become an expert in Microsoft Word or want to be proficient in printing documents then I will suggest you print the same text in various page sizes on A4 paper. It will give you practical knowledge about page setup settings and other things too.

• The columns option in Page Setup is used to split the text into two or more columns. Generally, this option is a classical text formatting style that is very beneficial in news printing, newsletter, and nobles. For example, see the newspaper in which they adjusted the text in small line width and paragraph and at the same time they converted the long paragraph into columns. So it will increase readership interest in particular news. Else you can see English and Hindi in which one page is divided into columns.

Breaks, lines, numbers, and hyphenation options are similar as we discussed in the Insert Menu options.

• Page Background: – The use of page background in Microsoft Word is to give extra effects or protection effects to the document such as the watermark, page color, and page borders.

• Watermark is used to insert ghosted text behind the text in the middle of the document. This is a very beneficial option that indicates that the document is confidential, and urgent and needs to be treated carefully.  Watermarks are used in text documents, images, and PDF files. You can see the example in Google images or stock image which is protected by the website or company watermark so that no one can reuse the images. Also, you find watermarks in legal documents, letterheads, and bank passbooks or in checks. There is a pre-defined watermark in Microsoft Word such as Confidential, and urgent. You can change these into your company name, personal name or related to the document, you can also insert your company logo, school logo, or any other image that will indicate to the reader or finder that this document is important.

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• The page Color option is used in Microsoft Word to set the color background of the page. Microsoft word document default color is white with black text color. So, official documents with page background colors you can’t see often. But it is used mostly in eBook or PDF files. Also, it depends on the document’s goal. You can also use the fill effects option in which you can set gradient colors, textures, patterns and picture backgrounds to your page. Setting page color will not print a document in colors it’s just for visual appeal.

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• The page Borders feature is very beneficial to add border styles with colors and art around the page. Also, it is used to add text color background by using shading options that will come in printout too.

• The paragraph option in the page layout is used to set left, and right text indents. This is used to set paragraph beginning and ending points. Similar to what I discussed above in Home Menu. This option is also in the home menu but the difference is that you can set the left indent by using figures.

For example, if you want to give more space to a paragraph from left in the current cursor positions then type 1.22” in the box and hit enter. This will move your paragraph toward the right. The use of this feature is to design the document style in which the reader will find it interesting or information is easy to read.

Also, there is the spacing option used for spaces between paragraphs. You can also use the TAB key on the keyboard to use Indent or paragraph margin functionality in Microsoft Word to set indents and spacing.

• Arrange: – The use of an arrange feature in Microsoft Word is to arrange document text professionally and efficiently. The most important option is the Wrap Text. I saw many students learning computers find it difficult to arrange the image or text objects correctly.

• Wrap text is used to align inserted images, and word Art correctly with text. For that, if you want to insert text around the inserted image then you can select a square option in Wrap Text. Also, you can set your image in Front of the Text or Behind the Text. You can also drag and adjust the object over text to align it.

But by default when you insert an image it will not move because it is “In Line with Text” by default then right-click or double-click on the image and choose Wrap Text and select the square or in front of text option then you can adjust the image according to your style by the use of the mouse.

You can find such text arrangement skills in newspapers, magazines, and book-style layouts. There are other options too which can work similarly to arrange the document such as position, bring forward, and send backward. But you can also use the option by right-clicking on the object. You can also use the drag-and-drop style to arrange different kinds of objects in the document.

The best way to learn Microsoft word is to use these options or click on these features after the selected text and you will find a result practically that is learnable.

5. Features of Reference Menu in Microsoft Word and Its Uses

Reference menu and options mean mentioning, or referring to the source of information. In this I will define the Footnotes feature:

• Footnote: – Footnote in Microsoft Word is used to add the special text or written text reference in the document at the end of the page. This is not the footer, this will come before the footer. For example, if you’re writing in a document, book page any figure or fact that is published in the newspaper then you can mention in the footnote the source of information that it is published in abcd newspaper.

• But the endnote is different and the output is similar. The endnote will come at the end of the paragraph. The endnote is used after the paragraph but the footnote is used at the end of the document. The font size of the endnote and footnote is small than other written text.

You can see footnote and EndNote examples in the dictionary’s bottom page, old English literate books, and in English nobles and magazines.

6. Microsoft Word Mailings Menu Features and Its Uses

In Microsoft Word Mailings Menu Mail Merge is the most powerful feature that is used to send bulk emails and printouts letters, and documents for thousands of people or print out thousands of copies with different names, addresses, and email fields but with same subject or company name.

This option is very beneficial to send a newsletter, reports, notifications, and updates. to team members by the Manager, to customers from banks to readers, from bloggers and to students from Teachers. Also, the mail merge is used by the printing press to print envelopes with the same subject line but with a different name on each printed page.

7. Microsoft Word Review Menu Features and Uses

Review functions and features used are to examine, test, and proofing of the written document in Microsoft Word. You can compare the two documents and also you can add a comment to certain lines or words.

• Proofing: – Use of the proofing feature is to check the spelling and grammatical mistakes in the document. You can also research any word and its meaning word thesaurus. For example, you can check spelling mistakes, and count the total written words, and paragraphs in the document. If you want to check your spelling mistakes then you can press the short key F7 then it will automatically highlight spacing mistakes with green color and spelling errors with Red color.

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• Comments: – Comments option output is similar to ToolTip. For example when you move your mouse to the “Window Button” it notifies the user with the text “Start Button” this is similar to comments. If you want to add more expression or more thoughts behind any used word in the document you can use the comment option.

8. View Menu Features and Uses MS Word

View menu uses are related to document views such as full screen, web layout, print layout, zoom, windows arrangement, and macros.

• Document view: – Document view menu features are used to view the documents in various styles. The printout is by default view to see the document while you’re writing the text. Also if you’re printing or creating something for printing purposes then use a print layout view.

• Full-screen reading view: used for reader and document designer to view the document in reading view in which all the pages are looking like you’re reading a book. Also, the full-screen reading view is helpful to design and see the page’s settings and visibility of text clearly.

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• Web layout is used to see the document as a web page. The uses are for students and designers to view the text in a web layout. Also selecting a web layout view and then saving the document as a web page will save the file in HTML format and when you open the saved file, it will use the internet browser to view the document text instead of Microsoft Word.

• Outline: is used to see the document heading, and body text in levels. You can use this menu to edit the heading, body text, and document structure. You can also add control for sub-headings. Such as if you’re using H1 for the main heading and h2, h3, h4 for other headings then you place such subheadings under the H1 heading. Mostly this option is used in tutorials, support pages, and application or software documentation.

• Draft: is used to edit the text quickly.

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• The show feature is used to show gridlines to see the document text spacing and word spacing.

• Navigation is useful for eBooks and you can see such an option by default in Google Docs. The navigation option is used to view the document by heading when you checkmark on the navigation pane it will highlight the heading in the left sidebar in Microsoft word after that you can navigate the document by heading instead of scrolling down.

• The ruler or Ruler Bar is most useful and very important for document margins. Indents are important to align correctly with the use of the ruler bar. The ruler option in ms word is similar to the scale that we used for drawing in schools etc. You can see the first-line indent, hanging indent or left indent in the ruler bar. You can also use the rule bar to set the left, and center tab positions by a click on the ruler bar in Microsoft Word. This is beneficial to view the document correctly and align paragraph spacing correctly.

• Window: – The window feature used is to create a new document in New Window. For example, if you’re current file name is Microsoft Word Tutorials then the new windows file name will be Microsoft Word Tutorials 2.

• The split feature is used to split the page with a ruler bar in between the text. Not that common to use. Just feature users are while you’re creating the document in which spacing or margin detail is important.

• Arrange all will arrange multiple application windows in the current view. Such as we can shrink the window size towards the left and then we can arrange another application window on the right side.

• A switch window is used to switch between two application windows. But you can also use the Alt + Tab to switch between more than 2-3 applications without using the switch window option.

• Macros are used in Microsoft Word to automate repeated tasks such as font size, color size or series of commands and instructions in a group. You can run macros that will automate the formatting of other text in the document.

9. Format Menu Features and Uses MS Word

The format menu is used to edit font size, and color and to present object appearance with extra effects. Such as when you insert an image on the document format option will be highlighted on the Menu Bar. This indicates to the user that they can adjust color, brightness, border style, and other image effects such as picture shadow, cropping, and wrapping in Microsoft Word.

This option is very important for Microsoft Word students, and word operators to learn this practice as much as possible because it will be used in assignments, newsletters, and notes.

The format feature is also visible when you insert shapes or text boxes in the document. You can edit shape outlines, background colors, and text styles from the format menu.

After getting the basic knowledge of or Microsoft Word uses written in this article now it is really important that you can do as many as possible practical exercises. Such the above-discussed features of Microsoft Word are very important for every word processor user. School students should learn such features so they can create professional-looking notes. Professionals or people working in a government office and documenting related works in their daily life can learn such features.

If you study all the above features in the best possible way then you can understand if we all can are educated enough about Microsoft Word then we can get various benefits.

As you can see today there are various government and private documents you receive from offices that are not that professional technically. Even school question papers and books are printed with low-quality text formatting such things are not good even when someone is paying for the services.

If students learn these Microsoft word features in schools I will be sure that they will be great professionals in the future especially in documenting writing and editing related works.

Jobseeker also learns Microsoft Word features that help them in their job and also creates resumes professionally in Microsoft Word.

Because of the robust uses of Microsoft word, it is essential to learn Microsoft Word. There are various tutorials that you can use to learn Microsoft Word for free on the Internet. The best way to learn Microsoft word is that you can practice your skills by creating different kinds of admission forms, reports, tables, and advertisements in Microsoft Word.

You can also use Google Docs for Word Processing. Google Docs is available on Google Drive. You can also use MS word online by creating a Microsoft account on live.com or with an outlook account in OneDrive. A little advance but very beneficial if want to upgrade your MS office skills.

So, friends, I hope this article about the features and uses of Microsoft Word helps you to learn and understand the various uses of Microsoft word. And its features are important in our daily official life and career.