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.

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.

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.
Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar lets you access common commands no matter which tab is
selected. By default, it includes the Save, Undo, and Redo commands.

Page and Word Count

From here, you can quickly see the number of words and pages in your document.
Zoom Control

Click and drag the slider to use the zoom control. The number to the right of the slider bar
reflects the zoom percentage.

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.
Open

From here, you can open documents saved to your computer or to your OneDrive.

Save and Save As

You'll use Save and Save As to save documents to your computer or to OneDrive.

Print

From the Print pane, you can change the print settings and print your document. You can also
see a preview of your document.

Export

From here, you can export your document in another file format, such as PDF/XPS.

Close

Click here to close the current document.

Share

From here, you can invite people to view and collaborate on your document.

Return to Word

You can use the arrow to close Backstage view and return to Word.

Account

From the Account pane, you can access your Microsoft account information, modify your
theme and background, and sign out of your account.

Options

Here, you can change various Word options. For example, you can control the spelling and
grammar check settings, AutoRecover settings, and language preferences.
New

From here, you can create a new blank document, or you can choose from a large selection
of templates.

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.
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. Choose a shape from the menu, and double-click somewhere on your
document.
3. Zoom the document to 120%.
4. Change the Document view to Web Layout.
5. When you're finished, your document should look something like this:

6. Change the Ribbon Display Options back to Show Tabs and Commands,
and change the Document View back to Print Layout.
Save and Save As
Word offers two ways to save a file: Save and Save As. These options work in similar ways,
with a few important differences.

 Save: When you create or edit a document, you'll use the Save command to
save your changes. You'll use this command most of the time. When you
save a file, you'll only need to choose a file name and location the first time.
After that, you can click the Save command to save it with the same name
and location.
 Save As: You'll use this command to create a copy of a document while
keeping the original. When you use Save As, you'll need to choose a
different name and/or location for the copied version.

To save a document:
It's important to save your document whenever you start a new project or make changes to
an existing one. Saving early and often can prevent your work from being lost. You'll also
need to pay close attention to where you save the document so it will be easy to find later.

1. Locate and select the Save command on the Quick Access Toolbar.

2. If you're saving the file for the first time, the Save As pane will appear
in Backstage view.
3. You'll then need to choose where to save the file and give it a file name.
Click Browse to select a location on your computer. You can also
click OneDrive to save the file to your OneDrive.
4. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to
save the document.
5. Enter a file name for the document, then click Save.

6. The document will be saved. You can click the Save command again to
save your changes as you modify the document.
Using the insertion point to add text
The insertion point is the blinking vertical line in your document. It indicates where you can enter text on the
page. You can use the insertion point in a variety of ways.

 Blank document: When a new blank document opens, the insertion point
will appear in the top-left corner of the page. If you want, you can begin
typing from this location.

 Adding spaces: Press the spacebar to add spaces after a word or in

between text.

 New paragraph line: Press Enter on your keyboard to move the insertion
point to the next paragraph line.
  Manual placement: Once you begin typing, you can use the mouse to
move the insertion point to a specific place in your document. Simply click
the location in the text where you want to place it.

 Arrow keys: You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the
insertion point. The left and right arrow keys will move between adjacent
characters on the same line, while the up and down arrows will
move between paragraph lines. You can also
press Ctrl+Left or Ctrl+Right to quickly move between entire words.

In a new blank document, you can double-click the mouse to move the insertion point elsewhere on the page.

Selecting text
Before you can move or format text, you'll need to select it. To do this, click and drag your mouse over the text,
then release the mouse. A highlighted box will appear over the selected text.

When you select text or images in Word, a hover toolbar with command shortcuts will appear. If the toolbar
does not appear at first, try hovering the mouse over the selection.
To select multiple lines of text:
1. Move the mouse pointer to the left of any line so it becomes a right slanted
arrow.

2. Click the mouse. The line will be selected.

3. To select multiple lines, click and drag the mouse up or down.

4. To select all of the text in your document, choose the Select command on
the Home tab, then click Select All. You can also press Ctrl+A on your
keyboard.
Other shortcuts include double-clicking to select a word and triple-clicking to select an entire sentence or
paragraph.

To delete text:
There are several ways to delete, or remove, text:

 To delete text to the left of the insertion point, press the Backspace key on
your keyboard.
 To delete text to the right of the insertion point, press the Delete key on
your keyboard.
 Select the text you want to remove, then press the Delete key.

If you select text and start typing, the selected text will automatically be deleted and replaced with the new text.

Copying and moving text

Word allows you to copy text that's already in your document and paste it in other places, which can save you a
lot of time and effort. If you want to move text around in your document, you can cut and paste or drag and
drop.

To copy and paste text:

1.

2. Select the text you want to copy.

 3. Click the Copy command on the Home tab. You can also press Ctrl+C on your
keyboard.

Place the insertion point where you want the text to appear.