Microsoft Word

Introduction
In past, typewrites were used for creating documents like applications or letters etc. Typewrites had many
limitations. The main problem with typewrites was that if typist had made a mistake, he wasnt able to edit
the document. It resulted in wastage of time and pages and the typist had to type the whole document again.
Later on with the invention of MS word, creating document became piece of cake. Microsoft word is an
excellent software for creating different documents on your computer. It allows us to:

Create a document and edit it by adding more text, modify existing text, delete and move portions of
it.

Change the size of the margins to reformat the complete document or part of the text.

Change font size and type. Insert page numbers as well as headers and footers.

Automatically check and correct word spellings.

Format text in columns.

Create tables.

Insert graphics and pictures in the text.

Getting Familiar with Environment

Title Bar
Right on top of the screen is the Title bar. It displays the name of the document of the currently active word
document. Like other Windows applications, it can be used to alter the size and the location of the Word
window. It also provides quick access to Undo/Redo and save the document.

Menu Bar
Located directly below the Title bar. It displays the following menus:
File, Home, Insert, Design, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review and View.

Toolbar
Word has a number of tool bars that help you perform tasks faster and with great ease.

Status Bar
The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the page. It displays information about the currently active
document, such as the page number where the work is being done, the column and line number of the cursor
position, total number of pages etc. It also allows you to zoom in or zoom out your document.

Scroll Bar
The Scroll Bar on the right-hand side helps you scroll or view the content of the document. To utilize this,
you can either move the elevator button along the scroll bar, or click on the arrow buttons.

Workspace
The Workspace is the area in the document window where you enter or type the text.

Getting Familiar with Software

Although the content of the document is the most important element, Word offers several other options to
improve the presentation of the text. Following are the various options generally used:

File Tab
At the top left corner in menu bar, there is a File Menu which includes options like Info, New, and Open,
Save, Save As, Print and Close.

Info: It provides the information

about the document like its size on
disk, number of pages, number of
words and authors name etc. It also
allow you to make your document
protected
with
a
password.
Unauthorised people will not be able
open the specific document.

New: It lets the user to create a

new document. This option contains
Blank Document and a number of
document templates which can
surely save your time. For example
you are going to write a business
letter. Simply go to File - New and
select the business template and
modify the document according to
your requirement.

to

if

The term template, when used in

the context of word processing
software, refers to a sample
document that has already some
details.

Open: This option allows us to

open a document which was saved
on our hard drive. Click the open
page tab. It displays the locations
from where we can open existing
documents as well as a list of the
documents we recently worked on.

Save: This option will allow us to save our document on which we are working. It is wise to save the
document regularly. If something happens like power cut off then the document will be safe. We dont have
to make the whole document again.

Save As: To save document in different formats like in plain text or in Portable Document Format (PDF).

Tip: Save your document in PDF format if you have to send it to someone in Email. Otherwise there
might be compatibility issues.

Print: To print the document.

Share: To send your document directly in mail or to save it on cloud.
Close: To close the document.

Home Tab
In home menu, we can find variety of tools like cut, copy, paste, font style, font size, bullets, styles find and
replace etc.
Copy: It copies the selected text to the clip board so we can place it
somewhere else. Ctrl + C is shortcut key for copying the text.
Cut: It selects, removes and save it to clipboard so we can use it
somewhere else. Ctrl + X is shortcut key for cutting the text.
Difference between cut and copy is that CUT deletes the selected
portion while copy didnt delete the text.

Paste: Add content to the desired portion which was saved in the
clipboard. Ctrl + V is shortcut key for pasting the text.
The clipboard is a facility used for short-term data storage or data
transfer between documents or applications, via copy and paste operations.

Font
Customize your text using advance font and character options to give the desired look.
Font Style: Provides a variety of fonts for your text to make your document attractive. Ctrl + Shift + F
is shortcut key for selecting different fonts for the text.
Font Size: Changes the size of your font. Ctrl + Shift + P is shortcut key for selecting different font
sizes for the text.

Tip: Font size can also increase (Ctrl + >) or decrease (Ctrl + <) quickly by pressing its shortcut keys.

Bold: It make your text BOLD. Its short cut key is

Ctrl + B.
Italic: It make your text ITALICIZE. Its short cut
key is Ctrl + I.
Underline: It under line your text. Its short cut
key is Ctrl + U.
Subscript: Type a small letter just below the line
of text. Its short cut key is Ctrl + =.
Superscript: Type a small letter just above the
line of text. Its short cut key is Ctrl + Shift + +.
Change Case: Change the selected text to
uppercase,
lowercase
or
other
common
capitalizations.
Text Highlighter Color: Make your text pop
by highlighting it into bright color.
Text Effect and Typography: Add some flair to your text by applying a text effect as shadow or
glow.
Font Color: Change the color of text.
Clear All Formatting: Remove all formatting from the text and left only the unformatted text.

Paragraph
Fine-tunes the layout of the paragraph on which the work is being
done.

Bullets: Creates a bullet list. It helps to write the text in point form.

Numbering: In paragraph menu you can find the option for adding numbers to your data.

Multilevel List: Create a multilevel list to organize items or create an outline. It is helpful when you
have to add heading and sub heading in your data.

Indention: Move your paragraph closer or away to the margins.

Alignment: Text alignment refers to how the left and right edges of a paragraph line up.
Left: Aligns the text to the left side of the margin, with uneven margin on the right
Center: Centers the text between the margins, with uneven margins on both the sides.
Right: Aligns the text to the right side of the margin with uneven margins on the left.
Justified: Aligns the text on both the left and the right indents.

Line Spacing: Selects how much space should be between lines of the text or paragraphs.
Shading: Change the colour behind the text.

Boarders: Add/Remove the borders from your document.

Sort: Arrange your text in alphabetical or numerical order.
Tip: Use Sort tool when youre going to organize your data in tables.

Styles
Preview, manage and customize the text styles in MS word. Style sets include a combination of title,
heading, and paragraph styles. Style sets allow you to format all elements in your document at once instead
of modifying each element separately.

Tip: Update styles according to your desire. It will save your time.

Find and Replace

The Find and Replace feature lets the user specify a word or phrase, and
have the computer replace it with the text of choice. By selecting the
Replace feature from the Edit menu, a dialog box appears. Here we can
specify the text we want to find, and the text we want to replace it with.

Find: Finds your text or other content in the document. Its short cut
key is Ctrl + F.
Replace: Search for the text you want to change and then replace that text with something else. Its short
cut key is Ctrl + H.

Insert Tab
As the name shows, Insert Tab allows us to add various things to our document like Tables, Charts, Cover
Page, Header, Footer, equations, symbols and Page number etc.

Pages
It allows the typist to add cover page, blank page and page break.
Cover Page: By adding cover page, your document will give an
excellent first impression to the reader. MS Word gives some built in cover
pages and also give option to search more cover pages online.

Blank Page: You can add a blank page anywhere in your document.
Page Break: End the current page and moves to next page. Its short cut key is Ctrl + Enter.

Insert Table
It allows to organize data in tabular form. You can insert table according to your
requirement that how much rows or column you need for organizing your data.

Insert Picture
You can add picture to your document by using this feature.

Chart

In Microsoft Word, you can insert many kinds of data charts and
graphs, such as column charts, line graphs, pie charts, bar charts, area
graphs, scatter graphs, stock charts, surface charts, doughnut charts,
bubble graphs, and radar graphs.

Header: It helps us to repeat content at the top of every page. It is useful for
showing information like title, author name and page number.
Footer: It helps us to repeat content at the bottom of every page. It is useful for
showing information like title, author name and page number.
Page Number: It numbers the pages in your document.

Signature Line: Insert a signature line that specifies

the individual who must sign.
Date & Time: Quickly adds date and time to your
document.
Equations: Quickly writes mathematical equations in
your document.
Symbol: You can insert symbols which arent on keyboard.

Page Layout Tab

Page layout is the term used to describe how each page of your document will appear when it is printed. In
Word, page layout includes elements such as the margins, the number of columns, how headers and footers
appear, and a host of other considerations.
Margins: It allows you to set the margin for the entire document or the current selection.
Orientation: It gives your document portrait or landscape layout.
Size: Choose the page size for the document. For example A4, A5 and A6.

References Tab

While writing a project report, thesis or book etc. References Tab is one of the most enjoyable tab. If your
document is in well define style, then youre able to give reference at just one click. References allows you
to include table of contents, giving numbers to the pictures or bibliography to your document.

Review Tab
It includes many useful options like spelling and grammar, thesaurus or restrict editing. If you make any
mistake or not sure about it use spelling and grammar option and if want to learn the meaning of word, you
can use thesaurus. It also includes restrict editing option that no one can change your document.

Creating a Document
For creating a document let us discuss the procedure step by step.
Step 1: Opening MS Word
For opening MS WORD file, click start menu on left bottom side of your
window and select MS WORD.

Step 2: Create a New Document

Once MS word application is open. Move your cursor to File at the top
right corner of the application screen and select New.
You can also select templates for saving your time. In this example we are
going to create a new document by selecting Blank document.

Step 3: Page Orientation and Page Margins

Page Orientation: Page orientation refers to the way in which
our document will be printed. There are two types of orientations that
is Landscape and Portrait. In the Portrait orientation, the length of the
page is more than its width. In the Landscape mode, the width is more
the height. To select page orientation go to Page Layout Tab and select
Orientation.

Page Margins: Page margins are the blank space around the edges of the page. In general, you insert
text and graphics in the printable area between the margins. To select page margin go to Page Layout Tab
and select Margins.

Step 4: Creating Body of the Document

To enter text, just start typing in the document that you have created, the text will appear where the blinking
cursor is located. The cursor is the point of entry for your text.
Selecting Text

To select the text for making changes,

you must first highlight the text that
needs to be changed.
Select the text by dragging the mouse
over the desired text while keeping the
left mouse button pressed.
Or, hold down the SHIFT key on the keyboard while using the arrow buttons to highlight the text.

Inserting/Deleting Text
To begin with, use the mouse to place the cursor where we want to make a change, and left click.

Now, we can easily insert new characters.

Begin typing where the cursor is blinking.

We can also move the cursor by using the arrow buttons on the keyboard.

After typing, if we realize we would like to delete some characters. Heres what we do:

Pressing the Delete key will delete the character to the right of the cursor.

Pressing the Backspace key will delete the character to the left of the cursor.

If we want to delete a whole sentence or an entire paragraph, deleting one character at a time can be
very tedious. Instead:

Select the text that we want to delete.

Press the Delete key.

Undo/Redo Command
Undo Command: At times, when we need to undo
actions, such as entering, deleting, or formatting text, we can
simply use the Undo command. The Undo command reverses
the most recent action weve performed. To undo an action
select the undo interface from the menu bar or press Ctrl +
Z.
Redo Command: Similar to the Undo button, the Redo
button contains a list of the actions youve undone. By using
the Redo command, you can take back the last action youve
undone. To redo an action select the redo interface from the
menu bar or press Ctrl + Y.
Cut/Copy/Paste Command
Cut: Select the text you want to cut, click right
button on mouse and select cut or simply press
Ctrl + X.
Copy: Select the text you want to copy, click
right button on mouse and select copy or simply
press Ctrl + C.
Paste: Move the cursor to the location you want to paste the text and select paste option by clicking right
button on mouse or simply press Ctrl + V.
Synonym: Use synonym option if you find a difficult word in text and replace it
with an easy word.
Tip: Use synonyms instead of repeating same words in the documents. It will
improve your document.

Font Size/Colour/Style
One of the best features of Word is that it allows us to change the way
your text appears. We can change the texts size, style, and colour to
make it attractive and easy to read. This process of changing the way
our text appears is called formatting. It also involves aligning text and
paragraphs as well as inserting tables, columns, images, etc.
You can simply select different font styles in Font Menu in Home Tab
in the Tool bar.
Autocorrect Spellings and Grammar
By default, MS Word checks spelling and grammar
automatically as we type, using wavy red underlines to
indicate possible spelling problems and wavy green
underlines to indicate possible grammatical problems.

Step 5: Saving Document

After completing your document, click on file menu (or press Ctrl + S) to save the document. Give address
where you want to save the file. Give name to do the file and select the format in which you want to save
your document like PDF or Doc format and click save.

List of Useful Shortcut Keys in MS Word

Shortcut

Description

Ctrl + A
Ctrl + B
Ctrl + C
Ctrl + D
Ctrl + E
Ctrl + F
Ctrl + I
Ctrl + J
Ctrl + L
Ctrl + M
Ctrl + N
Ctrl + O
Ctrl + P
Ctrl + R
Ctrl + S
Ctrl + U
Ctrl + V
Ctrl + W
Ctrl + X
Ctrl + Y
Ctrl + Shift + L
Ctrl + Shift + F
Ctrl + ]
Ctrl + [
F1
F5
F7
Shift + Enter

Select all contents of the page.

Bold highlighted selection.
Copy selected text.
Open the font preferences window.
Aligns the line or selected text to the centre.
Open find box.
Italic highlighted Section
Aligns the selected text or line to justify the screen.
Aligns the line or selected text to the left.
Indent the paragraph.
Opens new, blank document window.
Opens the dialog box for selecting a file to open.
Open the print window.
Aligns the line or selected text to the right.
Save the open document. Just like Shift + F12.
Underline the selected text.
Paste.
Close the currently open document.
Cut selected text.
Redo the last action performed.
Quickly create a bullet point.
Change the font.
Increase selected font +1pts.
Decrease selected font +1pts.
Open Help.
Open Find and Replace Menu.
Spell Check and grammar check.
Create a soft break instead of a new paragraph.