Microsoft Word is one of the most popular word-processing software. It comes as a part of the Microsoft Office Package. Microsoft Word is used for creating text documents but it has a lot of other useful features for changing the appearance of the text that lets you create attractive documents.
There are many word-processing software that are available in the market. Some of them include Microsoft Word and WordPad, Open Office Writer, Corel WordPerfect, LibreOffice, and Apple Pages.
Microsoft Word has a variety of uses in offices, homes, and schools:
👉Offices: At the office, word is a very useful tool for writing emails and preparing business reports.
👉Homes: At home, the word is widely used for writing letters, stories, poems, essays, assignments, worksheets, and projects. You can also use it for creating greeting cards and posters.
👉Schools: At schools, the word is used to type test papers, timetables, report cards, circulars, and give assignments.
Starting Microsoft Word:
To starts Microsoft Word, follow the steps given here-
Step 1: Click on the Start button on the Taskbar.
Step 2: Click on the All Programs option.
Step 3: Click on the Microsoft Office option.
Step 4: Click on Microsoft Word 2013.
From the Word Start Screen, locate and select Blank document to access the Word interface.
Components of the Microsoft Word Window:
The Microsoft Word window contains a number of elements:
1. Quick Access Toolbar:
The Quick Access Toolbar is present on the top-left corner of the word window. It has buttons for commands that are used frequently. By default, it shows the Save, Undo, and Redo commands. You can add other commands depending on your preference.
1. Save the button to save your file.
2. Undo button to undo/rollback the previous action.
3. Redo button to redo the action that was undone.
How to add commands to the Quick Access toolbar:
Step 1: Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access toolbar.
Step 2: Select the command you want to add from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: To choose from more commands, select More Commands.
Step 4: The command will be added to the Quick Access toolbar.
2. 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.
How to show or hide the Ruler:
Step 1: Click the View tab.
Step 2: Click the check box next to Ruler to show or hide the ruler.
3. The Ribbon:
The Ribbon is located just below the Quick Access Toolbar. Word 2013 uses a tabbed Ribbon system instead of traditional menus. The Ribbon contains multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands such as File, Insert, Design, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View.
Every tab has commands that are divided into groups. Every group has a set of related commands. For example, commands related to changing the size, style, font color, highlight color, etc. of the text are present in the Font group on the Home tab.
How to minimize and maximize the Ribbon:
The Ribbon is designed to respond to your current task, but you can choose to minimize the Ribbon if you find that it takes up too much screen space.
Step 1: Click the Ribbon Display Options arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon.
Step 2: Select the desired minimizing option from the drop-down menu:
4. Working Area:
You can type text and insert pictures, tables, charts, etc. in the Working Area. The blinking vertical line in the Work Area is called the cursor. It shows the position at which text appears when you type.
5. Title Bar:
This bar displays the name of the documents on which you are currently working. It displays the document name followed by the name of the program (Microsoft Word). The first new document you open in Word is named Document 1. You can give a name to the document at the time of saving it.
6. Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Bars:
There are two scroll bars in the Word window. The Horizontal scroll bar is located at the bottom of the documents window. It lets you move to the right or left of a document. The horizontal scroll bar appears only when the width of the document does not fit on the screen. The vertical scroll bar is located to the right of the document window. It lets you move up and down a document.
7. Status Bar:
The status bar appears at the bottom of the window. On the left side, it provides details such as the current page number and number of pages in the document. The view buttons and zoom slider are present on the right side of the Status Bar.
8. Document views:
Word 2013 has a variety of viewing options that change how your document is displayed. You can choose to view your document in
1. Read Mode
2. Print Layout
3. Web Layout
These views can be useful for various tasks, especially if you're planning to print the document. To change document views, locate and select the desired document view command in the bottom-right corner of the Word window. Click the arrows in the slideshow below to review the different document view options.
9. Backstage view:
The backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening a file, printing, and sharing your document.
How to Access Backstage View:
Step 1: Click the File tab on the Ribbon. A backstage view will appear.
Step 2: Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using the backstage view.
