How To Use Microsoft Word

Anyone that does a lot of writing will want to learn how to use Microsoft Word. This word processing program is the most widely used in business communications. Microsoft Word is really not hard to learn and the benefits far outweigh the time needed to learn the program. To assist the novice Word user, this list of basics has been created.

1. Open up a Word document. How this is achieved will depend on what version of windows is installed on the computer being used. On machines running XP and Vista, clicking on the start button in the bottom left-hand corner will bring up the start menu where you will find Microsoft Word in the list of installed programs.
2. When the main screen for Word appears, you will see a blank page that is titled “document 1." At the top of the screen is the Word menu and the toolbars. The toolbars are where you can access the functions of Word quickly and easily.
3. The toolbars are where you can set up how you want your text to look. This is where you can set the type and size of font you want to use. It is also where you can set up your text to be centered or flush to the left or right. Need to make a list like this? You can access that button in the toolbar also.
4. In the big white area below the toolbars you will see a black flashing bar. This is the cursor and is where the words will be once you start typing. Try it out by typing a few sentences to get the feel for how it works. When typing you do not need to hit the enter key at the end of the page, Word will automatically move to the next line in the paragraph. If you make a mistake, simply use the backspace key to remove the letter and retype. If you need to fix a typo farther back in the text you have typed you can do one of two things. You can use your mouse or move the pointer just to the right of the letter you want to remove and click the mouse. This will insert your flashing cursor just to the right of that letter and then you can backspace and retype it. Another method is to use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor just to the right of the letter, backspace and retype. You can use this same method if you missed adding in a letter to a word by moving the cursor to the area and typing in the missing letter.
5. To change the space between the lines and make other changes to paragraph formatting, go to the top of the pate and click on the word “format." In the drop down box choose “paragraph”. This will bring up a drop down box that lets you make adjustments to line spacing and other paragraph formatting. Remember to click on ok after making changes to save those changes.
6. To save what you have typed, move your mouse pointer up to the upper left hand corner of the window. You can save in one of two ways, either by clicking on the icon of a floppy disk or by clicking on file and choosing “save” from the drop down box that will appear.  Make sure you remember where you saved the file so you can find it at a later date. It is a good idea to save your work soon after starting and then continue to save it every five to ten minutes while writing. This insures that very little work is lost should Word happen to close unexpectedly.

These are just some of the basics to using the Microsoft Word program. There are so many tools and option to this program that it is impossible to cover them all here. There are many excellent tutorials and classes that a person can take to learn more about this popular and useful software program.