Microsoft Word Guide

Opening Microsoft (MS) Word

1. Double click the
MS Word icon in the desktop.

Getting Started
(Opening an Existing Document and Creating a New Document)
After opening MS Word, it will prompt this window.

The blue column on the left shows your

most recent saved files. You may select
one of these to resume work on a saved
document. Click the “Blank Document” option to
create a new document.
The “Open Other Documents” option on
the bottom part of the column lets you
search and open an existing file.
The “Home” tab (below) will then appear after clicking “Blank Document”.

This section is called the

“Ribbon”. It contains Tabs
and Commands

These titles are called “Tabs”. Each

Tab contains different Commands.

Maximize
Close
Quick Save
Undo action Minimize Window Window
Redo action Window
Entering Your Text
Having introduced you to the layout, it's time to start typing a document:
1. Type in the words from the keyboard, press the <spacebar> once after each word to
separate (add space) them (the spacebar is the long key along the bottom of the
keyboard).
2. Press the <Enter> key from the keyboard after each paragraph.

Correcting Mistakes
Deleting characters and words.
1. Select the character/s that you want to remove.
a. If removing just a letter, place the insertion point beside the letter you want to
remove.

b. If removing a group of words or characters, place your mouse on the beginning

or end of the section you want to remove, then hold the left-click and then move
over to the rest of the section that you want to remove.
2. Press <Backspace>.
Here you are only practicing on text you do not need to keep, but you may accidentally delete
words that you needed. If you ever make a mistake when using Word, then you can undo your
error by using the [Undo] button.
The undo button can be used more than once to undo a series of actions by clicking on the
dropdown arrow next to it and selecting the actions to be undone, or just continue clicking it
until the mistake disappears.
Note that there's also a [Redo] button (to the right of [Undo]) if you accidentally undo too
much.

Selecting the Text

Ways in selecting texts:
 A single word - point to it using the mouse then double click on the mouse button–your
selected word should be highlighted. Click once on the mouse to de-select it
 A single line - position the mouse pointer in the left-hand margin (where its shape changes
to an arrow pointing inwards) and click once
 A whole paragraph - either double click in the left margin or click three times within the text
 The whole document - either click three times in the left margin or press


The Home Tab

Font Section
A font is a type of design for text and typically incorporates this design into each letter, number
and symbol found on a keyboard.

Changing the Font

1. Select the character/s that you want to change.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the Font in the Font section.
3. Select your desired Font from the list.
Changing the Font Size
1. Select the character/s that you want to adjust.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the font size number in the Font section and select
your desired font size. You can, instead, type the font size number you prefer even
though it’s not on the list by clicking the existing font size number and typing on your
keyboard your desired size. You can also adjust the font size by clicking the larger “A”
to increase the size or the smaller “A” to decrease the font size.

Changing the Font Color

1. Select the character/s that you want to change.
2. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the font color icon in the Font section and select
your desired font color.
3. Click “More Colors” if your desired color is not present.

Bold Characters
1. Select the character/s that you want to Bold.
2. Click “B” on the Font section.
3. To turn off the Bold on the text, repeat step 1 and then click the Bold icon once again.

Italicize Characters
1. Select the character/s that you want to italicize.
2. Click the italicized “I” on the Font section.
3. To turn off the italicization, repeat step 1 and then click the Italic icon once again.

Underline Characters
1. Select the character/s that you want to underline.
2. Click the underlined “U” on the Font section.
3. If you want a different underline style, click the
drop down arrow beside it and choose from the list.
4. To remove the underline, just click the Underline icon once again.

Highlight Text
1. Select the character/s that you want to highlight.
2. Click the underlined Highlight icon on the Font section.
3. If you want a different highlight color, click the
drop-down arrow beside it and choose from the list.
4. To remove the highlight, repeat steps 1 to 3 and then click No Color.
Paragraph Section
Bullets and Numbering
The [Bullets] button gives you a bulleted list where the order doesn’t matter:
1. Click on the [Bullets] button in the paragraph section – a bullet
point should appear.
2. Type your words/text against each bullet point, and
press the <Enter> key once after each one.
3. Press the <Enter> key again at the end (i.e. on an empty bullet point) to turn the bullets
off.

Numbers are applied in a similar fashion using the [Numbering] button where the order is
important:
1. Click on the [Numbering] button - a number “1.” appears.
2. Type in your text, press the <Enter> key once after each one.
3. Press the <Enter> key again at the end (i.e. on an empty
number point) to turn the numbering off.

Sometimes you might want more than one paragraph or item under the same bulleted or
numbered point. To achieve this, hold down the <Shift> key as you press <Enter> to end a
paragraph.

Alignment
1. Select the paragraph you want to adjust the alignment.
2. Select from the three options. The first one aligns your text to the left margin. The
second one centers the content. The third one aligns to the right margin. And the fourth
one distributes the text evenly between the margins.

To format line spacing:

1. Select the text you want to format.
 2. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command. A drop-down
menu will appear.
3. Move the mouse over the various options. A live preview of the line spacing will appear
in the document. Select the line spacing you want to use.

4. The line spacing will change in the document.

Find and Replace

When you're working with longer documents, it can be difficult and time consuming to locate a
specific word or phrase. Word can automatically search your document using the Find feature,
and it allows you to quickly change words or phrases using Replace.
To find text:
1. From the Home tab, click the Find command.
Or you can use your keyboard by
pressing <Ctrl> and <F> keys at the same time.

2. The navigation pane will appear on the left side of the screen.

3. Type the text you want to find in the field at the top of the navigation
pane.
4. If the text is found in the document, it will be highlighted in yellow, and a preview of the
results will appear in the navigation pane.
5. If the text appears more than once, choose a review option to review each instance.
When an instance of the text is selected, it will highlight in gray:
o Arrows: Use the arrows to move through the results one at a time.
o Results previews: Select a result preview to jump directly to the location of a
specific result in your document.

6. When you are finished, click the X to close the navigation pane. The highlighting will
disappear.
 The Insert Tab

Tables Section
Illustrations Section
Inserting a picture from your files
1. Click the “Pictures” icon on the Illustration section of the
Insert Tab. A new window will then appear.
2. On the window, browse your files and select for
the picture/s you want to insert. You can choose
more than one picture.
3. Click insert.

Inserting a picture directly from online search.

1. Click the “Online Pictures” icon on the Illustration section of the
Insert Tab. A new window will then appear.
2. On the window, click “Search Bing”.
3. Type from your keyboard what picture you want
to insert and then click <Enter>. Wait for the window to reload
and then you can choose more than one picture.
4. After selecting, click insert.
To resize an image:
Click and drag one of the corner sizing handles . The image will change size while keeping
the same proportions. If you want to stretch it horizontally or vertically, you can use the side
sizing handles .

To crop an image:
When you crop an image, a part of the picture is removed. Cropping may be helpful when a
picture has a lot of content and you want to focus on only part of it.
1. Select the image you want to crop. The Format tab appears.
2. On the Format tab, click the Crop command.

3. Cropping handles will appear around the image. Click, hold, and drag a handle to crop
the image.
 4. Click the Crop command again. The image will be cropped.

To add a border to a picture:

1. Select the picture you want to add a border to, then click the Format tab.
2. Click the Picture Border command. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. From here, you can select a color, weight (thickness), and whether or not the line
is dashed.

4. The border will appear around the image.

To insert a shape:
1. Select the Insert tab, then click the Shapes command. A drop-down menu of shapes
will appear.
2. Select the desired shape.

3. Click, hold, and drag in the desired location to add the shape to your document.
If you want, you can enter text in a shape. When the shape appears in your document, you can
begin typing. You can then use the formatting options on the Home tab to change the font,
font size, or color of the text.

To change the shape fill color:

1. Select the shape you want to change.
2. On the Format tab, click the Shape Fill drop-down arrow. The Shape Fill menu
appears.
3. Move the mouse over the various colors. Select the color you want to use. To view
more color options, select More Fill Colors.

4. The shape will appear in the selected fill color.

To change the shape outline:

1. Select the shape you want to change.
2. On the Format tab, click the Shape Outline drop-down arrow. The Shape
Outline menu will appear.
3. Select the color you want to use. If you want to make the outline transparent, select No
Outline.
4. The shape will appear in the selected outline color.
From the drop-down menu, you can change the outline color, weight (thickness), and whether
or not it is a dashed line.
To insert a symbol:
1. Place the insertion point in the location where you want to insert a symbol.

2. On the Insert tab, click the Symbol drop-down arrow. A menu of symbols will appear.

3. Select the desired symbol.
4. The symbol will appear in your document.

**If you don't see the symbol you're looking for, click More Symbols... to open the Symbol
dialog box. Locate and select the desired symbol, then click Insert.

Header and Footer Section

To create a header or footer:
In our example, we want to display the author's name at the top of each page, so we'll place it
in the header.
1. Double-click anywhere on the top or bottom margin of your document. In our example,
we'll double-click the top margin.
2. The header or footer will open, and a Design tab will appear on the right side of
the Ribbon. The insertion point will appear in the header or footer.
3. Type the desired information into the header or footer.
 4. When you're finished, click Close Header and Footer. Alternatively, you can press
the <Esc> key.

5. The header or footer text will appear.

To add page numbers to a document:

In our example, we'll add page numbering to our document's footer.
1. Double-click anywhere on the header or footer to unlock it. If you don't already have a
header or footer, you can double-click near the top or bottom of the page.
The Design tab will appear on the right side of the Ribbon.

2. Click the Page Number command. In the menu that appears, hover the mouse
over Current Position and select the desired page numbering style.
 3. Page numbering will appear.

4. To edit the font, font size, and alignment of page numbers, select a page number and
click the Home tab. Word's text formatting options will appear.

5. When you're finished, press the <Esc> key. The page numbering will be formatted.

The Design Tab

Page Background Section

Adding a Watermark
1. Click the watermark icon on the page background section of the Design tab.
2. Select your desired watermark.
Changing the Page Color
1. Click the page color icon on the page background section of the Design tab.
2. Select your desired color. Or click More Colors if your desired color is not on the
choices.
The Layout Tab

Page Setup Section

To change page orientation:
1. Select the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Orientation command in the Page Setup group.

3. A drop-down menu will appear. Click either Portrait or Landscape to change the page

orientation.

4. The page orientation of the document will be changed.

Page Margins
To format page margins:
Word has a variety of predefined margin sizes to choose from.
 1. Select the Page Layout tab, then click the Margins command.

2. A drop-down menu will appear. Click the predefined margin size you want.

3. The margins of the document will be changed.

Page Size
By default, the page size of a new document is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Depending on your
project, you may need to adjust your document's page size.

To change the page size:

Word has a variety of predefined page sizes to choose from.
1. Select the Page Layout tab, then click the Size command.

2. A drop-down menu will appear. The current page size is highlighted. Click the
desired predefined page size.
 3. The page size of the document will be changed.

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. To save the
document to your computer, select Computer, then click Browse.

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.
You can also access the Save command by pressing <Ctrl> and <S> keys on your keyboard.

Printing
To access the Print pane:
1. Select the File Tab. Backstage view will appear.

2. Select Print. The Print pane will appear. (You can also access the Print pane by
pressing <Ctrl> and <P> keys on your keyboard.)

Copies
Here, you can choose how many copies of the document you want to print.
 Printer
You may need to select the printer you want to use if your computer is connected to
multiple printers.

Print Range/Document Info

Here, you can choose to print the entire document, just the current page, or custom
print to print specific pages.

Pages Per Sheet

Word allows you to print more than one page on a single sheet.

3. Select any additional settings if needed.

4. Click Print.

Custom printing
Sometimes you may find it unnecessary to print your entire document, in which case custom
printing may be more suited for your needs. Whether you're printing several individual
pages or a range of pages, Word allows you to specify exactly which pages you'd like to print.

To custom print a document:

If you'd like to print individual pages or page ranges, you'll need to separate each entry with
a comma (1, 3, 5-7, or 10-14 for example).
1. Navigate to the Print pane.
2. In the Pages: field, enter the pages you want to print.

3. Click Print.
Microsoft Excel Basics

Opening MS Excel
1. Double-click the Excel icon in the desktop.
2. The Excel window will then appear.

Creating a Blank Workbook

1. Click the “Blank Workbook” Option to create a new one.

Opening an Existing Workbook

1. Choose from the Recent Files listed on the left side of the Excel window or click Other
Workbooks if the file is not there.
2. The “Open” window will appear where you can browse your file.
3. After choosing your file, click Open.

To save a workbook
It's important to save your workbook 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 workbook 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. To save the
workbook to your computer, select Computer, then click Browse. Alternatively, you can
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
workbook.
5. Enter a file name for the workbook, then click Save.
6. The workbook will be saved. You can click the 
Save command again to save your changes as
you modify the workbook.

Excel Parts
Understanding cells
Every worksheet is made up of thousands of rectangles, which are called cells. A cell is
the intersection of a row and a column. Columns are identified by letters (A, B, C), while
rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3).

Each cell has its own name—or cell address—based on its column and row. In this example,
the selected cell intersects column C and row 5, so the cell address is C5. The cell address
will also appear in the Name box. Note that a cell's column and row
headings are highlighted when the cell is selected.

To select a cell:
To input or edit cell content, you'll first need to select the cell.
1. Click a cell to select it.
2. A border will appear around the selected cell, and the column
heading and row heading will be highlighted. The cell will remain selected until you
click another cell in the worksheet.
 To insert content:
1. Click a cell to select it.

2. Type content into the selected cell, then press Enter on your keyboard. The content
will appear in the cell and the formula bar. You can also input and edit cell content in
the formula bar.

To delete cell content:

1. Select the cell with content you want to delete.

2. Press the Delete or Backspace key on your keyboard. The cell's contents will be

deleted.

To delete cells:
There is an important difference between deleting the content of a cell and deleting the cell
itself. If you delete the entire cell, the cells below it will shift up and replace the deleted cells.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to delete.

2. Select the Delete command from the Home tab on the Ribbon.

3. The cells below will shift up.

To copy and paste cell content:

Excel allows you to copy content that is already entered into your spreadsheet
and paste that content to other cells, which can save you time and effort.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to copy.

2. Click the Copy command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.

3. Select the cell(s) where you want to paste the content. The copied cells will now have
a dashed box around them.

4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

5. The content will be pasted into the selected cells.

To cut and paste cell content:

Unlike copying and pasting, which duplicates cell content, cutting allows you
to move content between cells.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to cut.

2. Click the Cut command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+X on your keyboard.

3. Select the cells where you want to paste the content. The cut cells will now have
a dashed box around them.

4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab, or press Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

5. The cut content will be removed from the original cells and pasted into the selected
cells.
To modify column width:
In our example below, some of the content in column A cannot be displayed. We can make all
of this content visible by changing the width of column A.
1. Position the mouse over the column line in the column heading so the white cross
becomes a double arrow .

2. Click, hold, and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the column width.

3. Release the mouse. The column width will be changed.

If you see pound signs (#######) in a cell, it means the column is not wide enough to display
the cell content. Simply increase the column width to show the cell content.

To modify row height:

1. Position the cursor over the row line so the white cross becomes a double arrow .

2. Click, hold, and drag the mouse to increase or decrease the row height.

 3. Release the mouse. The height of the selected row will be changed.

To insert rows:
1. Select the row heading below where you want the new row to appear. For example, if
you want to insert a row between rows 7 and 8, select row 8.

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3. The new row will appear above the selected row.

To insert columns:
1. Select the column heading to the right of where you want the new column to appear.
For example, if you want to insert a column between columns D and E, select column E.
 2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

3. The new column will appear to the left of the selected column.

To change the font:

By default, the font of each new workbook is set to Calibri. However, Excel provides many
other fonts you can use to customize your cell text. In the example below, we'll format our title
cell to help distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font command on the Home tab.

The Font drop-down menu will appear.
3. Select the desired font. A live preview of the new font will appear as you hover the
mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Georgia.

4. The text will change to the selected font.

To change the font size:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.
 2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Size command on the Home tab.
The Font Size drop-down menu will appear.
3. Select the desired font size. A live preview of the new font size will appear as you
hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we will choose 16 to make the
text larger.

4. The text will change to the selected font size.

You can also use the Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size commands or enter

a custom font size using your keyboard.

To change the font color:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Color command on the Home tab.

The Color menu will appear.
3. Select the desired font color. A live preview of the new font color will appear as you
hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Green.
 4. The text will change to the selected font color.

Select More Colors at the bottom of the menu to access additional color options.

To use the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the Bold (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) command on the Home tab. In our
example, we'll make the selected cells bold.

3. The selected style will be applied to the text.

Text alignment
To change horizontal text alignment:
In our example below, we'll modify the alignment of our title cell to create a more polished look
and further distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.
1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Select one of the three horizontal alignment commands on the Home tab. In our

example, we'll choose Center Align.
 3. The text will realign.

To change vertical text alignment:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Select one of the three vertical alignment commands on the Home tab. In our

example, we'll choose Middle Align.

3. The text will realign.

You can apply both vertical and horizontal alignment settings to any cell.

To add a fill color:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Fill Color command on the Home tab. The Fill

Color menu will appear.
3. Select the fill color you want to use. A live preview of the new fill color will appear as
you hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Light Green.
 4. The selected fill color will appear in the selected cells.

To rename a worksheet:
Whenever you create a new Excel workbook, it will contain one worksheet named Sheet1.
You can rename a worksheet to better reflect its content. In our example, we will create a
training log organized by month.
1. Right-click the worksheet you want to rename, then select Rename from
the worksheet menu.

2. Type the desired name for the worksheet.

3. Click anywhere outside of the worksheet, or press Enter on your keyboard. The
worksheet will be renamed.

To insert a new worksheet:

1. Locate and select the New sheet button.

2. A new blank worksheet will appear.

 To delete a worksheet:
1. Right-click the worksheet you want to delete, then select Delete from
the worksheet menu.
2. The worksheet will be deleted from your workbook.

To sort a sheet:
In our example, we'll sort a T-shirt order form alphabetically by Last Name (column C).
1. Select a cell in the column you want to sort by. In our example, we'll select cell C2.

2. Select the Data tab on the Ribbon, then click the Ascending command to Sort A to Z,

or the Descending command to Sort Z to A. In our example, we'll click
the Ascending command.

3. The worksheet will be sorted by the selected column. In our example, the worksheet is
now sorted by last name.
To filter data:
In our example, we'll apply a filter to an equipment log worksheet to display only the laptops
and projectors that are available for checkout.
1. In order for filtering to work correctly, your worksheet should include a header row,
which is used to identify the name of each column. In our example, our worksheet is
organized into different columns identified by the header cells in row
1: ID#, Type, Equipment Detail, and so on.

2. Select the Data tab, then click the Filter command.

3. A drop-down arrow will appear in the header cell for each column.
4. Click the drop-down arrow for the column you want to filter. In our example, we will filter
column B to view only certain types of equipment.

5. The Filter menu will appear.
6. Uncheck the box next to Select All to quickly deselect all data.

7. Check the boxes next to the data you want to filter, then click OK. In this example, we
will check Laptop and Tablet to view only those types of equipment.
 8. The data will be filtered, temporarily hiding any content that doesn't match the criteria. In
our example, only laptops and tablets are visible.

Filtering options can also be accessed from the Sort & Filter command on

the Home tab.

Simple Formulas
Mathematical operators
Excel uses standard operators for formulas, such as a plus sign for addition (+), a minus
sign for subtraction (-), an asterisk for multiplication (*), a forward slash for division (/), and
a caret (^) for exponents.

All formulas in Excel must begin with an equals sign (=).

Understanding cell references

While you can create simple formulas in Excel manually (for example, =2+2 or =5*5), most of
the time you will use cell addresses to create a formula. This is known as making a cell
reference. Using cell references will ensure that your formulas are always accurate because
you can change the value of referenced cells without having to rewrite the formula.
By combining a mathematical operator with cell references, you can create a variety of simple
formulas in Excel. Formulas can also include a combination of cell references and numbers, as
in the examples below:

To create a formula:
In our example below, we'll use a simple formula and cell references to calculate a budget.
1. Select the cell that will contain the formula. In our example, we'll select cell B3.

2. Type the equals sign (=). Notice how it appears in both the cell and the formula bar.

3. Type the cell address of the cell you want to reference first in the formula: cell B1 in
our example. A blue border will appear around the referenced cell.

4. Type the mathematical operator you want to use. In our example, we'll type

the addition sign (+).
 5. Type the cell address of the cell you want to reference second in the formula: cell B2 in
our example. A red border will appear around the referenced cell.

6. Press Enter on your keyboard. The formula will be calculated, and the value will be

displayed in the cell.

Page Layout view

Before you start modifying a workbook's page layout, you may want to view the workbook
in Page Layout view, which can help you visualize your changes.
 To access Page Layout view, locate and select the Page Layout view command in the
bottom-right corner of your workbook.

Page orientation
To change page orientation:
1. Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon.
2. Select the Orientation command, then choose either Portrait or Landscape from the
drop-down menu.

3. The page orientation of the workbook will be changed.

To format page margins:

A margin is the space between your content and the edge of the page. By default, every
workbook's margins are set to Normal, which is a one-inch space between the content and
each edge of the page. Sometimes you may need to adjust the margins to make your data fit
more comfortably on the page. Excel includes a variety of predefined margin sizes.
1. Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon, then select the Margins command.
2. Select the desired margin size from the drop-down menu. In our example, we'll
select Narrow to fit more of our content on the page.
 3. The margins will be changed to the selected size.
Printing
To access the Print pane:
1. Select the File Tab. Backstage view will appear.

2. Select Print. The Print pane will appear.

3. Select the desired printer.

4. Enter the number of copies you wish to print.
5. Select any additional settings if needed.
6. Click Print.