Microsoft Word Basics

Getting Started
● Open word. You may choose a blank document, or browse a template
that’s right for you. Blank or unformatted documents are best to use at this
stage of instruction.

● 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.
 Margins
Cursor
Page

Scroll bar

Page and word count Zoom

Read modes
Quick Access toolbar
You may add frequently used tools to your quick access bar by right clicking
the tool button and selecting “add to Quick Access toolbar”

Undo Redo
Quick print

Print preview
Quick save New document Customize toolbar
Home toolbar: font style & clipboard
Font name Font size Automated Clear all
Clipboard: use to copy and paste, or cases formatting
ctrl+c and ctrl+v

Strikethrough
Bold Italic
Underline Text effects
Text color
Superscript
Highlight
Subscript
Home toolbar: editing tools

Find, ctrl+f for PCs and Command-F for Macs,

allows you to find words within the text

Replace words with

other words in your
text

Choose how to
select portions of
your text
Now you know your basic tools!
You can ignore the stylized presets to the
right of your home toolbar for now as they
can be cumbersome to customize
Insert/add media
Insert image files
Add a preset cover saved to your Add shapes such as
page computer arrows

Add a blank page
between pages of
text
Break your chapter
or subheading of text
to the next page
Grab a screenshot
(for PCs press the
Prtscn key, then
paste your clipboard
contents. For Macs
Create a table of press Command +
columns and rows Add infographics shift + 4 to copy, and
then paste your
Search images when clipboard contents)
connected to the
internet with a Bing
image search
Insert/add media
Insert Wikipedia content
Add or manage apps
Link your text to outside
sources with a URL
(for example:
www.youtube.com)
Search for or embed
online videos
Bookmark select Add headers,
portions of your text footers, and page
for easy reference numbers
Hyperlink portions of your
text for reader’s reference
Add comments for
(e.g. subsections in legal
multireader editing (to
documents)
delete comments go to the
Review/editing tab)
Insert/add media
Add a signature or
Add a moveable text
timestamp your
box to your article or
document
graphic design Open math or
Custom text-image
headings symbol menus

Automate format
templates for Add another file or Embed .swf files for
recurring, stylized sound clips
document to your
text (such as Add an epigraphic current document throughout your text
captions or asides) letter or word to
begin your article or
chapter
 Page layout options
Divide text into Your menu listing names
Manually adjust the
columns Page break of image files that appear
spacing before and
in the document for quick
Paper dimensions after paragraph
toggling
breaks

Margin adjustment
in print inches Position images within
text, select style of Align, group, or
Manually adjust the “wrapping” text around rotate images
Portrait or landscape dimensions of images, and select the
Number each line of
orientation indentations order in which multiple
text, and hyphenate
each line item in list layers of images will
appear. To test this
function, upload an image
to your document.

As you add tables and images, more tab
menus appear with various tool options
They will be highlighted and color-coded as shown
above. To stick to our basic agenda, we will skip these
accessories for now. But if you’re interested, many of
the functions include basic photo editing for more
graphic documents, or table editing, which gives you a
greater range for infographic presentations. Test out
the tools as you would any of the tools and effects
described throughout this dossier.
 References/works cited
Insert footnote or Add and link indexed Formatting settings
Add and manage
endnote items for legal documents
sources

Add a formatted
Add a preset, Hyperlink portions of
bibliography
formatted table of Jump to next according to what text
contents, and footnote in your text type of document
update an existing you’re drafting
table using the
buttons to the right. Insert captions
Display menu of all
below images
notes
 Review/edit Track changes that
have been made
Find synonyms for
throughout the
words you’ve used too
Always check creation and editing Compare and
often throughout your
spelling & grammar! of your document combine revisions of
document
(very useful!) same document
Translate and adjust
language settings

Accept or reject
Count total words in changes that have
document Add, delete, and been made by other
toggle through Control editing
editors
Define a word by document’s capabilities (it’s a
highlighting and comments by privilege not a
clicking this button multiple users right!)
 View options
See next slide (17)
Read Split or add
Edit Show ruler Automate
document as documents and
document as measurements or Arrange your split frequently used
if it were a toggle between windows, or
it will look grid to give you tasks by creating a
pdf or epub each
when printed spatial relations on synchronize series of commands
file
the page scrolling and instructions

Draft returns Navigate your

you to regular document View the Toggle
Edit text edit as with quick document between your
Magnify or
document as opposed to searches one or two documents
broaden your
it will look outline mode pages at a
view of the
when printed time, adjust
document
page width
Outlining
Outlining is a simple way of creating a list or taxonomy
When this is checked, it shows your
stylized/designed text, rather than the
Quickly refer to each level of your list Insert other documents into or create
normal text format, which looks more like
documents of portions of your outline
the text of this explanatory caption

When this is checked, it shows the first line only of the level you have
selected. The higher the level, the more lines are shown.

Start by typing your first and second lines. Then drag the minus symbol at
the head of the line right to subordinate the second line to the first line
Problems w/multi-user comments

It is difficult to manage or delete comments from the Insert tab. Instead, delete user
comments from the Review tab.
Problems w/track changes
If you’re having trouble turning track changes off, be
sure that it is unlocked.

This is what Track Changes looks like. The blue is unedited text, the
crossed-out red has been deleted by an editor, and the underscored
red
word to the left of the deleted word is the word the editor chose to
replace the previous word. All red underscored words are additions
made to the original text.
Thank You