Introduction to Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a word-processing software developed by Microsoft. It's widely used for
creating, editing, formatting, and printing documents.

Key Terms and Functionalities

1. Interface Elements
● Ribbon: The strip of buttons and icons located above the work area, organized into tabs.
● Tabs: Categories on the Ribbon that group related commands. Common tabs include
Home, Insert, Design, Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View.
● Quick Access Toolbar: A customizable toolbar located above the Ribbon, providing quick
access to commonly used commands.
● Document Area: The area where you type and format your document.
● Status Bar: Located at the bottom of the window, it provides information about the
document, such as page number, word count, and language.

2. Basic Document Operations

● New Document: Create a new document by clicking File > New.
● Open Document: Open an existing document by clicking File > Open.
● Save Document: Save a document by clicking File > Save or Save As. The shortcut is
Ctrl + S.
● Print Document: Print a document by clicking File > Print. The shortcut is Ctrl + P.

3. Text Formatting
● Font: Change the typeface, size, colour, and style (bold, italic, underline) of the text.
Found under the Home tab.
● Paragraph: Adjust paragraph alignment (left, centre, right, justified), line spacing, and
indentation. Found under the Home tab.
● Styles: Predefined formatting options that you can apply to text. Found under the Home
tab.

4. Page Layout
● Margins: The blank spaces around the edges of the page. Adjust margins under Layout
> Margins.
● Orientation: The direction the document is displayed or printed. Options are Portrait and
Landscape, found under Layout > Orientation.
● Size: The size of the document. Adjust under Layout > Size.
● Columns: Divide text into multiple columns. Found under Layout > Columns.

5. Inserting Elements
● Tables: Insert a table by going to Insert > Table.
● Pictures: Insert pictures by going to Insert > Pictures.
● Shapes: Insert shapes by going to Insert > Shapes.
● Charts: Insert charts by going to Insert > Chart.
● Headers and Footers: Add headers and footers by going to Insert > Header or Footer.
● Page Numbers: Insert page numbers by going to Insert > Page Number.

6. References and Citations

● Table of Contents: Create a table of contents by going to References > Table of
Contents.
● Footnotes and Endnotes: Add footnotes or endnotes by going to References > Footnote.
 ● Citations and Bibliography: Manage citations and bibliography under References > Insert
Citation and Bibliography.

7. Reviewing Documents
● Spelling and Grammar: Check spelling and grammar by going to Review > Spelling &
Grammar. The shortcut is F7.
● Track Changes: Track changes made to the document by going to Review > Track
Changes.
● Comments: Add comments by going to Review > New Comment.

8. View Options
● Read Mode: A view mode optimized for reading. Found under View > Read Mode.
● Print Layout: The default view, which shows how the document will look when printed.
Found under View > Print Layout.
● Web Layout: Shows how the document will look as a webpage. Found under View >
Web Layout.
● Zoom: Adjust the zoom level of the document by going to View > Zoom.

9. Advanced Features
● Macros: Automate repetitive tasks by recording macros. Found under View > Macros.
● Templates: Use pre-designed document templates for various purposes. Found under
File > New.
● Mail Merge: Combine a document with a data source to personalize letters, labels, and
envelopes. Found under Mailings > Start Mail Merge.

Advanced Microsoft Word Features

1. Advanced Formatting
● Styles: Create and modify custom styles for consistent formatting. Use the Styles pane
to manage and apply styles efficiently (Home > Styles).
● Themes: Apply themes to ensure a consistent look across your document, including
colours, fonts, and effects (Design > Themes).
● Document Formatting: Use advanced formatting options such as text effects (glow,
shadow), text boxes, and linked text boxes for complex layouts (Insert > Text Box).

2. Collaboration and Review

● Track Changes: Enable Track Changes to review edits by different users. Customize
how changes are displayed (Review > Track Changes > Track Changes Options).
● Compare Documents: Compare two versions of a document to see differences (Review
> Compare).
● Combine Documents: Combine changes from multiple reviewers into a single document
(Review > Compare > Combine).
● Comments: Use threaded comments for discussions and feedback on specific parts of
the document (Review > New Comment).

3. Advanced Referencing
● Cross-references: Create cross-references to other parts of your document for easy
navigation (References > Cross-reference).
● Captions: Add captions to figures, tables, and equations, and generate lists of these
elements (References > Insert Caption).
● Index: Create an index by marking entries and generating an index at the end of the
document (References > Mark Entry, References > Insert Index).
4. Sections and Navigation
● Sections: Use section breaks to divide your document into sections with different
formatting (Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks).
● Navigation Pane: Use the Navigation Pane for quick navigation and to reorganize your
document by headings (View > Navigation Pane).
● Outline View: Use Outline View to organize your document's structure and easily move
content around (View > Outline).

5. Advanced Page Layout

● Custom Margins and Gutter: Adjust margins, including gutter margins for binding (Layout
> Margins > Custom Margins).
● Columns and Column Breaks: Create complex multi-column layouts and control where
text breaks between columns (Layout > Columns, Layout > Breaks > Column).
● Watermarks: Add text or image watermarks to your document for branding or security
(Design > Watermark).

6. Tables and Data Management

● Advanced Table Formatting: Use advanced options for table design, such as merging
cells, splitting tables, and applying table styles (Table Tools > Design, Table Tools >
Layout).
● Formulas in Tables: Perform calculations within table cells using Word's built-in formulas
(Table Tools > Layout > Formula).
● Sorting Data: Sort text, tables, and lists alphabetically or numerically (Home > Sort).

7. Forms and Fields

● Content Controls: Create forms using content controls like text boxes, checkboxes, and
drop-down lists (Developer tab > Controls group).
● Fields: Insert fields to display variable data like dates, times, document properties, or
custom fields (Insert > Quick Parts > Field).

8. Automation and Customization

● Macros: Record and edit macros to automate repetitive tasks (View > Macros > Record
Macro, View > Macros > Macros).
● Custom Keyboard Shortcuts: Assign custom keyboard shortcuts to commands for
increased efficiency (File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Customize).
● Templates and Building Blocks: Create and use custom templates and building blocks for
frequently used text or graphics (Insert > Quick Parts > Building Blocks Organizer).

9. Security and Protection

● Document Protection: Restrict editing, enforce formatting standards, or require a
password to open or modify the document (Review > Restrict Editing).
● Digital Signatures: Add digital signatures to authenticate the document (Insert > Text >
Signature List > Microsoft Office Signature Line).
● Inspect Document: Check for hidden metadata, personal information, or tracked changes
before sharing (File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document).

10. Integration and Extensibility

● Integration with Other Office Apps: Embed Excel spreadsheets, linked PowerPoint
slides, and use Outlook for mail merge (Insert > Object, Mailings > Select Recipients >
Use an Outlook Contacts List).
 ● Add-ins: Extend Word's functionality with add-ins from the Office Store (Insert > Get
Add-ins).
● VBA (Visual Basic for Applications): Use VBA to write custom scripts for complex
automation tasks (Developer tab > Visual Basic).

List of Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts

General Shortcuts
● Ctrl + N: New document
● Ctrl + O: Open document
● Ctrl + S: Save document
● F12: Save As
● Ctrl + P: Print document
● Alt + Ctrl + S: Split the document window
● Alt + Shift + C: Close the split window
● Ctrl + W / Ctrl + F4: Close document
● Ctrl + Z: Undo
● Ctrl + Y: Redo
● Ctrl + X: Cut
● Ctrl + C: Copy
● Ctrl + V: Paste
● Ctrl + A: Select all
● Ctrl + F: Find
● Ctrl + H: Replace
● Ctrl + G / F5: Go to
● Ctrl + K: Insert hyperlink
● Alt + Ctrl + I: Print preview

Navigation Shortcuts
● Arrow keys: Move cursor
● Ctrl + Arrow keys: Move cursor by word
● Home: Go to beginning of line
● End: Go to end of line
● Ctrl + Home: Go to beginning of document
● Ctrl + End: Go to end of document
● Page Up: Move up one screen
● Page Down: Move down one screen
● Alt + Ctrl + Page Up: Move to the top of current window
● Alt + Ctrl + Page Down: Move to bottom of current window

Formatting Shortcuts
● Ctrl + B: Bold
● Ctrl + I: Italic
● Ctrl + U: Underline
● Ctrl + Shift + W: Underline words only
● Ctrl + Shift + D: Double underline
● Ctrl + E: Center text
● Ctrl + L: Left align text
● Ctrl + R: Right align text
● Ctrl + J: Justify text
● Ctrl + M: Increase indent
 ● Ctrl + Shift + M: Decrease indent
● Ctrl + T: Increase hanging indent
● Ctrl + Shift + T: Decrease hanging indent
● Ctrl + 1: Single-line spacing
● Ctrl + 2: Double-line spacing
● Ctrl + 5: 1.5-line spacing
● Ctrl + 0: Add/remove space before paragraph
● Ctrl + Shift + A: Change case to all caps
● Ctrl + Shift + K: Change case to small caps
● Ctrl + Shift + C: Copy Formatting
● Ctrl + Shift + V: Paste Formatting

Inserting Elements
● Ctrl + Enter: Page break
● Shift + Enter: Line break
● Ctrl + Shift + Enter: Column break
● Ctrl + Alt + F: Insert footnote
● Ctrl + Alt + D: Insert endnote
● Alt + Shift + D: Insert current date
● Alt + Shift + T: Insert current time

Working with Tables

● Tab: Move to next cell
● Shift + Tab: Move to previous cell
● Ctrl + Tab: Insert tab character in a cell
● Ctrl + Shift + Enter: Insert a table
● Ctrl + A (in table): Select entire table
● Alt + Home: Move to first cell in the row
● Alt + End: Move to last cell in row
● Alt + Page Up: Move to first cell in column
● Alt + Page Down: Move to last cell in column

Review and Proofing

● F7: Spell check
● Shift + F7: Thesaurus
● Alt + Ctrl + M: Insert comment
● Ctrl + Alt + A: Accept change
● Ctrl + Alt + R: Reject change
● Ctrl + Shift + E: Toggle track changes

Views and Windows

● Alt + Ctrl + P: Print Layout view
● Alt + Ctrl + O: Outline view
● Alt + Ctrl + N: Draft view
● Ctrl + Alt + S: Split window
● Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S: Open Styles pane

Macros
● Alt + F8: Run macro
● Alt + F11: Open Visual Basic for Applications editor
Special Characters
● Ctrl + -: Insert optional hyphen
● Ctrl + Shift + -: Insert non-breaking hyphen
● Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar: Insert non-breaking space
● Ctrl + Enter: Insert page break

Function Keys
● F1: Help
● F2: Move text or graphics
● F3: Insert AutoText
● F4: Repeat last action
● F5: Go to
● F6: Go to the next pane or frame
● F7: Spell check
● F8: Extend selection
● F9: Update field
● F10: Activate menu bar
● F11: Go to the next field
● F12: Save As