Introduction to Microsoft Word

Microsoft word is a word processor software developed by Microsoft in 1983. It is the most
commonly used word processor software. It is used to create professional quality documents,
letters, reports, resumes, etc and also allows you to edit or modify your new or existing
document. The file saved in Ms Word has .docx extension. It is a component of the Microsoft
Office suite, but you can buy it separately and is available for both Windows and macOS.

Features of MS Word

Now let us discuss the features or components of the Ms Word. Using these features, you
can perform different types of operations on your documents, like you can create, delete,
style, modify, or view the content of your document.
1. File
It contains options related to the file, like New(used to create a new document),
Open(used to open an existing document), Save(used to save document), Save As(used to
save documents), History, Print, Share, Export, Info, etc.
2. Home
It is the default tab of Ms Word and it is generally divided into five groups, i.e.,
Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Style and Editing. It allows you to select the color, font,
emphasis, bullets, position of your text. It also contains options like cut, copy, and paste.
3. Insert
Insert Tab is the second tab in the Ribbon. As the name suggests, it is used to insert or add extra features
in your document. It is commonly used to add tables, pictures, clip art, shapes, page number, etc. The
Insert tab has seven groups of related commands; Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header & Footer,
Text and Symbols.

Page Layout tab:

It is the third tab in the Ribbon. This tab allows you to control the look and feel of your document, i.e.
you can change the page size, margins, line spacing, indentation, documentation orientation, etc. The
Page Layout tab has five groups of related commands; Themes, Page Setup, Page Background, Paragraph
and Arrange.

References tab:
It is the fourth tab in the Ribbon. It allows you to enter document sources, citations, bibliography
commands, etc. It also offers commands to create a table of contents, an index, table of contents and table
of authorities. The References tab has six groups of related commands; Table of Contents, Footnotes,
Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Index and Table of Authorities.

Mailings tab:
It is the fifth tab in the ribbon. It is the least-often used tab of all the tabs available in the Ribbon. It allows
you merge emails, writing and inserting different fields, preview results and convert a file into a PDF
format. The Mailings tab has five groups of related commands; Create, Start Mail Merge, Write & Insert
Fields, Preview Results and Finish.

Review tab:
It is the sixth tab in the Ribbon. This tab offers you some important commands to modify your document.
It helps you proofread your content, to add or remove comments, track changes, etc. The Review tab has
six groups of related commands; Proofing, Comments, Tracking, Changes, Compare and Protect.

View tab:
The View tab is located next to the Review tab. This tab allows you to switch between Single Page and
Two Page views. It also enables you to control various layout tools like boundaries, guides, rulers. Its
primary purpose is to offers you different ways to view your document. The View tab has five groups of
related commands; Document Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, Window and Macros.
Shortcut Key Function/Action Common Use

Ctrl + A Select All Selects all text or items in a document

Ctrl + B Bold Makes selected text bold

Ctrl + C Copy Copies of selected text or item

Ctrl + D Duplicate Creates a duplicate of the selected item

Ctrl + E Edit Opens the editing options

Ctrl + F Find Searches for a specific word or phrase

Ctrl + G Go to Navigates to a specific location

Ctrl + H Replace Replaces one set of characters with another

Ctrl + I Italicize Makes selected text italic

Ctrl + J Justify Aligns text to both the left and right

Ctrl + K Insert Hyperlink Adds a hyperlink to selected text

Ctrl + L Align Left Aligns text to the left

Ctrl + M Minimize Minimizes the active window

Ctrl + N New Creates a new document or file

Ctrl + O Open Opens an existing document or file

Ctrl + P Print Prints the active document

Ctrl + Q Quit Closes the active application

Ctrl + R Refresh Reloads or updates the current page

Ctrl + S Save Saves the active document or file

Ctrl + T Cut Removes and copies selected text or item

Ctrl + U Underline Underlines selected text

Ctrl + V Paste Pastes copied or cut text

Ctrl + W Close Closes the active window or application

Ctrl + X Cut Removes and copies selected text or item

Ctrl + Y Redo Redoes the last undone action

Ctrl + Z Undo Undoes the last action

How to Insert Text in MS Word

The basic steps to insert text or to create a new document in Word are listed below;
o Go to the start menu and look for Microsoft Word icon
o Click the icon to open the Microsoft Word
o You will see a blinking cursor or insertion point in the text area below the ribbon
o Now, as you start typing, the words will appear on the screen in the text area
o To change the location of insertion point press spacebar, Enter or Tab keys

How to Delete Text in MS Word

You can easily delete the text in Word including characters, paragraphs or all of the content of your
document. Word offers you different methods to delete the text; some of the commonly used methods are
given below;
o Place the cursor next to the text then press Backspace key
o Place the cursor to the left of the text then press Delete key
o Select the text and press the Backspace or Delete key
o Select the text and type over it the new text.

How to Select Text in MS Word

Place the cursor next to the text then left click the mouse and holding it down move it over the text then
release it. The text will be selected.
Some shortcuts for selecting text are:
o To select a single word double click within the word
o To select the entire paragraph triple click within the paragraph
o To select entire document, in Home tab, in Editing group click Select then choose Select
All option or press CTRL+A
o o Shift + Arrow; hold down the shift key then press the arrow key, the word will select the
text in the direction of the arrow key. There are three arrow keys, so you can select the
text in three different directions.

How to Copy and Paste Text in MS Word

Word offers different methods to copy and paste text. Some of the popular methods are given below;
Method 1;
o Select the text you want to copy
o Select the Home tab and click the Copy command
o Place the cursor where you want to paste the text
o Click the Paste command in Home tab

How to Save the Document in MS Word

When you create a document it is important to save the document so that it can be viewed or reused later.
The basic steps to save a document are listed below;
o Click the Microsoft Office Button
o A list of different commands appears
o Click the 'Save As' command
o it displays 'Save As' Dialogue Box
o Save the document to desired location with a desired name

How to Correct Errors in Ms Word

When you type text in a document, by default the Word informs you if there is any contextual,
spelling or grammatical error. Word informs you in different ways for different errors;
If there is any contextual error in the document, it will underline the text with blue line.
If there is any spelling error in the document, it will underline the text with red line.
If there is any grammar error in the document, it will underline the text with green line.
How to Change Font Style in MS Word
The basic steps to change the font of a text in a document are given below;
o Select the text you want to modify
o Select the Home tab and locate the Font group
o Click the drop-down arrow next to font style box
o Font style menu appears
o With a left click select the desired font style
o If you want to change the font to bold or italic, click the 'B' or 'I' icons on the
format bar.

How to Format Font Color in MS Word

MS Word allows you to change the Font color of your text. If you want to emphasize a
particular word or phrase, you can change its font color. The basic steps to change the
Font color are given below;
o Select the text you want to modify
o In Home tab locate the Font group
o Click the drop-down arrow next to Font color button
o Font color menu appears
o Select the desired font color with a left click
o Word will change the Font color of the selected text.

How to Change Text Alignment in MS Word

You can change the text alignment in your document to make it more presentable and
readable. The basic steps to change the text alignment are given below;
o Select the content you want to modify
o In Home tab locate the Paragraph group
o It has four alignment options ;
Align Text Left: Aligns the text towards left margin
Center: Brings the text at centre
Align Text Right: Aligns the text towards right margin

Bold, Italic and Underline Commands in MS

Word
These commands are given in the Font group in the Home tab. Their functions are given
below;
o Bold: It allows you to Bold the text of your document
o Italic: It allows you to Italicize the text of your document
o Underline: It allows you to underline the text of your document

How to Apply Style in MS Word

You can create professional and presentable documents in MS Word by applying different
styles. The basic steps to apply a style in a document are listed below;
o Select the text to which you want to apply the style
o Select the Home tab
o In Styles group you will see different styles;

How to Change Page Orientation in MS Word

Page Orientation refers to the direction in which a document is displayed. It is of two
types; portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal). The default orientation is portrait; it
can be changed to landscape by following these steps;
 o Select the Page Layout tab
o Locate the Page Setup group
o In Page Setup group click the Orientation command
o It displays two options, Portrait and Landscape
o Select the desired page orientation

How to Change Page Margins in MS Word

The margin is the space between the text and border of a document. By default, it is a
one-inch space. Depending on your needs, it can be changed by following the below-
listed steps;
o Select the Page Layout tab
o In Page Setup group click the Margins command
o A list of Margins appears
o Select the desired Margin with a left click

How to Insert Table in MS Word

Table is a versatile tool of MS Word. It allows you to organize your information, i.e. you
can align text, present numerical data and create forms and calendar. The steps to insert
table are given below;
o Place the cursor where you want to insert the table
o Select the Insert tab
o In Tables group click the Table command
o It displays different options to insert the table
o Select the desired option to insert the table

How to Insert Picture in Document

Pictures make our text more attractive and readable. You can insert relevant pictures in
your text by following these steps;
o Place the cursor where you want to insert the picture
o Select the Insert tab on Ribbon
o In Illustrations group click the Picture command;
MAIL MERGE
Mail Merge is a useful tool that allows you to produce multiple letters, labels,
envelopes, name tags, and more using information stored in a list, database, or
spreadsheet. When performing a Mail Merge, you will need a Word
document (you can start with an existing one or create a new one) and a recipient
list, which is typically an Excel workbook.

To use Mail Merge:

1. Open an existing Word document or create a new one.

2. From the Mailings tab, click the Start Mail Merge command and
select Step-by-Step Mail Merge Wizard from the drop-down
menu
 .
• From the Mail Merge task pane on the right side of the Word window, choose
the type of document you want to create. In our example, we'll select Letters.
Then click Next: Starting document to move to Step 2.
• Select Use the current document, then click Next: Select recipients to move to
Step 3.
• Now you'll need an address list so Word can automatically place each address into
the document. The list can be in an existing file, such as an Excel workbook, or
you can type a new address list from within the Mail Merge Wizard.
• Select Use an existing list, then click Browse to select the file.
• Locate your file, then click Open
• If the address list is in an Excel workbook, select the worksheet that contains the
list, then click OK.
• In the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box, you can check or uncheck each box to
control which recipients are included in the merge. By default, all recipients
should be selected. When you're done, click OK.
• Click Next: Write your letter to move to Step 4.

Macro in Word document

Macro is a series of commands and instructions that you combine together as a
single command to complete a task automatically.
Follow the below methods to create a macro in Word document -
Method 1: Record a macro using the Button option
Microsoft Word has the ability to record and run macros to improve the efficiency
of the document.
Step 1: Open the new or an existing Word document.
Step 2: Click on the View tab on the Ribbon and click on the drop-down icon
associated with the Macros in the Macros section.
Step 3: Click on the Record Macro from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: A Record Macro dialog box will appear on the screen in which do the
following -
1. Enter the Name for the macro in the Macro name text field.
2. To use the same macro for the further document, click on the All
Documents (Normal.dotm) option from the Store macro in drop-down
menu.
3. Click on the Button icon in the Assign macro to section to run your macro.
Step 5: A Word Options window will appear on the screen with highlighted Quick Access
Toolbar at the left pane.

1. Click on the new macro name (Normal.NewMacros.MyMacro) on the left side of the
 screen.

2. Click on the Add button to add the macro on the Quick Access Toolbar at the right side
of the screen.

3. Click on the Modify button, as shown in the below screenshot.

4. Step 6: Select macro that you want to record from the Modify Button dialog box, type
the Display name, and click on the OK button.
5. Step 7: Click on the OK button at the Word options window.
6. Step 8: Now, click on the View tab and click on the Macros drop-down menu. Click on
the Stop Recording Macro from the drop-down menu.