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2025, 14:55 Intro Chapter - Windows, Office, and File Management

Intro Chapter - Windows, Office, and File

Management

SLO INTRO. 2

Using Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office includes popular software applications such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. These
applications give you the ability to work with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases for
personal and business projects. Microsoft offers a variety of productivity apps for different technology devices.

Office 365 and Office 2021

Microsoft Office is a suite of personal and business software applications (Figure Intro-24).
Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Office 2021 are similar software products. The difference is how you
purchase the software. Office 365 is a subscription fee that you pay monthly or yearly, similar to how you
purchase Netflix or Spotify. If you subscribe to Office 365, you automatically receive updated versions of the
applications when they are released. Office 2021 is the traditional model of purchasing the software, and you
own that software for as long as you want to use it.

Figure Intro-24 Microsoft Office apps on the Start menu

The common applications typically included in Microsoft Office 365 and 2021 are described in the following
list:

Microsoft Word: Word processing software used to create, format, and edit documents such as reports,
letters, brochures, and resumes.
Microsoft Excel: Spreadsheet software used to perform calculations on numerical data such as financial
statements, budgets, and expense reports.
Microsoft Access: Database software used to store, organize, compile, and report information such as
product information, sales data, client information, and employee records.
Microsoft PowerPoint: Presentation software used to graphically present information in slides such as a
presentation on a new product or sales trends.
Microsoft Outlook: Email and personal management software used to create and send email and to create
and store calendar items, contacts, and tasks.
Microsoft OneNote: Note-taking software used to take and organize notes, which can be shared with other
Office applications.
Microsoft Publisher: Desktop publishing software used to create professional-looking documents
containing text, pictures, and graphics such as catalogs, brochures, and flyers.

MORE INFO
Office 365 includes regular updates that include new and enhanced features, while Office 2021 does not include
these regular updates. So, differences in features may exist between Office 2021 and Office 365.

Office 365 Products, Versions, and Update Channels

Office 365 is a subscription to the Office applications and can be purchased for home or business. As a student,
you can get Office 365 for education free (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office). The
Office applications that come with an Office 365 subscription can vary depending on the Office 365 product
subscription you have. With an Office 365 subscription, you can install the Office applications (both PC and
Mac) on multiple computers and mobile devices.
An advantage of an Office 365 subscription is regular updates that enhance the functionality of the apps.
The Office 365 version and build are determined by the update channel, which is the frequency of updates. If
you have an Office 365 for education or business subscription, the college or business determines the update
channel. If you have Office 365 Home or Personal, you are on the Current Channel. The following are the most
common update channels:
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Semi-Annual Channel: Receives updates two times a year in January and July.
Semi-Annual Channel Enterprise (Preview): Receives new feature updates earlier than the Semi-Annual
Channel. These semi-annual updates are rolled out in March and September.
Current Channel: Receives new feature updates monthly.

HOW TO: View Your Office 365 Product Information

1. Click the Start button and select an Office application to open the Start page of the Office app.
2. Click Account on the left.
The Product Information area displays the Microsoft Office product installed on your computer (Figure Intro-25).

Figure Intro-25 Product Information displayed in the

Account area on the Backstage view

The About [Application] area displays the version, build, and update channel.
The Version number indicates the year and month of the most recent update. For example, “Version 2110” means
2021 and the tenth month (October).
3. Click the Update Options button to select an update option: Update Now, Disable Updates, View Updates, or About
Updates.
Click the Update Now button to manually check for Office 365 updates.
4. Click the Office Insider button to join the Office Insider program and get early releases of Office 365.
5. Click the What’s New button to view the new features included in the most recent Office 365 updates for your update
channel.
The What’s New pane displays on the right side of the Office application window.
Click the X in the upper-right corner to close the What’s New pane.

Premium Office Apps, Office Online, and Office Mobile Apps

Premium Office apps are the desktop version of the Office 365 applications. These are full-function
applications installed on your computer (PC or Mac). Both Office 2021 and Office 365 are considered Office
desktop apps. Install the Premium Office apps from your Microsoft account (www.office.com) (Figure Intro-
26).

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Figure Intro-26 Install Premium Office apps

The Office Online apps are free online apps that work in conjunction with your Microsoft 365 account and
OneDrive (www.office.com) (Figure Intro-27). Office Online is a scaled-down version of Office and not as
robust in terms of features, but you can use it to create, edit, print, share, and collaborate on files. Click the App
launcher in the upper-left corner of OneDrive to display the Office Online applications. If you need more
advanced features, you can open Office Online files in the desktop version of Office.

Figure Intro-27 Office Online apps

MORE INFO
Microsoft Access is not available in Office Online, as an Office mobile app, or in the Mac version of Office.

Due to the increased popularity and capabilities of tablets and mobile devices, Office software is also
available for both tablets and smartphones. Office mobile apps are the Office 365 programs that can be
installed on tablets or other mobile devices. Office mobile apps do not have the full range of advanced features
available in Office desktop applications, but Office mobile apps provide users the ability to create, edit, save,
and share Office files using many of the most common features in the Office suite of programs.

MORE INFO
Office mobile apps can be downloaded to your devices from the app store on your device.

HOW TO: Create an Office Online File

1. Open an internet browser Window and log in to your Microsoft account (www.office.com).
2. Select an Office application on the left.
3. Click the New blank [file type] button to create a new Office Online file (Figure Intro-28).

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Figure Intro-28 Create an Office Online file

from your online Microsoft account

A new file opens in the Office Online program.

The new file is saved in your OneDrive folder.
4. Rename the file by clicking the file name in the Title bar at the top of the file, typing a new file name, and pressing Enter
(Figure Intro-29).

Figure Intro-29 Rename an Office Online file

You can also click the File tab to open the Backstage view, select Save As, and choose Save As or Rename.
Click Editing button and select Open in Desktop App to open the file in the Office desktop application. This step
may vary depending on the Office Online app you are using.
5. Close the browser tab or window to close the file.
Office Online automatically saves the file as you make changes.

Open an Office Desktop Application

When using Windows, you open an Office desktop application by clicking the application on the Start menu or
the application icon on the Taskbar. If your Start menu and Taskbar do not display the Office applications, click
the Start button and select Word, Excel, Access, or PowerPoint from the alphabetic list of apps to launch the
application (Figure Intro-30).

Figure Intro-30 Open an Office desktop

app from the Start menu

You can also use Search to quickly locate an Office desktop app (Figure Intro-31).

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Figure Intro-31 Use Search to find and

open an app

MORE INFO
Add commonly used apps to your Windows Start menu and/or Taskbar to save time. See the “Customize the Start
Menu” and “Customize the Taskbar” sections in SLO Intro.1: Using Windows.

Office Start Page

Most of the Office applications (except Outlook and OneNote) display a Start page when you launch the
application (Figure Intro-32). From this Start page, you can create a new blank file (for example, a Word
document, an Excel workbook, an Access database, or a PowerPoint presentation), create a file from an online
template, search for an online template, open a recently used file, or open another file. These options vary
depending on the Office application.

Figure Intro-32 Excel Start page

MORE INFO
In Access, you have to open an existing database or create a new one to enter the program.

Backstage View
Office incorporates the Backstage view into all Office applications (including Office Online apps). Click the File
tab on the Ribbon to open the Backstage view (Figure Intro-33). Backstage options vary depending on the
Office application. The following list describes common tasks you can perform from the Backstage view:

Home: Displays options for creating new files and opening recent, pinned, and shared files.
New: Creates a new blank file or a new file from a template or theme.
Open: Opens an existing file from a designated location or a recently opened file.
Info: Displays document properties and other protection, inspection, and version options.
Save: Saves a file. If the file has not been named, the Save As dialog box opens when you select this option.
Save As: Opens the Save As dialog box.
Print: Prints a file, displays a preview of the file, or displays print options.

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Figure Intro-33 Backstage view in Excel

Share: Invites people to share a file or email a file.

Export: Creates a PDF file from a file or saves it as a different file type.
Publish: Use Power BI to publish a workbook to a visual report or dashboard (Excel only).
Close: Closes an open file.
Account: Displays your Microsoft account information.
Feedback: Provides an area where users can provide feedback on Office apps.
Options: Opens the [Application] Options dialog box (for example, Excel Options).

MORE INFO
Options on the Backstage view vary depending on the Office application you are using.

Microsoft Search
Microsoft Search (formerly Tell Me) is a help feature in all Office 365 applications (Figure Intro-34). This
feature displays actions and help topics related to your search. Action options displayed in the search results
take you directly to a command or dialog box. For example, if you type PivotTable in the Microsoft Search box in
Excel, the results include the option to open the Create PivotTable dialog box, as well as other options such as
Recommended PivotTables and PivotChart.

Figure Intro-34 Microsoft Search box

HOW TO: Use Microsoft Search

1. Place the insertion point in the Microsoft Search box at the top of the Title bar to the right of the file name (see Figure
Intro-34).
2. Type keywords for the command or feature for which you are searching.
3. Select an option from the search results list (Figure Intro-35).

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Figure Intro-35 Microsoft Search results

When you select an Action option in the search results, it may apply a command, open a dialog box, or display a
gallery of command choices.
Get Help on, Definition, and Find in Document are other options that display in the Microsoft Search results.

ANOTHER WAY
Alt+Q places the insertion point in the Microsoft Search dialog box.

MORE INFO
The Help feature is also available in Office. Press F1 to open the Help pane on the right.

Mouse and Pointers

If you are using Office on a desktop or laptop computer, use your mouse (or touchpad) to navigate within files,
click tabs and buttons, select text and objects, move text and objects, and resize objects. Table Intro-1 lists
mouse and pointer terminology used in Office.

Table Intro-1: Mouse and Pointer Terminology

Term Description

Pointer Move your mouse to move the pointer on your screen. A variety of pointers are used in different contexts in Office
applications. The following pointers are available in most of the Office applications (the appearance of these pointers varies
depending on the application and the context used):

Selection pointer: Select text or an object.

Move pointer: Move text or an object.
Copy pointer: Copy text or an object.

Resize pointer: Resize objects or table columns or rows.

Crosshair: Draw a shape.

Insertion point The vertical flashing line indicating where you type text in a file or text box. Click the left mouse button to position the insertion
point.

Click Click the left mouse button. Used to select an object or button or to place the insertion point in the selected location.

Double-click Click the left mouse button twice. Used to select text.

Right-click Click the right mouse button. Used to display the context menu and the mini toolbar, which display additional formatting and
action options.

Scroll Use the scroll wheel on the mouse to scroll up and down through your file. You can also use the horizontal or vertical scroll
bars at the bottom and right of an Office file window to move in a file.

Touch Mode and Touch-Screen Gestures

The user interface in Windows and Office has improved touch features to facilitate the use of Windows and the
Office applications on a tablet computer or smartphone. On tablets and smartphones, you can use a touch
screen rather than using a mouse. The process of selecting text and objects and navigating a file is different
from a computer without a touch screen.

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In Office 365/2021, Touch mode optimizes the Office working environment when using a computer with a
touch screen to provide more space between buttons and commands. Click the Touch/Mouse Mode button on
the Quick Access toolbar (displays above or below the Ribbon or may be turned off) and select Touch from the
drop-down list to enable Touch mode (Figure Intro-36). To turn off Touch mode, select Mouse from the
Touch/Mouse Mode drop-down list.

Figure Intro-36 Turn on Touch mode

MORE INFO
The Touch/Mouse Mode button displays on the Quick Access toolbar when using a touch-screen computer.

Table Intro-2 lists common gestures used when working on a tablet or smartphone (these gestures vary
depending on the application used and the context).

Table Intro-2:Touch-Screen Gestures

Gesture Used To How To

Tap Select text or an object or position the insertion point. Double tap to edit
text in an object or cell.

Pinch Zoom in or resize an object.

Stretch Zoom out or resize an object.

Slide Move an object or selected text.

Swipe Select text or multiple objects.

MORE INFO
Window has a Tablet mode that optimizes all of Windows and apps for touch screens. When you turn on the
Tablet mode feature in Windows, the Touch mode in Office apps turns on automatically. Click the Action Center
button on the Windows Taskbar and click the Tablet mode button to turn on this feature.

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