Overview
This lecture provides a beginner-friendly overview of Microsoft Word, introducing basic navigation, document creation, formatting, inserting objects, and key ribbons and tools.
Starting Microsoft Word
- Open Word by clicking the taskbar icon or typing "Word" in the search bar.
- The home screen displays recent, pinned, and shared documents via OneDrive.
- Use the "New" option to start with a blank document or choose from templates like resumes and calendars.
Navigating the File Tab
- Find options for creating, opening, saving, printing, exporting (to PDF), and closing documents.
- Save As prompts you to select a location when saving a new document.
- Account and Options tabs provide subscription info and default settings (not covered in detail).
Basic Text Formatting (Home Ribbon)
- Double-click a word to select, then use B (bold), I (italic), U (underline), or strikethrough.
- Change font color or set custom colors using RGB or hex codes.
- Align text left, center, or right; adjust paragraph spacing and add bullets/numbers.
- Indent/outdent text and highlight text.
- Dictate text by using the "Dictate" button.
Inserting Tables and Images (Insert Ribbon)
- Insert tables for organized data and format cells like text (bold, center, underline).
- Use Borders and Shading to adjust table border thickness, color, and row highlighting.
- Insert images and resize or reposition them on the page.
- Add page numbers at the top or bottom and edit via the header/footer area.
Page Layout (Layout Ribbon)
- Adjust page margins, orientation (portrait/landscape), and paper size.
- Insert page breaks to move content to a new page; remove if layouts change.
Useful Tools (Review & View Ribbons)
- Use the thesaurus to find and insert synonyms.
- View the word count from the review ribbon or status bar.
- Zoom in/out or switch between single/multiple-page views.
- Use Alt + Tab to switch between open Word documents.
Search Functionality
- Use the search bar to quickly find Word commands without navigating ribbons.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Ribbon — Toolbar at the top with grouped commands (Home, Insert, Layout, etc.).
- Template — A pre-designed document layout for resumes, calendars, etc.
- Page Break — A marker that forces content to start on a new page.
- Thesaurus — Tool for finding synonyms for selected words.
- Header/Footer — Document areas at the top/bottom, often for page numbers.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice creating and formatting a new Word document with text, tables, and images.
- Explore the File, Insert, Layout, Review, and View ribbons.
- Review templates and try inserting page numbers and page breaks.