What is MS Word and how to learn Microsoft Word?

Do you know what is MS WORD? MS Word is a word processing software that was created by Microsoft in the 1980s. It has been the go-to software for all kinds of documents, from letters to reports. This article will look at how this software has changed and how it is still changing over time.

The first version of MS Word was released in 1983 and since then it has undergone many changes to meet the needs of its users. The latest version, MS Word 2021, was released on October 5, 2021 and is now available for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

In this article we will look at some of the major changes that have happened in MS Word over the past 30 years and how these changes have affected its users. Let us know what is called MS Word.

What is MS Word?

MS Word is a word-processing program for personal computers developed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 for Xenix systems under the name Multi-Tool Word. Later versions were later written for PC DOS (1983), Windows 95 and Mac OS X (2004).

The program handles both editing and formatting of text, as well as the management of large document collections. It can be used to edit any type of text file, including plain text, rich text format (RTF), HTML, and others.

Use of MS Word

MS Word is used to create documents. Either it is blank at start or it has a template which is similar with all other Microsoft applications. Using this word, you can create professional resume, cover letters, flyers, and many more.

Also you can create certificates, to-do list. As the name suggests, you can type normal words in the document.

You can also do any official work or documentation work. That’s why today I thought that why should I provide you people with information about what is Microsoft Word and what are its features, so that all the basics of your MS Word introduction become completely clear.

Then without delay let’s start and know about Microsoft Office Word.

Who created MS Word?

The first version of Microsoft Word was developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, the first programmers of Xerox. He was hired by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1981.

The first Word version, Word 1.0, was released in October 1983 for Xenix and MS-DOS. Since then, it has gradually undergone many changes and according to the needs of the users, it has also been developed accordingly.

Features of MS Word

Let us know about some such features of Microsoft Word which made both document creations and editing very easy.

• WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) display: It ensures that whatever is displayed on the screen or appears on the screen when printed or in any other device When it is moved, it looks exactly the same as it was the first one.
• Spell check: Word has a built-in dictionary to check spelling; Any misspelled words are marked with a red squiggly underline. Sometimes Word automatically auto-corrects the obviously misspelled word or phrase.
• Text-level features such as bold, underline, italic and strike-through.
• Page-level features such as indentation, paragraphing and justification.
• External support: Word is very compatible with other programs to use, which have very common other members of the Office suite.

How to run Microsoft Word in Windows 10?

There are about 512 apps in Windows 10. In all their apps, you might not see the shortcuts of any app in this list. The same thing happened earlier with Microsoft Word as well.

But later this issue was fixed in the November Update, so that now Microsoft Word will now automatically download and install when it is available. If you have not updated then definitely update your OS.

Let us know its steps:

• Open Start first.
• Where in the App list, find and click on the Office app that you want to use, such as Word or Excel.
• Then the Office page will open in the Windows Store, which you should click and install.
• Then you can use the newly installed apps, which you downloaded from the Office product page.
• Then Got it! Click and start using Office.

How to create a new document in MS Word?

Documents are the most basic and essential type of file in Microsoft Office. It is a way to store text, images and other information in a file.

The following steps will show you how to create a new document in Microsoft Word:

• Click the File tab in the top left corner of the screen and select New.
• Select Blank Document from the templates that appear on the right side of your screen.
• Type your text into this blank document as you normally would by typing or pasting it with your mouse or keyboard shortcut.
• When you’re finished editing your document, click File > Save As… to save your document.

how to learn MS Word?

It is very easy for a new user to understand it. If you have never used it before, then you will be able to use it with the help of the article given below.

1. Explore the Word User Interface

Familiarize yourself with interface elements that hold all the formatting tools. You may have to enable tools for this in your toolbar. For this, you have to select Toolbars from the View Tab and then choose “Standard”.

• Menu bar is the area which is at the top of the screen and where you can find everything like File, Edit, View, and other important menu commands.
• The Toolbar is located directly below the Menu Bar and displays common tasks such as saving, printing, and opening a document etc.
• The Ribbon is at the top of the workspace, below the toolbar, and it organize the features of Microsoft Word into categories, such as the Home tab and the Layout tab.

2. Adjust the alignment of your document

Different types of documents have different text alignments. You can choose whether you want to place your document in the left, right and center but for this you just have to click on the Alignment buttons of the Ribbon in the Paragraph section.

• These are the same buttons that look like a small version of a document, and which have small black lines according to their buttons alignment function.
• You can see these alignment buttons in the center of the ribbon, after the Underline button and before the Bullets button.

3. Set the Line Spacing of Your Document

You can adjust the settings but for this you have to click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing button. All the text that you type after using this tool, it will follow the spacing that you have set.

• Find the Line and Paragraph spacing buttons in the ribbon, which will be located after the Alignment buttons. This button looks like a row of lines with vertical arrows to the left of the lines and they point upward and downward.
• If you want to edit the spacing of current line and paragraph then you have to first highlight that context and then click on Line and Paragraph Spacing button to edit it.
• If you want, you can edit those line and paragraph spacing, for which you have to click on the Format tab in the menu bar which is located at the top of the screen, there you have to select “Paragraph” from the list, and You can select your desired spacing.
• Most professional documents such as college essays and cover letters should be double-spaced.

4. Adjust Page Orientation

If you want to write the document in a different orientation, click on the “Orientations” option in the Page Layout section on the menu bar, and then select either Portrait or Landscape form from that drop-down list.

5. Change the size of the paper

In the Page Layout section which is in the Menu bar.

• If you want to print the document in a specific paper size, then click on the “Size” button, and select your desired size from the drop-down list.
• By doing this it will change the virtual size of the document that you are writing.

6. Adjust Document Key Headers and Footers

A header contains all the details that appear on each page of the page.

• If you want to set the header of the document, then double-click on the topmost part of the page so that the header field will appear.
• After this, adjust the document footers. Footers are also similar to document headers. Where all the text is visible at the bottom of the page. Just opposite the header.
• Just like we did in the header, you have to double click on the bottom of the page for footer, by doing this the footer field will appear.
• If you want, you can also edit the headers and footers in your page, for which you have to select the “View” tab from the menu bar which is located at the top of the screen and click on that option “Header and Footer”. By doing this the headers and footers of the page will be open to edit or create.

7. Adjust Margin

For this, you have to click on the “Margins” button in the Page Setup section which is in the Page Layout tab and select margin from the pre-defined margin settings which are listed in the drop-down list.

If you want to choose your own margin measurements, then click on “Custom Margins” which is at the bottom of the drop-down list, from this you can select your customized margin.

8. Add Columns

If you want to create a newspaper-like document, then for this you have to adjust the format of your documents and select in columns.

Here you have to select “Columns” option from Ribbon and there choose the number and alignment of columns which you want from the drop-down list. You can find these Columns button from the top row of ribbon. This button has a green icon in which a small rectangle divided in half shows.

• If you have to choose one, two or three column, then you can use these preset options. If you need more then you can go to “More Columns” option.
• Note that the column option is completely different from the columns that you find when you have to insert items in your documents such as tables.

9. Add Bullets and Numbers

Highlight the text you want to be numbered or bulleted and click the Numbering or Bullets button in the ribbon.

You can find these buttons on the side by side of the Ribbon, after the alignment of the buttons. This Numbering button displays three small lines with numbers to the left of the lines and the Bullets button displays three small lines with bullet points to the left of the lines.

10. Format Your Document Style

All documents have standard built-in styles for example Normal, Title, Heading etc.The default style of text in this is Normal.The template on which a document is based (for example, Normal.dotx), determines which style will appear in the Ribbon and which in the Styles tab.

• Before applying any style, you can see all available styles and also see their preview to see how they will look when they are applied.
• In the Menu bar under the Home tab or Format tab, under Styles, you can select a style and then click on your desired style.
• You can also click on the Modify button in the Styles tab so that you can create your own style.
• By default, Word applies only one paragraph style (eg Heading 1) to the entire paragraph. If you have to apply a paragraph style to a part of a paragraph, then you can modify only the specific part that you want to change.

Conclusion

I hope that I have given you complete information about what is MS Word and I hope you people have understood about what is Microsoft Word and you must have learned a lot from it.

If you have any doubts in your mind regarding the introduction of MS Word or you want that there should be some improvement in it, then you can write comment for this.

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