Using Microsoft Word's Menu bar

(Windows/PC version)
File menu

New - Opens a new document. If you use

the keyboard combination indicated on the
right a blank document opens immediately.
Selecting the New menu item with your
cursor gives the opportunity to open a large
number of types of documents.
Open - Opens a previously saved document.
Close - Closes the active document but does
not quit the application.
Save - Saves the active document with its
current file name, location and format.
Save As - Saves by opening a window
which gives the opportunity to change the
file name, location or format.
Page Setup - Sets margins, paper size,
orientation and other layout options.
Print Preview - Shows how the file will look
when you print it.
Print - Prints the active file, also gives the
opportunity to change print options
Exit - Closes Microsoft Word.

Edit menu

Undo ... - The actual entry of this item will

depend on what you did last. In my example I
had cut text, so that was displayed. This
selection can be repeated several times.
 Repeat ...- After an action has been undone, it
can be reinstated in the document.
Cut - Removes the selection from the active
document and places it on the clipboard.
Copy - Copies the selection to the clipboard
Paste - Inserts the contents of the clipboard at
the insertion point (cursor) or whatever is
selected.
Clear - Deletes the selected object or text, but
does not place it on the clipboard.
Select All - Selects all text and graphics in the
active window.
Find - Searches for specified text in the active
document
Replace - Searches for and replaces specified
text and formatting.

View menu

Normal - The default document view for most

word processing tasks.
Page Layout - An editing view that displays
your document as it will look when printed.
This view takes more system memory and
scrolling may be slow.
Toolbars - Displays or hides toolbars. The
right pointing arrow indicates a list of toolbars.
To add one slide down to the name of the
toolbar and click to select.
Ruler - Displays or hides horizontal and
vertical rulers at the top and left side of the
document.
Header and Footer - Adds or changes the text
that is displayed at the top or bottom of every
page of the document
Full Screen - Hides most screen elements so
you can see more of your document
Zoom - Controls how large, or small, the
current document appears on the screen.

Insert menu
 Page Break - Use this command to send your cursor
to the top of the next page even though the text does not
extend to the bottom of the previous page
Date and Time - Choose from seventeen formats
for displaying date, time, or date and time.
Auto Text - Insert any of several pre-set text lines, or
create your own.
Symbol - Insert a symbol from each of your symbol
fonts, or any standard font which includes symbols.
There are more than you might think!
Footnote - Place a footnote at the bottom of the page
or the end of the document.
Picture - Insert pictures from clip art or a file. You
can also insert auto shapes, word art, or a chart.
Text Box (Frame) - Use this to place captions near
tables or drawings, or to set off text at the beginning of
a page. Click and draw the box after making this
selection.
File - Insert a saved document into the active document
at the cursor.
Object - Insert an object such as clip art, word art, an
equation or much more.
Hyperlink - An interesting use of hyperlinks is to
place a link to any document stored on your computer.
You can later open that document by clicking on the
link. Neat?

Format menu

Font - Change font style, size, color

and a large number of other features.
You can also change the spacing
between letters here.
Paragraph - Indent a paragraph
using either margin or place some
chosen amount of space before or after
the paragraph.
Bullets and Numbering - As
promised in the Insert menu, if you
wish to change the bullet, it can be
done here. Your bullets can be literally
any symbol you wish them to be
Border - Create borders around
blocks of text, or around the entire
document. On the Page Border tab,
under the Art pull down menu you can
find a huge selection of graphic
 borders; hearts, stars, planets and much
more.
Drop Cap - Make the first letter of
a paragraph or chapter large enough to
span several lines.
Style - If you prefer not to use the
Formatting toolbar, document style can
be changed here.
Background - Another task which
can be handled in the Formatting
toolbar, you can choose the color to
highlight selected text in your
document.
Change Case - DO YOU EVER
FORGET THE CAPS LOCK? If so,
some to this sub-menu and change the
case of the highlighted text. This is a
cool feature!
Bold, Italic, Underline - Format
selected text; Bold, Italic, or
Underlined.
Object - Make changes to any
selected object; image, word art, auto
shape or any other object inserted into
the document.

Tools menu

Spelling and Grammar - Choose

either sub-menu and the same window
opens. Questioned spelling is in red,
grammar in green.
Language/Thesaurus - Have you
used the word "like" too many times?
Highlight the word, select Thesaurus and
get suggestions like similar and analogous.
Word Count - Need to know how many
words are in your document? Select Word
Count and find out how many pages,
words, characters, paragraphs, and lines.
Auto Summarize - Exactly what it
sounds like, Word summarizes the
document, reducing the length of the
document, keeping the meaning.
Auto Correct - Word will automatically
correct some things. If this feature is
irritating to you, come here to change what
is corrected.
 Customize- Opens the same window
that you get by going to the View menu and
selecting Toolbar/Customize.

Options - Modify Word settings here.

Modify print, editing, spelling and other
options from this sub-menu.

Window menu

New Window - This opens another window with a copy of

the active document.
Arrange All - Displays all open files in the window. This
makes dragging and dropping from one document to another
much easier.
Split - Splits the active window into panes.
Open Document List - There is no need to drag windows
to the side so you can see other documents open in Word.
Come to the bottom of this window for a listing of all open
documents. The active document has a check mark beside it.

Help menu

Microsoft Word Help - Open Word's

Assistant and get a search box to type in. Word
displays possible matches for you to read about.
Contents and Index - See an index of all
topics available in Word's Help documentation.
Microsoft on the Web - That's right! It is
exactly what it sounds like. Select a link and a
Microsoft help page is opened in your browser. If
you are not online, Word will make the connection
and then display the page.
 About Microsoft Word - Not sure which
version of Word you working with. Check here for
version information and for the produce ID
number.

Commonly used keyboard combinations

To use one of these combinations Hold the Ctrl or Alt key down and strike the letter key
Ctrl+N Ctrl+X Cut- Removes the
selection from the
Open a new word document quickly. active document and
places it on the
clipboard.
Ctrl+O Ctrl+C Copies the selection
Opens a previously saved document.
to the clipboard
Ctrl+W Ctrl+V Paste - Inserts the
contents of the
Closes the active window, but does not Exit clipboard at the
Word. insertion point
(cursor) or whatever
is selected.
Ctrl+S Ctrl+A Selects all text and
Saves the active document with its current
graphics in the
file name, location and format.
active window.
Ctrl+P Ctrl+F Find - Searches for
Prints the active file, also gives the
specified text in the
opportunity to change print options
active document
Alt+F4 Ctrl+B Bold - Formats
selected text; make
Exit - Closes Microsoft Word.
text bold, or remove
bold formatting
Ctrl+Z Ctrl+I Italic - Formats
Undo the last action. This selection can be selected text; make
repeated several times. text italic or remove
italic
Ctrl+Y Ctrl+U Underline - Formats
Redo - After an action has been undone, it selected text; make
can be reinstated in the document. text underlined or
remove underline
Less commonly used keyboard combinations
Apply superscript
Increase selected text two points
formatting
Apply subscript
Decrease selected text two points
formatting
Increase selected text one point Copy formats
Decrease selected text one point Paste formats
Single space
Change case of the letters
lines
 Set 1.5 line
Underline words but not spaces
spacing
Double space
Double underline text
lines
Delete one word
Center a paragraph
to the left
Delete one word
Justify a paragraph
to the right
Right align a
Left align a paragraph
paragraph
Insert a line
Indent a paragraph from the left
break
Reduce a
Create a hanging indent
hanging indent
If text is already selected and you want to extend the selection area
Extend selection
Extend selection one character to
one character to
the left
the right
Extend selection
Extend selection to the end of a
to the beginning
word
of a word
If you want to move the cursor
One character to
One character to the right
the left
One word to the
One word to the right
left
To the beginning
To the end of a document
of a document