Teach Yourself VISUALLY Word 2019

Chapter 1

Getting Started with Word

In this chapter, you meet the Word working environment, including the Word Start screen and Backstage view, and you learn the essentials of navigating the interface with the keyboard and mouse and entering text using the keyboard. You also learn about using Word on tablets, phones, OneDrive, and Teams.

Open Word and Use the Start Screen

Understanding Office and the Cloud

Explore the Word Window

Sign In to Your Account

Work with Backstage View

Change the Color Scheme and Background

Locate Commands on the Ribbon

Give Commands Using the Keyboard and Mouse

Using Word on Tablets and Phones

Using Word in OneDrive and Microsoft Teams

Work with the Mini Toolbar and Context Menus

Enter Text in a Document

Move the Insertion Point Around a Document

Switch Document Views

Understanding Document Views

Work with the Navigation Pane

Using Focus Mode

Using Immersive Reader

Open Word and Use the Start Screen

Microsoft Word is the world's most widely used word processing app. As of this writing, the current version of Word is Word 2019, which runs on Windows 10 and on macOS. This book focuses on Word 2019 for Windows. Microsoft also provides versions of Word for Apple iOS devices, which are the iPhone and iPod touch; for iPadOS, the iPad's operating system; and for Android, Google's operating system for smartphones and tablets.

To use Word, you first launch it. This section shows you how to pin Word to the Start menu or to the taskbar, and how to launch it from those locations.

Open Word and Use the Start Screen

Pin Word to the Start Menu or to the Taskbar

Click Start ().

The Start menu opens.

Locate the Word icon () and entry. For example, scroll down.

Note: You can click Word () to launch Word.

Right-click Word ().

The context menu opens.

To pin Word to the taskbar, click or highlight More, and then click Pin to taskbar.

Click Pin to Start.

Windows pins Word to the Start menu.

Launch Word from the Start Menu

Click Start ().

The Start menu opens.

Click Word ().

Word opens.

Note: You can get Word either by buying an Office 2019 perpetual license or by paying for a Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft is gradually moving to the subscription model, and this is generally a better choice because the software receives ongoing updates as long as you subscribe, whereas the perpetual license receives only bug fixes and some updates.

Launch Word from the Taskbar

Click Word () on the taskbar.

Word opens.

Meet the Home Screen and Close Word

When Word opens, it displays the Home screen.

If you have signed in to Microsoft 365, your ID appears here.

The New area presents templates you can click to start a new document.

You can click Search and type a search term to search for a document or template.

The Recent list shows recent documents. You can click a document to open it.

You can click New to create other types of new documents.

You can click Open to open other existing documents.

Click Close ().

TIP

What do the Pinned tab and the Shared with Me tab contain?

The Pinned tab contains a list of documents you have "pinned" to keep them available. This gives you an easy way to open documents you use often.

The Shared with Me tab contains a list of documents that others have shared with you via Microsoft's OneDrive online service or through other means.

Understanding Office and the Cloud

Word and the other Microsoft Office apps, such as the Excel spreadsheet app and the PowerPoint presentation app, offer full integration with Microsoft's OneDrive online service, SharePoint servers, and Teams collaboration app. This integration enables you to work no matter where you are and which type of device you have available. For example, you can sign in to OneDrive on your laptop or iPad and get to work in Word; or you can sign in to Teams and open a Word document for editing directly in the app.

Sign In to the Cloud

Signing in to Office.com or your Microsoft 365 subscription connects your Office programs to the world beyond your computer. Office Online offers free access to the online, limited-edition versions of Word and other Office programs that you can use on any computer. Purchasing a Microsoft 365 subscription gives you access to full versions of the Office desktop programs and the online versions of the products. Signing in gives you access to online pictures and clip art stored at Office.com and enables Word to synchronize files between your computer, OneDrive, and SharePoint.

OneDrive Storage Space

Subscriptions to Microsoft 365 include space on Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. The amount varies depending on the plan; for example, the Microsoft 365 Personal plan gives one person 1 terabyte-1 TB, 1000 GB-of storage space, and the Microsoft 365 Family plan gives up to six family members 1 TB each. Word and the other apps save all documents by default to OneDrive so that you can access your documents from anywhere.

Using Office Online Apps

You can open and edit Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint documents from OneDrive using Office online apps, which are scaled-down editions of Office programs that you can use to easily review documents and make minor changes.

Take Your Personal Settings with You Everywhere

Word keeps track of personal settings like your recently used files and favorite templates and makes them available from any computer. When you open a document, Word gives you an easy way to return to the last location you were editing. This makes it easy for you to get back to work when you move from one computer or device to another.

Your Documents Are Always Up to Date

Word saves your documents by default in the OneDrive folder on your computer, from which you can access them quickly. Windows then synchronizes this folder with OneDrive in the background.

Share Your Documents from Anywhere

You can share your documents both from within Word and from OneDrive. If the document is stored on OneDrive, you can send the recipient a link so that they can work with the original document. If the document is stored on your PC, you can send the document itself; you can also send the document from OneDrive to give the recipient a separate copy to work with.

Take Advantage of the Office Store

The Office Store contains add-in applications that work with Word and the other Office apps. For example, the dictionary you use to look up words in Word does not automatically install when you install the program. But when you need an add-on for Word, you can download it from the Office Store.

Explore the Word Window

Like most of the other Office apps, Word's interface uses the Ribbon, a control strip across the top of the window, and a Quick Access Toolbar that appears either in the window's title bar or below the Ribbon. The Ribbon contains most commands available in Word, and the Quick Access Toolbar contains frequently used commands.

Quick Access Toolbar

A Contains buttons that perform common actions.

Ribbon

Contains buttons organized in tabs, groups, and commands.

Dialog Box Launcher

Appears in the lower-right corner of many groups on the Ribbon. Clicking this button () opens a dialog box or task pane that provides more options.

Document Area

The area where you type and edit content. The insertion point, a blinking vertical bar, shows where text will appear when you type.

Status Bar

Displays document information and the location of the insertion point.

View Shortcuts

Contains buttons to switch among Word's different views of a document.

Zoom Controls

Changes the magnification of a document.

Microsoft 365 Indicator

If your name appears, you are signed in to your Microsoft 365 subscription. You can click to display a menu that enables you to manage your Microsoft account settings. If you are not signed in, this area shows a Sign In link.

App Window Controls

Title Bar

These buttons enable you to control the appearance of the app window. You can minimize the Ribbon, and you can minimize, maximize, restore, or close the app window.

Shows the document and app...