Chapter 1

Office Nuts and Bolts

IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing the Office applications

Exploring the Office interface

Opening, saving, and closing an Office file

Clamping a password on a file

Chapter 1 is where you get your feet wet with Office 2021. Walk right to the shore and sink your toes in the water. Don't worry; I won't push you from behind.

In this chapter, you meet the Office applications and discover speed techniques for opening files. I show you around the Ribbon, Quick Access toolbar, and other Office landmarks. I also show you how to open files, save files, and clamp a password on a file.

Introducing Office 2021

Office 2021, sometimes called the Microsoft Office Suite, is a collection of computer applications. Why is it called Office? I think because the people who invented it wanted to make software for completing tasks that need doing in a typical office. When you hear someone talk about "Office" or "Office software," they're talking about several different applications.

Office 2021 applications

Table 1-1 describes the Office 2021 applications.

TABLE 1-1 Office 2021 Applications

Application

Description

Word

A word processor for writing letters, reports, and so on. A Word file is called a document (see Book 2).

Excel

A number cruncher for performing numerical analyses. An Excel file is called a workbook (see Book 3).

PowerPoint

A means of creating slide presentations to give in front of audiences. A PowerPoint file is called a presentation, or sometimes a slide show (see Book 4).

Outlook

A personal information manager, scheduler, and emailer (see Book 5).

Access

A database management application (see Book 6).

Publisher

A means of creating desktop-publishing files - pamphlets, notices, newsletters, and the like (see Book 7).

Windows 10 or Windows 11 must be installed on your computer to run Office 2021 applications. The applications don't run on computers running earlier versions of the Windows operating system.

If you're new to Office, don't be daunted by the prospect of having to study so many different applications. The applications have much in common, with the same commands showing up throughout. For example, the method of choosing fonts is the same in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and Publisher. Master one Office program and you're well on your way to mastering the next.

Other goodies

Besides the applications described in Table 1-1, users of Office 2021 get these goodies:

• Automatic updates to the Office software on your computer. Microsoft updates the Office software automatically.
• Storing and sharing files with OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud service. As well as keep files on your computer, you can keep them on the Internet so that you can open them wherever your travels take you. You can invite others to work on files you store on OneDrive. (Book 9 explains how to store and share files with OneDrive.)

Finding out what software and Office version you have

Follow these steps to find out which version of Office you have (in case you don't know) and which Office applications are installed on your computer:

1. Open any Office 2021 application.

2. Click the File tab.

   This tab is located in the upper-left corner of the screen. The Backstage window opens after you click the File tab.

   Here's a fast way to open the Backstage window: Click your name in the upper-right corner of any Office application window and choose the Office User Info link on the drop-down menu.

3. Select the Account category.

   As shown in Figure 1-1, the Account window opens. Under "This Product Contains" is an icon for each Office application that is installed on your computer.

4. Return to the Office 2021 application and click the Back button in the Account window.

   The Back button, a left-pointing arrow, is located in the upper-left corner of the Account window.

FIGURE 1-1: The Account window tells you which Office applications are installed.

UPDATING OFFICE 2021

From time to time, Microsoft updates Office 2021 software. The updates are performed automatically. Follow these steps to find out when your version of Office 2021 was last updated and update your software, if necessary:

1. In any Office application, click the File tab.
2. In the Backstage window, click Account to open the Account window (refer to Figure 1-1).

3. Click the Update Options button and choose an option on the drop-down menu.

   The options are the following:

   • Update Now: Checks whether an update is needed and updates the software, if need be.
   • View Updates: Opens a web page where you see when the software was last updated.

Finding Your Way Around the Office Interface

Interface, also called the user interface, is a computer term that describes how a software program presents itself to the people who use it (and you probably thought interface meant two people kissing). Figure 1-2 shows the Word interface. You will be glad to know that the interface of all the Office programs is pretty much the same.

These pages give you a quick tour of the Office interface and explain what the various parts of the interface are. Click along with me as I describe the interface and you'll know what's what by the time you finish reading these pages.

The File tab and Backstage

In the upper-left corner of the window is the File tab (see Figure 1-2). Clicking the File tab opens the Backstage (Microsoft's word, not mine). As shown in Figure 1-3, the Backstage offers commands for creating, saving, printing, and sharing files, as well as performing other file-management tasks. Notice the Options command on the Backstage. You can choose Options to open the Options dialog box and tell the application you are working in how you want it to work.

FIGURE 1-2: The File tab, Quick Access toolbar, and Ribbon.

FIGURE 1-3: Go to the Backstage to manage, print, and export files.

To leave the Backstage and return to the application window, click the Back button. This button, an arrow, is located in the upper-left corner of the Backstage.

The Quick Access toolbar

No matter where you travel in an Office program, you see the Quick Access toolbar in the upper-left corner of the screen (refer to Figure 1-2). This toolbar offers the AutoSave button and the all-important Save button. You can place more buttons on the Quick Access toolbar as well as move the toolbar lower in the window. I explain how to customize the Quick Access toolbar in Book 9, Chapter 1.

The Ribbon and its tabs

Across the top of the screen is the Ribbon, an assortment of different tabs (see Figure 1-2); click a tab to view a different set of commands and undertake a task. For example, click the Home tab to format text; click the Insert tab to insert a table or chart. Each tab offers a different set of buttons, menus, and galleries.

COLLAPSING AND SHOWING THE RIBBON

To get more room to view items onscreen, consider collapsing the Ribbon. When the Ribbon is collapsed, only tab names on the Ribbon appear; the buttons and galleries are hidden from view.

Use these techniques to collapse the Ribbon:

• Click the Collapse the Ribbon button (the little upward-pointing arrow located to the right of the Ribbon).
• Press Ctrl+F1.
• Right-click a tab on the Ribbon and select Collapse the Ribbon on the shortcut menu.
• Click the Ribbon Display options button and choose Show Tabs.

Use these techniques to show the Ribbon when it is collapsed:

• Click a tab to display the Ribbon and then click the Pin the Ribbon button.
• Press Ctrl+F1.
• Right-click a tab and deselect Collapse the Ribbon.
• Click the Ribbon Display options button and choose Show Tabs and Commands.

Office provides the Ribbon Display Options button so that you can hide the Ribbon altogether. This button is located in the upper-right corner of the screen. Click it and choose Auto-Hide Ribbon on the drop-down list to hide the ribbon. To see the Ribbon again, click the top of the application. When you want to unhide the Ribbon, click the Ribbon Display Options button and choose Show Tabs and Commands.

Context-sensitive tabs

To keep the Ribbon from getting too crowded with tabs,...