Word Basics

 

Create a Word Document

  1. Double click on the Word icon or click on Start – All Programs – Microsoft Word.
  2. A blank document automatically appears.
  3. Type in text and a document has been created. It can be printed, but is hasn’t been saved yet.

 

Save a Word Document

Once a document has been created, it can be saved. (It is important to save often to avoid possible lost documents due to power outages or other possible mishaps.)

  1. With the file open, click on the File menu.
  2. Click on Save from the File menu.
  3. A window will open to ask where the file should be saved and what it should be called.
  4. Choose the correct place to save the document and type in a name for the document.
  5. Click on the Save button.

 

Change a Font

  1. To change a font on existing text, highlight the text.
  2. Choose Font from the Format menu.
  3. Scroll through the list of fonts and click on one of them. Then click the OK button.
  4. The font is now changed on the selected text.. Deselect the text or change it to another font.

 

Change the Font Size

  1. To change the size of a font on existing text, highlight the text.
  2. Choose Font from the Format menu.
  3. Scroll through the list of font sizes and click on one of them. Then click the OK button.
  4. The font size is now changed for the selected text. Deselect the text or change it to another font size.


Use Bold Text

  1. To change existing text to be bold, highlight the text.
  2. Choose Font from the Format menu.
  3. Click on Bold in the list of Font Styles. Then click the OK button.
  4. The selected text is now bold. Deselect the text or change it to another font style.

 

Use Italics

  1. To change existing text to be italics, highlight the text.
  2. Choose Font from the Format menu.
  3. Click on Italic in the list of Font Styles. Then click the OK button.
  4. The selected text is now in italics. Deselect the text or change it to another font style.

 

Center Text

  1. To change existing text to be centered, highlight or click on the text.
  2. Choose Paragraph from the Format menu.
  3. Choose Centered from the Alignment dropdown list. Then click the OK button.
  4. The alignment of the selected text is now centered. Deselect the text or change it to another alignment.

 

Use the Spell Checker

  1. To check spelling for a Word document, look for the words that are underlined with red squiggles.
    1. Note: Words with green squiggles are grammar issues and can be fixed the same way spelling issues are handled.
  2. Right click on the word with the red squiggle. A small pop up menu should appear on the screen.
  3. Word will try to guess which word is the correct word. These choices will be listed at the top of the pop up menu. Choose the correct word and the misspelled word will automatically change.
  4. It is also possible to run the spell check program by choosing Spelling and Grammar from the Tools menu.

 

Enhancing the Spell Checker

To enhance the spell checking capabilities of Word, make this modification in the options menu.

  1. Click on the Tools menu.
  2. Click on Options…
  3. Click on the Spelling & Grammar tab.
  4. Look for the Writing style: drop down menu in the bottom half of the pop up window. Choose Grammar & Style from the drop down menu.
  5. Click on the OK button. Now misused words that are spelled correctly will be caught. (Example: using eye, instead of I or using the wrong version of to, too, or two)