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THE WORD INTERFACE

When you open Word 2013 for the first time, the Word Start Screen will appear. From here, you'll be able to create a new
document, choose a template, or access your recently edited documents.
• From the Word Start Screen, locate and select Blank document to access the Word interface.

Working with the Word environment

The Ribbon
Word 2013 uses a tabbed Ribbon system instead of traditional menus. The Ribbon contains multiple tabs, each with
several groups of commands. You will use these tabs to perform the most common tasks in Word.

• The Home tab gives you access to some of the most commonly used commands for working with Word 2013,
including copying and pasting, formatting, aligning paragraphs, and choosing document styles. The Home tab is selected
by default whenever you open Word.
• The Insert tab allows you to insert pictures, charts, tables, shapes, cover pages, and more to your document, which can
help you communicate information visually and add style to your document.

• The Design tab gives you access to a variety of design tools, including document formatting, effects, and page borders,
which can give your document a polished look.

• The Page Layout tab allows you to change the print formatting of your document, including margin width, page orientation,
and page breaks. These commands will be especially helpful when preparing to print a document.

• The References tab allows you add annotations to your document, such as footnotes and citations. From here, you can
also add a table of contents, captions, and a bibliography. These commands are especially helpful when composing
academic papers.

• You can use the mail merge feature in the Mailings tab to quickly compose letters, address envelopes, and create labels.
This is especially useful when you need to send a letter to several recipients.
 • You can use the Review tab to access Word's powerful editing features, including adding comments and
tracking changes. These features make it easy to share and collaborate on documents.

• The View tab allows you to switch between different views for your document and split the screen to view two parts of
your document at once. These commands will also be helpful when preparing to print a document.

• Contextual tabs will appear on the Ribbon when you're working with certain items, such as tables and pictures. These
tabs contain special command groups that can help you format these items as needed.

The Quick Access toolbar

Located just above the Ribbon, the Quick Access toolbar lets you access common commands no matter which tab is selected. By
default, it shows the Save, Undo, and Repeat commands. You can add other commands depending on your preference.
To add commands to the Quick Access toolbar:
1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access toolbar.
2. Select the command you want to add from the drop-down menu. To choose from more commands, select More
Commands.
 3. The command will be added to the Quick Access toolbar.

The Ruler
The Ruler is located at the top and to the left of your document. It makes it easier to adjust your document with precision. If you
want, you can hide the Ruler to create more screen space.

To show or hide the Ruler:

1. Click the View tab.
2. Click the checkbox next to Ruler to show or hide the ruler.

Backstage view
Backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening a file, printing, and sharing your document.
To access Backstage view:
1. Click the File tab on the Ribbon. Backstage view will appear.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Backstage view.
Document views
Word 2013 has a variety of viewing options that change how your document is displayed. You can choose to view your document
in Read Mode, Print Layout, or Web Layout. These views can be useful for various tasks, especially if you're planning to print the
document.
• To change document views, locate and select the desired document view command in the bottom-right corner of the Word
window.

TO CREATE A NEW BLANK DOCUMENT:

When beginning a new project in Word, you'll often want to start with a new blank document.
1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.

2. Select New, then click Blank document.

3. A new blank document will appear.

To open an existing document:
In addition to creating new documents, you'll often need to open a document that was previously saved. To learn more about
saving a document, visit our lesson on Saving and Sharing Documents.
1. Navigate to Backstage view, then click Open.

2. Select Computer, then click Browse. Alternatively, you can choose OneDrive (previously known as SkyDrive) to open files
stored on your OneDrive.

3. The Open dialog box appears. Locate and select your document, then click Open.

If you've opened the desired presentation recently, you can browse your Recent Documents rather than search for the file.
USING TEMPLATES
A template is a predesigned document you can use to create a new document quickly. Templates often include custom
formatting and designs, so they can save you a lot of time and effort when starting a new project.
To create a new document from a template:
1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

2. Select New. Several templates will appear below the Blank document option.
3. Select a template to review it.

4. A preview of the template will appear, along with additional information on how the template can be used.
5. Click Create to use the selected template.
 6. A new workbook will appear with the selected template.

WORD 2013 – TEXT BASICS

If you're new to Microsoft Word, you'll need to learn the basics of working with text so you can type, reorganize, and edit text.
Basic tasks include the ability to add, delete, and move text, as well as the ability to find and replace specific words or phrases.

Using the insertion point to add text

The insertion point is the blinking vertical line in your document. It indicates where you can enter text on the page. You can use
the insertion point in a variety of ways:

• Blank document: When a new blank document opens, the insertion point is located in the top-left
corner of the page. If you want, you can begin typing from this location.
 • Adding spaces: Press the spacebar to add spaces after a word or in between text.

• New paragraph line: Press Enter on your keyboard to move the insertion point to the next paragraph
line.

• Manual placement: After you've started typing, you can use the mouse to move the insertion point to a
specific place in your document. Simply click the location in the text where you want to place it.

In a new blank document, you can double-click the mouse to move the insertion point elsewhere on the page.
TO SELECT TEXT:
Before applying formatting to text, you'll first need to select it.
1. Place the insertion point next to the text you want to select.
2. Click the mouse, and while holding it down drag your mouse over the text to select it.
3. Release the mouse button. You have selected the text. A highlighted box will appear over the
selected text.

When you select text or images in Word, a hover toolbar with command shortcuts appears. If the toolbar does not appear at first,
try moving the mouse over the selection.

Other shortcuts include double-clicking a word to select it and triple-clicking to select a sentence or paragraph. You can also select
all of the text in the document by pressing Ctrl+A on your keyboard.

TO DELETE TEXT:
There are several ways to delete—or remove—text:

• To delete text to the left of the insertion point, press the Backspace key on your keyboard.
• To delete text to the right of the insertion point, press the Delete key on your keyboard.
• Select the text you want to remove, then press the Delete key.

If you select text and start typing, the selected text will automatically be deleted and replaced with the new text.
COPYING AND MOVING TEXT
Word allows you to copy text that is already in your document and paste it to other areas of the document, which can save you
time. If there is text you want to move from one area of the document to another, you can cut and paste or drag and drop the
text.

To copy and paste text:

Copying text creates a duplicate of the text.

1. Select the text you want to copy.

2. Click the Copy command on the Home tab. You can also right-click the selected text and select Copy.

3. Place the insertion point where you want the text to appear.

4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab.

 5. The text will appear.

To cut and paste text:

1. Select the text you want to cut.

2. Click the Cut command on the Home tab. You can also right-click the selected text and select Cut.

3. Place your insertion point where you want the text to appear.
 4. Click the Paste command on the Home tab. The text will appear.

You can access the cut, copy, and paste commands by using keyboard shortcuts. Press Ctrl+X to cut, Ctrl+C to copy,
and Ctrl+V to paste.
You can also cut, copy, and paste by right-clicking your document and choosing the desired action from the drop-down menu.
When you use this method to paste, you can choose from three options that determine how the text will be formatted: Keep
Source Formatting, Merge Formatting, and Keep Text Only. You can hover the mouse over each icon to see what it will look
like before you select it.

TO CHANGE THE FONT:

By default, the font of each new document is set to Calibri. However, Word provides many other fonts you can use to customize
text and titles.

1. Select the text you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow next to the Font box. A menu of font styles will appear.
 3. Move the mouse over the various font styles. A live preview of the font will appear in the document.
Select the font style you want to use.

4. The font will change in the document.

When creating a professional document or a document that contains multiple paragraphs, you'll want to select a font that's easy to
read. Along with Calibri, standard reading fonts include Cambria, Times New Roman, and Arial.

To change the font size:

1. Select the text you want to modify.
2. Select the desired font size formatting option:
o Font size drop-down arrow: On the Home tab, click the Font size drop-down
arrow. A menu of font sizes will appear. When you move the mouse over the
various font sizes, a live preview of the font size will appear in the document.

o Font size box: When the font size you need is not available in the Font size drop-
down arrow, you can click the Font size box and type the desired font size, then
press Enter.

o Grow and shrink font commands: Click the Grow Font or Shrink
Font commands to change the font size.

3. The font size will change in the document.

TO CHANGE THE FONT COLOR:
1. Select the text you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, click the Font Color drop-down arrow. The Font Color menu appears.
3. Move the mouse over the various font colors. A live preview of the color will appear in the document.

4. Select the font color you want to use. The font color will change in the document.

Your color choices aren't limited to the drop-down menu that appears. Select More Colors... at the bottom of the menu to access
the Colors dialog box. Choose the color you want, then click OK.

TO HIGHLIGHT TEXT:
Highlighting can be a useful tool for marking important text in your document.
 1. Select the text you want to highlight.

2. From the Home tab, click the Text Highlight Color drop-down arrow. The Highlight Color menu
appears.

3. Select the desired highlight color. The selected text will then be highlighted in the document.

To remove highlighting, select the highlighted text, then click the Text Highlight Color drop-down arrow. Select No Color from the
drop-down menu.

TO USE THE BOLD, ITALIC, AND UNDERLINE COMMANDS:

The Bold, Italic, and Underline commands can be used to help draw attention to important words or phrases.

1. Select the text you want to modify.

 2. On the Home tab, click the Bold (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) command in the Font group. In our
example, we'll click Bold.

3. The selected text will be modified in the document.

TO CHANGE TEXT ALIGNMENT:

By default, Word aligns text to the left margin in new documents. However, there may be times when you want to adjust text
alignment to the center or right.

1. Select the text you want to modify.

2. On the Home tab, select one of the four alignment options from the Paragraph group.

ABOUT LINE SPACING

Line spacing is the space between each line in a paragraph. Microsoft Word allows you to customize the line spacing to be single
spaced (one line high), double spaced (two lines high), or any other amount you want. The default spacing in Word 2013 is 1.08
lines, which is slightly larger than single spaced.
Line spacing is also known as leading (pronounced to rhyme with wedding).
To format line spacing:
1. Select the text you want to format.
2. On the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing command. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. Move the mouse over the various options. A live preview of the line spacing will appear in the document. Select the line
spacing you want to use.

UNDERSTANDING HYPERLINKS IN WORD

Hyperlinks have two basic parts: the address (URL) of the webpage and the display text. For example, the address could
be http://www.popsci.com, and the display text could be Popular Science Magazine. When you create a hyperlink in Word,
you'll be able to choose both the address and the display text.

Word often recognizes email and web addresses as you type and will automatically format them as hyperlinks after you
press Enter or the spacebar. In the images below, you can see a hyperlinked email address and a hyperlinked web address.

To follow a hyperlink in Word, hold the Ctrl key and click on the hyperlink.
To format text with a hyperlink:
1. Select the text you want to format as a hyperlink.

2. Select the Insert tab, then click the Hyperlink command.

3. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box will appear. Using the options on the left side, you can choose to link to
a file, webpage, email address, document, or a place in the current document.
4. The selected text will appear in the Text to display: field at the top. You can change this text if you want.
5. In the Address: field, type the address you want to link to, then click OK.

6. The text will then be formatted as a hyperlink.

To remove a hyperlink, right-click the hyperlink and select Remove Hyperlink from the menu that appears.
AUTOMATIC TABLE OF CONTENTS

Click where you want to insert the table of contents, at the beginning of a document. If you need to add a blank page at the
beginning, click on Insert tab, Blank Page. Have your cursor sitting at the place you want to table to be. On the References tab, in
the Table of Contents group, click Table of Contents, and then click on the table of Contents style that you want which will insert it.

A Table of Contents will now appear as shown below

PROTECTING YOUR DOCUMENT

By default, anyone with access to your document will be able to open, copy, and edit its content unless you protect it. There are
several ways to protect a document, depending on your needs.

To protect your document:

1. Click the File tab to go to Backstage view.

2. From the Info pane, click the Protect Document command.
3. In the drop-down menu, choose the option that best suits your needs. In our example, we'll select Mark as Final. Marking
your document as final is a good way to discourage others from editing the file, while other options give you even more
control if needed.
 4. A dialog box will appear prompting you to save. Click OK.

5. Another dialog box will appear. Click OK.

6. The document will be marked as final.

Marking a document as final will not prevent someone from editing it. If you want to prevent people from editing it, you can use
the Restrict Access option instead.