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How to Use Microsoft Word (10 Core Skills for Beginners)

By Erin Wright

Do you want to learn how to use Microsoft Word quickly? This tutorial teaches ten core skills for beginners.

Table of Contents

  1. How to Start a New Document
  2. How to Change the Font, Size, and Color
  3. How to Change the Alignment, Line Spacing, and Indentations
  4. How to Add Headings
  5. How to Change the Margins
  6. How to Add Images
  7. How to Add Page Numbers
  8. How to Add Headers and Footers
  9. How to Run the Editor (Spelling and Grammar Check)
  10. How to Save and Print Your File

Please note that this is a quick start guide. I have in-depth tutorials for most of these topics for those who would like to learn more.

Watch all the steps shown here in real time!

Explore more than 200 writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps are similar in Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016.

We will cover these ten core skills in Word for Mac in a separate tutorial.

How to Start a New Document

  1. Open Word on your computer.

When Word opens, you will be in the Home screen of the Backstage view.

  1. Select Blank document to start a new document. (Alternatively, select Open if you want to open an existing Word document.)
Blank document and Open buttons in the Home tab of the Backstage view in Word 365
Figure 1. Blank document and Open buttons

When the new document opens, you will be in the Home tab and your cursor will automatically be placed towards the top, left-hand corner of the page, ready to type.

Home tab and cursor in Word 365
Figure 2. Home tab and cursor

How to Change the Font, Size, and Color

You can change the font, size, and color before or after you type text. However, if you want to change existing text, first left-click, hold, and drag with your mouse to select the text.

Pro Tip: To select the entire document, press Ctrl + A on your keyboard.
Selected text in Word 365
Figure 3. Selected text
  1. Select the Home tab if you are not already there (see figure 2).
  2. Select the menu arrow to open and choose from the (A) Font, (B) Font Size, or (C) Font Color menus in the Font group in the ribbon.
Font, Font size, and Font color menu arrows in Word 365
Figure 4. Font, Font size, and Font color menus

If you selected existing text, that text will change immediately. If you haven’t selected existing text, all new text will feature the choices you just made.

Further Reading: How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in Microsoft Word

How to Change the Alignment, Line Spacing, and Indentations

Like the font choices shown above, you can change the alignment, line spacing, and indentations before or after you type text. However, if you want to change existing text, first left-click, hold, and drag with your mouse to select the text.

  1. Select the Home tab, if you are not already there (see figure 2).
  2. Select the Align Left, Center, Align Right, or Justify button to position the text on the page.
Pro Tip: Justify spaces the text equally across the page. Use this option with care because it can make the text difficult to read in some situations.
Alignment buttons in the Home tab in Word 365
Figure 5. Align Left, Center, Align Right, and Justify buttons
  1. Select the Line and Paragraph Spacing menu arrow and then choose a spacing option from the drop-down menu.
Line and Paragraph Spacing menu in the Home tab in Word 365
Figure 6. Line and Paragraph Spacing menu
  1. Select the Decrease Indent or Increase Indent buttons to adjust the indent as necessary.
Decrease Indent and Increase Indent buttons in the Home tab in Word 365
Figure 7. Decrease Indent and Increase Indent buttons
Pro Tip: The Decrease Indent and Increase Indent buttons change the indentation for the entire paragraph. If you want to indent the first line only, place your cursor at the beginning of the paragraph and press the Tab key on your keyboard.

Further Reading: How to Adjust Line Spacing in Microsoft Word and Three Ways to Indent Paragraphs in Microsoft Word

How to Add Headings

You can turn existing text into a heading or choose a heading level before typing the heading text.

  1. Select the Home tab if you are not already there (see figure 2).
  2. Select a heading level from the Styles group.
Heading level 1 in the Styles group in Word 365
Figure 8. Heading level 1 in the the Styles group
  1. If the heading level you want isn’t visible, select the More button.
More button in the Styles group in Word 365
Figure 9. More button
  1. Select a heading level from the menu that appears over the Styles group.
Styles menu in Word 365
Figure 10. Styles menu
Pro Tip: Word includes nine heading levels, although only a few will appear in your Styles group when you open a new document. Additional heading levels will appear after you use higher-level headings. For example, Heading 3 will appear after you use Heading 2.

Further Reading: How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word

How to Change the Margins

You can change the page margins for your entire Word document at once.

  1. Select the Layout tab in the ribbon.
Layout tab in Word 365
Figure 11. Layout tab
  1. Select the Margins button and then select an option from the drop-down menu.
Margins menu in Word 365
Figure 12. Margins menu

Further Reading: How to Adjust the Page Margins in Microsoft Word

How to Add Images

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the image.
  2. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon, select the Pictures button, and then select the location of the image:
    • This Device lets you choose an image stored on your computer or network server.
    • Stock Images lets you choose stock images, icons, cutout people, stickers, and illustrations. The full stock image library is only available to users signed into Word for Microsoft 365.
    • Online Pictures lets you search for images through Bing, Microsoft’s search engine.
Pictures menu in the Insert tab in Word 365
Figure 13. Pictures menu

For this tutorial, we will insert an image stored on the device.

  1. (For “This Device” option only) Locate and select the image in the Insert Picture dialog box and then select the Insert button.
Insert button in the Insert Picture dialog box in Word 365
Figure 14. Insert button

Your image should now appear in your Word document.

  1. (Optional) Select one of the resizing handles and then drag the image to a new size.
Image resizing handles in Word 365
Figure 15. Image resizing handles
  1. (Optional) Select the Layout Options button and then choose how the image is positioned with the surrounding text:

A. In Line with Text

B. Square

C. Tight

D. Through

E. Top and Bottom

F. Behind Text

G. In Front of Text

The effect of each option will depend on the size of your image and the density of your text. So, you may need to experiment with several options to find the one most suited to your content.

Page Number menus in Word 365
Figure 16. Page Number menus

Further Reading: How to Insert and Modify Images in Microsoft Word

How to Add Page Numbers

  1. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 13).
  2. Select the Page Number button and then select a location from the drop-down menu, followed by a design from the submenu.
Page Number menus in Word 365
Figure 17. Page Number menus
  1. Select the Close button to close the Header and Footer tab. (This tab only appears when the Header and Footers areas are active.)
Close button in the Header and Footer tab in Word 365
Figure 18. Close button

Further Reading: How to Add Page Numbers in Microsoft Word

How to Add Headers and Footers

  1. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon (see figure 13).
  2. Select the Header or Footer button and then select a design from the drop-down menu.
Header menu in Word 365
Figure 19. Header menu
  1. Type your text into the placeholders.
Header placeholder text in Word 365
Figure 20. Placeholder text
  1. Select the Close button to close the Header and Footer tab (see figure 18).

Further Reading: How to Insert Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word

How to Run the Editor (Spelling and Grammar Check)

In Word for Microsoft 365, the spelling and grammar check is called the Editor. Your spelling and grammar options will depend on which version of Word you are using. Therefore, your interface may look different than the images shown below.

  1. Select the Review tab in the ribbon and then select the Editor button. (Older versions of Word will have a Check Document button, instead.)
Editor button in the Review tab in Word 365
Figure 21. Editor button
  1. Select the corrections or refinements category you want to review in the Editor pane.
Corrections and Refinements categories in the Editor pane in Word 365
Figure 22. Corrections and Refinements categories
  1. If Word finds a possible error, select a recommendation or select Ignore Once or Ignore All.
Editor recommendations in Word 365
Figure 23. Recommendations, Ignore once option, and Ignore All option

Word will automatically move to the next issue within the category.

  1. Select a new category or select the closing X to close the Editor.
Closing X in the Editor pane in Word 365
Figure 24. Closing X

What Is the Difference between the Editor Button and the Spelling and Grammar Button?

You may notice a Spelling and Grammar button next to the Editor button in the Review tab. This button provides a quick way to check only spelling or spelling and grammar without checking the additional refinements reviewed by the Editor.

Spelling and Grammar button in the Review tab in Word 365
Figure 25. Spelling and Grammar button

Further Reading: How to Use the Editor in Word for Microsoft 365

How to Save and Print Your File

I recommend saving your file before printing just in case there is a disruption during the printing process.

  1. Select the File tab in the ribbon.
File tab in Word 365
Figure 26. File tab
  1. Select the Save tab in the Backstage view.
Save tab in the Backstage view in Word 365
Figure 27. Save tab
  1. Select the location where you want to save the File.
Save locations in the Backstage view in Word 365
Figure 28. Save locations
Pro Tip: Browse is a good option because it opens the Save As dialog box, which is similar to the File Explorer window, as shown in figure 29, below.
  1. Type a name in the File Name text box and then select the Save button.
Save As dialog box in Word 365
Figure 29. Save As dialog box
  1. Once you have saved your document to a specific location, you can then select the Save icon if you make changes to the document later.
Save button in Word 365
Figure 30. Save button
  1. To print, reselect the File tab (see figure 26) and then select the Print tab in the Backstage view.
Print tab in the Backstage view in Word 365
Figure 31. Print tab
  1. Ensure the correct printer is selected and turned on, enter the number of copies into the text box, and then select the Print button.
Print screen in the Backstage view in Word 365
Figure 32. Print options

From there, follow any additional dialog boxes provided by your printer.

Filed Under: Microsoft Word Tagged With: headings, Microsoft 365, Word 2016, Word 2019, Word 2021, Word 365

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