MS Word - Getting Started

Screen Layout

Menus

When you begin to explore Word 2013 you will notice a new look. There are four features that you should remember as you work within Word 2013:

1. File menu tab

2. Ribbon

3. Quick Access Toolbar

4. View Choices

These features contain many of the functions that were in the menu of the previous versions of Word. The functions of these features will be more fully explored below.

The File Menu Tab

The File menu tab allows you to create a new document, open an existing document, save or save as, print, send (through email of fax), publish or close.

The Ribbon

The Ribbon is the panel across the top, above the document. It contains seven tabs: Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review, and View that contain many new and existing features of Word.

Each tab is divided into groups. The groups are logical collections of features designed to perform functions that you may find useful in developing or editing your Word document. The most commonly used features are displayed on the Ribbon. To view additional features of a group, click the small arrow located at the bottom right of that group.

Each of the tabs contains the following tools:

Home: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles, and Editing.
Insert: Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header & Footer, Text, and Symbols
Page Layout: Themes, Page Setup, Page Background, Paragraph, and Arrange
References: Table of Contents, Footnote, Citation & Bibliography, Captions, Index, and Table of Authorities
Mailings: Create, Start Mail Merge, Write & Insert Fields, Preview Results, and Finish
Review: Proofing, Comments, Tracking, Changes, Compare, and Protect
View: Document Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, Window, and Macros

The Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable toolbar that contains commands that you may want to use. You can place the Quick Access Toolbar above or below the ribbon. To change the location of the Quick Access Toolbar, click on the down arrow at the end of the toolbar and select “Show Below the Ribbon.”

You can also add items to the Quick Access Toolbar. Right click on any item in the File menu tab or the Ribbon and select the “Add to Quick Access Toolbar” option. A shortcut will be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.