Starting a Word program

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. You need to type a job application letter right now. Where do you begin? Today we will learn the different ways to start Microsoft Word and open a new document.

First, what is Microsoft Word? It is a word processor, which means a program used to type, edit, format and print text. Offices use it for letters, reports, notices and forms. Word comes as part of Microsoft Office or a Microsoft 365 subscription. Free options with similar features include LibreOffice Writer and Word on the web.

The most common way is the Start menu. First, switch on the computer and wait for the desktop. Click the Start button, the Windows logo at the bottom of the screen. Click All apps to see every installed program. Scroll down to W and click Word. Word now opens and shows its start screen.

A faster way is to search. Click the search box on the taskbar, or simply press the Windows key on the keyboard. Type the word, word. When Word appears at the top of the results, click it, or just press Enter.

If a shortcut exists, starting Word is even quicker. On the desktop, double click the Word icon to open it. On the taskbar, one single click on the pinned Word icon is enough. To pin Word yourself, right click Word in the Start menu and choose Pin to taskbar.

Data entry operators often use the Run dialog box. Press the Windows key and the letter R together. In the Open box, type winword, which is the program file name of Word. Click OK, or press Enter, and Word starts.

You can also start Word by opening a file. In File Explorer, double click any Word file, such as letter dot doc x. Word starts and opens that document straight away. Word 2007 and newer versions save files with the dot doc x extension, while older versions used dot doc.

Your computer lab may have an older version, so notice the small differences. In Word 2007 and 2010, click Start, then All Programs, then Microsoft Office, then Microsoft Office Word. From Word 2013 onwards, Word is listed directly in the Start menu. Very old Word 2003 also used All Programs, but saved files as dot doc.

When Word starts, you usually see the start screen first. Click Blank document to get a fresh empty page. Templates are ready made designs, like a resume or a letter, which you only fill in. The Recent list shows files you opened lately. Open lets you browse for any other saved file.

After you click Blank document, the Word window opens. The title bar at the top shows the file name, which is Document 1 at first. The ribbon below it has tabs like Home and Insert, full of commands. The ruler shows margins and tab stops. The large white document area is where you type. The status bar at the bottom shows the page number and word count.

Pause and predict. Aman presses the Windows key with R, to open the Run box. He types word, and presses Enter. Will Word open? Usually not, and Windows says it cannot find it. The Run box needs the program name winword, not word.

Before you finish, save your work. Press Ctrl+S, type a file name, and click Save. To close only the document, press Ctrl+W. To exit Word completely, click the cross at the top right corner, or press Alt+F4.

Let us revise what we learned today. From the Start menu, click Start, All apps, then Word. With search, press the Windows key, type word and press Enter. Double click the desktop shortcut, or click the pinned taskbar icon. In the Run box, press Windows key and R, and type winword. On the start screen, choose Blank document to begin typing. Practise all these methods on your computer today.