MS Word

Word processing

A word processor is application software for creating, editing, formatting, saving and printing text documents — letters, reports, specifications, tender documents, notices. Microsoft Word is part of Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365; alternatives include Google Docs and LibreOffice Writer.

Interface

Main ribbon tabs and key commands

Working with documents

• New document from blank or a template (pre-designed layouts such as letters, resumes, reports).
• Save (Ctrl + S) and Save As (F12) — choose location, name and format.
• AutoSave/AutoRecover — periodic backups; cloud files autosave to OneDrive.

File formats

Editing text

• Selection: double-click selects a word; triple-click selects a paragraph; Ctrl + click selects a sentence; click in left margin selects a line; Ctrl + A selects all; Alt + drag selects a vertical block.
• Cut, copy, paste — clipboard; Paste Special (keep source formatting, merge formatting, keep text only).
• Undo (Ctrl + Z) and Redo (Ctrl + Y); F4 repeats the last action.
• Find (Ctrl + F) opens the navigation pane; Replace (Ctrl + H) — including formatting and special characters; Go To (Ctrl + G / F5).
• Insert vs Overtype mode.
• Spelling and grammar check (F7) — red wavy underline for spelling, blue/double underline for grammar; Thesaurus (Shift + F7).
• AutoCorrect — automatically fixes common typing errors; AutoText/Quick Parts — reusable content.

Formatting

Character formatting

• Font type, size (points), colour, highlight.
• Bold (Ctrl + B), italic (Ctrl + I), underline (Ctrl + U), strikethrough.
• Subscript (Ctrl + =), e.g. H₂O; superscript (Ctrl + Shift + +), e.g. m².
• Change case (Shift + F3) — sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word, tOGGLE cASE.
• Increase/decrease font size: Ctrl + Shift + > / Ctrl + Shift + < (or Ctrl + ] / Ctrl + [ by 1 point).
• Font dialog box (Ctrl + D) — character spacing, effects.
• Clear formatting (Ctrl + Space).
• Default body font has been Calibri 11 pt in many recent versions (Microsoft 365 introduced Aptos as the new default).

Paragraph formatting

Styles and Format Painter

• Styles (Normal, Heading 1, Heading 2, Title) apply consistent formatting and enable automatic table of contents and navigation.
• Format Painter copies formatting from one selection to another (double-click to apply repeatedly).

Page layout

• Margins (Normal ≈ 1 inch/2.54 cm each side), orientation (portrait or landscape), paper size (A4, Letter, Legal).
• Columns — newsletter-style text.
• Breaks: page break (Ctrl + Enter), column break, section breaks (next page, continuous, even page, odd page) — allow different orientation, headers or numbering in different sections.
• Headers and footers — repeated at top/bottom of pages (titles, logos, dates); different first page, odd and even pages.
• Page numbers — position and format (1, i, a).
• Watermark (e.g. "DRAFT", "CONFIDENTIAL") — Design tab.
• Page colour, page borders.

Tables

• Insert Table (grid, dialog, draw table, convert text to table, Excel spreadsheet, quick tables).
• Table Design (styles, shading, borders) and Layout tabs: insert/delete rows and columns, merge/split cells, cell size, AutoFit, alignment, text direction, repeat header rows, sort, simple formulas (e.g. =SUM(ABOVE)), convert table to text.
• Useful for bills of quantities, schedules, specifications.

Inserting objects

• Pictures (from device, online), shapes, icons, 3D models, SmartArt (organisation charts, process diagrams), charts (linked to embedded Excel data), screenshots.
• Text wrapping (in line with text, square, tight, behind text, in front of text) and positioning.
• Text box, WordArt, drop cap (large initial letter).
• Equation editor (Alt + =), symbols (Ω, °, ±, ₹).
• Hyperlink (Ctrl + K), bookmarks, cross-references.
• Date and time, objects (embedded files), signature line.

References

• Table of contents — generated from heading styles; update field after edits.
• Footnotes (bottom of page) and endnotes (end of document) — Alt + Ctrl + F inserts a footnote.
• Captions for figures and tables; table of figures.
• Citations and bibliography (APA, IEEE, etc.); index.

Mail merge

Creates personalised copies of a document (letters, envelopes, labels, emails) for many recipients.

1. Main document — the common letter (e.g. tender notice to contractors).
2. Data source — list of recipients (Excel sheet, Outlook contacts, Access table) with fields (Name, Address, Tender No.).
3. Insert merge fields into the main document («Name»).
4. Preview results.
5. Finish and merge — edit individual documents, print, or send emails.

Collaboration and protection

• Comments — notes attached to text.
• Track Changes (Ctrl + Shift + E) — records insertions, deletions and formatting changes by reviewers; accept/reject changes.
• Compare and combine documents.
• Restrict editing / protect document with password; mark as final; encrypt with password.
• Co-authoring in real time via OneDrive/SharePoint.
• Macros — recorded sequences of commands to automate repetitive tasks (saved in .docm).

Printing

• Print (Ctrl + P) — printer selection, pages (all, current, custom range like 1–3, 5), copies, collated, one/two-sided, orientation, paper size, margins, pages per sheet; print preview shown in Backstage view.

Important MS Word shortcuts

Worked examples

Frequently tested points

• Word processor — create, edit, format, print documents; .docx default (.doc older), .dotx template, .docm macros.
• Ribbon: Home (clipboard, font, paragraph, styles, find/replace), Insert (tables, pictures, header/footer, page number, symbols, equations, drop cap, WordArt), Design (watermark, page colour/borders), Layout (margins, orientation, size, columns, breaks), References (TOC, footnotes, captions, citations), Mailings (mail merge), Review (spelling, track changes, comments, protect), View (views, macros).
• Double-click word, triple-click paragraph, Ctrl + click sentence.
• Ctrl + E centre, Ctrl + J justify, Ctrl + Enter page break, Ctrl + K hyperlink, F7 spelling, Shift + F7 thesaurus, Shift + F3 change case, F12 Save As, Ctrl + H replace.
• Section breaks allow different orientation/headers/numbering.
• Format Painter copies formatting; styles enable automatic TOC.
• Mail merge: main document + data source + merge fields.
• Track Changes records edits for review.