Before you get started on your first document, you might want to take a moment
to familiarize yourself with the Word environment - and make sure it's set up in a way that
works for you. Luckily everything you need can be found on or near the Ribbon which is
the collection of tools and features at the top of the screen. The Ribbon is divided into
a series of tabs to help you find the commands you need quickly and easily. Similar commands
are kept together in groups. For example, here on the Home tab - in the Font group - we
have the commands for working with text, including things like color and size. In my current
view, the Ribbon is maximized, but if you don't see the Ribbon, it's likely minimized.
You can minimize or maximize the Ribbon by clicking the small arrow in the upper right corner.
We can also customize the Word environment to include the tools and features we want.
Look closely at the upper left corner, for example, and you'll find the Quick Access
Toolbar. The Quick Access Toolbar can be used to make certain tools more convenient. By
default, it only displays Save, Undo, and Redo. I personally use more than these three
commands on a regular basis, so I'm going to add a few new ones. Just click the tiny
arrow next to the toolbar, and a list of commands appears. I want to add the Quick Print
and the Spelling and Grammar commands.
Another feature we can customize is the Ribbon itself, specifically the tabs. Just right
click the Ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon. Not only can you customize any of
the main tabs, seen here on the right - you can also create your own tabs. Click New Tab,
and a new custom tab will appear on the list. This also creates a new custom group, which is the
part of the tab that will house and organize your commands. You can add commands to any
of the main tabs too - like the Home tab - as long as you create a custom group in that tab.
Now, make sure your new group is selected, then look to the list on the left for the
commands you'd like to add. I want my custom tab to have a group devoted to bullets and
numbering, so I'm going to choose the Bullets command, and then click Add. Alternatively,
you can drag and drop commands directly from the list, into your group.
Now I'd like to give my tab a name, something personalized that'll help me find it on the Ribbon. Just
select the tab, click Rename, and enter it here. I'm going name mine "My Custom Tab."
Next, do the same for your group. "Bullets and Numbering" would be a good name for this one.
You can even choose a symbol to represent your group. The symbol will be used when the
Ribbon is resized.
When you're done, click OK.
There's one more thing I'd like to change. I like to use the Ruler because it really
helps me with my formatting. If the ruler isn't on when you start your document, click
the View Ruler icon on the right side of your screen, above your scrollbar, and the ruler
will appear.
Finally, if you're familiar with Word 2007, you may have noticed that the Office button
is missing. It's actually been replaced by the File tab. The File tab takes you to the
new Backstage View, where you can explore all the options related to your current document,
including things like New, Print, and Save and Send. It's everything you would have found
in the old Office or File menu, except now you have a nice full-page view. For example,
I like the convenience of being able to see all my options on one page - like the fact
that I can save my document to the web or email it as a PDF, just depending on what I need.
That covers the basics of the Word environment.
Now that we know how to use and customize the different features - including the Ribbon,
the Quick Access Toolbar, and the Backstage View - we're ready to get to work.