How to Figure Out What Version of a Computer Program You Have

Ever needed to know what version of Internet Explorer or Firefox you were using, and didn't know how to find out? Or read about a tip for using Microsoft Word, Excel, or Outlook that didn't seem to make sense, only to find out it was because you were using a different version? This article unveils the key secret for determining what version of a computer program you're using--and it works for practically any application!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. To determine what version of a computer program you're using, open that program, go to the Help menu, and go down to "About". The "About" item in the Help menu can take many forms: in Firefox, it's called "About Mozilla Firefox"; in Internet Explorer, it's "About Internet Explorer"; in muTorrent, it's "About muTorrent..." ... you get the idea.

2. Look closely at the window that appears when you select the About menu item. Somewhere in that window, the exact version number of the program you are using is generally displayed. For example, using this method, I can see that the version of Firefox I am using is 3.5.5.

3. In some programs without a Help menu, the About page is difficult to find. In Microsoft Word 2007, for example, you'll have to click on the Microsoft Office Button at the top left of the screen, click Word Options, then Resources, and then About. Version information can be found similarly in the rest of the Microsoft Office 2007 suite of productivity applications.