How to Use Microsoft Word & Excel

Learning to use Microsoft Word and Excel is vital for schoolwork, and for many jobs and personal projects. Microsoft Word is most commonly used for writing letters, creating reports and even creating mailing lists and labels. For organizing and sorting data, use Microsoft Excel. Excel is perfect for creating charts, lists and reports for numbers and other data sets. Learn to use Microsoft Word and Excel through exploration and practice.

Instructions

Microsoft Word

1. Open the Start menu on your desktop and select “All Programs.” Open “Microsoft Office” and choose “Microsoft Word.”

2. Go to “File” and choose “New.” Select “Blank Document” from the options list that appears to the right of the screen.

   For Word 2007, you can use the quick launch toolbar at the top of the screen to create a new document.

3. Type one or more paragraphs into the blank document. This will give you text to practice with.

4. Open all available menus one at a time. Review the options available and test them as you go on the text you entered in the document.

   Open the “Format” menu. Change aspects of your font by selecting “Font” or “Bullets and Numbering” to add a bullet or numbered list to your document.

   Insert page breaks, dates and images by selecting the “Insert” menu. Use the “Insert” ribbon menu in Word 2007.

   Save your document or open a new one by going to the “File” menu and selecting either “Save,” “Save As” or “Open.” In Word 2007, use quick launch menu at the very top of the screen.

5. Hold your mouse’s pointer over each button on the toolbars, or ribbon menus if you’re using Word 2007, to view its function. To test some options, you may need to highlight the text in your document first.

   Highlight text by single-clicking your mouse at the start of the text you want to highlight. Hold down the left mouse button and use your mouse’s cursor to highlight text. Release the mouse button when finished.

   Use the drop down menus on the formatting toolbar to select your font, font size and font color. Press the “Print Preview” button to view your document before printing. Add links to your document by pressing “Insert Hyperlink.”

Microsoft Excel

1. From the Start menu, go to “All Programs,” select “Microsoft Office” and choose “Microsoft Excel.”

2. Go to “File” and press “New.” Select “Blank Workbook” from the list of options on the right side of the screen.

3. Enter text or numbers into some cells. Cells are outlined rectangles in the main part of the Excel window.

4. Open each menu item at the top of the screen or ribbon menu one at time to view the options available. Test any options you want on the text and numbers entered in Step 3.

   The “Data” menu in Excel 2003 and the “Insert” ribbon menu in Excel 2007 contains the options for creating tables and charts. Select “PivotTable and PivotChart Report” to open the pivot table and pivot chart wizard.

   Select “Sort” within the “Data” menu to organize data in ascending or descending order based on one or more columns.

   Insert new rows, columns, charts, functions and images through the “Insert” menu. Follow the prompts to add the desired object.

5. Hold you mouse pointer over each button on the toolbar or ribbon menu buttons to view its purpose. Highlight text and numbers to test any options you want, such as formatting or creating charts.

   Highlight one or more columns and press the “Ascending” or “Descending” button to sort data. Automatically total a column or row by highlighting the row or column and pressing the “AutoSum” button. Press the arrow beside the “AutoSum” button to perform other calculations.

6. Add formulas to your cells by either entering the formula in a cell or by using the formula bar. The formula bar is the large blank cell above the main spreadsheet window. Start all formulas with the “=” sign. For help with formulas, press the “fx” button beside the formula bar.

Tips & Warnings

• Select the “Help” menu in Microsoft Word or Excel for more information on any function. Type your search term in the search window. You can use either online or offline help.

• Use the tutorials listed in the Resources section for more help on using Microsoft Word and Excel.

• Practice using Microsoft Word and Excel on test documents only. You may accidentally change or delete information if you use existing or important Word or Excel documents.

References

• Microsoft Office: Word 2007 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Word 2003 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Excel 2007 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Excel 2003 Help and How-to Home Page

Resources

• Microsoft Office: Word 2007 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Word 2003 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Excel 2007 Help and How-to Home Page
• Microsoft Office: Excel 2003 Help and How-to Home Page