What is MS Word? – Features, MS Word Window Interface

MS Word is a word processing software developed by Microsoft. It allows you to create documents such as letters, reports, brochures, etc. The main function of Word Processing Software is to allow you to write text and insert pictures, tables, charts, etc. into a document.

Microsoft Office was originally developed by Bill Gates and Paul Allen back in 1985. Since then, it has evolved into a suite of applications that include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and Skype. Microsoft Word is developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie.

Features of MS Word

The following are the basic features of MS Word:

1. Basic Formatting Tools

• Text Editing: MS Word offers a variety of text styles and options. You can change font type, size, and color. You can also add bold, italics, or underline to highlight important text.

• Paragraph Formatting: You can adjust alignment (left, center, right), line spacing, and indentation to make the document look organized and easy to read.

2. Inserting Elements

• Images and Shapes: Insert images or shapes by going to the “Insert” tab. You can use this to add pictures, charts, or simple shapes to make your document visually appealing.

• Tables: You can create tables to organize data. This is useful for projects that involve statistics, lists, or comparisons.

• Headers and Footers: Headers and footers are areas at the top and bottom of each page. You can add page numbers, document titles, or author names here for a professional look.

3. Proofing Tools

• Thesaurus and Word Suggestions: The thesaurus suggests synonyms to improve your vocabulary. It’s a helpful tool for finding better words and making your writing clearer.

• Spelling and Grammar Check: MS Word automatically checks your spelling and grammar as you type. This feature helps you write accurately and catch mistakes easily.

MS Word Window Interface

MS Word window has many items.

Title Bar

The title bar contains the title of the current document. It is located at the top of the document.

Menu Bar

The menu bar contains different tabs like (Home, Insert, Design, Page Layout, Reference, Mailing, View, and Review…). The Home tab contains different items like alignment, font (style, size, color, etc), and many more. Each tab has its different functions.

Fonts

The appearance of text in the document is called font or typeface. Fonts are used to make text of different styles and sizes.

• Font size: Font size can be set from the formatting toolbar. Font size is measured in points. A common font size used in business documents is 82-point types.
• Font style: Font style is used to make the test bold, italicize, and underline the text formatting toolbar contains a separate button for all of these options.
• Font color: Font color option is used to change the color of the test.

Different Alignments in MS Word

There are different types of alignments in MS Word.

• Left alignment: we can align the data to the left side by clicking on the left alignment button or by shortcut key ctrl + l.
• Left alignment: we can align the data to the right side by clicking on the right alignment button or by shortcut key ctrl + r.
• Center alignment: we can align the data in the middle of the cell by clicking on the left alignment button or by shortcut key ctrl + E.
• Justify alignment: Justify alignment is used to align the data on both margins. We can justify the data by clicking on the justify alignment button or by shortcut key ctrl + J.

Status Bar

The status bar contains the word count option, zoom in, and zoom out options. It also contains the page layouts. We can customize the status bar.

Quick Access Toolbar

The toolbar contains the shortcut for saving, undo and redo. We can quickly use them on the toolbar. We can also add more items.

• Undo: The undo command is used to remove the last change made in the document. We can also apply to undo option by shortcut key ctrl + Z.
• Redo: the redo command is used to remove the last effect of undo. We can also apply the redo option by short cut key ctrl + Y
• Save: this option is used to save the document for future use. The shortcut key of Save is (Ctrl + S)

Scroll Bars

MS Word has two scroll bars vertical and horizontal. The vertical scroll bar is used to move the document up and down. The horizontal scroll bar is used to move the page left and right.

Rulers

The horizontal ruler can be used to set tab stops and indents or to adjust the width of columns. The horizontal or vertical ruler can also be used to change the page margin or place items on the page.

Importance of MS Word for Students

MS Word helps students with assignments, projects, and organizing study materials. Using MS Word teaches important skills, such as formatting text, organizing information, and using digital tools for communication.

These skills are valuable for school and will be helpful in future work and personal projects. Learning MS Word early prepares students for a world where digital communication is important.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)