Microsoft Word (1983) is the world's most used word processor — for letters, résumés, reports, books and forms. The file extension is .docx (since Word 2007; older .doc). Free alternatives: Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, WPS Office. Hindi: शब्द संसाधक (word processor).
Screen parts
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Title bar | File name + AutoSave toggle + minimise/maximise/close |
| Quick Access Toolbar | Save, Undo, Redo — customisable |
| Ribbon (tabs) | Home · Insert · Draw · Design · Layout · References · Mailings · Review · View · Help — each tab has groups (Font, Paragraph, Styles) |
| Ruler | Margins, indents, tab stops |
| Document area / cursor (insertion point) | Where you type; the blinking vertical line |
| Status bar | Page count, word count, language, zoom slider, view buttons |
| Navigation pane | Headings & search (Ctrl + F) |
| Views | Print Layout, Read Mode, Web Layout, Outline, Draft |
Core features
| Feature | Where | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Font formatting | Home → Font | Bold, italic, underline, size (points; 72 pt = 1 inch), colour, highlight, strikethrough, superscript x², subscript H₂O |
| Paragraph | Home → Paragraph | Align left/centre/right/justify, line spacing (1.0, 1.15, 1.5, 2.0), bullets & numbering, indent, borders & shading |
| Styles | Home → Styles | Heading 1/2/3, Title, Normal — needed for automatic Table of Contents |
| Find & Replace | Ctrl + H | Change every 'colour' to 'color' in one click; wildcards |
| Insert | Insert tab | Table, Pictures, Shapes, Icons, SmartArt, Chart, Header/Footer, Page Number, Text Box, WordArt, Equation, Symbol, Hyperlink, Comment |
| Page setup | Layout tab | Margins (Normal 1"), Orientation (Portrait/Landscape), Size (A4 = 210 × 297 mm, Letter), Columns, Breaks, Watermark, Page colour, Borders |
| References | References tab | Table of Contents, Footnotes, Citations & Bibliography, Captions, Index |
| Mail Merge | Mailings tab | One letter + Excel list of names → hundreds of personalised letters, envelopes, labels |
| Review | Review tab | Spelling & Grammar (F7), Thesaurus (Shift + F7), Word Count, Translate, Comments, Track Changes, Compare, Protect |
| Templates | File → New | Résumé, letter, invoice, calendar |
| Save / Export | File → Save As / Export | .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .odt, .html; Save to OneDrive for AutoSave |
| Format Painter | Home → Clipboard | Copy formatting from one text to another (double-click to apply many times) |
Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N/O/S/P | New / Open / Save / Print |
| F12 | Save As |
| Ctrl+B/I/U | Bold / Italic / Underline |
| Ctrl+L/E/R/J | Align Left / Centre / Right / Justify |
| Ctrl+1/2/5 | Line spacing 1.0 / 2.0 / 1.5 |
| Ctrl+]/Ctrl+[ | Increase / decrease font size by 1 pt (Ctrl + Shift + > / < by step) |
| Ctrl+Shift+C/V | Copy / paste formatting |
| Ctrl+=/Ctrl+Shift+= | Subscript / Superscript |
| Shift+F3 | Change case (UPPER / lower / Title) |
| Ctrl+Enter | Page break |
| Ctrl+K | Insert hyperlink |
| Ctrl+Home/End | Start / end of document |
| Ctrl+Backspace/Delete | Delete whole word left / right |
| Ctrl+Shift+8 | Show/hide paragraph marks ¶ |
| F7 | Spell check |
| Alt+Shift+D/T | Insert date / time |
| Ctrl+Alt+1/2/3 | Apply Heading 1/2/3 |
| Ctrl+F/H/G | Find / Replace / Go To |
| Ctrl+Z/Y | Undo / Redo |
| Alt | Show ribbon key tips |
Exam facts: default font in Word 365 is Aptos 11 pt (earlier Calibri 11, before 2007 Times New Roman 12); default margins 1 inch; maximum font size 1638 pt; maximum zoom 500%; a Word page in A4 at 12 pt holds roughly 500 words.
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