WHAT IS MS WORD?

Microsoft Word is a widely used commercial word processor designed by Microsoft. Microsoft Word is a component of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, but can also be purchased as a stand-alone product.

Microsoft Word was initially launched in 1983, and has since been revised numerous times. It is available for both Windows and Apple operating systems.

Microsoft Word is often called simply Word or MS Word.

In 1981, Microsoft hired Charles Simonyi to develop a word-processing application. The first version was released in 1983.

Initially, MS Word was not very popular, owing to its radically different look compared to WordPerfect, the leading word processor at that time. However, Microsoft improved Word continually over the years, including a 1985 version that could run on a Mac. The second major release of Word, in 1987, included an upgrade of major features, in addition to new functionalities such as support for rich text format (RTF).

In 1995, Microsoft increased its market share in the word processor business with the release of Windows 95 and Office 95, which offered a bundled set of office productivity software.

Some features that have made MS Word useful include a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) display: this design ensures that everything displayed on screen appears the same way when printed or moved to another format or program. The ability of users to copy and paste MS Word content into many other platforms without significant formatting loss is one reason the software has stayed so popular in the last two decades.

In addition, MS Word has a built-in dictionary for spell checking; misspelled words are marked with a red squiggly underline. MS Word offers text-level features such as bold, underline, italic and strike-through, and page-level features such as indentation, paragraphing and justification. Word is compatible with many other programs, the most common being the other members of the Office suite.

In 2007, .docx became the default file format, replacing the “.doc” extension.

Microsoft Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25, 1983, under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems.

Microsoft Word is part of the Microsoft Office suite. The whole suite also includes the following products:

• Excel: A powerful spreadsheet tool.
• PowerPoint: An intuitive tool used to create great presentations.
• OneNote: A simple program that allows you to gather notes and information in one place.
• Outlook: A great personal information manager that allows you to manage email accounts, calendars, and address books.
• Publisher: This helps you design and publish great looking documents like brochures and newsletters.
• Access: A very powerful database management system.

Why Use Microsoft Word?

I have worked in the accounting profession for over 25 years. Over that time, there has been a huge push to reduce administrative costs. One of the biggest changes the industry has seen was the removal of the typing pool.

As the word processor developed, it allowed professionals to create their own documents such as letters, memos, and even brochures. This reduced the need for a dedicated secretarial section. The word processor has facilitated the integration of various documents (graphs, worksheets, etc.) quickly and easily, and it has helped streamline many of the cumbersome tasks within the office.

I first used WordPerfect in 1987, and I quickly recognized how much time could be saved by typing my own letters and memos. As an accounting professional, I was constantly sending internal memos to various sections. Not only did the word processor allow me to reduce typing errors thanks to the spell checker, but it also reduced the time it took to get my typed letter or memo to the recipients

I found WordPerfect to be a little difficult to use. Therefore, I was very happy when Microsoft Office was released and our firm began to use it. Microsoft standardized the menus over the entire office suite and made the sharing of different media a lot easier.

Today I use Microsoft Word daily; not only do I use it to draft out letters and memos, but it is also a very important tool in the creation of brochures and procedural documents. The ability to insert diagrams, worksheets, and other media makes it an essential tool for me in the office.

FEATURES OF MS WORD

What are 10 features of Microsoft Word?

• Changing case.
• Create a custom tab.
• Quick parts.
• Add placeholder text.
• Edit wrap points when wrapping text.
• Convert a list to a table.
• Convert a bulleted list to SmartArt.
• Quick selection methods.

• Convert a List to a Table.
• Convert a Bulleted List to SmartArt.
• Create a Custom Tab.
• Quick Selection Methods.
• Add Placeholder Text.

Touch/ Mouse Mode in Word 2013.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Microsoft Word

Advantages of Microsoft Word

Word allows you to produce most of the documents traditionally created by a secretarial pool or by a marketing department. It reduces the time and cost to produce the document and reduces the bottom line as there is no requirement for an administrative pool dedicated to document production. Word gives you the right tools to allow you to be productive.

The advantages of Word are wide and varied. Here are the main advantages.

• Integration: One of the most powerful features of Word is the ability to integrate any document with other media available within the Office suite. It is easy to incorporate graphs, presentation materials, worksheets, and any other media created in the suite. As the link is dynamic, any document you create can be instantly updated when other media changes.
• Mail Merge: Word makes it very easy to create personalized documents by using a database list of names and addresses and merge them into your document. This is ideal for mass mailings of brochures or letters. The mail merge feature is intuitive and feature-packed, allowing you to create many different documents like mailing labels.
• Collaboration: One feature that is outstanding on Word is the ability to markup the document for changes. This allows for a series of editors to amend and update the document and allow all users the ability to see the changes made to the document.
• Templates: The good thing about Word is that there are thousands of templates available, so it’s very easy to create a brochure based on a template someone has already designed. Most templates are very easy to use and very customizable, allowing you to produce some stunning end results.
• Smaller Files: In the past, Word files had been notorious for being relatively large. This was a problem if your device had limited storage space. Word 2007 introduced the new DOCX format, which significantly reduced the size of Word files. This format is now the standard for documents.
• Mobile App: A mobile version of Word is available on Windows phones and tablets. While it is not as robust as the desktop version, it does allow you to create and edits documents. This is a great app for working on documents while you are on the go.

Advanced users of Microsoft Word can use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate Word. VBA is a very powerful programming language that allows you to enhance the overall functionality of Word.

Disadvantages of Microsoft Word

• Cost: While Word is the best word processor available, it can be very expensive. You can get free word processors that are nearly as powerful that will satisfy the needs of most users.
• Complexity: Most users will probably never use 50% of the functionality of Word. The complexity can actually be a deterrent as some users will be overwhelmed by the features available. The ribbon does present some of the more frequently used elements, but the lack of intuitiveness of the ribbon can add to the confusion.
• Not Always Intuitive: Some functions are not always intuitive, and it can take a while to get your desired effects. I have personally had problems trying to insert pictures and align text correctly around the pictures. The options available seem to offer what I need, but I don’t always get the desired effect.
• Removed Features: Some familiar features of Word have been removed in the past. This includes the iconic toolbar that was replaced by the ribbon. Word also previously had tools like speech recognition, although that feature became a part of Windows.

HOW TO MERGE MULTIPLE MS WORD FILES

How to merge Word documents

Applies to:Microsoft Word

 Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, r

If you have to combine separate Microsoft Word documents, you can copy and paste them together if they’re short, or merge them if they’re long.

 Note

The following method applies to both Word 2010 and Word 2007. The format might not stay the same when you merge documents.

1. Select the Insert tab.
2. Select Object, and then select Text from File from the drop-down menu.
3. Select the files to be merged into the current document. Press and hold Ctrl to select more than one document. NoteDocuments will be merged in the order in which they appear in the file list. To use a different order, select and insert each file individually in the desired order.

If you have multiple Microsoft Word documents that you’d like to combine into a single, large document, there’s more than one way to get the job done. You can open each document, copy the contents, and paste it into a master document, of course. That’s not especially difficult, but it can be slow and cumbersome. A better way? Use Word’s built-in Insert tool. 

How to combine Word documents

1. Start Microsoft Word and create a new, blank document. 

2. Click the Insert tab at the top of the ribbon bar.

3. In the Insert ribbon’s Text section, click Object, and then in the drop-down menu, choose Text from File. 

4. In the Insert File dialog box, choose the Word doc you want to combine with this document and then click Insert. You should see the text flow into the document, retaining all the images, graphic elements, and formatting of the original file. 

5. Place the cursor where you want to insert the next document. Then use the Object button and Text from File menu to add the next document. 

6. Repeat the process to combine as many documents as you like to your new master document. 

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