Essentials of Microsoft Word for Beginners

Essentials of Microsoft Word for Beginners

A document can be defined as any type of information, either digital or physical, that has some level of usefulness to a user. There are many different types of documents, including letters, licenses, newspaper articles, deeds, financial statements, manuscripts, sales invoices, and others. Physical or paper documents are typically stored in a file cabinet, while digital or electronic documents are stored as one or more computer files. Some digital documents may also be stored in a database.

Electronic document management programs exist to help manage, secure, and store electronic documents. These programs can include features such as version control, access control, and backup and disaster recovery.

Regardless of whether a document is physical or digital, it is typically considered a permanent record of information that can be accessed at a later time. In a document storage system, the entire document or specific sections of it can be treated as separate data elements, allowing for easy access and organization. This makes documents an important tool for record-keeping and retrieval of information.

A document can be either digital or non-digital that can be stored using different methods.

Digital Documents

The term "document" has evolved over time to encompass a broader range of informational items. Initially, the term was used to refer to written materials produced either by typewriter or hand. However, in today's digital age, the definition of a document has expanded to include any information produced and stored in a digital format on computers, tablets, smartphones, and other digital devices.

A document, in this context, refers to a saved piece of work that has been created using computer software such as a word processor or spreadsheet program. Each digital document is saved as a separate file with a unique name that distinguishes it from all other files. This makes it easier for users to locate the specific document they need without spending time opening multiple files in search of the correct one. The unique naming convention helps users quickly find the document they are looking for, saving time and effort.

As a computer user, you frequently interact with documents and files. However, you may not give much thought to the formats of these files. Understanding document file formats is crucial, as they play a major role in determining how a computer opens and functions with a particular document. Most computers have a default setting that allows you to open, edit, and save documents without considering the format. This can be convenient until you need to share the document via email and the recipient informs you that they are unable to view the file due to the format. At this point, knowing different file formats and their extensions becomes essential.

Document File Format Terminology

Document: You may use the term "document" to refer to a written version of the information. When it comes to computers, we refer to any software-generated file as a document. This can include text, audio, video, and images.  

File: Documents or any other type of data are saved on a computer in files. A document that you generate will be saved as a file with a file name. So, once you save a document, it can be referred to as a file.  

Format: This is how a file's data is encrypted and saved. Think of it as the file's or document's language. A Word document, for example, would be saved in the DOCX format. The paper will communicate using that language. Specific data must be kept in its specific format.

Extension: Simply put, a file's extension identifies the format in which it was saved. When you save a file with the name "Mike", your computer will automatically add the extension ".docx" so that the file is saved as "mike.docx", which will help the user understand the document's format. Notice that changing the filename to "mike.pdf" won't change the format. A file is not converted into a different format by changing the file extension. Later, we'll discuss that.

The terminology listed above will be used throughout this guide, so it is advisable to become familiar with them before reading the rest.

Common File Types

There are many different file types; however, some are used more frequently than others. Many of the file types on this list are ones you are already familiar with, but you might learn about some new ones.

Text Files: The most frequent activity on a computer is probably typing, and whatever is typed is saved as a text file. Once you save a Word document, it becomes an example of a text file.  

Image Files: You might have dealt with various image file types. Some image files are heavier than others. Some picture files are ideal for specific uses, such as websites, while others are compressed for easy storage.  

Audio Files: You have to save an audio file like MP3 or Wav if you want to save music on your computer or other music-playing equipment.  

Internet Files: Because it is utilized for file sharing, the internet produces a variety of files. You'll discover that the previously stated items, such as text, audio, and images, are actually web files with various formatting. HTML, JavaScript, and RSS are just a few document file formats for internet files.

Spreadsheet: These are files you would be familiar with if you frequently work with figures. The most popular file types for spreadsheets are Microsoft Excel files.

Video File: When downloading videos from the internet, you encounter different video file types because videos can be saved in different ways. But the usual ones include MPEG, MP4, Adobe Flash, and Windows Media Player.

There are numerous file types, as we already stated. The document's formatting is necessary for the various file types to operate as intended. Here are a few examples of typical document formatting styles.

Common Types of Document Formatting (Microsoft Word)

.Doc: Microsoft used to utilize this text-based file type in the past. Although there is a new option that is more frequently used, you can still utilize this format for files. You can save a word document in DOC Word format when you save it; however, some programs might not be able to open the file.

.Docx: Docx is the most popular Word file format, with more than 1 billion users of Microsoft Word. This is the Microsoft Word document format extension. It took the place of.doc and can be read by various applications. With additional files that include stylesheets and additional metadata, this format is a compressed archive for multiple files.  

.DOCM: The only real distinction between these documents and docx files is the presence of embedded macro code. The code makes docx file automation easier. Macros are especially useful when performing repetitive Word operations, such as data entry.

‍.TXT: These are only text documents; no formatting has been provided. Notes would be recorded in a standard TXT document. They are frequently used by programmers to write code or instructions. This format is open and readable by most programs.  

.HTML: This is the language that's also a file format. Hypertext Markup Language is what HTML stands for. It serves as both a language and a file format for Web Pages. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a standardized language for creating web pages and other types of web-based documents. HTML provides a structure for the content on a web page, allowing you to create text, images, links, and other types of content and arrange them in a specific way to create a webpage.  HTML is the foundation of most websites and a fundamental building block of the World Wide Web.

.PDF: Ever wondered why the majority of people would ask for the PDF format? It's because the format can be viewed in any setting and environment. Since it is a portable document format, it may be used to share any type of file. The document will appear in a PDF format, just as its author intended. It can also be printed.

For more insights into the world of Microsoft Word, take a look at our Microsoft Word Online Training.