Office 2007: The Missing Manual

Chapter 1.  Creating, Opening, and Saving Documents

Word. Microsoft Word has been the world’s most popular word processor for so long, it needs only one name—like Oprah or Madonna. Unlike certain celebrities, though, Word has undergone a makeover that goes well beyond cosmetic. Microsoft has redesigned the way you interact with the program and has redefined the underlying document format (don’t worry; your old Word documents will still work).

Some things haven’t changed: Just like previous versions, Word 2007 still makes it easy to create professional-looking letters, business reports, and novels. But Microsoft has loaded the program with new features to make designing and formatting attractive documents easier than ever. So even if you’re well acquainted with its predecessors, you might need a little help getting used to the new Word. For example, some of the commands that are old favorites—like Cut and Paste—are in new places. This chapter gives you an overview of the major changes, and the chapters that follow give you all the details.

Just as in previous version of Word, every project you create in Word 2007 begins and ends the same way: You start by creating a document, and you end by saving your work. Sounds simple, but to manage your Word documents effectively, you need to know these basics and beyond. This chapter shows you all the different ways to create a document in Word 2007—like starting from an existing document or adding text to a predesigned template—and how to choose ...