Office 2011 for Macintosh: The Missing Manual

Chapter 2. Word Basics: Opening, Editing, Saving, Printing

Word is a powerful tool for creating all types of documents. Lawyers use it to create contracts and screenwriters use it to write scripts. You can add charts, graphs, photos, and videos to your Word docs, but most word documents are simple, created with the techniques described in this chapter.

This chapter gets you up and running fast. If you’re using Word for the first time, it covers the basics, like creating new documents and saving them. If you’re familiar with Word, you’ll find some time-saving tips, tricks, and shortcuts.

Document Basics Covered Quickly

You launch Word like any other program on your Mac, just pick your favorite method. Use the Word icon in the Dock or launch Word from your Applications folder or Finder. If your hands are glued to the keyboard, press ⌘-space to open Spotlight and begin typing Word. When you see Word highlighted in the list, hit Return. The very first time you start Word, you see the Word Document Gallery. If you feel that slows you down too much, see the box on Bypass the Gallery on Startup.

When it comes to the basics—opening, closing, and printing documents—Word works like Mail or TextEdit and other Mac apps. Shortcut keys are the fastest way to perform operations and chances are these keys are burned in your memory because they’re the same for most Mac programs. If you prefer, or don’t remember the command, you can always use your trusty mouse (see Figure 2-1):

• ⌘-N (File→New Blank Document) ...