Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is a word processing software developed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983. Since then, this application has changed a lot and many more features have been added over time. Presently, Microsoft Word 2021 is being offered by Microsoft for its Microsoft Windows and macOS with one-time fee. It is preferred by most of the computer users around the world. The reasons for its popularity are easy to use interface, lots of features and better combability with world's most used operating system i.e. Microsoft Windows compared to the alternative applications. This is why most people around the world prefer Microsoft Word over other word processing software.

Word Processing Software

A word processing software helps you create small or large documents. Think of it as your digital typewriter. The difference between a typewriter and a word processing software is that you cannot correct your mistakes on a typewriter. A word processing software can either be just like your text editor, or it can also enhance your workflow by working as a desktop publishing software. Microsoft Word is by far the most beloved word processing software out there. However, there are many other famous word processing software out there. LibreOffice Writer is dominant on open-source operating systems such as Linux and BSD. Apple also has iWork Pages for macOS. Google Docs is another alternative, but it is a web browser only word processing software. You can find word processing software alternative to Microsoft Word by clicking this link. 
By default, Microsoft Windows comes with another word processing software called WordPad. However, it lacks a lot of features that people may want to use in a word processing software such as tables, page headers, table of contents etc. However, it is a still usable word processing software if you just want to create simple documents. If it can fulfill your needs, then you don't need Microsoft Word and these tutorials are not for you. 

Features

Microsoft Word has many features that you may or may not want to use. Now a days, there are so many word processing software, it becomes difficult to choose one. Microsoft Word can do everything other word processing software can. But I will only write some of the features that makes Microsoft Word standout from the rest. 

De-facto Standard 

Microsoft Word uses .docx as extension for the files it creates. If you are using older version of Microsoft Word, then it may create files with .doc extension. These file extensions have become de-facto standard for documents. Most of the word processing software try to be as much compatible with these file extension types as possible. So, even if you are using some other word processing software, then chances are that it can also open Microsoft Word files. 

User Interface

Microsoft Word may be the first word processing software to use ribbon which not only makes it easier to find all the available options but also make working with this application much more intuitive compared to the alternatives such as LibreOffice Writer. This is why alternative applications have also started to adopt the same user interface. 

Grammar & Spell Checker

Microsoft is not only most easy to use but also its grammar and spell checker may be most useful. It works as you type and lets you find your mistakes on the go. It supports several languages. You can also download language data from Microsoft website. 

WordArt

WordArt turns your words into an art. It really does that. 

Macros

Macros enable to you specify sequence of instructions you want to execute in your document, so you don't have to manually do it yourself. It can save your time a lot while creating large documents. 

Templates

Since, Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software, it also has the most beautiful and attractive templates out there. You can not only find templates on Microsoft Website but also all over the internet. 

Installation

If you wish to use Microsoft Word, then you may want to install it first. If you are running Microsoft Windows or macOS, then you will be able to install Microsoft Office on your computer. Microsoft Word can be installed as part of Microsoft Office, or it can also be downloaded independently from Microsoft Store on Microsoft Windows 10 or later. If you are using any other operating system, then you cannot natively run Microsoft Word on your machine and you will have no other option but to run web application, but the functionality is limited. 

Tutorial

Once you have installed Microsoft Word, go through the following list of tutorials one by one, which will help you learn Microsoft Word. This tutorial will only cover desktop application and it will not be applicable to Microsoft Word application available for phones.

1. Open/Save Document
2. User Interface 
3. Page Layouts
4. Header/Footer
5. Text & Paragraphs 
6. Tables
7. Table of Contents
8. Spelling & Grammar
9. Links & Comments
10. Shapes & Illustrations
11. Symbols & Equations