Although each Office 2007 program specializes in storing and manipulating different types of data, they all work in similar ways. First, you have to enter data into an Office 2007 program by typing on the keyboard or loading data from an existing file. Second, you have to tell Office 2007 how to manipulate your data, such as underlining, enlarging, coloring, or deleting it. Third, you have to save your data as a file.

To help you understand this three-step process of entering, manipulating, and saving data, Office 2007 offers similar commands among all its programs so you can quickly jump from Word to PowerPoint to Excel without having to relearn entirely new commands to use each program. Even better, Office 2007 rearranges its numerous commands so finding the command you need is faster and easier than ever before. (If you think this implies that previous versions of Microsoft Office were clumsy and hard to use, you’re right.) If you’re already familiar with computers and previous editions of Microsoft Office, you may want to browse through this article just to get acquainted with how Office 2007 rearranges common program commands. If you’ve never used a computer before or just don’t feel comfortable using Microsoft Office, read this article first.

Loading an Office 2007 Program

The first step to using Office 2007 is loading the program you want to use. To load any Office 2007 program, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar. A pop-up menu appears.

2. Choose All Programs. Another pop-up menu appears.

3. Choose Microsoft Office. A list of programs appears on the Start menu.

4. Choose the Office 2007 program you want to use, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint.

Your chosen program appears on the screen. Getting to Know the New User Interface Office 2007 offers a new user interface for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and some parts of Outlook. This new user interface consists of three parts:

   Office Button
   Quick Access toolbar
   Ribbon
 The File menu

The File menu contains commands for opening, saving, printing, and closing a file. In Word, a file is called a document. In Excel, a file is called a workbook. In PowerPoint, a file is called a presentation. In Access, a file is called a database. In previous versions of Office, the File menu was clearly labeled File. In Office 2007, the File menu appears when you click the Office Button in the upper-left corner. You can display the File menu by clicking the Office Button or by pressing Alt+F. Creating a new file When you first load an Office 2007 program, it automatically creates an empty file for you to use right away. In case you need to create a new file after you’ve already loaded an Office 2007 program, follow these steps: Using an Office 2007 template on your computer Installing Office 2007 automatically installs dozens of templates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. To use one of these templates, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and choose New. A New window appears.

2. Choose New. A New dialog box appears. Depending on which program you’re using, the dialog box may read New Document (for Word), New Workbook (for Excel), and so on.

3. Click Blank (such as Blank Document or Blank Workbook) and then click the Create button. Depending on which program you’re using, you may choose Blank Document for Word or Blank Presentation for PowerPoint. A blank file appears ready for you to start storing data in it. Creating a new file from a template Rather than create a blank file, you may find it easier to use a template instead. A template contains predefined formatting for creating different types of files easily, such as calendars, newsletters, sales reports, or a corporate slide show presentation. Office 2007 provides three types of templates:  Office 2007 templates installed on your computer  Templates available over the Internet on the Microsoft Web site  Existing files that you create and format yourself Using an Office 2007 template on your computer Installing Office 2007 automatically installs dozens of templates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. To use one of these templates, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and choose New. A New window appears.

2. Click Installed Templates. The New window displays all the installed templates on your computer.

3. Click the template you want to use and then click the Create button. Office 2007 creates a new file based on your chosen template. Downloading and using a template off Microsoft’s Web site Microsoft provides a huge library of templates that you can download from its Web site. To retrieve these templates, you need to connect to the Internet and then follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose New. A New window appears.

2. Click a category underneath Microsoft Office Online, such as Calendars or Award Certificates.

3. Click the template you want to use and then click the Download button. Office 2007 downloads and creates a new file based on your chosen template.

Opening an existing file

When you load an Office 2007 program, you’ll probably want to edit a file that you had created and modified before. To open an existing file, you need to tell Office 2007 the location and name of the file you want to open. Just follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose Open.

2. (Optional) To choose a different drive to look for files, click Computer under the Favorite Links panel. Then click the drive where you want to load the file, such as the C: drive.

3. (Optional) Click a folder and then click Open to search for a file inside a folder. Repeat this step as many times as necessary.

4. Click the file you want to open and then click Open. Your chosen file appears ready for editing. When you click the Open command under Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, an additional window appears to the right that contains a list of the last files you opened. If you want to load a file you’ve recently used, just click that filename to load that file. Saving files Saving a file stores all your data on a hard disk or other storage device (such as a Compact Flash card). The first time you save a file, you need to specify three items:

    The drive and folder to store your file
    The name of your file
  The format to save your file

The drive and folder where you store your files is completely arbitrary. However, it’s a good idea to store similar files in a folder with a descriptive name, such as Tax Evasion Information for 2008 or Extortion Letters to Grandma. By default, Office 2007 stores all your files in the Documents folder. The name of your file is also completely arbitrary, but it’s also a good idea to give your file a descriptive name such as Latest Resume to Escape My Dead- End Job or Global Trade Presentation for World Domination Meeting on September 9, 2008. The format of your file defines how Office 2007 stores your data. The default file format is known as Office 2007 format, which simply means that only people with Office 2007 can reliably open and view the contents of that file. If you want to share your files with people who don’t use Office 2007, you have to save your files in a different file format. Saving a file for Office 2007 If you’re the only person who needs to view and edit your files, you can save a file in Office 2007 format by following these steps:

1. Click the Office Button. A drop-down menu appears.

2. Click Save. For a quick way to choose the Office Button➪Save command, click the Save icon that appears to the right of the Office Button or press Ctrl+S.

3. (Optional) To specify a drive and folder to save your file, click Browse Folders. This causes the dialog box to expand, as shown in the bottom dialog box. Now you can click Computer, under Favorite Links, and then click a folder. Or, click the New Folder button; when the New Folder dialog box appears, type a name for your new folder and then click OK.

4. Click in the File Name text box and type a descriptive name for your file.

5. Click Save. After you’ve saved a file, you’ll only have to go through Steps 1 and 2 because you don’t have to specify a location and filename to save an existing file. Saving a file for older versions of Microsoft Office If you need to share files with people using older versions of Microsoft Office, you need to save your files in a different file format known as 97-2003, such as Word 97-2003 Document or PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation. This special 97-2003 file format saves Office 2007 files so that previous versions of Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP/2003 can open and edit your files. When you save files in the 97-2003 format, Microsoft Office 2007 saves your files with a three-letter file extension, like .doc or .xls. To save your Office 2007 files as a 97-2003 format, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose Save As. A Save As dialog box appears.

2. Click in the Save as Type list box. A list of different formats appears. When you choose the Save As command in Step 1, you’re making a copy of your original file.

3. Choose the 97-2003 format option, such as Word 97-2003 Format or

Excel 97-2003 Format. The Save as Type list box displays a huge list of file formats, such as XML Data or Text. Most programs can accept files stored in the 97-2003 format, but many older programs cannot, so you may have to resort to saving a file in one of these other formats instead.

4. (Optional) Click in the File Name text box and type a descriptive name for your file.

5. Click Save.

Closing a file

When you’re done editing a file, you need to close it. Closing a file simply removes the file from your screen but keeps your Office 2007 program running so you can edit or open another file. If you haven’t saved your file, closing a file will prompt you to save your changes. To close a file, follow these steps:

1. Click the Office Button and then choose Close. If you haven’t saved your file, a dialog box appears asking whether you want to save your changes. For a faster way to choose the Close command, press Ctrl+F4.

2. Click Yes to save your changes, No to discard any changes, or Cancel to keep your file open. If you click either Yes or No, Office 2007 closes your file.

Using the Quick Access toolbar

The Quick Access toolbar appears to the right of the Office Button near the top of the screen, displaying icons that represent commonly used commands such as Save, Undo, and Redo.

Using the Quick Access icons

If you click the Save icon in the Quick Access toolbar, Office 2007 saves your current file. If you’re saving a new file, a dialog box pops up, asking you to choose a name for your file. If you click the Print icon in the Quick Access toolbar, Office 2007 immediately prints one copy of your entire file through the default printer. (If you want to specify a different printer to use, the number of copies to print, or specific pages to print, click the Office Button and choose Print instead.) The Redo icon reverses the last Undo command you chose. For example, if you delete a paragraph, Office 2007 makes that paragraph disappear. Then if you immediately click the Undo icon, the paragraph magically reappears. If you immediately click the Redo icon, the Redo command reverses the Undo command and deletes the paragraph once more.

The Undo icon is unique in that it offers two ways to use it. First, you can click the Undo icon to undo the last action you chose. Second, you can click the downward-pointing arrow that appears to the right of the Undo icon to display a list of one or more of your previous actions. The most recent action you chose appears at the top of this list, the second most recent action appears second, and so on. To undo multiple commands, follow these steps:

1. Click the downward-pointing arrow that appears to the right of the Undo icon in the Quick Access toolbar.

2. Move the mouse pointer to highlight one or more actions you want to undo.

3. Click the left mouse button. Office 2007 undoes all the multiple actions you selected.

Adding icons

The Quick Access toolbar is designed to put your most commonly used commands where you can always find them. To add other icons to the Quick Access toolbar, follow these steps:

1. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar arrow. A pull-down menu appears. You can add an icon to the toolbar by just clicking on an icon name, such as Quick Print or New, from the pull-down menu.

2. Click More Commands. An Options window appears. The panel on the right shows all the current icons on the Quick Access toolbar. The panel on the left shows all the additional icons you can add.

3. Click in the Choose Commands From list box and choose a menu title, such as File or Page Layout. The left panel displays a list of icons and commands.

4. Click an icon and then click the Add button.

5. (Optional) Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each additional icon you want to add to the Quick Access toolbar.

6. Click OK. Your chosen icon (or icons) now appears on the Quick Access toolbar.

Removing icons

You can remove icons from the Quick Access toolbar at any time. To remove an icon, follow these steps:

1. Right-click an icon on the Quick Access toolbar. A pull-down menu appears.

2. Click Remove from Quick Access Toolbar. Office 2007 removes your selected icon from the Quick Access toolbar. Moving the Quick Access toolbar The Quick Access toolbar can appear in one of two places:

    Above the Ribbon (its default location)
  Below the Ribbon

To move the Quick Access toolbar, follow these steps:

1. Click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar arrow. A pull-down menu appears.

2. Choose Place Quick Access Toolbar Below (or Above) the Ribbon. If the Quick Access toolbar currently appears over the Ribbon, you’ll see the Place Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon command. If the Quick Access toolbar appears under the Ribbon, you’ll see the Place Quick Access Toolbar Above the Ribbon command.

Minimizing the Ribbon

You can tuck the Ribbon out of sight temporarily so it only appears when you click on a tab such as Home or Insert. To hide the Ribbon, follow these steps:

1. Click the downward-pointing arrow that appears to the right of the

Undo icon in the Quick Access toolbar. A pull-down menu appears.

2. Click Minimize the Ribbon. Office 2007 hides the Ribbon and only displays the tabs. To display the Ribbon again, repeat these two steps.

Using the Ribbon

The Ribbon organizes commands into categories called contextual tabs. Each tab displays a different group of commands. For example, the Page Layout tab displays only those commands related to designing a page, and the Insert tab displays only those commands related to inserting items into a file, such as a page break or a picture. Using the Ribbon is a two-step process. First, you must click the tab that contains the command you want. Second, you click the actual command. Tabs act exactly like traditional pull-down menus. Whereas a pull-down menu simply displays a list of commands, tabs display a list of icons that represent different commands.

Deciphering Ribbon icons

The main idea behind organizing commands within tabs is to avoid overwhelming you with a barrage of different commands. Although most icons include a short text description, you can get additional help deciphering different icons through ScreenTips, which typically displays the following:

 The official name of the command (which is Format Painter)

 The equivalent keystroke shortcut you can use to run the command (which is Ctrl+Shift+C in the figure)

 A short explanation of what the command does

To view the ScreenTip for a command, move the mouse pointer over a command and wait a few seconds for the ScreenTip appear. Shortcut keystrokes let you choose a command from the keyboard without the hassle of clicking a tab and then clicking the command buried inside that tab. Most shortcut keystrokes consist of two or three keys, such as Ctrl+P or Ctrl+Shift+C.

Using Live Preview

In the past, you might have known what a particular command did, but you would never know how it would affect your file until after you chose that command. Oftentimes, you might choose a command, see how it changed your file, and then undo the change because it may not be what you really wanted. To avoid this hassle of constant experimentation with different commands, Office 2007 offers a feature called Live Preview. Live Preview lets you move the mouse pointer over certain icons displayed in a tab and then immediately see the changes displayed in your current file.

To use Live Preview, follow these steps:

1. Move the cursor (or click the mouse) on an object (text, picture, table, and so on) that you want to change.

2. Move the mouse pointer over any command.

3. Click the command to change your object (or move the mouse pointer away from the command so you don’t choose that command).

In Word, Live Preview will not work if you display your document in Draft view.