The Office 2007 Ribbon
...Getting Started with Microsoft Word

The key to becoming proficient with Microsoft Word 2007 is to master using the Office 2007 ribbon. This five-part tutorial helps you get started.

What is the Ribbon?

If you used a previous version of Word, you may feel overwhelmed when open Word 2007 for the first time. Menus and toolbars you used for years have vanished! In their place is one big toolbar called the Ribbon.

Tip: you can hide the ribbon if it takes up too much of your screen or it is distracting you while you work.

The ribbon is a visual tool, not a text-based menu system. Similar tasks are grouped together under tabs. Commands are no longer buried in menus and submenus. Just click a tab to find the one you need!

For instance, the Page Layout tab contains tools to set up your page: themes, margins, page orientation, backgrounds, cover pages, paragraph spacing, image layout options, text wrapping, and more.

By the time you finish this tutorial series, you should have a good understanding of the interface and be able to work faster than with the old menu system.

About the Ribbon Tutorial Series

To help you get started using the Office 2007 ribbon, I created this series that covers recognizing the parts of the ribbon, how to use it, what customization options are available, and troubleshooting tips.

• Intro  : Getting Started
• Part 1: The Parts of the Ribbon
• Part 2: How to Use the Ribbon
• Part 3: Customize the Office Ribbon
• Part 4: Ribbon Help and Troubleshooting

If you are new to Office 2007, I suggest you start with this page and follow the series in order.

Tools You Need

You need two things to work through this series: a copy of Word 2007 and a practice file.

How to Get Microsoft Word

There are two ways to get a copy of Microsoft Word:

• Buy it, or
• Download the free trial

Note: As of 10/28/2011, copies of Microsoft Office 2007 are still available on Amazon.com. However, I recommend that you purchase the newest version instead of buying outdated software. You find instant download links for buying Microsoft Office 2010 right here at Word-Tips.com.

How to Create a Practice File

It's easy to create a practice file in Word 2007:

1. Open Word to create a new, blank document
2. Type the following code exactly: =rand(9,3)
3. Press CTRL + S to save

If you have your software and your file, let's discover the secrets of the ribbon!

Go to Part 1 of the Ribbon Series: The Parts of the Office 2007 Ribbon »

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