The number one question I’m asked is, “where is Word 2007 help?”
This Word Tip explains how to find help, but also includes a short tutorial about how to use it more effectively.
Users of previous versions click the Microsoft Word help menu when they want to access the online help system or to find Help About.
But now that the help menu is gone, where is Help, and how do you access it?
Accessing the Word 2007 Help System
There are two ways to access the online help system in Word 2007:
- Click the Help icon.
- Or, press F1.
(Tip: F1 activates the help system in Microsoft software and many other software programs.)
That was easy! Now read on for tips on finding the help topics you need and a really cool add-in that you can’t live without.
Finding Help Topics
When you click the Help icon or press F1, the general help window opens.
Then either enter a search term in the search box to find the help you need, or choose a topic from the Browse Word Help window to drill down to more specific topics.
If you find your searches return too many results, you can filter your searches by clicking the black arrow on the Search button and selecting a filter.
You can show (or hide) the table of contents by clicking the book icon on the menu.
I find this help system to be more time consuming to use compared to true context-sensitive help. However, there are instances when context-sensitive help is activated, such as when you select certain group items.
For example, on the Mailings tab, if you open the Envelopes dialogue box from the Envelopes and Labels group, context-sensitive help is activated when you press F1.
But context-sensitive help is not activated when you press F1 if the Header dialogue box in the Header and Footer group on the Insert tab is open.
Get this Add-In for Extra Help!
If you really, really, really miss the Help menu, here is the next best thing…a Help tab for the Word 2007 ribbon! Download and install this add-in and you won’t be stuck hunting around for help. The add-in works in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.
To use this add-in, you will need Adobe Flash, and one of the following operating systems:
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista
- Windows XP
Download the Word 2007 Help Tab Add-In
Follow the instructions on the download page to install the add-in.
