Microsoft Word Essentials – Creating and Saving Documents

Creating New Document

To start a new document in Microsoft Word, you can click on File and select New, or simply use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N. This action opens a blank document or allows you to choose from various templates, making it easy to begin your writing.

Figure 1.2: Creating new document

Saving Your Work

To save your document, navigate to File > Save As. Here, you can choose the location on your computer where you want to store the file and assign it a name. For quick saving, use the shortcut Ctrl + S, which saves the current document in its existing location and format.

Figure 1.3: Saving your document

File Formats

It’s essential to understand the different file formats available in Word. The default format is .docx, which is compatible with most Word versions. For documents you want to share without allowing edits, consider saving them as .pdf. This format preserves the layout and design, making it ideal for official submissions and professional sharing. Familiarizing yourself with these formats will help ensure your documents are appropriately prepared for various purposes.

Figure 1.4: File formats