The word processor is arguably the most important and the most popular application available today. Writing a report is usually one of the first things a new computer user intends to do. You'll find that you can produce very impressive-looking documents faster while spending less time typing, correcting, and editing. This additional time will allow you to spend more energy on the creative process.

The best way to learn is to do, so let's get started. We will use Microsoft Word since it is one of the most popular word processing programs used today. It is more likely that you already have this program installed. To open Microsoft Word, open the start menu, point to the program option, and select Microsoft Word from the program menu.

If you look in the upper left hand corner of the screen, you will see the menu bar. The menu bar consists of File, Edit, View, Insert, Format...etc. Just below the menu bar, you will see the toolbar. The toolbar gives you fast access to the most commonly used features in Word. Those same features are accessible from the menu bar, but the toolbars are much more convenient.

If you want to learn what each tool on the toolbar does, simply move your mouse over each icon slowly; stopping briefly on each one. When you stop, the name of the button pops up. Let's create our first word document!

In your document window(the blank white area), click the mouse and begin typing. Since this is just a test, don't type a 200 page novel. I want you to type a few words only. Ok, now I want you to click FILE on the menu bar (upper left-hand corner of the screen). Choose Save As..., and type what you want for the filename. For this project, we will save it as "testing.doc". Remember to type in the filename in the textbox next to "File name:". Click the "Save" button in the bottom in the bottom right hand corner of the new window, and you are done. You have just created and saved your first word document. "But, what do I need to do when I want to print the document?" There are several ways to do this. One way is to simply click File from the menu bar and select Print. But, it is best to preview your document before you start printing. That way you won't have to print again if you find a mistake later. To preview your document, click File from the menu bar, then select Print Preview. To view a long document, use your scroll bar on the right hand portion of the screen. To change how big or small the pages appear in the Preview window, click the (%) Zoom box on the Standard toolbar, and select an option from the drop-down list. If you change the percentage in Print Preview mode, it won't affect the size the document will be printed at. To exit the Preview screen, click the Close button on the toolbar.

Once you learn how to Cut, Copy, and Paste, you will never use a typewriter again. These three functions make the typewriter obsolete. These simple features are the most powerful because they allow you to reorganize and rearrange your document with the touch of a button. Selecting the text is the first step for many editing and formatting tasks. To select text, click at the start of the text you want to select. Hold down the mouse button and drag across the text. Release the mouse button. Now, the text will appear highlighted.

Microsoft Word uses the scissors icon for cut and a jar of paste for the paste feature. Look for these commands in your toolbar. You can also use the commands from the Edit menu in the menu bar. The process of moving and copying text is similiar from program to program. To delete text, select the text you want to delete. Next, press the delete key. The rest of the text on the page is adjusted to fill in the gap.

To move text, you must first select the item you want to move. Click the Cut button, or open the Edit menu and select the cut command. (If you want to copy the text, you will need to select copy instead of cut. Move the mouse to where you want to paste the text. Hit the left mouse button once so that the cursor is in the correct place. Click the paste button on the toolbar, or open the Edit menu and select the Paste command.