Before we get started talking about specific tools within the program, a word or two about versions of Microsoft Word is important. Now, this is kind of meta, we're having a word about word. So you'll only get this here in the writers version. Okay? What I'm showing you now is a screen capture and apologies for the resolution. It's very old.

And there aren't too many screen captures out there from this model. But this is the 2003 version, which for many of my writer friends, has been the oldest one that folks are still running. Often, the 1998 version won't run on the computers that people have these days. So I'll start with this one. This was the last of the versions, they use a toolbar that was split up like this, where we have the words separate at the top that would create a drop down menu when you clicked on them. And then to have the most commonly used, or what we now know as the easy access toolbar.

Displayed right underneath of those headers along then with the font characteristics, and each one of these toolbars was something that you could change from the drop down arrow on the right hand side of that toolbar. And then we see the ruler here. This was the last version again, before we move to something that has what we call the ribbon toolbar. Here's a display for the 2007 version. And so much changed between 2003 and 2007 models that it's worth a bigger mention here, the primary thing as the introduction of the ribbon toolbar, so around the word home now instead of it being a drop down menu, you'll see that the menu stays put. And this Manila file folder type tab is attached to an entire ribbon worth of tools that come everything that you need, let's say 80 to 90% of the time is available on that Home ribbon toolbar, including your clipboard, your font character is Six paragraph characteristics, and styles and editing.

Now buried under this editing button. This was a narrow screenshot from someone on a narrow monitor our tools like Find and Replace, and search. They're buried under this drop down menu here. But for the very first time when you would click on the other menus on the toolbar, the ribbon beneath it would change. So you'd have all different tools. It's like having one tool belt with a Phillips head and flathead screwdrivers and having a different tool belt by clicking on a different one of the buttons here.

And I'll demonstrate that later in our course. All the tool belts change there. The biggest headache that many people encountered was the lack of a file menu. We used to always know Okay, File Save, File, Save as but where's my file menu. It's traditionally always been in the top left hand corner, and in this version, it was replaced by the round Office button. With the four colored flag there, and indeed, if you were intuitive enough to click on that circle button that would drop down all your normal File menu options, but it did throw a lot of people for a loop there for a while.

So this is the 2007 version if that looks like what you have on your computer. Here we see the 2010 version for PC again, and we can tell it's PC because in the top right hand corner are the buttons for minimize, maximize and exit. We're in Mac, we'll see a screenshot later there in the top left hand corner instead. But again, not too much changing for the 2010 version, we still have that ribbon toolbar model. We do have the styles menu and the editing menu expanded here because this screenshot is courtesy of someone that was working on a wider monitor. So these buttons are expanding.

They're allowing you to see the tools on the toolbar. more readily. And again, that same office ribbon button there in the 2010 model. Beginning in 2013, we see a couple of additions, the color change happened so it's far less blue on the screen. It is an option you can change in the file options area. But you'll see also that the File menu has returned.

In this 2013 edition people screamed and finally got what they wanted. You'll also see in the modern era here the ability to sign into your Microsoft account and connect to what's known as OneDrive. OneDrive is like a version of cloud based storage. So similar to Google, Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. The OneDrive is Microsoft's solution to cloud computing. So for many writers, this is a game changer.

Ability to automatically have your documents backed up to the cloud so that in case you're typing along and boom, suddenly look up and your entire document has vanished. There is some resource that you can use to retrieve a pre destructed version of your document. I know when we're working on 60 7080 or more thousand Word documents, the fear of losing our hard work is strong. And so for many, this is a game changer for them. You'll also notice the same ribbon toolbars and the same options. They've been compacted somewhat though, and we'll see these more menus so the very, very tiny may not even have noticed them before.

Arrows that appear in the lower right hand corner of the clipboard and the font and the Paragraph Styles area allow you to open up a broader set of tools underneath of that. This is a Mac screenshot of the 2016 version. And I know that it's Mac because as mentioned before, in that upper left hand corner, we can see the buttons for exit and minimize etc there rather than in the top right hand corner where the PC happens. I will say that Microsoft Word is primarily designed for PC users in mind. So all of the innovations that are created there, display first in the PC versions, so the Mac version, even in 2013, and 2016, were further back in the features that were available for Mac. So some of what I'm speaking about in our courses were available later and later in the Mac than they have been in the PC.

And then finally, here, so 20 16 version of Microsoft Word in the PC model, you'll see in addition to the sign in buttons, we've got a color change back again, there's more blue on the screen, and the ability to share easily. So sharing your document with other co workers perhaps you can now in the in the newest versions work co authoring. So similar to Google Docs situation, you can work from the cloud based save saved version of a document and see each other's changes in real time. If you are running an earlier version of Word yet, there's a feature in our course that you want to know about. Please enable search for yourself. Open up a web browser and in the search bar, simply type where to find and then put in that feature you're looking for, and the word version that cheers Using, and for example, even something very powerful in high test, like Track Changes has been available in all of these different versions of Microsoft Word.

They're just located in different places. So for example, this one used to be located Track Changes was located under the third toolbar there. And then you have to open up a different task bar and drop down menu to find track changes. But all those same tools were still there and operate on very similar principles. It's just that the buttons you use to find them are different. So please don't be afraid of learning in one environment and having to apply it to another it's a lot easier to use Microsoft Word when you at least know the kinds of tools that you're looking for and how they can be of use to you.

If you're interested in a specific breakdown of how the Microsoft Word models have changed over time, consider visiting Wikipedia and you can look up by the year the product that you have, they have even more here because Some of the Mac releases came in the off years, like 2008 and 2011. There, feel free to look that up. But if you're interested in the most current version, and what indeed is going to become the only versions moving forward, this is known as office 365. And that will be the platform I'll be demonstrating in, it looks exactly like office 2016 and almost identical to 2010 and 13. And indeed, there are a few different changes I'll try to point out along the way, but that if you are in the need to upgrade, or looking at that, you can find listings at products office calm, as you see up here in the toolbar, and you'll see available the home versions and the business versions probably for most of you the home versions are all you'll ever need.

You can see that the one they're offering predominantly as the 9999 per year subscription based model. This is This doesn't mean you have to pay annually for the software, but it automatically updates. It is 999 a month if you prefer to pay monthly. But for again, many of you maybe you don't need that level of service, the more popular one is the 6999 per year, or 699 a month version, the primary difference there is how many people can use this. So the personal user, it's a one user limit on that. Whereas the $99 model is for up to six users.

So you could have this installed on devices for your entire family. In that case, both versions do include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. And if you're on a PC, they also include publisher and access or if you are someone like who enjoys having the ownership forever, of the software forever, actually These days means as long as your computer will support it and run it. This will be the final according to their press releases. This will be the final version here on the right office home and student 2019 available for a one time only purchase of $150 there. Note that it only includes word Excel and PowerPoint.

However, if you are a student or a teacher, be aware that it is possible to get your office 365 for free. So note the address here at the top of the screen products dot office comm dash e N dash us slash n dash us slash students slash office dash N dash education you can with a valid school email address, click the Get Started button here and potentially access all of the office 365 tools with their premium features for free. So have a thought about which version you're using and which version you want to use going forward, make those decisions and I'll see you back in our next session.