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Open, Save, or Close a Document in Microsoft Word

This tutorial is here to teach you the various ways to save, or open existing files in Microsoft Word. It will also show you the various nerdy ways you can close a document in Word and how to exit the Word window.




Open a Saved Document (File) in Microsoft Word
While you are creating a document, it is often important to save it for future use. The saved document now becomes a file. A file is a complete, named collection of information, such as a user-created document. It is the basic unit of storage that enables a computer to distinguish one set of information from another. It is a collection of data that a user can retrieve, change, delete, save, or send to an output device, such as a printer or e-mail program.

From the foregoing explanation, you realize that a saved document can be retrieved, viewed and reused. Here are the steps involved in opening/retrieving a saved document/file in Word environment.
  1. On the Menu bar, click File, and then click Open. The Open dialog box appears.
  2. In the Look in list, click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open.
  3. Click the file.
  4. You'll see a preview of the selected file in the Preview box.
  5. Click Open.


Open a File as Copy in Microsoft Word
This feature allows you to open a copy of a document which you can edit and save, without such changes altering the content of the original file. When you open a file as a copy, a duplicate of the file is created in the older that contains the original file. You can, however, save the copy you opened in a different location (drive and folder) and with a different filename, using the Save As command in the File menu.

Use this method if you want to work on a file of which you do not want the new changes to reflect on the original document.

Steps:
  1. On the Menu bar, click File and then click Open. The Open dialog box appears.
  2. In the Look in list, double-click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open.
  3. Select the file whose copy you want to open.
  4. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Open button to display a drop down list.
  5. From the drop-down list, click Open as Copy. 


    NOTE:
    • A copy of the selected document now opens. Now see the title bar of the document. You'll find that Word has automatically named the document Copy (1) of ***. The asterisks represent the filename of the original document.
    • If you save the document, using the Save command, after making necessary changes to it, the changes are saved into the document with the default name - Copy (1) of ***.
    • To save the document with a different filename, you must use the Save As command on the File menu.



      Open a File in Read-Only Mode in Microsoft Word
      Opening a file in read-only helps protect a sensitive file from inadvertent change. A stray character coming into an important document that has been proof-read and is ready for publishing can ruin the quality of the entire work. If you need to review an already proof-read document but with no  intention to make further changes to it, I suggest you use the Open Read-Only option of opening a document. This can help save you of costly/embarrassing mistakes.

      In other words, opening a document in Read-Only prevents new changes that are either purposely or mistakenly made to the content or structure of the file from reflecting on the last saved version (i.e. how it was before you opened it) of the file. It simply allows a user to open a file to be read or copied, but not changed and then saved.

      If you attempt to re-save/save changes to a document you opened in Read-Only, Word will immediately display the Save As dialog box, enabling you to re-save the document, together with whatever changes you have made to it, with a different filename or location. This way, the original document is protected, unchanged and unaffected.
       
      To open a document in Read-Only in Word:
      1. In Word window, click File, and then click Open. The Open dialog box appears.
      2. In the Look in list, double-click the drive or folder that contains the file you want to open in read-only.
      3. Select the desired file.
      4. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Open button, and then choose Open Read-Only.


      Save a Document in Microsoft Word
      As you create a document, you will need to store it for future reference or use.

      In Word, you to save your documents in various ways. You can save all open documents at the same time. You can also save a copy of the active document with a different name or in a different location. If you share documents with people who use previous versions of Word, and you want to be sure the documents look the same when they're opened in the earlier versions, you can turn off features that are not part of that version.

      To save a document:
      1. Open the File menu and click Save. The Save As dialog box appears.
      2. In the File name box, enter a desired name for the document.
      3. To save the document in a folder or a drive other than the default, click the drop-down arrow in the Save in box, and then choose the desired folder or drive.
      4. To save the document in a new folder within the current drive, click the Create New Folder button on the toolbar within the Save As dialog box, directly below the title bar of the Save As dialog box.
      5. Click Save. 

      The document is now stored with the name and in the location you specified, and up to the very point (i.e. only the amount of text or objects contained in the document) before you used the Save command.

      NOTE:
      • As you make changes to the last saved version of the document (i.e. as you type in more characters or insert objects), you will need to use the Save command often to keep updating the saved document. 
      • You can save time by clicking the Save button on the Standard toolbar or by pressing Ctrl and S keys simultaneously on the keyboard.  
      • Use the Save button on the Standard toolbar to save your document for the first time, or to save changes to an already saved document, in the same location and with the same filename. 
      • Use the Save As command on the File menu to save the current document in a different location, or with a different name, or in a different document format, or to assign a password to the document. The Save As command always displays the Save As dialog box, where you can do one or combination of these. 
      • For a comprehensive list of all keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word, click here, and for a detailed list and explanation of the purposes of toolbar buttons in Word, click here



      Save a File/Document to another Format in Word
      You can save a Word document in a format that makes it possible to access or edit in other/earlier versions of Word or in other word processors such as WordPerfect. When you save your work in Word, it is stored in the default document format of the particular version of Word you are using. The file name of the saved document is automatically followed by a .doc extension. To be able to share documents with people who use other word processors or who use versions of Word that have a different file format, you will have to save documents in file formats that such word processors or other versions of Word can understand/read. For example, you can open a document created in WordPerfect, make changes to it in Word, and then save it in either Word or WordPerfect format.

      Steps to save a file to another format in Microsoft Word:
      1. On the File menu, click Save As.
      2. In the File name box, enter a new name for the file.
      3. Click the Save as type list, and then click the file format that you want the file saved in.
      4. Click Save.


      Save Files Automatically When I Work

      Word is equipped with an automatic saving function that ensures that a document containing important data is automatically saved at regular intervals. It does so by making an automatic document recovery file at the default interval or the interval you pre-assigned. Sometimes you are unable to save important changes to your document because your computer suddenly stops responding or you lose power unexpectedly. When this happens, Word opens an AutoRecovery file the next time you start Word so that you can open it to recover most of the changes unsaved to the original document. Note that it is still your absolute responsibility to update your document constantly by using the Save command. AutoRecover is not a replacement for the Save command. Also, if you choose not to save the recovery file after opening it, the file is deleted and your unsaved changes are lost. If, however, you save the recovery file, it replaces the original file (unless you specify a new name or directory).
      To set up the interval for automatic saving of file when you work
      1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save tab in the Options dialog box that appears.
      2. Select the Save AutoRecover info every check box.
      3. In the minutes spin box, enter the interval for how often you want to save files. Note that the more frequently your files are saved, the more information you will be able to recover on the event of computer crash/hang, power failure or file damage. In other words, the smaller the value you enter in the minutes  box, the more frequently your files will be saved and the more information you will be able to recover if the dreaded happens.
      4. Click Ok to save your settings and close the dialog box



      Speed Up Saving a File
      Word is also equipped with a feature for speeding up saving by recording only the changes in a document.When you save changes to your document in Word, Word invariably overwrites the last saved version of the file and then re-save the entire document. In other words, it simply re-saves the entire document from scratch. If the document you are working on has grown rather long, or maybe you are saving in a removable disk or floppy, you'll notice a slight delay while saving changes to the file. So, speeding up saving a file can be handy in helping you reduce such delays. When you finish working in the document, you can then perform a full save of the complete document.

      Steps:
      1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save tab, in the Options dialog box that appears.
      2. Select the Allow fast saves check box, and then click OK.
      3. Continue working on the document but make sure you save the new changes you make to the document as often as possible.
      4. To perform a full save of the document, clear the Allow fast saves check box in the Options dialog box, and then save the document. The document is now saved fully, having cleared the Allow fast saves check box.


      Close a Document
      When you are through working in a document, you need to close it. This will help prevent unintended changes from being made to it, and also to free the computer working memory [Random Access Memory (RAM)] some space.

      Note, however, that closing a document means simply closing the active document (using the Close command or alternatives), without actually quitting the entire Word window. 

      There are several ways of closing a document in Word. These methods use:
      • The File menu
      • The Close Window button on the menu bar
      • Shortcut keys
      Closing a Document Using the File Menu
      1. From the Menu bar, choose File.
      2. From the File menu, click Close.
       

      NOTE:
      • This operation will close the active document, leaving the Word window Grey, ( if you have no other document running in Word) and the Title bar displays only the program name, but no program name.
      • If you have not saved the recent changes you made to the document, Microsoft Word or the Office Assistant (if you have been using the Word Help or the Assistant has been on screen) will display a message box, asking whether you want to save the changes to the document. Click Yes, to save the new changes, click No, to discard the recent changes, or click Cancel, to abort the close operation and continue working in the document.



      Close a Document Using the Close Window Button on the Menu Bar

      Simply click the Close Window (X) button to the extreme right of the Menu bar. The active document will be closed, leaving the Word program still running. Word or the Office Assistant will prompt you to save  your document, if you have unsaved changes in the document.


      Close a Document Using Shortcut Keys
      To close the current document without exiting Word, you can use any of the following shortcut keys, if you are a keyboard fan:
      • Press Ctrl and F4 keys simultaneously on the keyboard (Ctrl + F4).
                                                             OR
      • Press Ctrl and W keys simultaneously on the keyboard (Ctrl + W).



      Exit Word
      Exit is a command on the File menu used for quitting the Microsoft Word application when you are through working in your document. When you exit Word, the open document is also closed. Microsoft Word or the Office Assistant (if the Assistant has been active on screen, or you have been using Word Help) will display a message box or balloon, prompting you to save any unsaved changes to the document before exiting. Click Yes, to save the document before exiting Word; or click No, to exit Word without saving the  document or the changes you've made to it; or click Cancel, to terminate executing the Exit command and continue using Word.

      There are several ways of exiting/quitting the Word application. The methods use:
      • The File menu
      • The Close button on the title bar
      • The Context menu
      • The System menu
      • Shortcut keys 
      Quitting Word Using the File Menu
      The Exit option on the File menu is the command used for exiting the Word application. You have learned that the Close command on the File menu closes the only active document, leaving the Word program running still.
      To exit Word using the File menu,
      1. On the Menu bar, click File
      2. From the File menu, click Exit.  
      • The program (together with the running document) will then quit, but you will be prompted to save the document if unsaved changes exist in it. Choose Yes to save document, No to discard the changes while Word exits, or Cancel if you change your mind and want Word to continue running.



      Quitting Word Using the Close Button on the Title Bar
      This is perhaps the fastest method of exiting Word using the mouse. It involves clicking the Close button, which you can find in all Windows applications on the right-hand side of the title bar. The Close is equally available on the title bar of the Word window.
      To exit Word using this method, simply click the Close button once. Word will then quit, but you will have to choose whether or not to save changes to the document, if necessary, in the message box or balloon that may  appear.



      Quitting Word Using the Context Menu
      The context menu is the shortcut menu that pops up when you click the right mouse button on a space or on a window element.
      To exit Word using the context menu,
      1. Right-click the title bar element of the Word screen.
      2. Click on the Close option.
                                               OR
      1. Right-click the Word button on the task bar.
      2. From the context menu, click Close.
      Choose an appropriate option when you are prompted to save your document, if necessary.



      Quitting Word Using the System Menu
      An even fast way of exiting Word is by using the control menu box. All Windows applications always come with a logo (icon), which is usually displayed on the extreme left-hand side of the title bar. This is the System menu. The System menu of the Word program is the blue "W"  icon enclosed in a blue frame at the left-hand side of the title bar of the Word interface.

      To exit Word using this method,
      •   Simply double-click the System menu (the Word icon).
                                          OR
      1. Click the System menu once.
      2. Click the Close option on the menu that appears.
      If unsaved changes exist in the document, you will be prompted to save your document before the application finally exits. Click an appropriate option.



      Quitting Word Using Shortcut Keys
      For keyboard fans, who'd rather issue commands from the keyboard, here are the combination of  keyboard keys you can use to exit Word.


      Press Alt and F4 keys simultaneously (Alt + F4).
                                              OR
      Press Alt, F and then X keys, one after the other (Alt + F + X).
                                              OR
      Press Alt, Spacebar and then click Close from the menu that appears, or simply press X when the menu appears.







      Thank you for taking your time to read his tutorial. Please continue to drop by for future updates and helpful tips. Your visits will surely be worth it. I sincerely appreciate your visits and presence here. If you are finding these tutorials and tips informative and helpful, please kindly recommend this blog to your friends. If, on the other hand, there is any area you feel improvement is needed, please kindly forward a piece of advice. These will be highly welcomed and appreciated. Feel free to drop comments or ask questions using the comment box below. Your comments will be promptly reviewed and published and your questions speedily looked into and answered in the best possible manner. Thanks.

      What is Word Processing or a Word Processor?

      Word Processing
      Word processing is the act of typing, editing and printing out of textual/graphical information using a word processor. Microsoft Word is an word processing program. When you use a program like Microsoft Word to create a document, you have performed word processing.


      Word processing can be performed either electronically or mechanically. Electronic word processing  involves the use of a computer device running an appropriate word processing software, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. Mechanical word processing involves the use of devices like a typewriter.


      Word Processor
       A word processor is a device (e.g. typewriter, computer) or software (e.g. Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Word pad, etc) that is used for performing word processing tasks.  A word processing software like Microsoft Word must be installed in a word processing device such as a PC (running an appropriate platform/operating system) before it can be used.

      Microsoft Word, as a word processor, is highly sophisticated and offers specialized features/tools to enable users effectively perform their word processing tasks as well as enjoy the experience. Microsoft Word stands out among all its contemporaries in the word processing arena.

      A word processor can be electronic or mechanical. An electronic word processor can be in the form of a hardware device (such as PC); a simple or an integrated sophisticated software package (such as MS Word). The hardware and the software are complementary, in the sense that, without the other, neither can be used as a word processor. A mechanical word processor, on its part, can be in the form of the now less fashionable typewriters. Mechanical word processors don't need a software to perform a word processing task.

      A great advantage the electronic word processors have over the mechanical counterparts is that it makes it easier to produce a neat error-free document. Electronic word processors are more versatile, efficient and give the user greater control and better features to make word processing a desirable task.


      Thank you for taking your time to read this tutorial. Please continue to drop in again future updates and helpful tips. Your visits will surely be worth it. I sincerely appreciate your visits and presence here. If you are finding these tutorials and tips informative and helpful, please kindly recommend this blog to your friends. If, on the other hand, there is any area you feel improvement is needed, please kindly forward a piece of advice. These will be highly welcomed and appreciated. Feel free to drop comments or ask questions using the comment box below. Your comments will be promptly reviewed and published and your questions speedily looked into and answered in the best possible manner. Thanks.

      Creating Documents in Word 2002


      This tutorial will acquaint you with the procedures involved in creating Blank Documents, E-mail Messages, Web Pages and how to create a new document from existing documents or based on the General Templates. For detailed explanation of each of these types of Word documents, see the post, 'Types of Microsoft Word Documents' in this blog. I have decided to stick to using the commands on the Menu bar only in this tutorial. Knowing how to do things using the main menu commands will put you in better command/control of the environment, as well as make using the toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts easier to understand and use appropriately.



      Create a New Blank Document in Word 2002

      By default, when you load Word 2002 (or later), it starts with a new blank document, together with the Task Pane displayed at the right hand side of the workspace, within the window. As it is, you can start creating your document right away.

      However, if you have just one document currently running within your Word window, you will find that the window invariably turns Grey immediately you close/quit the active document, but NOT THE WORD WINDOW ITSELF. If you had previously, knowingly or  inadvertently, disabled the Standard toolbar and you are not geeky enough to know how to start another document, in this situation, without using the New Document shortcut button on the Standard toolbar or a keyboard shortcut, you will have no choice but exit Word first and restart it every time before you can create another blank document.

      So this section will walk you through the procedures of creating a new blank document in Word 2002 (or later versions) in any circumstance, using a Menu bar command and other alternative methods.
      The following graphic displays a typical Word window containing no open document.


      The following are the simple steps involved in creating a new blank document in Word 2002/2003:
      1. On the Menu bar, click File. The File menu is pulled down
      2. From the File menu, click New. This displays the New Document Task Pane.
      3. In the New Document task pane, under New, click Blank Document. A new blank document window will immediately appear.






      Create a New Document from a Copy of an Existing Document

      This option lets you create a new document from an existing document. Using this option, Word creates copy of an existing document  for you. You can then modify the copy and save it with a new name. By default, the file is saved in the same folder as the original, but you can change it if you like. Note that whatever changes you make to this document (the copy), will not reflect on the original.

      Steps:
      1. If the New Document task pane is not already displayed, on the File menu, click New.


      2. In the New Document task pane , under New from existing document, click Choose document. The New from Existing Document dialog box is displayed.
      3. Click the document you want to create a new document from. If you want to open a document that was saved in a different folder, locate and open the folder.
      4. Click Create New


      5. Make the desired changes to the document, and save it with a different name.




      Create a Blank Web Page
      1. If the New Document task pane is not already displayed on screen, from the File menu, click New.
      2. In the New Document task pane, under New, click Blank Web Page.  The document will be displayed in a Web Page view.
      3. Create and save the document. The created document will be saved in HTML format.

      Create a Web Page from an Existing Word Document

      In Word, you can easily convert a document into a Web Page document.

      Steps:
      1. Make sure the document you want to convert to a web page is already displayed on screen.
      2. On the File menu, click Save as Web Page. This opens the Save As dialog box.
      3. Choose an appropriate location (a drive and a folder) where to save the file.
      4. In the File name box, type a name for the document.
      5. Just above the File name box is a line of text. By default, Word picks a snippet of text from the first sentence of the document and display it here. This will become the text to display as the page title on the title bar of the browser. You can edit this if you like.
      6. To specify an appropriate page title text for the web page, click the Change Title button, enter the desired page title text in the Set Page Title dialog box that appears and click OK.
      7. Click Save.
      • You may now start a browser and preview the document in it.



      Create an E-mail Message in Word

      If your PC is connected to the internet or an intranet, and you have configured your e-mail client (e.g  Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express) appropriately, you can easily create and send a document straight from Word in your PC to your friends, relatives, customers, etc. The E-mail Message type of document in Microsoft Word enables you to do this. You can also send the body of an existing document as attachment, alongside an e-mail message.

      Steps:
      1. If the New document task pane is not already displayed, on the File menu, click New.
      2. In the New Document task pane, under New, click Blank E-mail Message. A blank E-mail message document window now displays. 
      3. In the To, and Cc boxes on the Envelope toolbar, enter the recipients details (e-mail addresses, or names, if such names together with their respective e-mail addresses already exist in an address book in your PC), separating them with a semi-colon.


        • You can select recipient names from an Address list by clicking on the icons beside To and Cc.
        • In the Subject box, type the subject of the message.
        • Type the message in the message area.
        • To insert a file or an item, click the drop down arrow beside the Insert File button, and select the File, or Item, depending on which you want to attach.
        • Click Send to have the message delivered to the recipients.


        Send an Existing Document as E-Mail Message
         Microsoft Word has made it real easy to forward Word documents from your PC to your contacts. You can send such documents, either as the body of an E-mail message or as an attachment. Note that you must have a working internet connection and a configured e-mail client before such documents can successfully leave your PC and get delivered to the recipients.

        Steps:
        1.      Make sure the document you want to send as e-mail message is already open.
        2.      From the File menu, select Send To…
        3.      On the Send To submenu, click Mail Recipient. The document now opens in an E-mail Message window, with the content of the current document loaded in the message area as the body of the message.
        4.      In the To, and Cc boxes on the Envelope toolbar, enter the recipients details (e-mail addresses, or names, if such names together with their respective e-mail addresses already exist in an address book in your PC), separating them with a semi-colon.
        •         You can select recipient names from an Address list by clicking on the icons beside To or Cc boxes.
        5.      In the Subject box, type the subject of the message.
        6.      The message area already displays the document as the body of the message. If necessary, edit it or simply add a postscript (P.S) text.
        7.      Click Send to send the message


        TIP:         
        •    To send the current document as an e-mail message, you can skip steps 2 and 3 above and simply click the E-mail button on the Standard toolbar. 
        •    If you only want to attach the current/existing document to an e-mail message, whereby you have a separate message in the message area of the e-mail message, choose Mail Recipient (as Attachment)…, from the Send To submenu inside the File menu.



        Create a New Document from General Templates
        Microsoft Word comes with a huge collection of document templates that you can base a document on. An important benefit of the inbuilt Word document templates is that they enable you to easily create a document of professional standard. Believe me, Word document templates can help save the day for you some day, it can even help save your job! (See the scenario under the heading, 'General Templates'.) With such templates offering you professional guide, you can easily create a document you are currently not quite familiar with.

        Steps:
        1. If the New Document task pane is not already displayed on screen, on the File menu, click New.
        2. In the New Document task pane, under New from template, click General Templates. The General Templates dialog box is opened. See below.
        3. Click the tab that best describes the kind of document you want to create.
        4. Double-click the icon for the document template or wizard you want to use.
        5. A document based on the selected template opens, giving you placeholders into which you can insert specific document elements. Now you can create a document based on this template. Click in each placeholder and insert the appropriate item.
        6. Type the body text of the document in the appropriate section.
        7. Save the document.

        TIP:
          • If you have recently used a template or wizard, it will appear under New from template, where you can just click to open it.
          • You can also create your own templates to store styles, AutoText entries, macros, and text that you plan to reuse often.






        Types of Microsoft Word Documents

        You can create many kinds of documents in Word, from or using any of the following new document options:

        • Blank Document
        • Blank Web Page
        • Blank E-mail Message
        • General Templates
        • Existing Document
        The choice or decision about which of these options you should use in creating your document would depend on, but not limited to, the following:
        • Your purpose for creating the document;
        • Destination of output or what you intend doing with the output.
        So you want to create a new document in Word? What for? Who is going to use it? Where, and in which form? What would be its fate, scope of audience and life span?

        Considering and providing cogent answers to the  questions above will enable you make a right choice while considering which kind of Word document to create or which option must be appropriate to use.

        For a document you want to create, its purpose or what you intend doing with it can be any of the following:
        • I simply want to create the document, and print it out to have a hard copy of it for private or formal use. ( Would you like to attach the document to an e-mail message or you want to send it as the body of an E-mail message?)
        • I want to create and send the content of the document electronically, from my computer to other computers, via e-mail addresses.
        • I want to publish the document to the internet (or an intranet) so that many people can have access to it from anywhere, anytime.
        • I'm not really familiar with this kind of document I want to, or I'm asked to create and don't really know how to go about creating it.
        • I want to create a document format that will be available to assist me (or others users) later in creating a new document, based on this format.
        • I want to create a new document from a document previously created and saved in my computer or network.
        Well, whichever is true in your case, the following sections will assist you in deciding which among the document options listed above will be most appropriate, or guide you in creating your new document.


        Blank Document
        As the name aptly implies, a Blank Document opens a blank document page where you can create your document from scratch. You do all the typing, editing and formatting without the software offering you any suggestions, directions or guidelines regarding what to type, where to type it, or the best structure for the document.

        Start with a new document when you want to create a traditional printed document, e.g. Time Table, handout, letter, curriculum vitae (CV), etc.

        You should also start with a Blank Document if you wish to send the document content to a mail recipient as attachment.

        TIP: Blank Document is most appropriate for the first statement above.


        Blank Web Page

        This offers a blank page in Web Layout View where you can create a web document from scratch. Use a Blank Web Page if you intend to display the content of the document on an intranet, or on the internet in a web browser. Web documents are automatically saved in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) format.

        TIP: Blank Web Page is most appropriate for the third statement above.


        Blank E-mail Message
        An E-mail Message is a document you create and send directly from Word to other people in different locations. Use an E-mail Message if you want to compose and send a message or a document to others directly from Word.

        An E-mail message includes an e-mail Envelope toolbar in which you can enter the recipient's Name (or e-mail address if you have not previously stored the address with the names in an Address or Contact list in your computer or network) and the Subject of the message; set message properties and Send it.

        TIP:  Blank E-mail Message is most appropriate for the second statement above.




        General Templates
        To explain this kind of option for creating a Word document, let's quickly consider a scenario below:

        Imagine a scenario wherein you recently secured a job as the Secretary to the Director of a large private firm that is constantly in correspondence with both domestic and foreign enterprises. Sadly, for three days now, your boss has been inordinately displeased with your performance and is no longer confident with your suitability for the office, because he now suspects you don't appear to be proficient in word processing (who knows, probably his new girl friend who is a computer whiz-kid is already pestering him to take over your office). Then, this fateful afternoon, your paranoid boss just storms into your cubicle, seriously exasperated over your last work, and threatens to dismiss you if again you ever make such simple mistakes in the content, layout, structure, and tone of the letters or any other official document he asks you to create for him (the company, to be precise).


        So, as the last chance to prove your skills, he hurriedly dictates a note and asks you to use it to create a professional fax (which you have never created before) to be forwarded to a customer in London; and then another note which you must use in a contemporary memo ( you don't even know how this one looks like), notifying all the company's employees of an urgent meeting which is to hold the following day. He gives you only thirty (30) minutes to submit the printed documents to his table.

        In this situation, what would you do? Would you tell him you don't know how these documents look like or how to create them? If you do that, boy, I bet your boss won't hesitate relieving you of your well-paid job and replace you with, maybe, his girlfriend

        But what would you do to impress your boss and to make him retain you. The simple answer is ,"you have nothing to worry about". Why? Because, the General templates in Word are all there to guide you".

        Use a template when you want to create a new document based on a ready-made format. The General Templates dialog  box offers different kind of documents and wizards to assist you in creating a new document based on ready-made formats and structure.

        TIP: General Templates provides solution to the    fourth and fifth statements above.


        Existing Document
        This allows you to create a new document from a copy of a document that has been previously created and saved in your PC or network.

        Using the Existing Document option makes it possible for you to create a new document from a copy of an existing document which you can modify and then save with a new name or in a new location. In this case, whatever changes you make to the document will be affecting the copy of the document only, while the original copy remains intact. 












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