Word Help Options
Microsoft Word provides a variety of online help to assist you in learning
how to use the program's features. Click Help on the Menu Bar to
see (and access) what is available.
The Office Assistant
(Microsoft Word Help)
Quick access to information can be obtaining using a Help feature called
"The Office Assistant". Click the Microsoft Word Help button — a
question mark (?) — on the toolbar at the top of the window, or click
Help
on the Menu Bar and choose Show the Office Assistant. The "Office
Assistant" will appear — as a paperclip (or some other icon) — with a dialog
bubble where you can pose questions. Simply type the question (or word
or phrase) in the space provided, click the Search button to get
a list of possible topics, and then click the topic desired. |
FIGURE 1. The "Office Assistant" |
|
| |
|
Unless you turn this feature off by hiding or disabling the assistant,
the "Office Assistant" automatically pops up on your screen whenever it
thinks you may need some help with what you're doing. In this case, the
dialog bubble will ask if you need help with the task the "Office Assistant"
thinks you are trying to accomplish. To hide or disable the Office Assistant,
please see Office Assistant Options below.
You can close the dialog bubble but leave the Office Assistant on the
screen by clicking the Close button. To end your Office Assistant
session, click the Close button [X]
in the upper right-hand corner of the little Office Assistant window.
Office Assistant Options:
-
If the Office Assistant is hidden or disabled, then on the main menu bar
click Help. Choose Show the Office Assistant.
-
When the Office Assistant is active, you may temporarily hide the assistant
by right clicking on it and choosing Hide from the pop-up menu.
-
If you would like to disable the Office Assistant (so that it doesn't automatically
pop up while you're working), then follow these steps:
-
Right click on the Office Assistant while it is active.
-
Choose Options.
-
Click on the Options tab if it is not already highlighted.
-
Uncheck Use the Office Assistant by clicking on the box to the left
of it.
-
Click OK at the bottom of the screen.
This will disable the Office Assistant until you choose to activate
it again by clicking on Help and then Show the Office Assistant.
|
Microsoft Word Help
If you disable the Office Assistant (as described above), you can take
additional advantage of the Microsoft Word Help feature. By clicking on
the Microsoft Word Help button or by going to Help on the
main menu and then clicking on Microsoft Word Help, you will be
able to look at a list of Contents, use the Answer Wizard, or access an
Index of alphabetized topics. To use any of these features, simply click
the appropriate tab. Double click on the topic that you are interested
in or type the topic or question when prompted. On the right-hand side
of the help screen, you will see your topic in more detail. If you would
like to print the information for later use, simply click on the Print
button at the top of the screen. Once you have obtained the information
you need, click on the Close [X]
button in the upper right-hand corner to close Help.
What's This
When you choose What's This? from the Help menu, the mouse pointer
changes to an arrow with a question mark next to it. Point to any menu
item or feature button to get a brief description of what it does and how
to use it. When you've read the information, click anywhere in the document
portion of the Word "workplace" to continue.
You can also use What's This? to display the formatting characteristics
of a paragraph or character. Click What's This? on the Help menu
and then click on a character in the paragraph you want to check. A dialog
"bubble" will describe paragraph and font characteristics. When you finish
checking the text, tap the ESC
key.
Office on the Web
The Office on the Web menu option takes you to the Word page of
the Microsoft Office Update website. Browse the site for helpful information
about Word and answers to questions you may have. You need Internet connectivity
and a Web browser in order to make use of this feature. |