Sometimes called Winword, MS Word, or Word, Microsoft Word is a word processor published by Microsoft. It is one of the office productivity applications included in the Microsoft Office suite. Originally developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, it was first released in 1983.

Microsoft Word is available for Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, Android, and Apple iOS. It can also run on the Linux operating system using WINE.

What is Microsoft Word used for?

Microsoft Word lets you create professional-quality documents, reports, letters, and résumés. Unlike a plain text editor, Microsoft Word has features including spell check, grammar check, text and font formatting, HTML support, image support, advanced page layout, and more.

  • What is Microsoft Word used for?
  • What does the Microsoft Word editor look like?
  • Where do you find or start Microsoft Word?
  • How to open Microsoft Word without using a mouse
  • What are the uses of Microsoft Word?
  • How many lines are there on a page in Microsoft Word?
  • What type of files can Microsoft Word create and use?
  • Example of a Microsoft Word .doc file.
  • Why use Word instead of a plain-text editor?
  • Why use Word instead of a WordPad?
  • What are the different versions of Microsoft Word?
  • Related information.
  • Microsoft Word help and support.

What does the Microsoft Word editor look like?

Below is an overview of a Microsoft Word 2010 document.

Where do you find or start Microsoft Word?

If you have Microsoft Word or the entire Microsoft Office package installed on Microsoft Windows, you can access Microsoft Word in your Start menu.

See our Ribbon page for further information on the Ribbon. For an overview of the tools on the Ribbon, see: Overview of the Microsoft Office Ribbon.

Keep in mind that new computers do not include Microsoft Word. It must be purchased and installed before running it on your computer. If you do not want (or cannot afford) to purchase Microsoft Word, you can use a limited version for free at the Microsoft Office website.

If Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, but you can’t find it in your Start menu, use the following steps to launch Microsoft Word manually.

There are also free word processing programs you can try that are very similar to Microsoft Word. See: Where can I get a free word processor?

  • Open My Computer or File Explorer.

  • Click or select the C: drive. If Microsoft Office is installed on a drive other than the C: drive, select that drive instead.

  • Find and open the Program Files (x86) or Program Files folder.

  • Open the Microsoft Office folder.

  • In the Microsoft Office folder, open the root folder. Then open the OfficeXX folder, where XX is the version of Microsoft Office (e.g., Office16 for Microsoft Office 2016) installed on your computer.

  • Find and double-click the file named WINWORD.EXE to start the Microsoft Word program.

How to open Microsoft Word without using a mouse

  • Press the Windows key.
  • Type Word and select the Microsoft Word entry in the search results.
  • If Microsoft Word does not open after selecting it in the search results, press Enter to launch it.

What are the uses of Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word is a word processor, and, like other word processors, it’s capable of helping users create a variety of different types of documents. For example, users can create a résumé, business contract, instruction document, or a letter to another person. We’ve included a list of the top uses of a word processor on our word processor page.

If there is no root folder, look for and open the folder with Office in the folder name.

How many lines are there on a page in Microsoft Word?

By default, there are 29 lines on one page in Microsoft Word.

What type of files can Microsoft Word create and use?

Early versions of Microsoft Word primarily created and used the .doc file extension, while newer versions of Word create and use the .docx file extension.

More recent versions of Microsoft Word support the creation and opening of these types of files:

  • .doc, .docm, .docx
  • .dot, .dotm, .dotx
  • .htm, .html
  • .mht, .mhtml
  • .odt
  • .pdf
  • .rtf
  • .txt
  • .wps
  • .xps
  • .xml

Example of a Microsoft Word .doc file

We created a Microsoft Word document that you can download and open in most word processor programs, including Microsoft Word. Click the link below to download the example Word document and experiment more with a word processing document.

  • Download example.doc

Why use Word instead of a plain-text editor?

Microsoft Word offers many features not found in a traditional text editor or a plain-text file. Some advantages include changing the formatting (e.g., center), editing the font type, size, and color, inserting pictures, and more.

Why use Word instead of a WordPad?

A rich-text editor, like WordPad, offers many of the same basic features as Microsoft Word. Where Microsoft Word differs is the ability to do more advanced features. The advanced features include mail merges, spellchecker, styles, tables, headers & footers, WordArt, columns, margins, and more.

The features above are also available in a rich-text editor, such as WordPad, which is included with Microsoft Windows.

What are the different versions of Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word has had several versions throughout its history. The different releases with release dates are listed below.

Windows versions

  • Word 2019, released in 2018
  • Office 365 and Word 2016, released in 2016
  • Word 2013, released in 2013
  • Word 2010, released in 2010
  • Word 2007, released in 2006
  • Word 2003, released in 2003
  • Word 2002, released in 2001
  • Word 2000, released in 1999
  • Word 98, released in 1998
  • Word 97, released in 1997
  • Word 95, released in 1995
  • Word 6.0, released in 1993
  • Word 2.0, released in 1991
  • Word 1.1, released in 1990
  • Word 1.0, originally invented for MS-DOS and Xenix in 1983 by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, working for Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Word was released in the Windows OS in 1989

Mac versions

  • Word 2019, released in 2018
  • Word 2016, released in 2015
  • Word 2011, released in 2010
  • Word 2008, released in 2008
  • Word 2004, released in 2004
  • Word v. X, released in 2001
  • Word 2001, released in 2000
  • Word 98, released in 1998
  • Word 6, released in 1993
  • Word 5.1, released in 1992
  • Word 5, released in 1991
  • Word 4, released in 1989
  • Word 3, released in 1987
  • Word 1, released in 1985

Desktop publishing, Editor, Google Docs, Office, Office 365, Office Online, Software terms, WordPad, Word processor, Word processor terms

  • How to create a document.
  • How to add or remove a header or footer in Word.
  • How to open Microsoft Word documents in Linux.
  • Where can I get a free word processor?
  • Microsoft Word tips
  • Microsoft Word help and support.