Word Beginner Course: 10 Free Lessons With Practice Documents

Most people use Word like a typewriter: bold for headings, spaces to line things up, Enter to start a new page. It works until the document is 30 pages and every change breaks the layout. These ten lessons teach the handful of features that make long documents behave: styles, headings, sections, tables, mail merge, track changes and templates.

Each lesson has a practice .docx file with a task list at the top. About 20–30 minutes per lesson.

  1. 1Word Lesson 1: Styles — The One Word Skill That Saves HoursStop formatting text by hand. Use Word styles for headings and body text, modify a style once to change the whole document,…
  2. 2Word Lesson 2: Headings, Navigation Pane and Table of ContentsUse heading levels to structure a document, jump and reorganise sections with the Navigation Pane, insert an automatic table of contents, update…
  3. 3Word Lesson 3: Page Layout — Margins, Orientation, Breaks and SectionsControl how pages look: margins and paper size, page breaks instead of repeated Enter, section breaks for a landscape page in a…
  4. 4Word Lesson 4: Tables in WordInsert and convert tables, apply table styles, repeat header rows, align numbers, merge and split cells, simple formulas like =SUM(ABOVE), sort a…
  5. 5Word Lesson 5: Images, Shapes and Text WrappingInsert pictures and icons, compress them, control text wrapping and position so images stop jumping around, anchor and lock them, add captions,…
  6. 6Word Lesson 6: Mail Merge — Letters and Labels From ExcelSend the same letter to many people with their own details: connect Word to an Excel list, insert merge fields, format amounts…
  7. 7Word Lesson 7: Track Changes and CommentsReview documents without losing anyone’s edits: turn on Track Changes, choose markup views, accept or reject edits, reply to and resolve comments,…
  8. 8Word Lesson 8: Templates and Quick PartsStop rebuilding the same letter: create a company letterhead template (.dotx), start new documents from it, save reusable blocks with Quick Parts…
  9. 9Word Lesson 9: Word Shortcuts That MatterThe keyboard shortcuts that make a real difference in Word: selecting text, formatting, styles, Find and Replace, change case, repeat last action,…
  10. 10Word Lesson 10: PDF, Sharing and Co-authoringFinish and share documents properly: inspect and remove hidden data, save as PDF with bookmarks, restrict editing, protect with a password, share…

Next: the PowerPoint Beginner Course and Outlook Beginner Course.