Chapter 1. Getting Started with Microsoft Office 2013

Although Microsoft Office 2013 is intuitive and easy to use, it’s worth spending several minutes exploring its interface and navigation tools. The most common of these include the Ribbon, Backstage view, the Quick Access toolbar, the mini toolbar, contextual tabs, and task panes.

If you’re upgrading from Office 2007 or 2010, the basic Office interface should be reasonably familiar. There are enhancements to the Ribbon and Backstage view, but these key features still work in much the same way. If you’re upgrading from a previous Office version, however, take your time exploring the new ways to use and navigate Office.

The first thing you’ll notice when you start most Office 2013 applications is the new start screen that welcomes you. This screen is color-coded: blue for Word, green for Excel, and red for PowerPoint. Outlook and OneNote, however, open directly to the Home tab, bypassing the start screen.

For now, let’s start with a quick tour of Microsoft Office 2013.