Microsoft Word Backstage View with the File Tab: Lesson: 04
In this lesson, we’ll learn about the Microsoft Word Backstage View with the File tab. The Backstage view was introduced in Word 2010. It acts as the central place for managing your documents. The Microsoft Word backstage view helps to create new documents, open, save, and save as, print, share, export documents, and more.
Open Microsoft Word backstage view with the File Tab:
Just click the File tab, located in the upper-left corner of the Microsoft Word Ribbon. If you don’t have any open documents then you will see a window listing all recently opened documents as above.
If you already have a document open, then it will display a window with details about the open document as shown below. The backstage view shows three columns when most of the options available in the first column are selected.
Options:
The first column of the Microsoft Word backstage view will have the following options:
| Option | Description |
| Home | In this option, you can see various free templates and recently opened files. |
| New | This option is used to open a new document. |
| Open | Clicking this option, you can see currently or recently opened files and folders. |
| Recent | This option lists all recently opened documents |
| Open | This option is used to open an existing word document. |
| Info | This option displays information about the open document. |
| Save | If an existing document is opened, it will be saved as is, otherwise, a dialog box will appear asking for the name of the document. |
| Save as
| A dialog box will be displayed asking for the name of the document and the type of document, by default it will be saved in word 2010 format with the extension .docx. |
| This option is used to print an open document. | |
| Share | This option will save an open document and display options to send the document using email, etc. |
| Export | This option allows you to create PDF/XPS document |
| Close | Use this option to close the document and exit. |
| Account | This option allows you to change the theme color and more information about the office suite. |
| Feedback | You can send feedback to Microsoft. |
| Option | This option is used to set various options related to Word 2010. |
Document information:
Clicking the Info option available in the first column displays the following information in the second column of the behind the scenes view –
- Compatibility Mode: – If the document is not a native Word 2007/2010 document, a Convert button appears here that allows you to easily update its format. Otherwise, this category does not appear.
- Protect Document: – You can use this option to protect your word document. You can set a password so that no one can open your document, or you can lock the document so that no one can edit it.
- Prepare to share: – This section highlights important information to know about your document before sending it to others, such as a record of the edits you made while developing the document.
- Manage document: – If the document has been saved multiple times, you may be able to access previous versions of the document from this section.
Document Properties:
When you click the Info option available in the first column, various properties are displayed in the third column of the Microsoft Word backstage view. These properties include the size of the document, the number of pages in the document, the total number of words in the document, the name of the author, and so on.
You can also edit various properties by clicking on the property value and if the property is editable then a text box will be displayed where you can add your text like title, tags, comments, and Author.
Exit Microsoft Word Backstage view:
It’s easy to get out from the Microsoft Word Backstage view. Click the File tab, or back arrow key, or press the Esc button on your keyboard to return to Word’s working mode.
