Microsoft | WindowsTalk.org

Dec

Which Internet Browser Should I Use?

So many browsers, so little time… As it turns out, the majority of computer users automatically use some version of Internet Explorer by Microsoft. Most Internet Explorer users are happy with the browser’s performance and don’t give it a second thought. But what many people don’t realize is that there are several other competitive browsers available that may offer better features tailored to meet your needs.

Let’s start with the most familiar…

Internet Explorer 9

Internet Explorer 9 is the latest browser version available, and it offers the ability to pin favorite websites in the taskbar. This will provide quick shortcuts to the websites that you use the most on a day-to-day basis. The browser now has a redesigned Notification Bar that will allow you to browse the Internet and process notifications when it is most convenient for you. Internet Explorer also now (finally) has a download manager and the One Box feature for singular search and navigation.

Firefox

Firefox is holding second place in the market next to Internet Explorer. It can be used with Windows, Linux, and OS X and provides a wide variety of features. These features include spell-checking, a download manager, private browsing, and tabbed browsing. You can also explore through literally thousands of Add On features that can be downloaded and installed directly to improve your browsing experience.

Safari

Safari is the browser by Apple used by Mac users, and there is also a version available for Windows. Safari is aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. It offers searchable history, full page zoom, and fast performance, similar to Google Chrome. If you’re an RSS user, Safari provides an RSS reader, RSS bookmarking, and RSS aggregation.

Chrome

Chrome by Google made a splash in December 2008. It offers the simplicity that has been trademarked by Google with improved speed, stability, and security. Chrome is minimalistic, which sets it apart from many competing web browsers today. However, Chrome is much faster than other browsers and offers convenient tabbed browsing. Security is another attraction for Chrome users; Chrome relies on the Google sandboxing technology to protect a computer from viruses, spyware, and other malicious programs from fraudulent websites.

Opera 11

Many computer users may not be familiar with the Opera 11 browser, but it is ideal for those with older, slower computers. It uses significantly less memory than other browsers and can load quickly, even if you have a slow connection. Unfortunately, it isn’t compatible with quite a few popular websites and also won’t support instant streaming on Netflix.

Bethany Ramos is a full-time freelance writer that co-owns her own e-commerce website, The Coffee Bump. The Coffee Bump specializes in a wide variety of coffee makers Bunn and assorted coffee and espresso products.

Categories Microsoft, Software, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Customize Windows Live Hotmail: Part 1

by James M. Fisher

Over the years I have used just about every email client there is, some out of curiosity, but I was always searching for one that was right for me. I think the first one I used in Windows was Outlook Express, which came bundled with Internet Explorer. I tried others, like Eudora, Netscape mail (remember those names from the past?) and many others I have long forgotten about.

Now I have used Windows Live Hotmail for years. Since December 23rd, 2001, to be exact. That’s 10 years now!

While many may use Hotmail (I am here referring to the Web version, not Windows Live Mail, which is part of Windows Live Essentials and needs to be installed on your PC) not all have explored its various features and how it can be personalized to help keep you organized and efficient in handling not only your Hotmail account, but other email accounts as well.
This series will look at several different ways to customize Hotmail; Part 1 will look at automatically sorting email into folders.

Sort it!

Do you have all your email in your Inbox? Tired of searching through hundreds of emails to find that recipe or photograph your friend sent you, or an invoice for something you purchased online? Then you need to take advantage of Hotmail’s sorting feature.

First of all, you need to create some folders to sort emails into. This is easily done by clicking on the sunburst icon next to Folders in Hotmail located in the left column, then click ‘Add a new folder’:

Create a new folder in Hotmail

On the next screen, you give the folder a name, such as Friends, for instance, then tell Hotmail whether this is to be a top level folder (directly under Inbox), or a sub folder under another folder, such as Personal, or in my case, James. Now that you have a Friends folder, you can drag all emails from your friends into that folder. Use the sorting options at the top of the email column if necessary (from Contacts, Arrange by, etc).

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Now, let’s create a rule to automatically have email from a friend (say Jane Doe) automatically go into the Friends folder instead of the Inbox. At the very top right of the Hotmail page, you will see your name, and under it, a link titled Options. Click on it and select More options….

More options for Hotmail

Now you will see the main Hotmail options page:

Hotmail Options Page

Now click on “Rules for sorting new messages” highlighted above. On the next window, click on New and the Create Rule page appears. In step 1, enter the email address of Jane Doe, then in step 2, enter the action to be taken. In this case, we want Jane’s emails to go right into the Friends folder, so beside ‘Move to Inbox” click on the little arrow and select the Friends folder, then click the Save button. Done!

Now you can create other folders as required and create rules for any email addresses you want to go into them instead of the Inbox. I have ones for Invoices, eBay, Web site, Forums and so on. Make it a goal to get your Inbox organized today!

Part 2 of this series will consider another little-known feature of Hotmail…subscribe to the WindowsTalk newsletter to get notifications of all new posts including giveaways and contests.

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Categories General, Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
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Nov

5 Ways to be More Productive on Microsoft Word 2010

by Guest Post

Microsoft Word is a word-processing program which helps you write and organise documents efficiently and which allows you to work easily with others.

The latest version – Microsoft Word 2010 – comes as part of the Microsoft Office 2010 package. Microsoft Office student offers are available online from reputable software resellers and give incredible discounts on software for pupils.

Here are just 5 ways that this latest version of Word 2010 can make you more productive:

Work in Word from virtually anywhere – Access Word in your browser and on your mobile phone! With the ability to access your information from more places, your ideas, projects etc can still be done even when you’re not at your desk. Microsoft Word Web App is an online companion to Microsoft Word which allows you to edit your documents in a Web browser when you’re away from your desk, without compromising on quality.
Working together on a project is something all students encounter at some stage on their course. Word 2010 helps you work together more successfully and without having to wait your turn. Its co-authoring capabilities mean that you can edit documents and share ideas with your colleagues at the same time and in other locations. You can also communicate instantly with others as you work.
Create visually compelling documents more easily – Word 2010 has many new and improved tools which provide artistic effects for both pictures and text. New picture-editing tools enable you to add special effects without using additional photo-editing software, enabling you to turn a simple document into a work of art.
With Word 2010 you can locate information faster and easier using the improved Navigation Pane and Find tools. Now you can view a summary of search results in a single pane, and click to access any individual result. A visual outline of your document means you can browse and find what you want quickly and easily.
Recover unsaved work – Have you ever spent hours on a document only to accidentally close it without saving? Now, in Word 2010, you can recover draft versions of recently edited files quickly and easily, even if you forgot to save the document.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 is available to students and teachers at specially discounted rates – often with savings of up to 90% – as cheap as £37.89 inc VAT . The package includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Publisher 2010, Outlook with Business Contact Manager 2010, OneNote 2010, Access 2010, InfoPath 2010, SharePoint Workspace and Lync.

Categories Microsoft, Software
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Nov

4 Ways to Run Windows on a Mac

by Guest Post

Ok so you’re a die hard Mac user, it’s does everything you need it to, but wait, what happens when you’re working on a new project and you need a piece of software that only runs on a Microsoft Windows operating system? Uh oh, you’re in trouble.

Here at a Integral IT we encountered this problem last week, not with a client, but with one of our employees sons who has a Macbook but wanted to play a game that was on WIndows only! Luckily, there is a solution, and it’s not as extreme as having to ditch your beloved Mac and buy a whole new Windows PC.
There may be an alternative

Before jumping the gun, find out whether there’s a Mac-based alternative piece of software you can use. In most cases there is an alternative application that will do what you need.

Use Virtualisation Software

Virtualisation means that you can run a “virtual” copy of Microsoft windows on your Mac. It runs just like any other Mac program and allows you to install Windows and switch between the 2 operating systems as you wish. For this type of software to work you need an Intel processeor, which all Macs from 2008 onwards come equipped with. You also need to be running OS X Version 10.4.6 or higher. To check this, click the apple in the top left hand corner of your monitor and select “About this Mac”. You will also need your own copy of Windows. Two good pieces of software to accomplish this task are VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop. You can try them both for free.

Boot your Mac up with Windows

The Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6 and above) comes with a handy piece of software called Boot Camp. This enabled you to boot up your Mac with Windows
instead of Mac OS. The downside is you’ll have to restart your Mac each time you want to use Windows, but the big benefit is that Windows gets to use all
your Macs processing power for it’s own needs. So if you’re planning on using memory heavy programs then this is the best route to go down. Again, you’ll
need a copy of Windows to make this work. You can find out more on the |Apple website.

The even more technical method

There is another alternative, but it’s not for the non tech minded and does require a little bit of knowledge such as using a terminal. However, if you want to avoid the expense of buying Windows and some virtualisation software then you might to check out the open source Wine project. This tool lets you run some (but not all) windows applications, and you will have to buy each individual application (if they cost in the first place). It can be quite tricky to master. There is a program call Winebottler that is designed to make
using the Wine Project easier, but that’s still in Beta.

But there you have it, 4 ways to use Windows on your Mac. Let us know your preferred method.

Guest post written by Helen Clough, she works for IT Support Company Integral IT. She’s a Windows girl at heart and won’t be heading over to Mac any time soon.

Categories Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
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Nov

How to Show Hidden Folders

by Roger Corwin

Normally folders and files are hidden because they are important to the operating system such as the Windows XP on your desktop or laptop. It is hidden because the less you are exposed to it; it is less likely that you will damage or discard the files “accidentally.” However, there will come a time when you will need to access these files for various reasons; typically persons access these files when there are viruses on the system and it needs to be cleaned. Sometimes you may need to access these files for debugging purposes or it may be a case that the system needs to recover from a spyware attack. Here are instructions on how to show hidden folders.

Required Tools

Computer

Required Materials

An operating system (For example, Windows XP)

Instructions

The following instructions are for Windows XP and Explorer

To access hidden folders, you first need to open any folder in Explorer.
After opening the folder, choose Tools which is located on top of your screen in the toolbar.
After you choose tools, then click on Folder Options.
A multi-tabbed dialog box will be shown; you must choose the “View” tab.
Click on “Show Hidden Files and Folders.”
Finally click on OK to close the dialog box.

The following instructions are for Windows 2003

Close every document, folder or file so that only the desktop is seen.
Find the My Computer icon and double-click on it.
Find the Tools menu and choose Folder Options.
Click View tab.
Afterwards, click on Display the contents of system folders.
Look under the Hidden Files and Folder section and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.
Undo the check mark from the box labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
Undo the check mark from the box labeled Hide protected operating system files.
Select the Apply button and then OK and Shutdown my computer.
The computer will configure to show all hidden files and folders.

The following instructions are for Windows Vista

Show desktop
Click on the Start button
Select the Control Panel menu option
Once the panel is open, you may be in Classic View or Control Panel Home view
If you are in the Classic View, double click on the Folder options icon, select View tab and then under Hidden Files and Folders, select Show Hidden Files and Folders. If you are in the Control Panel Home View, select Appearance and Personalization icon, then click on Show Hidden Files and Folders. You will continue with steps six through to eight.
Un-check the box labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
Un-check the box labeled Hide protected operating system files
Select the Apply button and then OK so that Windows will be configured to show you hidden files and folders.

Tips and Warning

When you learn to view hidden files and folders, you will be aware of harmful programs such as viruses, spyware and you will be able to discover hijackers being a nuisance to you and others.
If you no longer want to see your hidden files and folders, you can check back boxes that states “hide files” (etc).

Categories Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
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Nov

Microsoft Word Defects & Shortcomings Every User Should Know

by Guest Post

Microsoft Word is the most popular and widely-used word processing program. It is used by individuals and companies for creating a wide range of documents, from personal musings to letters to essays to reports to novels. In addition to putting words together, you can add images, graphs, and more. There are so many features and capabilities in Word that it’s hard to imagine needing any other processing program. In fact it may be the only program from the Microsoft Office Suite that many people ever use.

All the great features of Microsoft Word and the ease of using them are what make it so loved by all. It is an incredibly user-friendly program. While there are so many advantages to using Word, it’s worth it to consider the disadvantages, too. Even the most popular program will have some negative aspects about it. To many people, these cons won’t make a difference. They’ll still use and enjoy Microsoft Word. But if you’re interested, here are some of the disadvantages to Word to think about.

Formatting

Auto-formatting on Word can be incredibly difficult to deal with sometimes. It is very inflexible and will hold your document to all the rigid rules of the format you select or create. If you are auto-formatting it can sometimes seem impossible to alter your document the way you want it, and it can be maddeningly frustrating to even make a minor tweak. If you’re very particular about how your document looks and want the ability to change it as needed, avoid using auto-format.

Cost and Capabilities

If you need to purchase a word processor, Microsoft Word is comparatively very expensive. Because wide-spread use makes it almost essential to have, and because it has an incredible range of capabilities, Word justifies charging a lot. If you only need to do some simple typing, you could easily go with a simpler, less expensive word processing program.

Compatibility

Unfortunately, there are a lot of different versions of Microsoft Word, and they aren’t very compatible with each other. Mainly the problem lies in that documents created in the newest version of Word may not open properly in older versions, especially if you are using a format only available in the newer version. Your document might look differently than you intend it to, and this could pose a problem for something like sending your resume to a potential employer who uses a different version of Word or a different word processor altogether.

Big Files

Microsoft Word has a lot of hidden coding that inflates the size of your documents to much larger than they really need to be. Your documents will take up more space than necessary on your computer and in your emails.

Grammar Checker and Thesaurus

The Microsoft Word grammar checker is not extremely good at its job. It will often flag sentences that are perfectly fine, or miss other glaring and obvious mistakes completely. While it can sometimes helpfully catch an error, you absolutely cannot rely on Word to proofread your grammar. In addition, the thesaurus is limited, and it doesn’t always offer you the best suggestions for synonyms.

Grammarly invites you to enhance your grammar knowledge by adding our grammar rules handbook to your favorites.

Categories General, Microsoft, Software
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Nov

Can Windows 8 Deliver for Microsoft?

by Guest Post

With smartphones and tablets taking up more and more of our browsing time, people have forgotten about the operating system monopoly that Microsoft still has with their Windows software. Sure, Google and Apple are taking more innovations, leaps, and bounds when it comes to exploring new ways to access information, but nearly every home with a computer in America is running on a Windows platform. While the platform is tried and tested, Microsoft is planning to revamp its image with their next installment of the software, Windows 8.
The biggest noticeable change to Windows is the new metro style browser they have put in place. Instead of the traditional format of different applications located on a standard bar on the bottom of the screen, the desktop will be much more interactive with different applications being featured on a touch style interface. This will make it easier to perform functions like reverse phone lookup and other Internet browsing tasks by making the desktop more like a smartphone instead of the traditionally clunky Windows interface.
If anyone decides to upgrade to Windows 8 and doesn’t like the metro style interface, they can always change back to an older style. This has been a feature that Windows has included in pretty much every one of their incarnations. But when quoted in an article at PC World, the Chicago Sun-Times reporter Andy Inhatko says that the old Windows interface looks like a drunken uncle at a fancy wedding when compared to the new Metro design.
One of the developers currently working on Windows 8 content is the struggling computer and tablet manufacturer HP. According to a report on Fox News, developers at HP are busy conducting proof of concept work with Windows 8. When HP tried to launch their line of tablets using the WebOS platform, they failed miserably. Now their products are being offered at slashed prices in order to get them off of shelves. By teaming up with a giant like Windows, HP can sell more of their products and not rely on such a shoddy operating system.
Microsoft’s primary objective with their new software is to impact the smartphone and tablet market and carve out a place for themselves. Android, Apple, and even Blackberry all have a stronger presence in the market than any Microsoft product. Brands like Nokia and HTC are all trying to find the best ways to utilize the Windows operating system onto their phones. Android and iOS 5 are currently dominating the market, but Windows wants to rely on its brand name in order to succeed.
Microsoft may be an afterthought when it comes to cutting edge technology these days. Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google are dominating the headlines, while Bill Gates’ company silently lingers in the background like a slumbering giant. With the Windows 8 operating system soon launching, we may awaken the Microsoft beast.

Categories General, Microsoft, Software
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Nov

Syncing Backup Files To External Hard Drives

by Mitz

Nowadays there are many different kinds of computer backup storage, however if you choose to use external hard drives for your backup process, syncing backup files with your computer is highly recommended. This might sound extremely difficult but it syncing backup files to external hard drives is probably one of the easiest and most cost-effective backup method available.

External hard drives are so cheap at the moment, that it is almost a crime. Therefore if you are strapped for cash then this could be an affordable backup method to you.

Syncing backup files by copy and paste

this is by far the easiest way to sync backup files to external hard drives. We all basically know how to copy and paste files from one location to the next. All you have to do is buy an external hard drive, connect it to your computer via the USB port, and start copying and pasting.

If you are truly a beginner then here is an example for you:

Connect your external hard drive to your computer. You will see an icon for the external hard drive show up in the “my computer” section for Windows XP, or “computer”, for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
browse through your computer to find the files that you want to copy.
You can select these files by making them blue.
Right click on the blue area and a menu will come up. Choose copy from the menu. You can also press CTRL and C on the keyboard.
After copying your backup files, go to your external hard drive and find the location of where you want to store the files.
Right click in the area and choose paste from the menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcut for pasting which is CRTL and V.

This method of syncing backup files to external hard drives is both time-consuming and dangerous as it relies on you not to make mistakes. It also relies on you remembering to backup. Of course it is the cheapest and most affordable way and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Syncing backup files to external hard drives using Windows

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if you are using Windows as your operating system, especially the latest versions of Windows Vista or Windows 7, this includes a backup wizard that makes syncing your backup files to external hard drives very easy. This is one of the most obvious backup methods that you can use, however many people often overlooked this option. They simply do not realize that Windows includes a decent backup program within its operating system.

If you would like to check out the Windows backup wizard, simply visit your Control Panel and look for the backup and restore Wizard icon.

Securing your backup files on your external hard drives

Having an external hard drive to use to backup your files is fantastic, but there are a few risks that you need to take care of. One of the major risks is that external hard drives at easy to pick up and steel compare it to a desktop computer or a laptop. Especially the smaller external hard drives. You can simply placed them in your pocket and no one would be the wiser. Making sure that your external hard drive with all your precious files on it, is safe and secure, you will need to take proper precautions and be aware that this small device holds important files on it.

Another risk that people forget about is that if the external hard drive is stolen, the files are extremely easy to access. This can be taking care of by the some versions of the Windows backup wizard. It supports encryption and is password-based, therefore requiring you to remember the password.

Best Way To Backup Files To External Hard Drives

I am a total computer freak and if I was relying on external hard drives only as my backup method, I would probably have the following rules:

I would use to external hard drives. All password protected.
I would create an automated backup through the windows backup wizard, each hard drive having alternate dates.
For permanent backup files such as templates and legal documents, I would store on an encrypted hard drive and hide that in a safe place away from my computer. Possibly a safety deposit box at an external address.

What are the chances of lightning striking and frying my computer, and both external hard drives? That would be a very rare..

I have written many more articles you might be interested in about this subject with step by step instructions, screen shots and even computer video tutorials.

My name is Mitz Pantic and I’ve been working with computers for over 25 years and love to teach people how to use their computers. Be sure to visit me at my computer tips website and say hello in the comments section. Also do not forget to sign-up for my free computer tips newsletter and receive a free 59 page Computer Terms Dictionary!

If you have any tips for syncing backup files to external hard drives please share them with us by leaving your comment below.

Categories Hardware, Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
Comments (34)

Oct

Evaluating Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps

by Guest Post

Teams that are working in the Clouds need the best collaboration tools of the day to effectively create and manage their projects. The seamless integration of each team member’s component software and hardware must be assured in order to facilitate the optimum communication that is required to effectively work together in this way.

Therefore each team needs to first coordinate the pieces of each member’s Cloud presence. A good first step is to determine the hardware used by each and every team member. Make a list and see how everyone stacks up. If some members are using older smart phones, notebook or desktop computers, tablets or mainframes then this should be noted. The first weak links in your chain have thus been identified.

All or Nothing

Realistically speaking, it is a bad idea to try to incorporate different software structures into any team. The nature of the competition between Google and Microsoft dictates the need for a team to go full force with either one or the other. Either your team uses Google Docs or it uses Microsoft Office 365. There really should be no in-between here.

Furthermore, though the software for both impressive applications can be configured to operate together, it is just an inherently poor choice to try to mix any of the two company’s software in any way that can be avoided. This is because at some point an incompatibility will surface. If a team or member thereof absolutely needs to use some features in Microsoft Office, have them do what they need to do on the desktop and paste it into Google Docs if that is your platform of choice. Or better yet, kick them off of the team for not going with the flow. The purity of your software configurations is that important.

Vanilla or Chocolate?

OK, say that you choose Google Docs. Then your team should all be using it. Even go so far as to delete as much as possible Microsoft software from your hard drives and other memory systems. The deleted apps can always be reinstalled later, after the successful completion of the project. That is to say, use Google Chrome for all team browsing, Google for the searching.

If your team chooses Microsoft Office 365 then likewise, remove as many references to Google from your team as is possible. Use only Bing for searches, Explorer for browsing and in no way use any other Google Doc app or permit them to be on any team members computing device.

When You See the Fork in the Road, Take it

In the realm of human society, discrimination must be abhorred and eradicated. Unfortunately, in the world of Cloud computing as pertains to coordinating seamless integration of a team to achieve optimum productivity, discrimination is highly called for.

Both applications are of excellent quality and Microsoft Office 365 has the edge in many areas such as familiarity and wider overall compatibility. Google Docs is close enough and better in some aspects of its online ease of use but isn’t really designed to work as a standalone desktop application.

Whichever path your team may take, try to avoid working at cross-purposes and working across multiple software and hardware platforms if possible.

Guest post brought by idaconcpts.com, Ideas and Concepts from Damian Davila. Follow Damian on Twitter at @idaconcpts.

Categories General, Microsoft, The Desktop Experience
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Oct

A Guide on How to Convert Word to PDF

by Roger Corwin

Word documents and PDF files can be converted back and forth without too much difficulty. If you don’t know how to do it, use this as a guide.

How to Convert Word to PDF

Requirements:

Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Internet access

Step 1

Go online and download the Save as PDF add-on. This file can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. Follow the instructions on how to download the add-on. Install the file.

Step 2

Launch Word after the file has been installed. Click File. Choose Open from the pull down menu. Choose the document you want to save as PDF.

Step 3

After the document has been opened, click the Save icon or File, Save. A new window will pop up.

Step 4

Enter a name for the PDF file. Select a folder to save the file in. The format pull down menu will be visible. Choose PDF from the formats. Click Save. And that is how you convert Word to PDF.

How to Convert PDF to Word

In some instances, you may want to save your PDF file as a Word document. To do so, follow these steps.

Requirements:

Microsoft Word
Adobe Acrobat Professional

Step 1

Open Microsoft Word. Make a new, blank document. This will be used to hold the PDF file.

Step 2

Open Adobe Acrobat and the PDF file.

Step 3

On the “Select & Zoom” toolbar, click the “Select” tool. This will enable you to select all the text in the file.

Step 4

Click anywhere in the text. To select all the text, press Ctrl + A. All the document text will be highlighted.

Step 5

Press Ctrl + C. This copies the text to the Windows Clipboard.

Step 6

Go back to Word. Press Ctrl + V. This will paste the PDF text you copied in the previous step.

Step 7

Close Adobe Acrobat. Go back to Microsoft Word. You can now edit and save the file as you would any Word document.

Tips and Warnings

Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat are always being upgraded. Go online and download the latest patches to make sure they work properly. If you are using another version of Word, check online for any add-ons that can save Word as a PDF.

The same can be said for Adobe Acrobat. You should visit the developer’s site to check for updates. There are also some independent vendors that produce various converters.

The add-ons are pretty small, so you don’t have to worry about meeting the system requirements. However you need to ensure the add-on is appropriate for the Word version you are using.

As the facts show, it isn’t that difficult to convert Word to PDF and back. You just need to have the right files.

Categories Microsoft, Software
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