Use your actual app and a separate practice file
Desktop, web and mobile editions have different controls and features. Identify the version and account first, then use the matching exercise. There is no need to buy a plan or share real personal information just to practise.
Step 1 of 9
In this guide
Identify the app, account and learning goal
Identify the app, account and learning goal
Choose one outcome: a short letter, a labelled total or two slides explaining an idea. Word, Excel and PowerPoint serve different jobs; a manageable practice task makes it easier to see what you have learned.
Check whether you are in an installed Windows/Mac app, a browser or a phone/tablet app. Use the genuine app or known Microsoft entry point and the intended account. Microsoft’s app introduction separates browser access from licensed desktop apps. Features and controls vary with edition and entitlement.
Use the organisation-approved account/location for work material. A missing feature or sign-in prompt is not permission to use another person’s login, install an unofficial copy or buy a plan. If access or ownership is unclear, pause for the owner before proceeding.
Choose the actual app, edition, account and one small goal. Resolve genuine access through its owner rather than substitute an unapproved account or installer.
Next: Prepare a separate practice filePrepare a separate practice file
Prepare a separate practice file
Begin with a blank document, workbook or presentation using invented names and figures. If learning from an existing file, obtain authority and create a separate practice copy first. Check the copy’s name and location before editing, particularly with shared files.
Microsoft’s AutoSave explanation warns that supported cloud files can save edits as you work. Use Save a Copy before changing an original where that command applies; other versions may offer Save As. A new name after editing does not undo changes already saved to the original.
Keep warnings intact. Do not enable macros, external content or editing on an unknown attachment to follow a lesson. If you cannot make a permitted copy or the original is the only important record, use a blank practice file and ask the owner for suitable training material.
Confirm a harmless separate file before editing. AutoSave may change an original immediately; do not bypass warnings or copy restricted content to a personal location.
Next: Learn selection, undo and the file locationLearn selection, undo and the file location
Learn selection, undo and the file location
Click into the intended paragraph, cell or slide placeholder before typing. Select a short piece of your sample content and try one simple formatting change through Home. Notice that the command affects the selection, not necessarily the whole file. Undo reverses a recent supported edit; it is not a recovery plan for every operation.
Give the exercise a clear name and choose an approved folder/account you can find again. Read the save status and resolve any saving/sync error before assuming the file is stored. Local files may need manual Save; cloud behaviour depends on the actual app, file and connection. Do not close unsaved important work to test it.
Now take the relevant app route below. You can complete one exercise without doing all three. If locating files is the main difficulty, use our computer basics guide rather than repeatedly create duplicates.
Identify the selection, current file name, approved location and actual save state. Follow only the app exercise matching your goal.
More checks6 detailed checks
Practise a short Word document
Practise a short Word document
Create a blank Word document and write a made-up heading plus three sentences about a hobby. Use the Home styles controls to apply an appropriate heading and normal text. Select a few sample items and make a real bulleted list; avoid repeated spaces or blank lines to force alignment.
Change one word, use Undo once and make the intended correction again. Check that the paragraph and list remain readable. For a simple image exercise, use your own non-sensitive picture you have permission to use, keep its proportions and check that it does not cover the text. None is needed for this first page.
Save the sample as an editable document in the chosen location. Use Print preview to inspect page breaks and margins without printing. Microsoft’s Word basics provides edition-specific starting, saving and preview help. Stop if controls or permissions differ; do not convert an important original merely to match a tutorial.
Create a readable sample page with a real heading/list, save it in the intended location and inspect its layout. Keep format changes on the practice copy.
Next: Check output and sharing before sendingPractise a small Excel workbook
Practise a small Excel workbook
In a blank workbook, use A1 for Item and B1 for Quantity. Put two invented item names in A2/A3 and enter 2 and 3 in B2/B3. Click B4, type =SUM(B2:B3) and press Enter. The expected result is 5. Click B4 again to see the formula rather than assume the displayed number explains its origin.
Change B2 to 4 and check that the total becomes 7. A cell reference identifies a location; copying formulas or rearranging data can change the relationship. Check the selected range and compare with a simple independent calculation before trusting an important result.
Give headings clear labels, widen a column if content is hidden, then save the sample workbook. Microsoft’s Excel basics explains cells, formulas and number formats. Formatting a value does not prove that the underlying input or calculation is correct. Do not sort one isolated column in a real related table, enable unknown macros or practise on payroll/financial records.
Confirm the practice total is 5, then 7 after changing the input, and inspect the actual range and formula. Save the workbook; appearance alone does not validate a calculation.
Next: Check output and sharing before sendingPractise a two-slide PowerPoint
Practise a two-slide PowerPoint
Create a blank presentation or choose a simple built-in theme. Make a title slide about an invented weekend activity. Add a second slide using a title-and-content layout, with three short points. Use layout placeholders rather than place many overlapping text boxes.
Run the slide show or preview from the beginning and move through both slides. Check text size, contrast and order. A clear two-slide explanation is a better first goal than adding animations and transitions. Use only pictures you are entitled to use and leave private names, photos and plans out of a public practice file.
Save the editable presentation in your chosen location. Microsoft’s PowerPoint basics covers themes, layouts and saving, with separate web/desktop instructions. Menu positions can differ. If an export is needed, check it separately: a PDF is not the same as the original editable slide deck or an animated presentation.
Preview both slides in order, check readability and save the editable deck. Avoid extra effects until the intended message and output are clear.
Next: Check output and sharing before sendingCheck output and sharing before sending
Check output and sharing before sending
If the task needs a PDF, use the actual app’s supported export/save format on the sample and inspect the exported pages. Keep the editable original. Check page/slide boundaries and whether spreadsheet content fits, rather than assume every sheet or column was included. A PDF is not automatically private or unchangeable.
Practise reviewing sharing options without sending anything. Microsoft explains viewing and editing access. For an authorised real share, check the exact file, named recipients, required view/edit level and existing access; use the organisation’s policy. A copied link alone does not explain who can open it.
Do not choose Anyone/public access to solve a recipient problem or upload confidential work into a personal account. Permission choices may be restricted by the administrator. Cancel the practice share, and get owner help if the intended audience or controls are unclear.
Check the actual output and intended audience separately. Practice does not require a real share, public link, printout or permission change.
Next: Repeat the task and check the saved resultRepeat the task and check the saved result
Repeat the task and check the saved result
Confirm that the harmless practice file has finished saving, then close that sample and reopen it from its actual saved location. Check the content, file name and app, not just the Recent list. Leave other unsaved work open. If it is missing or saving failed, keep any open copy intact while identifying the location/error.
Repeat the small goal with another blank sample: a readable paragraph/list, a total you can check independently, or two slides in a clear order. Write down only the few steps you found difficult. Being able to repeat one task is useful progress; it does not prove every Office feature or business calculation is correct.
Stop changing unrelated settings once the intended exercise works and the saved result is understood. Keep a recoverable backup for important work; AutoSave, a Recent entry and a successful reopen are not separate backup copies. Move to the next skill when you can explain what the current one did.
Confirm the saved harmless sample can be found and reopened, and repeat the intended task independently. Keep unresolved save/access errors visible; do not claim general proficiency or backup protection from one exercise.
Back to the symptom checkerGet help with the specific skill or blocker
Get help with the specific skill or blocker
For learning help, identify the app/edition, task, stage that becomes confusing and the result you expected. A made-up example is usually enough to practise. Our computer training can discuss the skills you want to learn and an appropriate session; agree the scope and use your own authorised access.
A licence error, inaccessible work file, broken formula or damaged document may need a different response from a beginner lesson. Keep the exact message and available copy without repeatedly reinstalling or granting wider access. Our corrupted-file guide separates preservation and repair decisions.
Do not send passwords or full confidential workbooks just to explain a button. For important calculations or specialist business documents, ask the responsible qualified reviewer to check the content as well as the software use. Training does not certify that every financial, legal or operational result is correct.
Use a harmless example and scoped learning goal. Preserve files and involve the proper owner or specialist when access, damage or consequential content is the real problem.
