How Long Does it Take to Learn Microsoft Word?

Like many aspiring communications professionals, you might want to learn Microsoft Word but worry that it will take too much time. However, Microsoft Word is pretty easy to learn. Professional classes that teach the basics only last a day, with expert-level classes taking around the same amount of time. With professional training, an individual can become an expert in Microsoft Word in a week. Of course, this depends on several factors. Keep reading to learn how you can learn Microsoft Word and some resources to help speed the process along.

What is Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word is a powerful word-processing software that offers tons of flexibility when it comes to creating professional reports, letters, contracts, and other documents. Its features are more robust than other word processors, allowing it to become an industry-standard used by companies and entrepreneurs worldwide. These advanced features include mail marges, spellchecker, text formatting, tables, and page layout, among many others. Microsoft Word can also produce documents in various file types, making it compatible with many other programs. Its popularity means it’s also compatible with nearly any computer. 

Since its release in 1983, Microsoft Word has continued to evolve to the needs of its users. Modern integrations have allowed the use of Microsoft Word over mobile, the web, and the Cloud for collaborative document creation. Cloud-based sharing and permissions make it easy for colleagues to collaborate and maintain security. Though Microsoft Word has faced many competitors over the decades, it continues to stand the test of time. 

Read more about what Microsoft Word is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word is primarily used as a word-processing program for creating professional-looking documents and reports. Authors use it to write novels, job seekers create resumes, and students write essays. In the workplace, Microsoft Word is used to create a host of documents, including letterheads, reports, templates, training manuals, calendars, invoices, and promotional materials, among others. Businesses also use the mail merge feature that outputs created documents to a mailing list or newsletter.

But Microsoft Word is more than a typing software. The program includes interactive elements such as fillable forms, checkboxes, and dropdown menus. It can easily convert documents into fillable PDFs or vice versa. Plain text documents are made more visually appealing with images, animations, or WordArt. Tables are also easily converted into visual graphs and charts. Microsoft Word can even transcribe audio files, transcribe live speech into text, and translate documents.

A particularly valuable feature of Microsoft Word is its collaboration tools for group projects. Professionals can easily share documents with others to work on. Changes such as comments and edits are tracked so the original owner of the document can decide what suggestions to make official. A history of changes to a document is also saved and can be reverted to at any time. Microsoft Word is a powerful tool for any business’ communications needs, whether internally or with customers or clients. 

Average Time it Takes to Learn Microsoft Word

Professional-level classes dedicated to teaching Microsoft Word only last a day on average. Noble Desktop’s beginner Microsoft Word class lasts six hours and teaches all the essentials a Microsoft Word user needs to know. The Microsoft Word Level II class lasts around the same amount of time. Thus, with professional instruction, an individual can become an expert in Microsoft Word in only a few days.

Without professional instruction, learning Microsoft Word can take a few weeks. You’ll be working via your own motivation and what free tutorials and guides you can find online. While self-guided learning should be enough to teach you how to comprehensively use the program, becoming an expert will be more difficult. Microsoft Word holds many tips and tricks that the average user may not be aware of. Thus, finding tutorials for these features will be more difficult. 

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Other Factors

How long it takes an individual to learn Microsoft Word depends on several factors. These include whether students decide to attend professional classes or learn on their own, if they seek to learn beginner or expert skills, their personal schedule, and their knowledge of other Microsoft Office programs.

Self-Guided or Instructor-Led Learning 

Instructor-led learning will be faster than self-guided learning. An instructor provides structure to the learning process, assigns deadlines, can answer any questions, and guide students through roadblocks. Self-guided learning relies on an individual’s motivation and skill at finding the right tutorials and troubleshooting issues. Thus, self-guided learning will likely take longer.

Basic or Expert Skills

Whether you’re seeking to gain basic, advanced, or expert-level skills in Microsoft Word will also affect how long it takes to learn. Most people can acquire basic skills reasonably quickly, and they can find tutorials for basic skills easily online. Advanced and expert levels will require more time in training, and self-guided tutorials may be trickier to track down.

Your Schedule

You may find it difficult to commit time to professional classes if you have a busy schedule. Self-guided learning may be a better fit for you, but even then, a busy schedule can slow learning and motivation. Ultimately, everyone learns at their own pace, and there’s no shame in needing to take longer than someone else, especially when you have other priorities that take up your time. 

Knowing Other Microsoft Office Programs

Knowing how to use other Microsoft Office programs, such as PowerPoint and Excel, is not required to learn Microsoft Word. However, having prior knowledge of these programs will give you a leg up in understanding how to access the features and functions of Microsoft Word and slightly shorten your learning time.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Microsoft Word is not difficult for most people to learn, though it requires basic computer comprehension and typing skills. Once you start learning Microsoft Word, the use of the program is mostly intuitive. However, advanced features and shortcuts are usually hidden in menus and require training or the use of tutorials to learn. 

There are a number of free online resources to get started with Microsoft Word, including introductory courses and tutorials. Thus, beginners wishing to learn the program can do so with minimal cost. However, free resources are often outdated and don’t feature expert techniques. Those wishing to become an expert in the program to advance their career will likely require professional training. Professional courses in Microsoft Word generally cost around $200-$300 and feature multiple levels, such as beginner, advanced, and expert. Due to the ease of learning Microsoft Word, these courses usually last only a day or two.

Read about how difficult it is to learn Microsoft Word.

Watch a Free Microsoft Word Online Course

If you aren’t ready to dive into a full Microsoft Word course, you can look for an online introduction to Microsoft Word through Youtube, Coursera, or Udemy. In these free courses, you can learn a variety of basic skills, including Microsoft Word fundamentals and how to create simple documents such as fliers, brochures, and resumes. Some courses even teach advanced and expert Microsoft Word tips and tricks. 

However, many of these courses teach older versions of the Microsoft Word software. While most of Microsoft Word’s features are consistent through subsequent iterations, newer versions of the program may possess previously unseen features or place features in different locations. It can also be impossible to verify if the information taught in these courses is quality or correct. While these free online classes can be valuable and cost-effective for pure beginners, they aren’t ideal for professionals looking to learn comprehensive Microsoft Word skills to advance their careers. 

Read about more free Microsoft Word videos and online tutorials.

Learn Microsoft Word with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

In today’s busy world, live online learning can be a fast, engaging, and comprehensive alternative to in-person classes. Noble Desktop offers live online classes in Microsoft Word that are hands-on and open to beginners. Classes are small, taught by expert instructors, and include free retake options.

Microsoft Word Level I is a one-day course that teaches all the Microsoft Word essentials. You’ll learn how to avoid common page formatting errors and prepare and send mass emails, letters, and labels with one click. You’ll also learn all the necessary shortcuts to shave hours off your time. Students who want to increase their Microsoft Word skills can attend the Microsoft Word Level II course.

Microsoft Word Level II is an advanced class that teaches next-level Microsoft Word skills. You’ll learn how to use automation to speed up your workflow, create custom document templates, use advanced formatting techniques, and build long documents. This is the ideal course for individuals wanting to become Microsoft Word experts. 

Noble Desktop also provides additional Microsoft Office classes, including Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. 

Key Insights

• Microsoft Word can be learned in a number of weeks or less 
• Students can learn faster in professional classes than in self-guided learning.
• Expert skills take longer to learn than basic skills
• Your schedule can drastically affect your learning pace
• Microsoft Word is easy to learn and only requires basic prerequisites.

You can receive comprehensive Microsoft Word training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.