Tutorial: Microsoft Office 2003 Word Introduction Introduction: Microsoft Word is an essential tool for the creation of documents. Its ease of use has made Word one of the most widely used word processing applications currently on the market. Therefore, it's important to become familiar with the various facets of this software, since it allows for compatibility across multiple computers as well as collaborative features. Word is a fairly simple program to use for completing simple tasks. However, it may be more difficult to learn how to explore the more advanced possibilities of Word. Opening Microsoft Word: To run Word on your computer: “Start” >> “Programs” >> “Microsoft Office” >> “Microsoft Office Word 2003.” If there is an icon of Microsoft Word available on your desktop (shaped like a square with a "W" in the middle), you can open up the program by double-clicking it, as well.