How to Set Up Microsoft Office for iPad

The combination Microsoft Office app that links Word, Excel, and PowerPoint together is a game-changer for some Office users. There's just one problem: There is no Microsoft Office for iPad. It's really Microsoft Office for iOS.

That means the apps are iPhone-screen sized, not iPad-screen sized. Currently, the ideal way to use these applications on the iPad is through individual app downloads. Keep reading to learn more.

Microsoft Office for iOS has a couple of different options. You can download Microsoft Office as a single entity, which is covered here. But you also have the option to download individual applications—Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and others—as separate programs. Here's how to install the Office all-in-one application on iPad.

Despite not being optimized for iPad, the Microsoft Office app does offer a few benefits to iPad users.

• It takes up less space than the three stand-alone apps that are covered in the Office app.
• There are a few additional features you probably won't find in the stand-alone apps.
• Diction straight to Microsoft Office from the iPad Voice Recorder is possible.

Assuming you intend to use the all-in-one Microsoft Office app on your iPad (rather than the individual programs), there are a few things you need to know to use them.

When you first start using the Office app on the iPad, you may get frustrated because it's a small rectangle in the middle of an otherwise blank screen. You can change that. Just tap the Expand icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.

This will expand the screen so that it mostly takes up all the real estate on the iPad, leaving only a small portion at the top and bottom of the screen unused. The expanded version will stay that way until you tap again to reduce the size of the app, even if you close Office and open it again.

From the Home screen, you have the option to choose Recommended files, which are files you have opened recently, or you can tap the New button in the lower center of the screen to open a menu that allows you to choose the type of new document you would like to create.

The options are:

• Notes: Let's you type a new note (Sticky Note), which you can then save or share with others.
• Lens: Opens the camera so you can scan (or take a picture) of a document, photo, or whiteboard which you can then save as a Word document, PDF file, or image and share it with others.
• Documents: Opens a screen that allows you to choose from Scan text, Blank document, or Create from template for Word, Excel, or Powerpoint.

There is also an Actions icon on the Home screen. This is where you'll find options such as Transfer Files, Image To Text, and Image To Table. The latter two options allow you to scan an image or document and convert any text in that scan to electronic text.

Another very useful feature of the Office app is the ability to work with PDF files. You can sign PDFs or scan, and convert documents to PDF using the Actions menu.

Once you choose to open or create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you'll find that you have many of the same options you would have if you were using the stand-alone versions of these apps.

When working with documents you'll find your formatting menus as you would expect. And the menu slides to the right or left to reveal additional options. There is also a large microphone icon that floats on the right side of the document. If you tap this icon, you can dictate what you want to write rather than trying to type using the onscreen keyboard.

In spreadsheets, you can move around a workbook or sheet as you would using Microsoft Excel. Type your data using the onscreen or wireless keyboard. And you'll find context menus when you select a column or row.

You also have access to shorting, formatting, and formula tools, just as you would in the individual Microsoft Excel app.

Working with Presentation in the Office app for iOS is very similar to working with PowerPoint. You can choose to work from scratch or create a presentation from a template. And you have access to the same formatting tools that are available in the stand-alone PowerPoint app. You can add Notes and Comments, and even automate your presentation.

There's one last menu you should become familiar with. It's the menu that appears at the top of each of the apps—Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentation. This menu is mostly standard across all three apps. You'll find options there for:

• Undo: Let's you undo the actions you've taken on the document.
• Text formatting: Opens a broad range of text formatting options including fonts, size, formats, spacing, and alignment.
• Search: Performs a Search or Search and Replace function.
• Share: Allows you to invite others to collaborate on the document using a link sent through email or messaging.
• More: This menu contains options for saving, printing, exporting, and history.

On a document, you'll also find that you have a Mobile View option. This lets you see how your document will appear on a mobile device. And on a presentation, you'll find a pen icon which you can touch to activate Ink annotations.