The way that you navigate the Help window is much the same way that you navigate the Web in a Web browser, such as Windows Internet Explorer. However, the Help window has additional features that a Web browser lacks. This topic describes how you can use some of these features to get the Help you need to accomplish your tasks.

You can find Help for Microsoft Office programs in more than one place. Help is installed on your computer when you install an Office program, and you can get additional Help content from Microsoft Office Online. You can specify where you want to search for Help, and you can restrict the scope of your search to online or offline or to a specific category within a program.

If Connected to Office Online appears in the lower-right corner of the Help window, you are searching and getting Help from Office Online. If Offline appears in the lower-right corner, you are searching and getting Help from the files stored on your computer.What do you want to do?

Search Microsoft Office Online

If you are connected to the Internet, you can search for up-to-date Help, templates, training, or additional online content on Microsoft Office Online.

  1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

    Access, Excel, PowerPoint, or Word

    • Click the Microsoft Office Program Name Help button button image, where Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, Microsoft Office Word Help.

      Keyboard shortcut To open Help, press F1.

    InfoPath, OneNote, Outlook, Project, Publisher, SharePoint Designer, or Visio

    • On the Help menu, click Microsoft Office Program Name Help, where Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, Microsoft Office InfoPath Help.

      Keyboard shortcut To open Help, press F1.

  2. In the Help window, in the Search list search list in help, click an option under Content from Office Online.
  3. Type keywords in the search criteria list, and then click Search search button in help.

Restrict a search to a specific feature area

  1. In the Help window, in the Search list search list in help, click a feature area to which you want to restrict the search.
  2. Type keywords in the search criteria list, and then click Search search button in help.

    When you view the results of this search, you see that all of the results are Office Online topics that relate to the feature area you selected.

    Tip If you want to search by using the same keyword or keywords that you already recently used, you can click the arrow next to the Type words to search for list, and then click the search term that you want in the list.

Search the Help content on your computer

Office Online is a great resource, but sometimes you are not connected to the Internet and need offline Help. When you are offline, you can search your local files and see the search results that Help finds there. When you search offline Help, additional online content is not available.

  1. In the Help window, in the Search list search list in help, click an option under Content from this computer.
  2. Type keywords in the search criteria list, and then click Search search button in help.

Switch between online and offline Help

The Connection Status menu in the lower-right corner of the Help window indicates whether you are looking at Help online or offline.connect to office online from the help window

  1. Do one of the following, depending on whether you are currently connected to the Internet or offline:
    • To see Help on Office Online, on the Connection Status menu in the lower-right corner of the Help window, click Show content from Office Online.
    • To see Help on your computer, on the Connection Status menu in the lower-right corner, click Show content only from this computer.

    This setting is retained after you close the Help window. The next time you open Help, the offline or connected status is the same as you left it.

  2. Type keywords in the search criteria list, and then click Search search button in help.

Search for updates, templates, or training

To locate updates, templates, or training, you must be connected to the Internet.

Tips