How to Use Windows Applications: How to Learn Any Program Easily
Hello, this is Jay.
In the previous post, we talked about operating systems, and finally even touched on macOS and iOS.
If the operating system is like the house of a computer, then the applications are the furniture and tools inside it. The OS works behind the scenes, managing resources and preventing conflicts between devices and software. Applications, on the other hand, are what we actually face on the screen - the tools that create visible results. Most people don’t really “feel” the operating system directly, but they do experience computers through the applications that run on it. In that sense, using a computer essentially means using applications. That’s why today, we’ll be taking a closer look at applications.
Applications come in many forms. If you want to listen to music, you open a music player. If you want to draw, you open Paint or Photoshop. For documents, you use Word; for numbers, Excel; for presentations, PowerPoint. To watch videos, you open a media player, and for the internet, you launch a browser. Each program has its own purpose, but in reality, all of them work on the same principle. The names and functions of menus differ, but the structure and flow are nearly identical.
Most programs can be broken down into two main areas: the main workspace where you actually create something, and the menu, which gives you control. The workspace is like a stage where you type text or draw pictures. The menu is like the lighting and tools that let you shape what happens on that stage. When you tell the menu, “Save this file,” the result is reflected in the workspace. When you select “Bold,” the text on the screen immediately changes. At its core, every program follows the same simple rule: you give a command through the menu, and the result appears in the main screen.
Menus are usually placed at the top of the screen. Think of common Office programs in Windows: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all have menus like File, Edit, View, and Format arranged neatly at the top. In some programs, menus might appear on the left, or these days, they may be represented by icons. Rarely do you see menus at the bottom (since Windows already has a taskbar there). Another important type is the pop-up menu that appears when you right-click - these show only the commands relevant to the item you selected, making your work much faster.
In the end, every program comes down to input and result. The user gives input through the keyboard or mouse, the program interprets it, and the result appears on screen. For example, in Excel, you click a cell and type, and the text shows up. Then, you click the “Bold” button, and the text becomes bold. This same pattern applies everywhere: adding a slide in PowerPoint, saving a file in Notepad, drawing a line in Paint. It’s always input → result.
Knowing this principle makes new programs far less intimidating. When you open a program for the first time, simply look for the menus. They’re labeled in a way that’s easy to understand, so scanning them gives you a quick overview of what the program can do. For example, in PowerPoint, menus like Design, Animations, and Slide Show clearly show it’s for presentations, styling, and displaying slides.
Notepad is even simpler. Its menus - File, Edit, View, Format - make it obvious that it’s a basic text editor. In Paint, you’ll see menus for images, colors, and shapes, showing instantly that it’s a tool for drawing, coloring, and inserting shapes.
Most programs also share common menu structures. The File menu covers opening, saving, exporting, and printing. The Edit menu handles copy, paste, cut, and undo. The View menu adjusts zoom and toolbars. Then each program adds unique menus: Word has formatting, Excel has formulas and data, PowerPoint has slides and animations. And finally, almost all programs have a Help menu to explain features or solve problems.
People often fear new programs simply because the screen looks unfamiliar. But the truth is, beneath the surface, they all share the same skeleton. If you get into the habit of asking, “Where’s the menu? What words do I see here?” you can quickly grasp what any program is for. After that, you only need to learn the specific features you need one by one. Just knowing how to type text in Excel is enough to make simple tables. Just knowing how to add a new slide and text box in PowerPoint is enough to make a basic presentation. You don’t need to master every advanced feature right away - those can come later, as you use them.
Ultimately, the best way to learn a program is to open it and explore the menus. Menus always include input/output functions, the core tools, settings, and help options. Open a music app, and you’ll see play, pause, and stop. Open a drawing app, and you’ll see lines, colors, and shapes. Open a text app, and you’ll see fonts and size controls. Menus are the clearest window into what a program can do.
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| Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels |
So, there’s no need to be afraid of new software anymore. While appearances differ, the framework is the same. If you understand the principles of main screen + menu, input + result, then you can pick up the basics of any program quickly - just like if you know how to ride one bicycle, you can ride any other model. Once you learn the principle, your eyes will open to how applications work, and mastering advanced features becomes much easier.
That’s why once you understand the structure and flow of applications, you’ll never feel intimidated by new programs again. Operating systems will come and go, and applications will appear and disappear, but the core principle doesn’t change. If you’ve learned this approach - scan the menu first, then test input and see the results - you’ll be able to adapt to any software you encounter. The key isn’t the appearance, but the principle. Once you’ve learned it, you’ll never be afraid of applications again.
Thank you so much for reading. In the next post, we’ll take a look at some of the most important Windows programs one by one.
Learning is fun - and as always, I wish you happiness!
You can view the original Korean blog post at the link below
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