Displaying

The default for Word 2003 is to display all your open documents as a separate icon on the taskbar.

If you have a large number of Word documents currently open and you are using Windows XP then they will be automatically reduced to a single "group" icon on the taskbar.

It is possible to switch this option off if you want to save space on the taskbar.
Select (Tools > Options)(View tab, Windows in Taskbar) and uncheck this checkbox.
If you switch this option off the only way to switch between the different windows is to use the Window drop-down menu.
You will also notice that the Maximise and Restore buttons will reappear on the Menu Bar.

Moving between multiple Documents

It is possible to have more than one document open at the same time.
This is a useful technique because it makes your documents more accessible.
You can use the (Windows) menu to quickly switch between your open documents.
The Window drop-down menu always lists all the documents that are currently open. It is also very handy to remind yourself what files you have got open.
The document that is currently displayed has a tick against it.

Window menu

Alternatively you can use the shortcut key (Ctrl + F6) to toggle between your open documents.

Arranging your Documents

If you have several documents open, some of them might be hidden from view.
You can display the contents of multiple documents at the same time.
Select (Window > Arrange All) to display all the open documents arranged horizontally.

Minimising a Document

If you want to temporarily remove one of the open documents from view you can Minimise the window.
In the top right hand corner of the active document or window there are three Control buttons.

Document control buttons

Minimise - This will minimise your window or document and place a small icon in the bottom left corner of your application.
The title on the window will be the name of the document.

Restore - Restores the window to its original size before it was maximised or minimised
Maximise - Increase the size of the window to fill the whole screen.
Close - This will close the document or window.

Important

The difference between a window and a document is that you can have several windows to the same document.
You can use the shortcut keys (Ctrl + F6) and (Ctrl + Shift + F6) to move between all the open documents or windows.