If a program is a set of tools used to perform a task, pull-down menus are compartments of the toolbox in which the tools are kept. While there are often shortcuts to get to the same tools, such as toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts, all tools are usually available in a pull-down menu.

When would I use pull-down menus?

Use pull-down menus to access most or all of the tools available in a program. A program performs the tasks it was designed to do when you use the tools found in pull-down menus. Manipulate information in programs by using the tools or functions on a pull-down menu.

How do I use pull-down menus?

Look for the pull-down menus in a program at the top of the program window. (You can sometimes move the pull-down Menu Bar the same way you can move toolbars.)

Create a new folder accessing a pull-down menu with the mouse:

1.     Start Windows Explorer

2.     Point and click the left mouse button on the File menu button in the upper left corner         of the window

3.     Click "New" on the pull-down menu. (If there you see "New" twice, point to the one         with the small triangle at the right edge.) NOTE: The small triangle at the right edge         of a pull-down menu shows that pointing to or clicking the item displays another         menu. A pull-down menu within another pull-down menu is called a sub-menu, or         cascading menu.

4.     Click "Folder" on the "New" sub-menu

Notice the pull-down menu words have one character underlined. The underline letter or number indicates how to access that menu with the keyboard, rather than the mouse.

Rename a folder accessing a pull-down menu with the keyboard:

1.     Start Windows Explorer

2.     Click ONCE on a folder.

3.     Press the "Alt" and "F" keys on the keyboard at the same time (Alt+F).

4.     Type "N" to open the "New" sub-menu.

5.     Type "M" to rename the file. This highlights the text under the file

6.     Type a new name for the folder.