They’ve done it again … Microsoft released a bug fix for Office 2016 that caused a bug in the software! The faulty patch is KB4462238 which applies to Office 2016 installed with the older .MSI method, not the more usual ClickToRun method and not Office 365 customers. After installing the patch, clicking a hyperlink in […]
Separate text boxes in Microsoft Word can be linked so text in one box can automatically flow into another text box later on the same page or document. Yet again with Word, there’s some extra tricks available beyond simple linking of boxes. Linked boxes is a trick that’s a common feature in professional publishing and […]
There are some simple Microsoft Word tricks to squeeze a Table of Contents (or Table of Figures etc) into less pages. Here’s an example of a Table of Contents (ToC) that’s grown too big using Word’s default settings. It’s creeped over to a second page. We’ve seen ToC’s for big documents that take up many, […]
Follow these simple, legal, steps to get 13 months of Office 365 Home or Personal for less than what Microsoft charges for just a year. Some readers seem to doubt renewing separately from Microsoft is possible or even allowed. It’s definitely possible and permitted. Microsoft doesn’t make it obvious that customers can buy elsewhere because […]
Wanna jump in and see a Microsoft Forms in action? We’ve made a sample Microsoft Form one for all our Office Watch readers to try. Below is the embeded version (using an <iFrame) or click here to see it on a separate page. Our simple form serves three purposes. The first two questions are serious. […]
It’s taken over a decade, but Office for Mac has taken a huge step towards true document compatibility. Font embedding was not possible until now and it’s been too long coming. This is HUGE Office for Mac news but it’s got almost no mention, with attention focused on the superficial ‘Dark Mode‘ instead. Font embedding […]
There’s a series of August 2018 patches under the broad heading ‘Microsoft Office Defense in Depth update’ which seems to be obscure important changes in Outlook 2010 through 2016. ADV180021 is called “Microsoft Office Defense in Depth Update” and “Microsoft has released an update for Microsoft Office that provides enhanced security as a defense in […]
A few weeks ago we told you Facebook is considering a defection from Microsoft’s Office 365, that was just one player in a much bigger game for office software and cloud related services. Google is pressing hard to get as many as possible Fortune 500 companies signed up to their word processing, spreadsheet and presentation […]
Excel has an in-built feature to remove duplicates from a list but what if you want to delete both items if they are duplicated or more than two? Remove Duplicates Remove Duplicates is tucked away on the Data tab, Data Tools | Remove Duplicates. It will ensure that an Excel list/table has only unique values […]
The latest early release of Office for Windows/Mac gives you ‘choices’ for sharing diagnostic information about Office. You can choose to send Microsoft a lot of information or just a little data but you can’t refuse completely. There are legitimate questions about what information is being sent to Microsoft and how it’s being used. That […]
Will Dormann in exposing the half-measure Outlook patch also shows that more complex passwords with mixed-case letters plus digits and symbols is better than a simple long password. The highest length of time to crack an 8 character password from NTLMv2 hash with a mere single mid-range GPU. Longer passwords are better but you don’t need […]
The April 2018 (aka Spring Creators) update to Windows 10 is coming this week. Windows 10 April 2018 update for Microsoft Office users edition is ready now. Past purchasers of Windows 10 for Microsoft Office users get a free update to the new edition. Be ready for the major changes to Windows before it happens … Be Prepared According […]
The city council of Barcelona, Spain has decided to ditch Microsoft Office and eventually Windows in favor of open source alternatives. As a local commissioner put it “the presence of the IT giant Bill Gates in municipal computers will be progressively reduced by the end of this municipal term of office”. As a first stage, […]
Microsoft is releasing a new version of Windows 10 that works with ARM chips instead of the usual Intel processors. That’s a major change which affects Office users lured by the promises of ‘Always Connected’ devices. Which MS Office should you choose with these new machines, if any? Always Connected ARM processors use less power […]
Making your first PivotTable can be scary so here’s a quick ‘How to’ to get you started and past the scary bit. It’s a PivotTable starter article for anyone who hasn’t dived into PivotTables already and before we start with the tricks and tips for this important part of Excel. Start with a list like […]
Here’s how to send one or all emails from Outlook for Windows/Mac with a Read Receipt. On the Outlook for Windows ribbon | Options tab there’s a ‘Request a Read Receipt’ option. Outlook for Mac Read Receipt Outlook for Mac it’s also on the Options tab Read and Delivery receipts are very new in Outlook […]
Microsoft has announced a new version of Office for release in the second half of next year. Here’s what we know and what we don’t about the ‘year away’ Microsoft Office. One-time or perpetual licence only This Office bundle is for one-time or perpetual licence buyers of Office only. People and organizations using the Office […]
Matt Nelson at Specter Ops has found a new way for hackers to use Excel to access your computer. Even disabling VBA won’t fix this security hole. It uses a technique called ‘Lateral Movement‘ within Microsoft’s DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model). Matt explains it all in great detail but for the rest of us it […]
Yet again, Microsoft sent customers a faulty Office update which needs fixing. This time it’s Office 2016 perpetual licence customers affected or, strictly speaking, anyone who has installed Office from a .msi file instead of ‘Click to Run’. Click to Run is the standard option for Office 365 subscribers,. The latest debacle started with an […]
Here’s how to delete whole pages or rearrange the page order from a PDF document without paying for PDF editing software. A lot of people never need PDF editing software. Making PDF’s is easy using Microsoft Office or the ‘Print to PDF’ feature in Windows. Simple editing, like deleting pages or rearranging the order of […]
Why are there no Windows 10 Live Tiles that work with Microsoft Outlook? Why doesn’t Windows ‘play nice’ with Outlook, when they are made by the same company? Live Tiles are those animated blocks on the Start Menu which, in theory, can display latest messages, contacts and calendar items. The Start Menu also acts as […]
Word 2013 has a new non-security update for our Dutch friends … but what it does is a mystery. In typical Microsoft fashion, all they’ll say is that KB3213567 “… improves some translations for the Dutch version of Word 2013. “ which could mean almost anything. It doesn’t appear to be changes to the Dutch […]
Microsoft’s promotion of a new OneNote for Windows 10 feature is, to put it politely, misleading. The updated app doesn’t do what the hype promises. You can’t insert a meeting from ‘Outlook’ and not ‘Outlook 2016’ as Microsoft alleges. Hype vs Reality is something all Microsoft customers are familiar with, but this goes beyond some […]
Microsoft published a blog post about all the great things added to Office 365 in April 2017. Naturally, many overworked journalists took the bait and there’s been a lot of similar stories across the media. Microsoft’s PR department must be very pleased with themselves. So much free, unquestioning, publicity. It’s true there’s been interesting things […]
Microsoft is taking a lot of heat over their Docs.com and the leaking of private information. Redmond isn’t entirely to blame, though they could have handled the issue much, much better. Office Watch explains the problem and what to do about it. Private information on docs.com like credit card details, health records were and are […]
You’ve probably seen recent articles about the “Top Grammar Mistakes” according to Microsoft, but what’s really going on with that list and the technology behind it? Unlike others, we’re not content just to copy Microsoft’s list. We’ll show how the grammar checks really work in the latest Word. One of Microsoft’s ‘common mistakes’ is NOT […]
Once upon a time there was just one ‘Microsoft Outlook’ but these days there are at least six programs or services under the ‘Outlook’ name. You’re totally excused for being confused because most people are, including many that work for Microsoft! It’s important to know exactly which ‘Outlook’ you’re using because the support, help and […]
The Google Docs apps have a useful option for making new documents, worksheets and presentations that are Microsoft Office compatible. JR Raphael at ComputerWorld pointed out the option in the Google Docs app for Android, we poked around to find the equivlalents in Google Sheets and Google Slides Under Settings there’s the choice to make Word […]
Is there one space or two between sentences? Word lets you check for the spacing or not care at all. It’s a useful option for those of us who learnt on manual typewriters where double sentence spacing was standard. Switching to single spacing is hard for your fingers to remember. One Space or Two People […]
A few readers have asked why the numbers on the numeric keypad are different from the number keys on the top row of the keyboard? “I don’t understand why pressing a number on the main keyboard is different from the number pad (assuming you have one). Aren’t they the same number, no matter which one […]
There’s a lot more printing and money saving options available if you know where to look or use a little cunning to get what you want. There are ways to save money on ink/toner as well as creative choices for printing large size ‘poster’ pages, booklets and more. We’ll show how to get all these […]
We’d love to use the Signal messaging app. It’s very secure without going to extremes and it’s free. So why doesn’t it get used at Office-Watch.com? Simple – there’s no file transfer feature. You can exchange texts and make phone calls but that’s it. Even WhatsApp now lets you transfer documents, with reasonable security, between […]
The Office for Android apps can now access a wider range of cloud storage options including Dropbox, Box, Egnyte and Tencent with more to come. We’ve mentioned before Microsoft’s Cloud Storage Partner Program which allows non-Microsoft providers to get a link inside the Office apps. It’s something that would have been unthinkable a few years […]
The ‘Get Office’ app for Windows 10 has received a considerable upgrade to make it more than a billboard to sell Office 365. It’s now (or will be) an ‘Office hub’ for access to all things Office. Recent documents, the programs themselves, Office 365 account settings plus help and training. The improved ‘Get Office’ is […]
Microsoft is boasting that Office 365 is now available in eleven more countries, though that’s a bit of hype. The ‘new’ countries where you can buy Office 365 plans are: ” Bhutan, Cambodia, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Laos, Maldives, Martinique, Mozambique, Myanmar and Vatican City “ Some of these might catch your eye as being strange, almost […]
Maybe Microsoft thinks that all ‘foreigners’ are stupid or don’t understand technology? Their Outlook ‘concessions’ to the EU regarding the LinkedIn buyout are laughable. LinkedIn, the large social media site, is being bought by Microsoft for $26 billion but faces opposition from rivals. Salesforce, in particular, is fighting the merge on competition grounds. The EU […]
Our extended coverage of Word’s AutoText feature uncovered some peculiarities and annoyances but mostly the yawning gap between the ribbon/menu options and the field code features. What you see on the menu, drop down lists and options for AutoText aren’t reflected in the AUTOTEXTLIST field code. AUTOTEXTLIST makes a little in-document menu of AutoText items. […]
There are long-standing but hidden parts to AutoText that’s worth checking out – the field codes. Two Word field codes apply to AutoText: {AutoText } – inserts or updates the named AutoText field automatically. {AutoTextList } makes a menu of some or all AutoText entries to select from. These field codes use the same AutoText […]
Word field codes are a way to add some automation or automatic content into your documents. A simple example is the { DATE } field which will add the current date to a letter. The quick way to add a Word field code is from Insert | Text, click on the Quick Parts icon and […]
We’re not sure what has got to Microsoft in Britain but they’re offering some excellent prices on Office 365 annual ‘subscription’ at the moment. Around 40% off the regular price for renewals and new customers. The usual prices for Office 365 in the ‘Mother Country’ are: Home (5 users/licences) £79.99 Personal (1 user/licence) £59.99 You’d […]
