Microsoft 365 – the subscription / annual fee plan for Microsoft Office on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android.
Includes Word 365, Excel 365, PowerPoint 365, Outlook 365 and many other ‘365’ programs, apps and services.
Outlook confusion for Admins might end next month
Microsoft is updating how administrators enable or disable the Outlook (new) experience for Windows and Outlook on the web. This change allows IT administrators to independently enable or disable each Outlook, at last addressing long-standing confusion. Originally set for rollout in late January 2025, the change is now scheduled to begin in late June 2025, […]
Beware SVG graphics used to Bypass Microsoft 365 Security Measures
SVG and invisible Unicode is being increasingly used to hack Microsoft 365 and Google/Gmail users even with multi-factor authentication (MFA). It’s possible because of significant enhancements in the Tycoon 2FA platform. Hacking into accounts is big business and like most businesses, hacking has moved into the cloud. “Software as a service” (SaaS) is a big […]
Microsoft 365 Copilot Explained: Features, Limitations and your choices
Navigating the evolving landscape of Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI can be challenging amid frequent update, varying features and so much hype. Our independent guide breaks down what Copilot is, its capabilities within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Onenote and Outlook, and the distinctions between different Microsoft 365 plans. Microsoft has changed Copilot so many times that […]
Add Singular or Plural text in Excel
In Excel there are various options for making sure a text label singular (e.g. person) or plural (people) matches the quantity. There’s the standard answer (IF() functions) or clever cell formatting tricks. For example if the cell has 1 item you want the singular label: 1 cookie But if the value is more than one, […]
All your choices before the end of Windows 10
Windows 10 ends support on 14 October 2025 and so does Microsoft 365/Office on Win10 (mostly). Here’s a guide to ALL your choices, not just the ones Microsoft is pushing. Including the Microsoft 365 support policy change. There’s a lot of advice around for the many people with Windows 10. Some of it is self-serving […]
🚦 Mastering Excel’s Visual Indicators, icons and emoji
Use Excel with visual indicators to make lists easier to understand. Use IF function together with Conditional Formatting to display icons, text based on specific conditions There are so many possibilities available using Conditional Formatting or simple IF statements like these. Use IF Formula to show icons First, decide the conditions under which icons should […]
Excel Users: Are Your Date Calculations Accurate?
There’s a little trap in Excel when figuring out the number of days between two dates. Excel has one way, but the real world has two others. It’s easy to forget the differences and it can matter when the date calculation is close to some limit, for example in a Schenghen Visa Calculation. How Excel […]
How to get ‘real’ Outlook (classic) instead of new Outlook
Microsoft’s relentless push of their new but still incomplete Outlook for Windows continues but it’s still possible to get the ‘real’ Outlook (classic). These days new installs of Microsoft 365 for Windows deliver Outlook (new) by default. Outlook (classic) is only available ‘on request’ if you know how to get it. This change does NOT […]
Excel for Mac Finally Learns to Multitask (Sort of)
Good news for Excel on Mac users who like to “live dangerously” with more than one worksheet at a time. Excel for Mac is finally catching up with Windows to view multiple worksheets from the same workbook side-by-side. No more tabbing back and forth like you’re playing Whack-A-Mole with your data. Historically, Excel for Mac […]
PowerPoint’s Newest Trick: Comments That Stick Like Glue
Ever felt like your PowerPoint comments had a mind of their own, wandering off when you moved content around? At long last, PowerPoint has learned a new trick: keeping comments ‘sticky’ attached to their content, no matter where you paste it. Previously, moving content in PowerPoint was like playing a game of hide-and-seek with your […]
Excel data galore for the Australian election
Data nerds can have a lot of fun with the Australian election which has a lot of Excel compatible data for the 2025 and past elections. Daily updated stats as 2025 vote counting continues. Australian federal elections are run by an independent body, the Australian Electoral Commission. The AEC manages voting not just across Australia […]
Use Skype Dial Pad to make calls to phone numbers
Skype is rolling out a snazzy new Dial Pad feature as the way to make calls to phone numbers, if you’re a savvy customer with Microsoft 365 plan, an active calling subscription or Skype Credit. Microsoft promo hides some important details. Skype is closing down and its ‘computer to computer’ calling service is on its […]
Extended Free Skype Calling Time for Microsoft 365 Users
Microsoft 365 users free Skype phone call benefit now lasts until March 2026 but, as usual, there’s a catch. Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans include 60 minutes of calls to many global phone numbers. That’s been a subscription benefit for many years. That benefit continues until 3 March 2026 even though most of Skype is ending […]
Excel Best Practices for safely importing CSV and text
Importing text files into Excel can sometimes lead to unexpected data conversions—like turning product codes into dates or trimming leading zeros from IDs. To avoid these issues, Excel’s Get & Transform feature (also known as Power Query) offers a more reliable method for importing text data. You can ensure your data remains accurate and intact […]
Avoid Date and Number Mistakes with better data conversion in Excel 365/2024
Excel 365 and Excel 2024 let you control automatic text data conversions with stop mistakes creeping into your sheets. Whether you’re opening a CSV file or pasting from the web, you can now decide how Excel handles your text, numbers, and dates—finally putting you in charge of your own data. Opening .csv files directly in […]
What’s the difference? Microsoft 365 Copilot app or the Copilot app.
Microsoft has two mobile apps with the “Copilot” AI name. “Microsoft 365 Copilot” and “Copilot” apps for iPhone, iPad or Android. What’s the difference and which is best for you? Microsoft’s Copilot hype “Your AI companion for everyday life” (see below) always reminds me of “Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with” with Marvin […]
