Bulk conversion of old Office documents to new formats
How to bulk convert old documents (.doc .xls .ppt) into the newer Office formats (.docx .xlsx .pptx etc.). Microsoft has never produced a simple bulk conversion tool for the masses, much to the annoyance of users and network administrators. Redmond probably made that choice for their own self-interest but some of the reasons also serve […]
Omega upper Ω or lower ω symbols in Word and Office
Type the Greek letter Omega in upper case Ω or lower case ω in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Omega (uppercase Ω / lowercase ω) is the twenty fourth and final letter of the Greek alphabet. It is used to often denote the last or ultimate […]
The best ways to get Microsoft Forms results into Excel
Here are the best ways to get results from Microsoft Forms into an Excel workbook. Sadly they aren’t the elegant and efficient ways available in modern Microsoft Excel 365, 2021 or 2019 for Windows. We’ll explain how to get Microsoft Forms results into Excel for better filtering and analysis. Then we’ll explain how Microsoft could […]
Named Ranges and Objects in the Excel Name Box
I said there are at least six tricks with the Excel Name Box and that’s before you get into using named rangers and objects. The Name Box lets you select a cells and give them a name or jump to an existing named range. It’s the same as going to Formulas | Define Name | […]
Six clever tricks (at least) in Excel’s Name Box
I found at least six uses for the Excel Name Box beyond just displaying the current cell address. The Name Box is an unassuming little box at the top of your Excel worksheet that you may not have thought about much, but it has a powerful range of uses for selecting and moving around a […]
Limitations of Word Sort feature for name sorting
Microsoft Word’s Sort feature is OK but has its limitations. We humans insist on variations of the simple ‘first and last’ name that confuse a computer. Here’s some name sorting traps and workarounds. For short lists, it’s probably enough to do a Word surname sort then manually adjust the list for any anomalies. Longer lists […]
Full CONVERT() measurement list for Excel
A full and searchable list of the measurements and multiplier prefixes available for Excel’s CONVERT function. This is a table of the abbreviations used in the Excel CONVERT() function. The basic units inbuilt to the function are all listed plus some of the common measures available using the Multiplier prefixes. Below that are a list […]
Converting SVG into JPG, PNG or other raster image format
Converting SVG icons into JPG is essential for older Word and Office versions that don’t have native icon/SVG support. Here’s some options for conversion or sourcing alternatives. SVG’s are great with many advantages for Office 365 and Office 2021/2019 users. Not everyone has the latest Microsoft Office or shares documents with others who have earlier […]
Type Phi uppercase Φ or lower φ in Word and Office
Insert the Phi uppercase Φ, and Phi lowercase φ / φ symbols in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Phi (uppercase Φ / lowercase φ / φ) is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase symbol has various uses, such as the cumulative distribution function of standard normal deviation in statistics. The lowercase symbol has […]
Word documents might write themselves and more
Microsoft is working on extending OpenAI features like ChatGPT to help people write Word documents based on a short suggestion. And there’s a lot more possible given Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, even a koala poem ‘written’ by Dorothy Parker. Office Watch has been looking at ChatGPT’s ability to write Office VBA programming code (with mixed […]
Up arrow ↑ symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
How to insert the Upwards arrow ↑ into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. The upwards arrow ↑ symbol is used for various purposes. It can notate a mathematical symbol for ‘undefined’, for very large integers or in medical notation it can mean increased. Of course, there are plenty of uses in graphics and design elements especially […]
More adventures with Office VBA and AI
Get ChatGPT or Copilot to show working Office VBA code to select and open a Word, Excel or PowerPoint document. It’s an example of how to work with ChatGPT to get the code you need and its limitations. In episode 1 of this saga, Office Watch showed how to use ChatGPT to make sample Office […]
Excel – how to make and use a checkbox
To make data entry simpler in Excel, form controls such as checkboxes can be added. A checkbox can be used to select or deselect an option. Checkboxes are useful for forms that have multiple options. The trick is using Excel’s Developer tab which holds the checkbox control. See How to get the Developer Tab in Office apps Insert a Checkbox in […]
Sigma upper Σ or lower σ case symbols in Word and Office
How to insert the Sigma upper case Σ and Sigma lower case σ symbols in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Sigma (uppercase Σ / lowercase σ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In mathematics, the uppercase sigma symbol is used as an operator for summation, […]
Double Dagger ‡ symbol in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Insert the Double Dagger ‡ into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Double Dagger ‡ symbol is used to mark a third footnote after the asterisk and dagger in a Word document. How Double Dagger ‡ looks in different fonts. Here’s some examples of how Double Dagger […]
Choices for formatting fields in Word Mail Merge
How to change the look of Word mail merge data like dates and dollar amounts to exactly what you want to see in the documents. Nancy M asks: “I try to merge data (such as amount, PO#, to whom, as well as the date) from an Excel database. In the Excel database the amount cells […]
