There are two official document standards – why?
Here’s what you need to know about the two official international document formats, Microsoft’s OpenXML (.docx .xlsx etc) and Open Document Format (.odt .ods etc) both supported in Microsoft Office and most other office suite software. Each format has been recognized by international bodies so there are two ‘official’ document standards for Planet Earth. Both […]
How to Filter Data in a PivotTable
Excel’s PivotTable allows you to evaluate trends, comparisons, and patterns within datasets. Once a PivotTable is setup, you can filter “Drill down” into it to focus on key information. These days there are several ways to filter a PivotTable, Slicers (which Microsoft loves to boast about), AutoFilter and by Field List. All these options mean […]
Bumper month for new features in Office 365
The September 2021 release preview has a lot more than usual new and updated features in Office 365 for Windows. Almost as if Microsoft has been saving them up for a bumper surprise! It’s all in the ‘Current Channel (Preview)’ release v2109 build 14430.20088 that’s out now. This is the last stage before the updates […]
Get Microsoft 365 free in 4.5 different ways
If you’re not willing or able to spend the money, there are several ways you can access Microsoft Office for free. These tips are just good for saving money. Some are useful standby’s to keep in mind if you can’t use the full Microsoft 365 desktop programs. Maybe your computer is playing up or you’re […]
Clever ways to use Checkboxes in Excel
Now you know how to insert checkboxes in Excel, here are some ways to use check box cells in Excel. Counting the checked/unchecked boxes, calculate percentage checked and even showing a separate list of items based on their checked status. A cell with a check box has two values: TRUE – checked FALSE – UNchecked You can use the values […]
Office now supports ODF version 1.3 documents
Microsoft has updated the Office programs to support the OpenDocument format (ODF) to version 1.3. Most people use Office Open XML format (OOXML) which is the official name for what is usually called the ‘new’ Microsoft Office formats, .docx .xlsx .pptx etc. OpenDocument files .odt .ods .odp etc are also supported in Office 365 and […]
Office apps for Chromebook to be stopped
The Office for Android apps won’t be supported on Chromebook devices from mid-September. That admission was finally dragged out of a reluctant Microsoft. That leaves Chromebook users with Office on the web and Outlook.com in the Chrome browser. See Two ways to use Microsoft Office on a Chromebook Microsoft reluctantly admitted their plans after these […]
Document collaboration with Office in a browser
Here’s how to collaborate on a ‘live’ file (Word document, Excel workbook, PowerPoint deck or OneNote notebook) saved on OneDrive or other cloud service. It’s part of our series on accept a sharing request and collaborating on a ‘live’ document saved online. Microsoft spends a lot of energy getting people to share documents, but little […]
How to accept an Office document share or collaboration
Microsoft spends a lot of time explaining how to share a file (Word document, Excel workbook, PowerPoint deck or OneNote notebook) but very little on how to accept a sharing request and collaborate on a ‘live’ document saved online. Live or real-time collaboration lets two or more people work on a document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint […]
Two ways to use Microsoft Office on a Chromebook
Chromebooks are low cost alternatives to regular laptops with great battery life. They can run Microsoft Office in different ways – two and a half by our count. There were two more, but Microsoft dropped support for them in September 2021. Quick Chromebook buying tips Web apps Chromebooks come with the Chrome browser, naturally. Word […]
Massive Data Leakage from PowerApps, Microsoft blames customers
A security company has revealed a dangerous setting in Microsoft PowerApps. Microsoft has fallen back on one of their oldest tricks, blaming the customer. There’s a similar ‘way too open’ option in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Power Apps provide ways for organization to make simple apps to access online data without needing complex programming. This […]
Excel’s PowerQuery gets data type conversion options
Excel’s powerful data import feature is finally getting some control over the automatic conversion of incoming info into Excel data types. When Excel 365’s Get and Transform feature imports data, it looks at each field (column) and tries to work out what type of data it is. That’s for unstructured data (like text files) which […]
Free and Clever US College Decision Helper with Excel
This clever template on Excel 365 will guide you through the process of choosing a college in the United States. It’s also a practical example of Excel’s Linked Data Types. Learn about the institutions you’re drawn to and compare them based on cost, financial aid, and student demographics. An Excel table lets you narrow down a long list and compare candidates. Keeping track […]
Scientists still don’t know how to use Excel
Importing genetic codes into Excel is still a problem despite widespread reports of the problem. And still Microsoft is blamed, despite the real solution is with the lazy scientists who need to learn how to use Excel. A new report in the journal Nature shows that Autocorrect errors in Excel still creating genomics headache with […]
The danger still lurking in Excel and how to stop it
Modern Excel has a danger zone that hackers increasingly use to get into your computer. It’s been there for well over twenty years but is being abused a lot more in 2021. Here’s how to disable it. The problem is in a very old method of Excel automation called Excel 4.0 or XLM macros. They’ve […]
Typing Tau Lower Case τ Symbol In Word And Office
Type the Tau – lower case τ letter into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Tau (lowercase τ) is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. The lowercase letter is used in Biology, Mathematics and Physics, such as proper time in relativity. In ancient times it was also used as a symbol to represent life […]
