How to turn Copilot on or off for each Microsoft 365 app
Take control of Microsoft 365 by learning how to enable or disable Copilot in each app—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to customize Copilot settings per application and explains why sometimes you can’t turn it off. Copilot integration into Microsoft 365 is a mess. Microsoft is focused on adding more […]
How many Copilot AI Credits do I have?
Some Microsoft 365 consumer plans come with a monthly allowance of “AI credits” but it’s hard to find out how many are left. The AI credit balance does not show up in the Microsoft 365 apps nor Windows 11 account information. It should be there and maybe Microsoft will eventually get around to it but […]
Copilot chooses Excel data a bit smarter
Microsoft has given Copilot in Excel 365 some smarts to choose the table or cells to work on. Previously, Copilot relied on the user’s selected cell to determine context, often defaulting to the nearest structured table. We explain how it works in the real world and the important limitation. Enter the new context inference capabilities. […]
Stop Using Old Office Document Formats Now
Still using .doc, .xls, or .ppt files? These outdated Microsoft Office formats are not just relics—they’re major security risks and should be banned. Hackers exploit these older files to spread malware, ransomware, and steal data, as they often bypass modern antivirus protections. After our suggestion to ignore old style Office documents, it’s clear some folks […]
Android Users Rejoice: View Shared Office Files Without Logging In
Microsoft has extended a nifty new feature to include Android users: the ability to view shared Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files without needing to sign in with a Microsoft account. Previously, this was an exclusive perk for iPhone/iPad users—but Android’s finally been invited to the party. That said, if users want to leave their mark—via […]
Fit more tabs across an Excel workbook
Struggling with a sea of worksheet tabs at the bottom of your Excel window? Whether you’re managing dozens of tabs or juggling shared workbooks with tight screen space, discover how to fit more visible tabs across your Excel workbook can transform your workflow. In this guide, we walk through both simple and clever techniques to […]
Forget SUM(), use Aggregate() in Excel
Aggregate() is the grown up version ‘all in one’ function that can replace common functions like Sum() and Subtotal() plus powerful options not available in those older functions. AGGREGATE() function is a more advanced alternative to the SUBTOTAL function, offering significantly expanded capabilities. Almost an ‘all in one’ solution instead of using multiple functions. It’s […]
Mastering Date Comparisons in Excel Using IF Statements
Whether you’re managing schedules, tracking deadlines, or analyzing time-based data, comparing dates in Excel is a critical skill. This guide walks you through how to use the powerful IF function to compare dates—such as determining if one date is before, after, or equal to another. Learn essential Excel formulas that simplify date logic and help […]
Excel case-sensitive text comparisons or not
Be careful comparing text in Excel because it looks easy but there are traps when comparing exact text (including upper/lower case) or not. Whether you’re cleaning data or ensuring accuracy in sensitive fields like usernames or product codes, we’ll help you get the results you need every time. Case-insensitive IF statement for text values When […]
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, […]
🚦 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 […]
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 […]
Run Linux from Excel? Yes you can!
A tech enthusiast named has achieved the improbable: running the Linux operating system within Microsoft Excel. It’s a clever trick that no-one has been asking for. The 18-year-old named NSG650 created a project, aptly titled “Linux In Excel,” transforms the spreadsheet application into a minimalist Linux terminal. Opening the provided ‘linux.xlsm’ file in Excel, users […]
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 […]
