Excel gets Python – who, when and why
Excel 365 has access to the Python language and packages. We’ll explain what that means, who gets it and why Python in Excel is a big deal. Python is a high-end and widely used programming language with many features in its many packages or add-ons. It’s this last bit that makes Python an important extension […]
Python Meets Pixels: Excel Now Analyzes Images Like a Pro
Excel, long known for its love affair with numbers, has now developed a taste for images—thanks to Python. Microsoft has rolled out a feature that lets users insert images into individual Excel cells and analyze them using Python code. Yes, the spreadsheet just got a little more artsy and a lot more tech-savvy. Forget floating […]
A smarter way to add pictures into Excel
Discover a smarter way to insert images directly into Excel cells with the IMAGE() function — no more awkward floating pictures. With just one formula, you can pull in external images using a secure URL, control how they fit or fill the cell, and even fine-tune dimensions with pixel-level precision. This modern approach, available across […]
PivotTables get auto refresh at long last!
Finally, PivotTables are going ‘live’ and will automatically refresh if other parts of the workbook change. It’s something that Excel users have wanted for years. Auto Refresh turns your PivotTable into a live mirror—updates to source data within your workbook now instantly refresh any connected PivotTables, without you lifting a finger. No more manual “Refresh” […]
Microsoft Alert: Update Office or voice features are silenced
Microsoft has officially warned all Microsoft 365 customers to update Office—or risk losing handy features like Read Aloud, Transcribe, and Dictate. Most people will already be OK but it’s worth checking to make sure. Microsoft is totally revamping the backend services that powers the voice related parts of Microsoft Office; Dictate, Read Aloud or Transcribe. […]
See which Excel cells need updating or stale
Excel 365 is getting (at last) a clear warning that some cells have not been recalculated aka a ‘stale cell’ with the addition of a ‘Format Stale Values’ option. This feature only applies if you’re using partial or manual calculation modes. Most of us use the default Automatic mode where Excel updates cells when necessary. […]
Make any Excel function dynamic (almost)
Many common Excel functions have a great new power added to them with little fanfare. They can become dynamic array functions which improves the consistency of worksheets. It’s simple and easy to do. When Microsoft added dynamic arrays to Excel, all the focus was on the new functions like SORT, FILTER, and SEQUENCE that “spill” […]
Excel Spill Mystery: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Some Excel functions won’t spill their results in the way you might expect. Edate(), EOmonth(), IsEven(), IsOdd() and RandBetween(), among many, need an extra little trick to become a dynamic array function. We’ve already explained how many common Excel functions (Round(), Trim(), Upper() and many more) can “spill” their results into multiple cells. But then—bam!—you […]
July Office updates include a real worry
The July 2025 security bug fixes list plugs another 137 problems found in Microsoft software. Some are really serious and need patching right away for all Microsoft 365 and Office users. BitLocker also gets some security fixes. This months load of Microsoft Office security updates includes a fix for a series of “Remote Code Execution” […]
Request more access to a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file
There’s a new feature in Microsoft 365 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the web to request elevated permissions directly within the application. Anyone with view-only access can ask for higher editing or reviewing rights without leaving the document. Microsoft, as usual, buries an important condition deep in their promotional blurb so we’ll put it up-front […]
Add the US Flag to Word, Excel and PowerPoint in High Quality
Want to add the US flag to Word, Excel or PowerPoint without ending up with a blurry, stretched mess? This guide shows you exactly where to get a high quality flag image, including the scalable SVG version that stays sharp at any size, how to insert it in seconds, the official red, white and blue […]
Why can’t AutoSave work with a macro in a Word or Office document ?
Autosave in Microsoft 365 and Office is one of the more frustrating features with annoying limitations. One of them is not automatically saving any macro-enabled Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. We’ve talked before about how Autosave is used to push customers into using OneDrive to save documents. Autosave could work for all files, not matter […]
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 […]
