All about Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Microsoft 365, Office 2021 and earlier versions.
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 […]
Collective Noun check in Word isn’t great.
Microsoft Word makes too many mistakes with collective nouns because only a few are detected by the grammar and style checks. Only US English notices “Subject-verb agreement with collective nouns” with other dialects ignored for no obvious reason. Many English words have a collective noun to describe a group pf those things. It’s not a […]
Copilot image making is now a LOT better
Microsoft has updated Copilot’s image making features in two important ways. Now it can spell properly and properly change your own photos. Available in both Copilot and it’s ‘parent’ ChatGPT we’ll show you what’s now possible and a lot better. You may have read that Copilot is now using OpenAI’s GPT-4o model – which means […]
PowerPoint Designer is now Copilot Design Suggestions
Microsoft is replacing a feature in PowerPoint with something called either “Slide Starters” or “Design Suggestions” using Copilot AI. It offers pre-populated slide templates with structured content such as titles, placeholders, tables, and timelines, tailored to match the user’s chosen layout. “Design Suggestions” replaces “Designer” which has been in PowerPoint for the last few years. […]
What does ‘Unverified’ mean in Outlook?
Outlook might label some emails as ‘Unverified’ and the photo/initials is just a question ? mark. What does ‘unverified’ mean? Is the email safe to open and how to stop some messages showing as ‘Unverified’? Unverified can appear in mailboxes hosted by Microsoft directly (Microsoft 365, Outlook.com). It’s a feature mostly controlled by the server […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
What the best choice to make and fix Office VBA code with AI?
AI systems have got a lot better at making and fixing Microsoft Office VBA code. We compare Copilot and ChatGPT to see which is best choice for coping with the complexities of Office VBA. Early in 2024 we tried asking ChatGPT for Office VBA code in some simple examples, the results weren’t great. A lot […]
Free Google Fonts in Office: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Google offers a great variety of free open-source fonts that can be used in Microsoft Office, Windows or Mac. You just need to know the right trick to access them for Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Over 1,800 Google Font families There are 877 1,816 Google Font families currently available at https://fonts.google.com Google Fonts are intended […]
