All about Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Microsoft 365, Office 2021 and earlier versions.
Four different ways to copy a list of file names or folders
There are many ways to get a list of file names and folders, here’s four simple ways including one that might be a surprise. Copy from Explorer In Windows Explorer, select the files you want then right-click and choose “Copy as path” or Ctrl + Shift + C. The list includes path. If you don’t […]
New London Overground line colours in Office
Here are the exact colour codes and new names for the ‘Overground’ lines in London, plus how to add a thick double line in Office documents just like on a Tube map. The changeover is happening in late November 2024. Some old rail lines in London were coloured Orange on maps and just called ‘Overground’. […]
Share your Office documents from Dropbox
OneDrive isn’t the only choice for sharing Office documents. Dropbox can also share Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents including real-time collaboration. The Dropbox and Microsoft Office integration allows users to open, edit, and save Office files directly from Dropbox. Use either Office apps on the web (Office Online) or modern Office/Microsoft 365 desktop apps. You […]
About the Copilot shortcut in Word, even Microsoft gets confused
The Copilot shortcut key in Word is unusual, so much that even Microsoft gets confused. We’ll look at the peculiarities in what seems like a simple keyboard shortcut. Office Watch reader, Fred J. from Wilmington let us know about this Microsoft social media post “Click ALT + I and ask Copilot to help” As Fred […]
Word ‘AI free’ cure is worse than the disease
Social media is spreading a false ‘tip’ that’s supposed to stop Microsoft spying on your work in Word and Excel. The suggestion might not work at all and worse, it’ll stop important Office features from working at all. And Microsoft is NOT spying on Word, Excel or PowerPoint for their AI. The ‘tip’ is supposed […]
We’re heading up to BlueSky
Office Watch how has an account on BlueSky social media so you can get the latest independent news, tips and help for Microsoft Office Head over to https://bsky.app/profile/officewatch.bsky.social and click Follow. That’s in addition to our presence on other social media platforms: Twitter/X Twitter Facebook Facebook Meta Threads Threads
Microsoft offers monthly plans with price increase for commercial products
Microsoft has unveiled several significant updates to its Microsoft 365 and other commercial products. A monthly payment option for Copilot addons and an increase in prices for monthly billing of many other plans. The usual Microsoft phrases are being thrown around. Lot’s of talk about “standardization” plus “consistency and transparency”. Why the changes? Behind all […]
Why is Copilot appearing in Office / Microsoft 365?
Some Microsoft 365 customers have started seeing Copilot appearing in their Microsoft 365 / Office apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Why is Copilot there when you haven’t paid for it? Microsoft is rolling out new Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans which include a limited Copilot component. We’re calling this ‘Copilot Lite’ and is […]
Two Outlook bugs to watch out for
Here’s two Outlook for Windows bugs to watch out for. One is too easy to trigger and the other will affect people with a LOT of email to handle. Copy bug with Input Method Editor With Outlook 365 (classic) and using the Input Method Editor, Outlook might crash or hang when trying to copy text. […]
How to turn off the Copilot icon in Word 365
The Copilot icon in Word 365 is annoying clutter in the left-margin of Word documents. Customers expect a way to remove it and there’s a lot of misinformation that wastes time. First the bad news … There’s no way, at the moment, to disable or hide the left-side Copilot icon in Word that looks like […]
The big difference between what Excel shows and what Excel knows
Understanding the difference between Excel’s stored value for a cell and its displayed value is important. It happens a lot and can make a big difference to the results. Back in the day we detailed a bug in Excel 2007 where the wrong number appears on the screen yet Excel ‘knows’ the right value for […]
Australian prices of Microsoft 365 up by over 30%
Australians are now paying up to 31% more for Microsoft 365 after the prices were quietly raised. A limited Copilot trial is now included. Both the Microsoft 365 Personal (one person) and Family (six people) plans have risen in price. Microsoft 365 Personal now AUD$159 Microsoft 365 Family now AUD$179 The 31% increase in the […]
Adding Action Buttons to PowerPoint
A PowerPoint action button is a shape you can add to your slides, allowing you to hyperlink to another slide or webpage, play a sound, or trigger other actions. It’s an easy way to add interactivity and navigation to your presentation with very little effort. It’s also a way to control the presentation within […]
How to get the official Porsche color in Word and Office
How to get the official Porsche color “Turbonite” in Microsoft Office for Word documents, PowerPoint slides and more. The color has been announced by Pantone with the code PMS-2336-C. Porsche Turbonite is described in the usual flowery terms by Pantone: Turbonite color codes It’s easy to apply the Turbonite color to Office documents using these […]
Google Gemini makes better AI images
Google has improved their Gemini AI system for better images with their Imagen3. Here’s how it works and how it’s changed from earlier Google AI systems. Use these AI images for Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents. All these images are made with the free version of Google Gemini. There’s a paid Pro version too. Shop […]
Get more from your Keyboard: How to Turn the Caps Lock Key Into Something Useful (or Disable It)
If you often hit the CapsLock key by accident,sending part of your text into unwanted ALL-CAPS mode, you’re not alone. But rather than letting it stay a nuisance, you can repurpose it or disable it altogether. Stop accidentally turns CAPS ON when you don’t want it. On Windows or Mac you can remap CapsLock to […]
