A peek at the next Outlook for Windows or Mac
There are interface changes coming to Outlook for Windows and Mac which Microsoft quietly previewed recently. As usual, interface changes are accompanied by the same vague promises and jargon. Long standing Office users will find a lot of what follows to be tiresomely familiar. We’re told this change will ‘increase new and existing user satisfaction’ […]
Apple’s new image format HEIC and Microsoft Office
Apple has introduced a new image and video format for iPhone and iPad, here’s how to handle it in Microsoft Office documents. .HEIC image files are made by default in some Apple devices with iOS 11. Microsoft Office and Windows don’t support the new format yet but there’s workarounds available in the meantime. Automatic HEIC […]
No attachment needed for new Office security bug
There’s a new Office security bug that can be exploited with just an email or calendar invite as well as the more common infected Office document. The new Office exploit uses the long-standing DDE system which allows Office documents to ‘talk’ to each other. Until told otherwise, best to assume that all versions of Office […]
Outlook bug exposes ‘secure’ messages and Microsoft stays very, very, quiet.
Who knows how long Outlook has been sending supposedly encrypted emails with a plain text readable version included? Microsoft isn’t telling their customers, presumably hoping we won’t notice. SEC Consult discovered a serious breach in Outlook’s email encryption system. Secure messages were being sent with a plain text readable version included! Ouch. Source: SEC Consult […]
Reduce the disk space used by Outlook for Mac
Outlook for Mac is a disk space hog but the macOS has a way to recover some of that. Mac computers can have relatively small hard drives like 128GB or 265GB which Outlook 2016 for Mac can gobble up. Unfortunately, Outlook for Mac, even the latest Outlook 2016 doesn’t have some of the space saving […]
Read Receipt responses in Outlook Windows / Mac
Here’s how to control what Outlook does when it gets a Read Receipt request with an incoming email. The setting is at File | Options | Mail | Tracking, just below where you set the options for outgoing Read Receipts. That’s Outlook for Windows, see below about Outlook for Mac. The choices are: Always send […]
Lawyer fake email – what to look for
A new bit of spam or phishing got past our multiple spam filters and into our Outlook 2016 Inbox. It’s a good example of what check in an unexpected message. The message uses the name and link from a real law firm but they’re not to blame. It appears to be sent from the UK […]
Our great Office 2016 book is ready now
We’re delighted to announce that our champion Office 2016 ebook has been updated, yet again, to include new and added features for the main Windows version of Microsoft Office. A bit like Office itself, Office 2016: the real startup guide is updated to keep pace with the improvements in Office 2016 itself. As an ebook, […]
Office 2016 for Windows Store – a closer look
Microsoft has released another version of Office 2016 for Windows to be tested by insiders. This one is bought and installed from the Windows 10 Store. Naturally Office-Watch.com dived in to check it out. At the moment, only some Windows Insiders and users of Windows 10S can get Office in the Windows Store. Later this […]
Animated GIFs in Outlook messages, but not all Outlooks
Outlook for iOS and Android has a of plugin with support for animated GIF’s which is very strange indeed. Gfycat has released a plugin for Outlook iOS and Android that lets you choose animated GIF’s to insert into your messages. Source: Microsoft/Gfycat You can add animated GIF’s to emails from the Outlook app, but they […]
Contact pictures in Outlook
By Mayurakshi Mohapatra Adding a picture to an Outlook contact is a good way to make the contact more identifiable. If you are bored seeing the initials or boring graphic next to the Outlook contact name, no worries, at all. Outlook lets you add, change or remove an existing picture from any Outlook contact or […]
A USPS fake mail alert and example of phishing to guard against
Here’s the latest hacker email we’ve received, a good example of a phishing and infected Word document email. We’ll use it as an example what to watch for and avoid. This message got through various anti-spam filters to arrive in the Office Watch managers Outlook 2016 Inbox. Which brings us to the first important point […]
Festival / Conference planning with Outlook
Organizing your time at a busy conference, arts festival or other composite event is easier with Microsoft Outlook. Either for yourself or coordinating with others. Here’s how. These are ‘real world’ Office suggestions you can use for any busy conference, festival or event. Not just the official Microsoft advice but practical ways to use their […]
Space & Astronomy calendar in Outlook
The New York Times has a nifty new calendar of upcoming space related events including eclipses, meteor showers, launches etc. Here’s how to add the NYT Astronomy and Space Calendar into Outlook software. The service is directly linked to Google and Apple iOS devices (iPhone / iPad ) with Outlook software and Outlook.com relegated to […]
Email spoofing tricks senior British politician
Amber Rudd, the British Home Secretary was tricked into an email exchange with someone posing as her own communications chief. It’s very embarrassing because Ms Rudd is responsible for cyber security as well as MI5 (the UK equivalent of the US FBI). The Minister was using an Outlook.com account which is pretty amazing, even for […]
Where are my Outlook data files?
Where does Outlook hide its main data files? The .PST or .OST files which have your email, calendar, contacts and more. Outlook data files can be anywhere on your computer, but the default location is usually in a hidden folder: \Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook \Users\<username>\Roaming\Local\Microsoft\Outlook The location can vary a lot, depending on the Outlook version, Windows version, […]
