Microsoft Word is beaten (again) by a 14 year-old spelling champ
Our annual Microsoft Word vs the Spelling Bee Champions contest is on again for 2022. Word has done better than in the past but was still beaten by another extraordinary 14 year-old. 2022’s Spelling Bee Champ is Harini Logan, 14, from San Antonio TX who narrowly beat Vikram Raju a mere 12-year-old from Denver, CO. […]
Zero-day security hole in Word, Microsoft very slow to act
A large security risk has appeared in Microsoft Word, a zero-day security problem which can infect even fully updated Word. Microsoft has taken at least 14 months and still hasn’t fixed the security hole. We’ll explain the problem and what you can do. It’s a relatively simple hack which takes advantage of gaps in Word, […]
Dictation controls in Word 365 move and get smaller
The Dictation controls in Word 365 for Windows are moving to another place and getting a lot smaller. The new Dictation toolbar appears on top-right of the document, often just below the Dictate button. That’s the same location as the Read Aloud toolbar. Dictate – when dictation is ‘listening’ the button is a solid blue […]
Three Microsoft Word modes now on a single menu
Microsoft Word has many different ways to view a document and now three primary options are available on a single menu; Editing, Reviewing plus Viewing which is a simple ‘read only’ mode to stop accidental changes while reading. The new menu appears on the top-right between the existing Comments and Share buttons. Editing The standard […]
Elizabeth Line designs for Word, PowerPoint and Office
The Elizabeth Line (aka Crossrail) is now open in London, a major new tube line crossing the city. Here’s the roundel and color scheme for the new line in a format ready for Word, PowerPoint and Office. The same design elements can be used for any other London Tube line (real or imaginary) or totally […]
Otter 🦦 emoji in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Type the fun Otter 🦦 emoji into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Otter 🦦 emoji represents a light-brown otter (a member of the weasel family) on its back with its paws held together. But the emoji can just be used for a bit of fun. […]
Duck 🦆 emoji in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Add the Duck 🦆 emoji into Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Duck 🦆 emoji represents the quacky bird with webbed feet. The emoji is usually depicted as a Mallard. Sometimes used as a substitute for the f-word, because of iPhone’s tendency to autocorrect to the obvious […]
Real words for really big numbers in Microsoft Word
What are the real words for really big numbers, waaay over a trillion? Does Microsoft Word’s dictionary recognize them? (Answer: most but not all and there’s even a spelling mistake in Word!). How many is a billion anyway? We’ve looked at the informal words for vague large numbers such as zillion, gazillion etc. There are […]
Read Aloud from locked screens on iPhone and Android
A small but important change is coming to Word mobile app for iPhone, iPad or Android. You’re able to continue listening to a ‘Read Aloud’ document from the lock screen. At the moment, Word will stop reading a document to you if the lock screen is enabled (usually because there’s been no screen taps for […]
Does Office 2021 / 2019 need sign-in to a Microsoft account?
Does Office 2021 or Office 2019 insist on a Microsoft account Sign-In (login) to use the software and edit documents? We’ve done some tests to check and we’ll explain the details too. It’s a good question. Microsoft 365 software does require a Microsoft account login but what about the ‘perpetual licence’ Office 2021 or Office […]
Fast account switching now in Office on the web
Office apps in a browser have caught up with an important feature in Office 365 for Windows – quick account switching is now available. Almost three years ago, Microsoft added quick account switching to Office 365 for Windows. You can save logins to several Microsoft 365 accounts; work, school, home etc and switch between them […]
Clever picture borders in Excel and PowerPoint
Like Word, PowerPoint and Excel also have options to add borders to pictures to add that extra oomph to your work. Users can choose between fairly simple borders or add some further complex, fancy styles to their images. If all this seems very familiar, it’s because the same picture tools are available in the main […]
Grinning Cat with Smiling Eyes 😸 emoji in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Type the Grinning Cat with Smiling Eyes 😸 emoji into Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Outlook. Both in Office for Windows and Office for Mac. Grinning Cat with Smiling Eyes 😸 emoji is a variant of the grinning face emoji or the cat face emoji, which is yellow on most platforms. How Grinning Cat with […]
Why is Pi 𝜋 missing from Windows 11 and Windows 10?
The Windows Emoji Panel has its problems which are amply demonstrated by a common symbol that’s hiding in the long symbol lists – the Pi symbol 𝜋 . We’ll explain where it’s hiding and generally grumble about this part of Windows 11 and 10. The Emoji Panel is in Windows 11 and 10, access it […]
Copying/Moving Footnotes or Endnotes in Word
There’s a small but important point about Microsoft Word with Footnotes and Endnotes. It’s so important we’ve made this separate little article about copying or moving. The footnote or endnote is stored in that little superscript character in the document text. Copy, move or delete that superscript character and the entire note goes as well. […]
Fast Microsoft 365 repair from the command prompt
If Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is misbehaving, try the Repair option. If that’s also causing trouble, there’s a hidden command prompt option. For any ‘Click to Run’ installations of Office for Windows (mostly Microsoft 365, Office 2019) there are Repair options available to fix common problems. Among these troubles are an Office program […]
