Transform your next presentation by mastering five powerful ways to add images in PowerPoint. Whether you’re embedding visuals directly from the web, creating photo albums, leveraging SmartArt, or using Copilot enhancements, these expert tips will streamline slide preparation. On a PowerPoint slide with a picture placeholder, just click the image
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
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
Add the US National flag “Old Glory” “The red, white and blue” into Office documents, Word, Excel or PowerPoint, then use some Office picture tools to enhance the image. The same help can be used for any other national flag, just look for a different source or our articles about
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
Discover PowerPoint placeholders — designed to make slide creation faster, easier, and more visually compelling. With smarter prompts, broader media support, and customizable layouts via Slide Master view, placeholders help you create polished, professional presentations with minimal effort. In PowerPoint, placeholders are those built-in boxes that make adding stuff like
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
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
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
Microsoft has given PowerPoint’s placeholders a stylish revamp, making them not only more visually appealing but also smarter in guiding you on what content to insert. Placeholders in PowerPoint are the little icons on new slide with buttons to insert various content. What’s New? How to use the new Placeholders
Microsoft has extended a nifty new feature to include Android users: the ability to view shared Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files without needing to sign in with a Microsoft account. Previously, this was an exclusive perk for iPhone/iPad users—but Android’s finally been invited to the party. That said, if users
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
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
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
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
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
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
Check out this clever Python tool that converts Word documents, Excel sheets, PowerPoint decks and PDFs into a plain text format. Markitdown is a Python library released by Microsoft via Github, converts many documents into nearly plain text (called MarkDown). It’ll convert all these formats into text. Some conversions need
There’s a special new color called ‘Olo’ developed by scientists in Berkely, California. The nearest match to Olo is possible in Microsoft Office, including Word and PowerPoint. Olo can only be seen with help from a special laser that fires the color into the eye. It’s claimed to extend human
PowerPoint is getting a useful addition to its Copilot AI options, make a new slide with Copilot. The Home tab of PowerPoint 365 will have ‘New Slide with Copilot’. A Copilot enabled Microsoft 365 plan is necessary, obviously. Or there’s “Add a slide” on the Copilot icon top-left of a
The Startup Boost feature coming to Word 365 is really a sly trick by Microsoft. It’s a trick that anyone can do with any Office app and any version of Office. Startup Boost starts the app but hides it away. Word lurks in the background until the user clicks on
Office Watch reader Steve G is having a problem in Word. The F9 key isn’t updating fields in a Word document. He suspects a buggy patch of Windows or Office. Here’s how to find the source of the Function key or any keypress problem and fix it. Hint – it’s
Here’s how to make a message (letter or card) to make it ‘appear’ from a PowerPoint envelope graphic. This message can be personal or professional, depending on your preference. In Make your own Envelope graphic for PowerPoint we showed how to make an ‘open envelope’ graphic in PowerPoint with some
An envelope graphic—crafted entirely in PowerPoint! It’s a versatile design element that works for both personal and professional needs. Whether you’re communicating with customers, making special announcements, or enhancing presentations with a creative touch, an envelope icon is a powerful visual asset. It can also be used effectively to showcase
