If you’re working in Microsoft Excel and need to test formulas, dashboards or data‐driven workflows, real data can often get in the way. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for live data sets or scrub proprietary information—this article shows you two powerful techniques to create fake data lists quickly and
Excel users, beware, comparing text in formulas doesn’t always behave as you’d expect. While most programming languages treat text strings with upper/lower case as different, Excel doesn’t. By default, it compares text without case sensitivity, leading to potential errors in formulas and automation. Learn how to correctly use functions like
If you’ve ever wondered how to replicate the distinctive “school bus yellow” shade in your documents or slides, you’ll find the answer here. It’s the standard hue for North American school buses, chosen for visibility and impact. You can apply this same shade in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint or any
Word documents and Outlook emails can be cluttered with unnecessary emoji. Copilot AI loves adding emoji, like it or not. If you’re tired of seeing smiley faces in your reports or emails, here’s practical ways to clean them out. Learn step-by-step methods to find and remove emoji using font searches
If you’ve ever seen Microsoft Word underline a word with a cryptic “Possible Word Choice” warning, you’re not alone. This subtle feature of Microsoft Editor can confuse even seasoned users. It flags real words that might not fit the sentence’s context, often catching homophones or subtle mix-ups that spell-check misses.
Tired of endless nested IF statements in Excel? The CHOOSE function offers a cleaner, smarter way to pick from multiple options using a single, simple formula. Learn how to replace complex conditional logic with CHOOSE(), streamline your spreadsheets, and make your formulas easier to read, maintain, and debug. Choose() an
Ever had a heading in Microsoft Word that seemed to wander off from its paragraph like a rebellious teenager? Or a bullet point that ghosted its follow-up text? Enter “Keep with Next” or KWN to its friends, Word’s low-key matchmaker that makes sure certain paragraphs stay together—forever (or at least
A viral post recently accused Microsoft Excel of bias for labeling the shekel as “Hebrew” instead of “Israel.” However, there’s no conspiracy—Excel lists currencies by language, not country, using the same format for all entries. Thanks to Office Watcher, Gary B. from Portland for alerting us to this bit of
Most Word users stop at page numbers and dates in their headers and footers, but Microsoft Word can do much more. From inserting document titles, authors, and file paths to using advanced field codes like StyleRef or NumPages, you can make your headers dynamic, informative, and even interactive. Discover the
Creating polished, consistent headers and footers in Microsoft Word is easier than you think. This guide walks you through every step—from adding page numbers and section-specific layouts to using “Different First Page” for cleaner title pages. Whether you’re preparing reports, articles, or academic papers, these techniques will help your documents
Did you know you can make Microsoft Word automatically change text color or formatting depending on whether a number is positive, negative, or zero? With field codes like {SEQ} or {MERGEFIELD}, it’s easy to apply different font styles, colors, or highlights directly in your document—no macros required. This simple formatting
Microsoft Word lacks native support for adding prefix and suffix text through styles—but clever workarounds can make it possible. This guide from Office Watch shows how to simulate prefixing and suffixing paragraphs or character styles, just like CSS’s :before and :after elements. Learn how to format consistent labels, product codes,
Microsoft Word’s grammar checker might help with commas and verb tenses, but it misses one subtle yet frequent English mistake, putting numbers, amounts, times, or dates in the wrong order. After our article on adjective order in English , Aussie Office Watch reader “MJ” pointed out something that Word doesn’t
Your trusty Office 2016 or 2019 has lost official Microsoft support. There’s a smart, affordable way to keep your ‘vintage’ Office software secure and running smoothly after October 2025. Zero-day micropatching can protect you from new security threats, extend the life of your software and help you avoid costly upgrades.
Did you know Windows quietly swaps out Helvetica font for Arial every time you open certain documents? This subtle substitution affects how text looks in Word, browsers, and more. Learn why Helvetica isn’t included in Windows, how Microsoft handles font replacements behind the scenes, and what you can do to
A viral post sparked debate over whether Microsoft Word’s grammar checker shows hidden bias, but the truth is more technical than cultural. Office Watch investigated and found that Word and Google Docs simply make different choices about what to flag in grammar suggestions. There’s no homophobia here, just decisions that
Microsoft’s default font family, Aptos, isn’t limited to Microsoft 365 or Office 2024. Anyone can download and install the complete Aptos font set directly from Microsoft to use across any app or platform. Whether you’re running Office 2021, older Office versions, or non-Microsoft software like LibreOffice, this quick download ensures
As Microsoft ends support for Office 2016 and Office 2019, millions of users face an important decision, stick with their trusted software, move to Microsoft 365, upgrade to Office 2024, or switch to a free alternative. While your current Office apps will still work, they’re now more vulnerable without security
Want to show only the year, month, or day from an Excel date? We explain how to use the TEXT(), YEAR(), MONTH(), and DAY() functions or cell formatting to display or calculate date details efficiently. Learn when to use each method, which is fastest, and how your choice affects Excel
Need an attention-grabbing border for safety notices or urgent messages? Creating a striped border in Microsoft Word isn’t as simple as it seems—but with the right technique, you can design professional-looking emergency or warning signs in minutes. This step-by-step guide from Office Watch shows how to use Word’s background picture
Want to make your Microsoft Word pages or signs stand out? Skip the frustrating page background tool and try this smarter way to add diagonally striped borders. Get full control over stripe position, color, and layout — perfect for eye-catching warning signs, notices, or creative designs that look sharp on
Cybercriminals are exploiting a subtle typography trick called evil kerning to disguise fake domains as trusted ones like Microsoft.com or Gmail.com. By tightening letter spacing, “rn” can appear as “m,” making scam addresses like rnicrosoft.com or grnail.com nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Here’s how the scam works, why it’s
You don’t need Microsoft 365 or desktop Office to edit your Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files. With Office Online, anyone can upload documents from their computer, make changes directly in a browser, and save the updated file back to their hard drive—all for free. This simple method works across Windows,
Clicking a link to a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file doesn’t always give you the choice of where it opens. Sometimes it launches in a browser, other times in the desktop app. Microsoft has scattered the controls across Outlook, Office apps, and web options, leaving many users frustrated. This guide
