- Follow this blog:
- RSS
- Email Alert
Microsoft Office
Mark Kaelin
TechRepublic Staff
Mark Kaelin
Must-Read Post
Nine guidelines for writing effective email messages
If you want people to pay more attention to your email, perhaps you should pay more attention to your email!
-
Use Word's Go To feature to browse common elements
Word's Go To feature has two modes of navigation. You can use it to access an element once, or you can browse common elements, one by one.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 26, 2012, 7:46 AM PDT
-
Display the total number of emails in an Outlook folder
To the right of each mail folder, Outlook displays the number of unread messages. With a few clicks, you can change that number to the number of total messages in the folder instead.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 25, 2012, 9:57 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
-
A quick way to return the latest date in a subset in Excel
Identifying the latest entry for a subset doesn't have to be difficult - use a pivot table.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 24, 2012, 8:26 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
-
Grant yourself access to Word's horizontal and vertical rulers
Word's ruler is a bit unpredictable - now you see it, now you don't. Learn how to control its seemingly unruly behavior.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 20, 2012, 11:22 AM PDT | Latest comment by Fiona33
-
Modify a style at the template level
You can modify a style on two levels: for the current document only or for all new documents based on the underlying template. Make sure you make the right choice.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 19, 2012, 11:13 AM PDT
-
Sum only negative values in a given range using SUMIF()
Summing only the positive or negative values in the same range of values only sounds difficult. Fortunately, the SUMIF() function can handle both.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 17, 2012, 8:10 AM PDT | Latest comment by wehmeier
-
A quick way to create a list of sequential numbers in Word
Creating a list of sequential numbers isn't as difficult as it might sound at first. If you can create a table, you can create a list of sequential numbers.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 12, 2012, 7:43 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
-
Two useful Word shortcuts for quickly deleting text
Editing text is tedious work. Use these two shortcuts to delete whole words instead of single characters.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 11, 2012, 9:02 AM PDT | Latest comment by stapleb
-
Automatically start an Office program when you turn on your computer
If you begin your workday in the same Office app every day, let Windows start that app for you.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 9, 2012, 11:35 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
-
The right way to create a Word template
Sometimes it's tempting to take shortcuts, but fight the urge when creating a new Word template.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 5, 2012, 2:33 AM PDT
-
How to change a Word document's default tabs
When Word's default tab stops of every half inch don't get the job done, change the default setting!
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 3, 2012, 1:27 AM PDT | Latest comment by bulk@...
-
How to filter an Excel 2007 and 2010 data set for the current week
Use Excel 2007 and 2010's built-it date filters when they're adequate. When they're not, try helper columns and date functions.
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 2, 2012, 12:23 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
-
Word: How to format just the numbers in a numbered list
Formatting a list is easy. Formatting just the numbers is more difficult, unless you know this quick trick!
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 27, 2012, 3:22 AM PDT | Latest comment by ktangey
-
Three ways to control Excel's cursor movement during data entry
Inputting data is seldom anybody's favorite chore but controlling the way the cursor moves certainly eases the task.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 26, 2012, 8:14 AM PDT | Latest comment by smadahugh
-
Quick tip: Find Excel's XLStart folder fast
We seldom need the XLStart folder, so when we do, we can never remember the entire path. Instead of searching, use this quick Excel tip instead.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 25, 2012, 1:01 PM PDT | Latest comment by Marshwiggle
-
Three ways to hide zero values in an Excel sheet
Although zero values are valid, you might need to hide them. Here are three methods for hiding zero values in an Excel sheet.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 21, 2012, 8:18 AM PDT | Latest comment by hws1947@...
-
An alternative Excel averaging formula that doesn't evaluate zero
Excel's AVERAGE() function evaluates zero values. If you want to exclude zeroes, use these alternatives.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 20, 2012, 11:49 AM PDT | Latest comment by jonc2011
-
Tweak an annoying AutoCorrect entry instead of deleting it outright
You can delete a problematic AutoCorrect entry or you can try this case shuffling trick to have your cake and eat it too.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 19, 2012, 8:48 AM PDT | Latest comment by sparent
-
Quickly delete whole paragraphs by searching styles
Using styles often has unexpected perks. For instance, you can delete multiple paragraphs by relying on a style.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 14, 2012, 7:07 AM PDT | Latest comment by michael_boardman@...
-
Outlook's conversation settings lead to a more efficient Inbox
Use Outlook's conversation view to arrange related messages into meaningful groups.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 12, 2012, 12:20 PM PDT | Latest comment by nebramga
-
Two ways to add checkbox controls to a Word document
Use a customized bulleted list or a content control to insert checkboxes into a Word document, depending on how you are going to use it.
Posted by Susan Harkins | February 22, 2012, 8:16 AM PST | Latest comment by ian@...
-
How to add a drop-down list to an Excel cell
Drop-down lists can greatly facilitate data entry. Here's a look at how to use Excel's data validation feature to create handy lists within your worksheets.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 12, 2008, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by dhivya.vasu01@...
-
Transpose Excel data from rows to columns, or vice versa
When you need to flip-flop data in an Excel worksheet, don't waste time doing it manually. Excel offers a handy Transpose option that will quickly take care of the task.
Posted by Jeff Davis | June 23, 2009, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by excelinexcel
-
Use SUMIFS() to sum by multiple conditions in Excel
Excel's SUMIF() lets you sum values, conditionally. It's new sibling, SUMIFS() lets you sum values by multiple conditions.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 14, 2011, 11:25 AM PST | Latest comment by peter.r7
-
How to use Excel 2010's new conditional formatting with references
Excel 2010's new referencing option makes conditional formatting more powerful than ever before!
Posted by Susan Harkins | August 30, 2010, 8:40 AM PDT | Latest comment by manishdhir
-
Add horizontal lines to a Word document
Susan Harkins shows you two easy ways to insert a horizontal line into a Word document.
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 29, 2010, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Shrike49
-
How to Alphabetize Lists In Word
I learned something new the other day—Word can alphabetize a list. I’m sure many users already know this, but it’s brand new to me. Years ago, I could do this with WordPerfect, but I’ve...
Posted by Susan Harkins | May 29, 2007, 12:13 PM PDT
-
Four ways to insert an em dash in a Word document
When you need an em dash, you can let Word enter it for you the easy way. If that approach doesn't suit your needs, try one of three manual methods.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 1, 2010, 12:00 AM PST | Latest comment by Marshwiggle
-
Use Word's Vertical Alignment settings to center a page
Centering text vertically isn't difficult; you just have to know where to look!
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 28, 2010, 6:30 PM PDT
-
Use COUNTIFS() to evaluate multiple count and criteria ranges
Excel's COUNTIFS() function is flexible enough to handle different ranges and data types.
Posted by Susan Harkins | May 21, 2012, 10:37 AM PDT | Latest comment by jbenton@...
-
The secret to unhiding column A in an Excel worksheet
After you hide column A, it might seem like it's gone forever. Fortunately, there are two simple tricks for unhiding it.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 16, 2009, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by fallon.stuart@...
-
Quickly fill blank cells in Excel
Blank cells can spell trouble. Here's an easy way to fill in those blanks and protect the validity of your data.
Posted by Susan Harkins | April 26, 2010, 10:50 AM PDT | Latest comment by Midhunmj
-
A quick and dirty way to compare columns of Excel data
Using this little-known feature in Excel, you can quickly compare one column of data to another.
Posted by Susan Harkins | April 6, 2012, 11:41 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
-
Convert your Word documents into PowerPoint 2007 presentations
If you need to make a PowerPoint presentation from a Word document, don't worry about endless cutting and pasting. Mary Ann Richardson shows how you can use Word's built-in formatting to make an...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | April 1, 2008, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by nor12345
-
Build a simple timesheet in Excel
Excel makes it easy to set up a system for tracking time. Follow these steps to create your own or download our sample timesheet template and customize it to fit your needs.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 26, 2010, 9:43 AM PST | Latest comment by raj_as
-
Create an Excel data entry form that includes check boxes
You can keep a lot of information on an Excel data entry form, but you can make it easier for your users -- and yourself -- to create tables by adding check boxes. Here's how to set up check boxes...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | July 31, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Corbybhoy
-
Delete a stubborn page break in Word
Sometimes, Word won't let you delete a page break. The fix is usually simple -- although the cause might surprise you.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 8, 2010, 7:13 AM PST | Latest comment by kramer22
-
Use a formula to trigger Excel's Conditional Formatting feature
If you need a visual clue to hype a worksheet, use Excel's Conditional Formatting feature to help values stand out.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 5, 2009, 1:07 PM PST | Latest comment by JNirvaha
-
10 things you can do to give your PowerPoint presentations a heartbeat
This information is also available as a PDF download. Imagine this: You've just returned to your seat for this afternoon's training seminar. The morning session was pretty interesting, providing...
Posted by Katherine Murray | July 10, 2007, 2:44 PM PDT
-
Use a custom format in Excel to display easier to read millions
Use a custom format in Microsoft Excel to reduce the number of digits in a large number without losing its scale.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 14, 2012, 11:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by jeng02@...
