Microsoft

Microsoft seems like it is everywhere. They have an astounding percentage of market share because there are so many software products they make. For better results, try viewing tips for individual programs under the Microsoft brand.

Creating a Form that Users Can Complete on their Computer

Long considered the Holy Grail of forms, giving users the ability to fill-in a form using their computers has become the standard in most offices today. With a little bit of know-how and the correct software, I think that you’ll find it is much easier to do than you ever imagined. I have covered Creating… Keep Reading

Data File Types in Outlook Can Break You…

Data File Types in Outlook

Even for a nerd like me, I have to say this is not one of the sexiest blog posts I’ve put out there. But when I get bitten by a new feature of a program I like to let you know about it in case the same thing happens to you. Outlook 2013 and 2016… Keep Reading

Converting a Word Document to PDF

Originally planned as Part II of a series of Tips on how to create a fill-in-the-blank form, I realized that the information is applicable to almost everyone. Before I get started, it’s worth noting that there are several ways to create a PDF, and none are better or worse. Also, you should always be aware… Keep Reading

Stringing Text Together in Microsoft Excel

I showed you how to break text in one column into multiple columns using the Text to Columns tool in a previous Tip, but today I’m going to show you how to string text together. In other words, same problem, just going in a different direction. You can’t add words together… As you can see,… Keep Reading

Creating Fill-in-the-Blank Forms in Microsoft Word

Every office has a need to create a form at one time or another. The old days of using the underscore key are long gone, and now everyone wants to be able to complete the form using their computer. If you’ve ever been tasked with making a form, you know how difficult it can be… Keep Reading

Text to Columns in Microsoft Excel

The need to break one column into multiple columns is one that every Excel user needs upon occasion. In the accompanying example, you can see that both the first and the last names are combined into one column. If I was handed this worksheet, the first thing I would want to do is break the… Keep Reading

Creating Custom Styles in Microsoft Word

Styles add a lot of power to your ability to produce professional looking documents with ease. They’re not a requirement, but every power-user knows about them and uses them. I’ve shown you how to Apply Styles to Text, Use Style Sets and Revise Styles in previous Tips, but today I’m going to show you how… Keep Reading

Why things don’t always add up in Excel

Number formatting is a great way to change the appearance of a number, including the number of decimal places of accuracy, but it can also yield some strange results. If you’ve ever had the experience of puzzling over a column of numbers that AutoSum can’t seem to add up, or perhaps you’ve got percentages of… Keep Reading

Revising Styles in Microsoft Word

Styles are the way to strong-arm any document into shape quickly, efficiently and easily. You’ve been using them all along whether you know it or not because every Microsoft Word document starts off using the Normal style as its default. If you don’t know how to apply a style to a paragraph or a piece… Keep Reading

Using Style Sets in Microsoft Word

When we start talking about Styles in Microsoft Word, we are separating the Structure from the Content. Content, of course, is all of that fascinating verbiage you’ve written. Structure controls how the document lays out, and what the content looks like. If you picture any traditional newspaper, you know that there is a structure upon… Keep Reading