The Microsoft Office Blog

So you want to call a meeting. What's the best way to do it? And once everyone is gathered together and staring at you, anticipating your pearls of wisdom, what's next? Step 1: Determine the purpose of the meeting What's the best way to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. And what's one...

You have two hands, two eyes, two ears, one brain … and 17 things that must get done before the end of the day. If you're like me, you try to tackle nine of them all at once, eventually losing track of what got done—and what didn't. I've figured out a few ways to manage all my tasks by making...

Tip #1 comes from Elizabeth S. who liked my tip from February about how to make a slashed zero so much that she came up with her OWN way to make cents symbol. (Note that this tip is for Word ONLY.) Elizabeth writes: "The Ctrl +/ then Ctrl +O (letter O) works great to give you a ø (a slashed zero...

The point of this post is not to teach you about a feature — no. Today I'm going to supply you with a shortcut—a technique, really— to access any feature at all. See, most everyone can get by in Word, but is that enough, to just "get by"? You want to soar; you want to finish that document...

When you use Office Web Apps (convenient little companions to the desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote), all your documents are created, edited, and stored on a server...a server located somewhere near...in the clouds... This is where the term " cloud computing " comes in: web apps...

In Office and at Microsoft (and, hopefully, at other companies that make computing software and hardware), we really do strive to build technology for everyone, including those who experience physical difficulties or disabilities. I'm here to point you toward some resources that will help you get the...

First, you may or may not be familiar with iStockphoto . It's a collection of royalty free images and other media that you can use, for a fee. Cost is dependent on several factors, including the size and complexity of the file. You can purchase a subscription, where you set your own daily credit limit...

What used to be considered “collaboration”—taking turns scribbling on a whiteboard; back and forth emailing of documents; playing good-cop-bad-cop—is now obsolete. (Well, maybe not that last one; it still seems to work on Law & Order although not for long .) And although this...

Like I was saying: In Word 2010 you just open up the document and get to work. You get to see who else is working with you and where in the document they're working. It's like a parallel universe, man. Groovy. When you open the shared document Word automatically caches it (which basically means it creates...

If you know me (and many of you do), you know I'm about customizing. All of us are like snowflakes, each one a unique and special individual. We have our individual tastes, likes, dislikes, fashion sense, lack of fashion sense, love for the ribbon just as it is, want to make it our own... The Quick Access...

Ah, the ribbon. Yes, the ribbon...again. It's such a hot cocktail party topic (too hot for water cooler chitchat not that offices have water coolers anymore). But I digress. However much I tout the value and adorableness of the ribbon, love does not always come quickly; love does not always come at first...

Backstage view : Backstage view is where you manage your files — creating, saving, inspecting for hidden metadata or personal information and setting options. Open a document, and click the File tab to see the Backstage view. The Backstage view is where you manage your documents and related data...

There are a couple of ways to make sure that everyone is able to read, view, and work with Office 2007 documents, presentations, and workbooks. If you are the one who created the Office 2007 file, you can save a copy of it that is compatible with Word 97-2003, PowerPoint 97-2003, or Excel 97-2003. Read...

So you're planning a birthday party...well, let me tell you, there are many things to think about beyond what kind of cake to make (or buy and pretend you made). I've picked out what I think are the critical steps to making sure your party is a success, for the birthday boy or girl and for their guests...

If you're like me (no snide comments, please), you've become quite adept at using the keyboard shortcut Alt + Tab. As you know, this allows you to quickly switch between any program you have open and working on your computer. And, it used to be, when you wanted to compare two documents, you had to open...

I wanted to create an out of office message template. So I followed the instructions , looked over the provided assistance , took a look at some of the recently submitted templates , and got going!. Below is what my OOF looks like right now. If you want to try your hand at creating a funky OOF, click...

In Word or PowerPOint: You can animate your entire PowerPoint SmartArt graphic or one particular shape within it. Three steps: figure out which animation works best for your graphic; decide if you're going to animate each shape individually or as one; then get the timing down. The basics are this: Click...

I recently received a comment from a blog reader (actually it was most of a question): "Question for Crabby. I've have been looking for months for an answer to this question about Word 2007. Is there any way for me to change the global default cell margin settings for tables? I'm perfectly happy with...

I've found a really easy way to create a slashed zero — ø — (instead of leaving the Home tab and gallivanting off to the Insert tab): Press Ctrl + / . Then press Ctrl + O . (Note that the resulting symbol is more like an O zero (0). But you're a rebel anyway, right?) — Crabby

No, you CANNOT get rid of the Ribbon. However, you CAN make it smaller. Full Ribbon Minimized Ribbon Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar . In the list, click Minimize the Ribbon To use the while it is minimized, click the tab you want to use, and then click the option or command you want to use. For...