When you’re using Microsoft Word, do you often have to refer to a certain document for reference? Maybe you frequently need to look at some sort of guide or template? If so, you might want to “pin” it to make it more easily accessible! Just follow these steps:
Open Microsoft Word and click File.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Recent (if it’s not already selected). A list of the Word documents that you’ve viewed most recently will be displayed.
4. Hover over the document that you’d like to pin, and then click the pushpin icon that appears to the right of the document name.
Now that document will always appear at the top of your recently viewed document list! If you pin another document, it will appear second on this list.
To unpin a document, just click the pushpin icon a second time.
I love learning about technical shortcuts. It almost feels magical when you learn new, simple ways to do things that previously seemed difficult or impossible. Here are five tips that I discovered recently. I hope they make your life a little easier!
Reopen a closed browser tab – If you mistakenly close a browser tab, there’s a really easy way to bring it back. Just click Ctrl+Shift+T on your PC (or Command+Shift+T on your Mac), and the tab will automatically reappear!
Capture and crop a screenshot – You don’t need any kind of fancy software to capture an image of your screen and crop it. Just type “snipping tool” in your Windows Search field, and select it from your search results. The snipping tool makes it so easy to capture a picture of your screen and crop out anything that you don’t want to share.
Search for more information about a particular word – If you see a word or phrase on a webpage that you’d like to learn more about, just highlight it, right-click on it, and select “Search Google for…” A new browser window containing information on that word will open. (Please note – This currently only works in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.)
Use your mouse to open a new browser window – If you see a link on a webpage and you’d like to open that link in a new window, just hover over the link, press the scroll wheel on your mouse, and it’s done!
Provide someone with a link to a particular spot in a YouTube video – Have you ever wanted to provide someone with a link to a YouTube video, and have it start at a particular spot, somewhere in the middle of the video? Well, here’s how you do it. Pause the video where you’d like it to start. Then click the “Share” button.
A pop-up window will open. Click the checkbox at the bottom of the window that says “Start at…” Then copy and share the link that’s displayed.
Do you use Microsoft Word at work? Most of us do. That’s why Microsoft Word tips, tricks, and shortcuts always come in handy!
Even if you’re a Microsoft Word expert, I bet that a few of these items will surprise you. Try them out and see what you think! (I’m particularly enamored with item #2. I had no idea that Microsoft Word would let me do that!)
1. Make use of the “Tell me what you want to do…” feature.
On top of your Word document, there’s a line of text that says “Tell me what you want to do…”
If you click that text, a little search field will appear, and you can type a keyword like “table” or “borders.” When you do, Microsoft Word will immediately pop open the control panel that relates to whatever you typed. It’s an easy way to get things done without using Microsoft Word’s somewhat confusing system of tabs and menus.
2. Want to start typing in the middle of a page? Just double-click there. Did you know that you can double-click anywhere on a page, and then just start typing there? Well you can! You don’t need to create a table or mess around with margins. Just double-click! Seriously, this is very cool. You need to try this out!
3. Look something up on the internet without opening a browser window.
If you need more information about a certain word or concept, just right-click on it and then select “Smart Lookup.” Information that’s pulled from the internet will appear in a column on the right side of the screen. It’s quicker than opening up a browser window and doing your search there.
4. Quickly define a word.
If you just need a quick definition, hold down the ALT key and then click the word that you want defined. The definition will appear on the right side of the screen.
5. Customize your default font. When you open a new Word document and start typing, do you wish that it would default to the Comic Sans font, size 14? Well you’re in luck! Microsoft Word allows you to customize your default font! Just select the font and size that you want. Then click the little arrow on the Font menu.
A pop-up window will open. Click the “Set as Default” button.
Another pop-up window will open. Select “All documents based on the Normal template” and then click “OK.”
6. Get rid of old formatting. Have you ever worked on a document that was created by someone else, and it’s full of weird formatting? You don’t know what the previous writer did, but you know it’s a crazy mess. Well luckily, it’s easy to get rid of it! To remove all of the formatting from a document, click CTRL+A to select all of the text. Then just click the little eraser button on the Font menu. And you’re done!
If you have other Microsoft Word tips and tricks, please feel free to share them in the Comment section below!
I’m sure you’ve mastered the art of copying text in one document (by highlighting it and pressing CTRL+C) and pasting it into another document (by pressing CTRL+V). This is a handy shortcut and pretty common knowledge.
But did you know that there’s also a really easy way to make the new text match the formatting of the old text? For instance, let’s say that your document is written in Calibri font, size 11 – and the text that you’re pasting into it is in bold Arial font, size 12. You can make it match the text in your document by following these steps:
— Highlight the text that you want to copy, and press CTRL+C.
— Paste the text into your document by pressing CTRL+V.
— Then click the little Paste Options button that appears on your screen. You’ll see a drop-down menu.
— From the drop-down menu, select one of the following:
Select Merge Formatting if you want the fonts to match, but you want any bold or italicized words to remain bold or italicized.
Select Keep Text Only if you want to strip away all of the formatting from the text you copied, and make it match the text in your document.
And you’re done!
You can also set a certain paste option as your default, so you don’t have to go through this process repeatedly. Just click the Paste Options button and then select Set Default Paste.
Scroll down to the “cut, copy, and paste” area, and make your selection from the Pasting between documents drop-down menu. Then click OK.
Click here for more details, and even more pasting tips and tricks!
It’s the middle of summer and you have a bit of time for yourself. However, it looks like you won’t have that break after all. Summer means no school, and no school means the kids are home. There they are running around and– oh gosh, there goes your mother’s favorite vase.
But don’t let those kids stop you from having your fun! Here are some relaxation techniques you can do, even with the extra presence of a few little rascals. And if you don’t have any kids, that’s fine! Take some time to try these activities on your own or with a few friends.
Step outside and get some fresh air. Studies show that fresh air can reduce stress significantly and increase productivity. Let your kids run around and burn off some energy while you sit back and relax with a new book.
It’s time to blow off steam. Scream your heart out on roller coasters, overcome your fears, and burn a few calories while you’re at it. Waiting in line is worth it if it boosts your mood or gives you some extra bonding moments.
All that beneficial fresh air (and finally putting down your phone for a couple of days) will allow you to relax and socialize with others, and you’ll get some extra hours of sleep in. Plus, it will appeal to your sense of adventure.
Just like you, kids get stressed as well. Take some time to stretch and embrace your tranquility with your little ones. Studies show that meditation with your kids will improve test scores and good habits, teaching kids to be more compassionate.
Ever hear of baking therapy? It might be messy, but it’s a good way to take your mind off things for a while. Small projects increase relaxation and happiness, and having a creative outlook will improve your sense of well-being and control over your life.
Sometimes the most meaningful lessons come from unexpected places. In this article, find out what helpful financial advice can be gleaned from the beats of hip hop.
Using your computer, smartphone, camera, or the web definitely can be fun, but have you ever thought to yourself, “There has to be an easier way!” Well, there probably is, and you just don’t know it yet.
Tech columnist David Pogue is the personal technology columnist for the New York Times and a tech correspondent for CBS News. He’s also one of the world’s bestselling how-to authors, with titles in the “For Dummies” series and his own line of “Missing Manual” books.
He presented a terrific five-minute Ted Talk that gives you ten simple, clever tips for computer, web, smartphone, and camera users. And yes, you may know a few of these already – but there’s probably at least one you don’t. Click this link to view the Ted Talk now, and see how many of these tips you can put to use today!
Do you ever use the Track Changes feature in any Microsoft Office products? It’s great! I use it in Word all the time. It’s especially useful when I’m working with a client and they have revisions to make to documents. Track Changes makes it easy to locate and see exactly what changes they’ve made.
Recently, we’ve had to update older documents. One document came to me that was nearly 100 pages long. My colleague had made numerous changes, but not on every page. I only needed to print the changed pages so I could physically take them into the audio recording booth. But wait – Word does not have the capability to just print Track Changes! (Trust me, I used the Help menu and tried to Google how it was done. Nope – it’s not possible.) I was fearful that I’d have to look through page by page and write down which individual pages to print. Before I gave in to that solution, I found a much better work-around. Here’s a trick to help you save a serious amount of time and paper.
Access the Print menu.
From the Settings drop-down menu, select List of Markup.
Click Print.
Review the printed document. It’s a concise list that indicates every page where a change was made.
Access the Print menu again.
From the Settings drop-down menu, select Custom Print.
The most effective leaders in any organization are those who have mastered the art of coaching. The goal of the coach should be to increase the team’s accountability, clarity, empowerment, problem-solving, self-correction, confidence, integrity, personal growth, and, of course, productivity.
To become a great coach, begin by reviewing these “must do” steps:
Ask good questions to guide their thinking process.
What are your objectives and outcomes for this project?
How will you measure your success?
What’s your next step?
Who do you need to include?
What have you tried so far?
Listen actively, acknowledging the other person’s opinions, lessons, and emotions.
If I hear you correctly, you are saying you need to do some additional research before you can move ahead.
In other words, this timeline is too tight. Is that correct?
It sounds like you’re saying you missed an opportunity to promote this project at a recent meeting. What did you learn from this?
You seem frustrated; is that accurate?
Empathize with their frustrations.
I understand (that you are frustrated, sad, tired, etc.). I have felt that way myself.
Help them reflect on options and outcomes.
So far, you’ve identified two options to fix this problem. Is there anything else you could consider?
What are the limitations of these two options?
What will it cost you in time or resources to use this option and not that one?
Make suggestions — but don’t overdo it.
We have some experienced project managers who could help you set up a control group…
Redirect and refocus, if necessary.
What do you think you should do?
Given that (we are understaffed, in an economic downturn, I can’t give you more of my time), what do you think the best solution is?
Encouragethem to do their best.
I know you can do this. I have faith in you. You have the skills, experience, and attitude to handle this.
How many of these do you do? Lots of them? Great! You’re a role model! Not all of them? Don’t worry; you’re in good company. Pick one that you’re not using currently and give it a try!
Many of us work with spreadsheets all day long, but we sometimes overlook the power or the formula. As a result, we wind up wasting time doing things manually when our computers are far better equipped to perform these tasks than we are.
Here is a simple tip that allows you to count cells in an Excel spreadsheet. Let’s suppose you have a list of students. Some of them have passed and others have failed, and you have a spreadsheet that looks something like this:
STUDENT
RESULT
Alberto
PASS
Angela
PASS
Anne-Marie
PASS
Ben
PASS
Carlos
PASS
Dale
PASS
Edmund
FAIL
Fermin
PASS
Hussein
PASS
Ibrahim
FAIL
Joe
FAIL
John
PASS
Kathie
FAIL
Lakeisha
FAIL
Linnea
PASS
Mach
PASS
Mary
FAIL
Peter
PASS
Rosemary
FAIL
Wendy
PASS
TOTAL
20
PASS
13
FAIL
7
So, how did we total the numbers in the bottom three cells?
The first is the total number of students in the class. We can create a formula that looks at all the cells (A2 to A21) in the first column except the top one (A1) and counts any cell that is not blank. We do it by putting the following formula in the cell, B21, where the total (20) is reported:
=COUNTA(A2:A21)
The second is the number of students who have passed. So we have to count all the cells except the top one (B1) if they contain the word “PASS.” Otherwise, we don’t count them. This conditional counting is accomplished with this formula:
=COUNTIF(B2:B21, “PASS”)
Finally, we want to count the number of students who have failed. The formula is almost the same as the way we created the formula for the people who passed:
=COUNTIF(B2:B21, “FAIL”)
Using formulas can save you a lot of time, and the machine can do it much more accurately than you can. Follow the principle that you should never buy a dog and bark yourself!
You can become very sophisticated with the way you use formulas in Excel, and the university offers classes as part of your benefits package. You can take instructor-led courses or choose courses in Microsoft Office by going to our website: http://learning.jhu.edu.
Just remember that there are many versions of Excel. Make sure that you take the course that matches the computer you use and the version that’s installed on your machine.
