The Learning Pad Newsletter

Archive for the ‘Microsoft Office Tips and Tricks’ Category

Organize your SharePoint workspace. Select Modify this Workspace > Design this Page to reduce clutter and organize folders and files in a logical way.

Collaborate while maintaining control. You can use Word document reviewing options to track, accept, or reject changes. To access the Reviewing toolbar, right-click the Standard toolbar and select Reviewing.

Stay on top of tasks in SharePoint with automatic notifications.
 Select a task, click Alert Me, and configure alerts to e-mail you when an item is added, modified, or deleted.

Organize your SharePoint workspace. Select Modify this Workspace > Design this Page to reduce clutter and organize folders and files in a logical way.

Selecting data in Excel.
To select only the blank cells in a region, select the region, click Go To on the Edit menu, click Special, and then click Blanks.
Changing editing preferences in Excel.
If you don’t want to edit directly in cells, click Options on the Tools menu, click the Edit tab, and clear the ‘Edit directly in cell’ check box.
Help protect sensitive information. When sharing sensitive data you can limit viewing, printing, and e-mail forwarding privileges by going to File > Permission > Do Not Distribute, select authorized users, and apply permission settings.

Make it all become clear in Excel. CTRL+SHIFT+( Unhides any hidden rows within the selection. CTRL+SHIFT+) Unhides any hidden columns within the selection.
Rapidly view the information you need.
Zoom in and out of a spreadsheet by holding down the Ctrl key while rotating the wheel button on your mouse.
Organize large, multi-sheet workbooks.
Right click on a worksheet tab (like “Sheet1″) to rename the tab and color-code it; you can even copy And move worksheets.
Quickly print multiple spreadsheets at the same time.
To print spreadsheets on multiple tabs, select the tabs by clicking on them while holding the Ctrl key Then print them by hitting Ctrl-P.
Make your tables come alive. Give your tables a professional look. With your cursor placed within the table you want to format, Select Table > Autoformat and choose the style you like best.
Adding and Editing Comments in Excel. Press Shift+F2 to insert a comment in the current cell. Type the text of your comment, then press Esc twice. To edit a comment, go to the cell that contains the comment and press Shift+F2. Make your changes, then press Esc twice.
Get a notification and a quick preview of an incoming message.
You can momentarily preview an incoming message via a small caption above the task bar. Turn this feature on or off by clicking Tools> Options > E-Mail Options > Advanced E-Mail Options, and select “Display a New Mail Desktop Alert”.
Selecting data in Excel Select nonadjacent cells or ranges by selecting the first cell or range, and then holding down CTRL while you select the other cells or ranges.
Delete a range of cells.
Delete a range of selected cells by holding down Shift while you drag the fill handle up and to the left.
Scrolling through charts quickly and easily.
 As you use the arrow keys to scroll through the Chart Objects box on the Chart toolbar, the corresponding item in the chart is selected.
Quickly build a list in Excel To increment a single number, hold down Ctrl while you drag the fill handle at the corner of the selection.
Resizing diagrams
To keep the proportions of an object constant when drawing or resizing it, hold down shift while dragging the corner.

Edit Data quickly . Instead of using the formula bar to edit the contents of a cell, you can edit directly in the cell by double clicking it.
Changing the size of the chart.
You can move or resize the plot area of a chart. Drag its border to move it, or drag a selection handle to change the size.
Formatting Data in Excel. To indent text in a cell, you can use the Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons on the formatting toolbar.
Keeping consistent in Excel.
 When you change the chart type, retain custom formatting by clearing the Default Formatting check box on the Standard Types tab.
Change a chart with a click of a button.
To change the type of your chart in Excel just right-click the chary, and then click chart type.
Create charts instantly in Excel.
To instantly create a chart, select the data you want to present in the chart, and then press F11 or ALT + F1.
Customizing charts in Excel.
To create and customize a chart at the same time, select the data you want, and then click Chart Wizard on the Standard toolbar.

Many people rely on Microsoft Outlook for their email program, but they don’t realize how many functions the program actually has. Check out all of these ways to improve your productivity:

1. Add your own follow-up flags in Outlook. Click the Message Flag button and then type the text you want in the Flag to box.

2. Automatically add holidays to your calendar. On the Tools menu, click Options, click Calendar Options, and then click Add Holidays.

3. Stay on top of Spam. Go to Tools > Options > Preferences > Junk Mail to set options. Select the level of filtering you prefer, and create lists of Safe Senders (White Lists) and Blocked Senders (Black Lists).

4. Outlook shortcuts Ctrl-N creates a new message, Ctrl-S sends, Ctrl-R replies, Ctrl-Shift-R replies all, Ctrl-F forwards, and Ctrl-D deletes. Ctrl+1,2,3,4,5 will display Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notes.

5. Compare calendars. For planning and scheduling a meeting you view calendars side-by-side. In the navigation pane click Open A Shared Calendar to view those calendars you have permission to view.

6. Access folders faster. Add frequently used folders to a Favorites list. Drag and drop a folder from the Mail Folders pane up to the Favorites Folders area, Right click to remove.

7. Basic navigation in Outlook. To switch to Mail press CTRL+1. To switch to Calendar press CTRL+2. To switch to Contacts press CTRL+3. To switch to Tasks press CTRL+4. To switch to Notes press CTRL+5.

8. Help protect sensitive data. When e-mailing confidential messages, you can restrict e-mail forwarding, copying, and printing. When composing a message, got to File > Permission > Do Not Forward

9. Use a bigger, better reading pane. Display more information on the screen with easier-to-read vertical orientation. While viewing e-mail, Click View > Reading Pane > Right.

10. Create items quickly in Outlook (Part 2) To do this press CTRL+SHIFT+M for a Message, CTRL+SHIFT+N for a Note, CTRL+SHIFT+H for a new Office document, CTRL+SHIFT+S for a Post in this folder, CTRL+SHIFT+P for a Search Folder, CTRL+SHIFT+K for a Task, CTRL+SHIFT+U for a Task request.

11. Create items quickly in Outlook (Part 1) 
To do this press CTRL+SHIFT+A for an Appointment, CTRL+SHIFT+C for a Contact, CTRL+SHIFT+L for a Distribution list, CTRL+SHIFT+X for a Fax, CTRL+SHIFT+E for a Folder, CTRL+SHIFT+J for a Journal entry, CTRL+SHIFT+Q for a Meeting request.

12. Start Outlook in a folder other than Inbox.
 On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab. In the Advanced Options dialog box, set the startup folder that you want.

13. Quickly attach a file to a message, task, appointment, meeting request, journal entry, or contact. Open the item, and then on the Insert menu, click File. Locate the file you want to attach.

14. Quickly change the time zone for all Windows-based programs. Right-click the space at the top of the time bar when you view days in Calendar, and then click Change Time Zone on the shortcut menu.

15. Send that note fast! Click the note icon in the upper-left corner of the open note and then click Forward.

16. Keyboard Shortcut Tips . To show the menu to download pictures, change automatic download settings, or add a sender to the Safe Senders List, press Ctrl+Shift+W.

17. Remove a name fast from Other Tasks List. To remove a name from the Other Tasks list, right-click the name, and the click Remove from Other Tasks.

18. Quickly assign tasks in Outlook. Right-click the task, and then on the shortcut menu, click Assign Task and then type a name in the To box.

19. Set reminders to reply to messages. Right-click the message you want to set the reminder for, point to Follow Up, and then click Add Reminder.

20. Quickly dial a phone number for a contact. Right-click the contact, and then on then shortcut menu, click Call Contact.

21. Toggle the Navigation Pane. To switch the Navigation Pane on and off, press Alt+F1.

22. Contact meeting attendees with a reminder or other message. Open the original meeting request, click the Actions menu, and then click New Message to Attendees.

23. Quickly mark a task as complete in Outlook. Right-click the task and then click Mark Complete on the shortcut menu.

24. Quickly assign tasks. To create a task related to a contact simply click on the contact, click the actions menu, and then click New Task for Contact.

25. Quickly view dates in your calendar. In the date picker box, click and drag your pointer over the dates that you want to view or compare.

26. Add a new contact from an e-mail message. Open the message. In the From field, right-click the name you want to make into a contact. On the shortcut menu, click Add to Outlook Contacts.

27. Get a notification and a quick preview of an incoming message. You can momentarily preview an incoming message via a small caption above the task bar. Turn this feature on or off by clicking Tools> Options > E-Mail Options > Advanced E-Mail Options, and select to Display a New Mail Desktop Alert.

If you have any experience with Microsft Word, you know that it is a powerful product, but most only use a small portion of what it can really do. In our classes, we teach not only the basic functionality, but also how to navigate around faster to make you more productive. Here’s some of the top tricks and tips that you probably didn’t know how to do:

1. Working with text in Word. To go directly to the last edit you did in your document press Shift+F7.

2. Viewing documents in Word. To see two parts of a document simultaneously, drag the spilt bar at the top of the scroll bar.

3. Editing Word documents in Print Preview. To edit in print preview, click Magnifier on the Print Preview toolbar.

4. Keyboard shortcuts in Word. To move to the previous or next word, press Ctrl+Left Arrow or Ctrl+Right Arrow. To go to the beginning or end of a document, press Ctrl+Home or Ctrl+End.

5. Seamlessly import text from the Web. To import text from the Web without inadvertently adjusting your document’s formatting, highlight the text and hit Ctrl-C to copy; paste it on your Word document with Edit > Paste Special and select Unformatted Text.

6. Find just the right word. Click on a word and hit Shift-F7 to automatically look up a synonym, antonym, or alternative choice, Using a thesaurus or other available tools.

7. E-Mailing with Word . To send an active document by e-mail from Word press ALT+S.

8. Turning words into hyperlinks Highlight the word you want to turn into a hyperlink, and right-click it and select ‘Create Hyperlink’ or select the word, and press CTRL+K.

9. Change the position of text in a table. You can change the text orientation in table cells so that the text is displayed vertically or horizontally. Click the table cell that contains the text you want to change. On the Format menu, click Text Direction. Click the orientation you want.

10. Show or hide shortcut keys in ScreenTips. On the Tools menu, click Customize. Click the Options tab.Under Other, select or clear the Show ScreenTips on toolbars and Show shortcut keys in ScreenTips check boxes.

11. Show or hide screen tips. When you rest your mouse pointer on some items in Microsoft Word such as a comments, tracked changes, hyperlinks, or toolbar buttons, you can view information about them in ScreenTips. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the View tab. Under Show, select or clear the ScreenTips check box.

12. Format on the fly with keyboard shortcuts. Select text and hit Ctrl-B to bold, Ctrl-U to underline, Ctrl-I to italicize, Ctrl-[ and Ctrl-] to change font size, or Ctrl-Shift-A to toggle between CAPS and lowercase.

13. Moving your text quickly and easily. To center, left-align, or right-align a selected paragraph, press Ctrl+E, Ctrl+L, or Ctrl+R.

14. Clearing the table To delete a table and its contents in Word, select the table, point to delete on the table menu, and then click table.

15. Make a sheet of identical labels. Point to Letters and mailings on the Tools menu, click ‘Envelopes and Labels’, click the ‘Labels’ tab, and then click ‘Full page of the same label’.

16. See the same document in two different views. Click Split on the Window menu, and then choose the views you want.

17. Quickly edit a table in Word. To move a table row up or down, select the row, and the press Alt+Shift+Up Arrow of Alt+Shift+Down Arrow.

18. Save time in Word. To close all open documents, press shift, and then click Close All on the File menu.

19. Resizing graphics in Word. To restore an imported graphic to its a original size, press Ctrl and double-click the graphic.

20. Correct Typos with a click. With the “Check spelling as you type” feature enabled (Tools > Options > Spelling & Grammar), you can right-click on the highlighted typo and then select from a list of the suggested, correctly spelled words.

21. Working with multiple formats. To change the margin or column settings for part of a word document, first create section breaks.

22. Adding a check box to a document. To add a check box to a Word document, click View, select Toolbars, click Forms, and then click Check Box Form Field on the Forms toolbar.

23. Moving around quickly in Word. To move to the previous or next word, press Ctrl+Left Arrow or Ctrl+Right Arrow. To go to the beginning or end of a document press Ctrl+Home or Ctrl+End.

24. Working with graphics in Word. To use a button on the Drawing toolbar multiple times, double-click the button.

25. Moving around Word easily. To view a documents organization and jump to different sections, click Document Map on the View menu.

26. Displaying page margins. To display page margins, click Options on the Tools menu, and then on the View tab, under Print and Web Layout options, select the Text boundaries check box.

In our classes on PowerPoint, we teach many tips and tricks that help you to navigate faster. Here are some of the most requested functions that you probably didn’t know about.

1. Working with the pointer during a slide show. Hide the pointer and slide show toolbar immediately by pressing Ctrl+H. Hide them in 15 seconds by pressing Ctrl+U.

2. Save time by copying formatting.
 Copy the formatting style of your selected text or shape in PowerPoint be pressing Ctrl+Shift+C. Paste the style by selecting the destination text or shape and pressing Ctrl+Shift+V.

3. Change the position of a shape, picture, or WordArt on a slide. Select the AutoShape, picture, or WordArt you want to change. On the Format menu, use the keyboard to choose the command for the type of object you selected — for example, AutoShape or Text Box — and then select the Position tab. Under Position on slide, select the options you want. To preview the change, choose Preview.

4. Working with Clip Art in PowerPoint. Use the More AutoShapes command (click the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar) to display the Clip Art task pane, where you can search for and insert clip art.

5. Quickly edit PowerPoint presentations. 
Display additional tools while using PowerPoint to make navigation and editing simpler and quicker. View a list of keyboard shortcuts by pressing F1, and display the shortcut menu by pressing SHIFT + F10 (or the Right mouse button).

6. Working with PowerPoint notes. Erase on-screen annotations by pressing E. Show or hide ink mark-up by pressing Ctrl+M.

7. Working with animations. Perform the previous animation or return to the previous slide by pressing P, Page Up, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Backspace.

9. Pausing your presentation . To display a white screen in a presentation press W or Comma, to display a black screen pess B or Period.

10. Navigating hidden slides in presentations. Go to the next hidden slide by pressing H.

11. Time your presentation. Set new timings while rehearsing your presentation by pressing T. Use origial timings when rehearsing by pressing O.

12. Navigating slide shows. To stop or restart an automatic slide show press S or + sign. End a slide show by pressing Esc, Ctrl+Break, or Hyphen.

13. Navigate animations with ease. To perform the next animation or advance to the next slide in a slideshow press N, Enter, Page Down, Right Arrow, Down Arrow, or the Spacebar.

14. Changing the pointer in a slideshow. Redisplay the pointer and change it to a pen by pressing Ctrl+P. Redisplay and change it to an arrow by pressing Ctrl+A.

15. Navigate slideshows with ease. Go to a particular slide by pressing the Number + Enter. Return to the first slide by pressing 1 + Enter (or press both mouse buttons for 2 seconds).

16. Working with shapes in PowerPoint.
 Use the More Autoshapes command (click the Autoshapes button on the Drawing toolbar) to display the Clip Art task pane, where you can search for and insert clip art.

17. Quickly convert one AutoShape to another without losing formatting. Select the shape you want to change, clicking the Draw button (on the Drawing toolbar), pointing to Change AutoShape, and then clicking the new AutoShape

Protecting Document with Passwords

You can protect your document by applying password so that unauthorized person can not display as well as modify your document. You can apply two types of passwords:

Password to open the document:

If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to open the document, otherwise you cannot open the document.

Password to modify the document:

If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to modify the document, otherwise your document is opened but you cannot modify the document. It means that your document becomes read-only.

To apply a password to document, follow these steps.

* Open Save As dialog box by selecting “Save As” command from File menu.

* Click “Tools” button of Save As dialog box and choose “Security Options” from drop down menu, “Save” dialog box appears as shown in figure below.

* Enter first password in “Password to open” text box and second password in “Password to modify” text box (if required) and click “Ok” button of dialog box. Microsoft Word will open “Confirm Password” dialog box for the confirmation of passwords. The maximum length of password is 15 characters.

* Re-enter the password to open and password to modify and click “Ok” button of Confirm Password dialog boxes one by one.

* Click “Save” button of Save As dialog box.

If you’ve been using your computer for more than 6 months, it’s probably safe to say that you don’t need all the files and email messages stored there. When left untreated too long, an unorganized computer will perform slower and make it more difficult for you to find the information you need. If that’s the case, it’s a great time to make sure your computer is cleaned up and ready to roll for your next upcoming project or assignment. This article can help you get started.

Clear out your old, unnecessary files
So how long should you keep old files on your hard drive? It’s kind of like cleaning out a closet. if you haven’t used a particular file (or sweater) in a year, you’re pretty safe storing it somewhere else.

How can you tell how old a file is? Rest your mouse cursor over the file to see when it was last modified. For more information right-click the file, and choose Properties. You can see when the file was created, last modified it, and most recently accessed. If a file is old, not important, and hasn’t been accessed in more than 6 months, it might be time to clear it out.

You’re the best judge to determine which files to keep, but here is a list of items you might want to consider saving:

• Tax and legal information
• Project-related files
• Favorite digital images from the year
• Plans you could leverage for future projects
• Important email messages
• Customer information

By looking at the properties of a file you can see when the file was created, last modified it, and most recently accessed.

Quickly find old files by organizing them by the date they were modified.

Back up important files

The next step is to copy selected files to another storage medium, such as a writeable CD or DVD or an external hard drive. For your most important files, such as project files, key presentations, or large emails, you’ll rest a lot easier if you have a backup copy stored safely away from your computer. Backing up your files to CD or DVD will allow you to safely store these disks should you happen to lose your computer or if it should fail.

To back up your files it’s ideal to have a CD or DVD burner or a hard drive you can connect to your computer through a USB or FireWire port.

Clean out your email

Do you have a system for weeding out and organizing your old email messages? Here are a few quick ideas for taming your Inbox and getting ready to handle those messages in the months to come:

• Create folders to store messages according to sender, topic, or date.
• Create email rules to file and manage your messages automatically. For example, you can create a rule to send all messages from your manager to a special folder.
• Go through your Sent folder in Outlook in and delete items you no longer need (especially those with large file attachments).
• If you’re sure you no longer need email you’ve deleted, empty the folder that contains it.

Organize and clear out your Internet files

If you’re like the average person, you’ve been doing a lot of Web searching and your Internet Explorer Favorites folder may be bursting at the seams. It could probably use some weeding out and organizing. To organize your Favorites in Internet Explorer, on the Favorites menu, click Organize Favorites.

While your tending to your Favorites folder there’s some additional clean up that’s easy to do. Start Internet Explorer and on the Tools menu click Internet Options. In the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box, you have two cleanup choices. These steps can help reduce some unnecessary files on your computer.

1.      In the Temporary Internet files section, click Delete Files to remove all temporary files. (You can also elect to remove all offline content downloaded from sites you’ve visited.)

2.      In the History section, click Clear History to remove the list of sites you’ve previously visited. Also make sure that you have the Days to keep pages in history: set to where you would like it.

Clear out Internet Explorer using some of the options on the Internet Options dialog box.

How to show and use the Shortcuts keys in Word 2007

In Word 2007, most of the shortcut keys are same from the earlier versions such as Word 2000 and Word 2003. But the interesting thing in Word 2007 is that, Microsoft provides a new look or system for these shortcuts keys. In earlier Word versions, you must be memorized to use the shortcuts keys such as (CTRL + B” to make letters bold and “CTRL + I” to make letters italic). But now do not require planned memorization in latest Word 2007 version. There is a fast, simple, and visual way to find out what you need to press.

Now by pressing the “ALT” button and many options or keyboard shortcuts (containing letters or numbers) will be appear on top of the toolbar buttons.

You will see here, For Example:

Alt-F = Office Button

Alt-1 = Save

Alt-2 = Undo

Alt-3 = Redo

Alt-H = Home

Alt-N = Insert tab

Alt-P = Page Layout tab

Alt-S = References tab

Alt-M = Mailings tab

Alt-R =Review tab

Alt-V =View tab

Alt-L = Developer tab

Now if you want to view the shortcuts keys for any other individual tabs. For example if you go to the Insert tab by pressing ALT-N only, then you will be able to see the extra shortcuts keys available.

Here Now if you press a letter listed below small image it will be like pushing that button. For Example

V = to set cover page

NP = insert new blank page

B = Page break

T = Insert table

P = Insert picture

F= Insert Clip Art

SH = Insert shapes

C = Chart

Tip 1: Put a “Pin Up” of the Folders You Use Most.
Tip 2: Double-Up Your Windows.
Tip 3: Clear, Crisp Display—It’s In Your Control.
Tip 4: Order and Reason for Your Taskbar.
Tip 5: Taskbar Traversing.
Tip 6: BitLocker To Go Protection.
Tip 7: Your Own Personal Help Desk: Windows Troubleshooting Platform.

#1
Put a “Pin Up” of the Folders You Use Most . Windows® 7 allows you to “pin
up” the folders you use most on your taskbar. Simply hold your mouse over the
favorite folder, right click, and drag it onto the taskbar. Windows 7 automatically
pins itself to the Explorer Jump List. To open the folder, right click on the Explorer
icon and select the folder you want.

#2
Double-Up Your Windows. When working within an application, sometimes
you just want more of a good thing. To open another window of the same
application (assuming the app can run more than one instance), simply hold
Shift and click the taskbar icon. You can also middle-click your third mouse
button for the same result.
#3
Clear, Crisp Display—It’s In Your Control. Windows 7 makes it easy for you to
adjust your display settings, making text and images easier to view in all the
various locations where you work on your computer. Your laptop display may
look fine at work but a little dark at home. Adjust the text and image settings
easily with two snappy applets: ClearType Text Tuning and Display Color Calibration.
Run cttune.exe and dccw.exe, or look them up in the Control Panel.

#4
Order and Reason for Your Taskbar. You can decide the order that
your icons show up in your taskbar by simply dragging them to the
order you desire. And for the first five icons, you can launch them with
a simple keystroke: Any of the first five icons can be opened by pressing

#5
Taskbar Traversing. While we’re on the subject of taskbar shortcuts, use              +T to
shift your attention to the taskbar. Your machine will make its active
screen your taskbar menu, and you can use the arrow keys to select the application you’re
interested in. Just hit Enter to launch it. Naturally, to exit this trick, press Esc.
#6
BitLocker To Go Protection. BitLocker® has become a saving grace when it
comes to increased laptop security. Windows 7 has taken security even farther
with its BitLocker To GoTM feature, which allows you to encrypt removable USB
devices and external disks. To enable BitLocker or BitLocker To Go, right click the
drive in Windows Explorer and select “Turn on BitLocker…” This can also be
managed centrally via Group Policy, so IT administrators can require the USB
drive be encrypted before files can be written to it.

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in Windows 7, Vista, and XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your privacy when you’re online.

5. Learn all about ReadyBoost

If you’re using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.