20 Microsoft 365 Productivity Tips That You've Probably Never Used (But Should)

1. 20 M365 Productivity Tips That You’ve Probably Never Used (But Should) Christian Buckley Founder & CEO of CollabTalk LLC Microsoft RD & MVP

2. Christian Buckley Founder & CEO of CollabTalk LLC Microsoft RD + MVP cbuck@collabtalk.com www.buckleyplanet.com @buckleyplanet

3. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit

5. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App As you’ve probably seen in the MASSIVE media push, the new Office app for iOS and Android is now available! The big question: Does it replace your standalone apps? There is a great article by Jon Friedman, head of Microsoft Office design, on the reimagining of the app – and how Microsoft has more to come https://medium.com/microsoft- design/designing-the-new-office-app-for- mobile-1ec1162a966 You can download the app from the store: https://apps.apple.com/app/microsoft- office/id541164041

6. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App The primary features include:  Adding notes  Snapping photos and videos  Reviewing and editing documents and slides The next layer down includes:  Transferring files from phone to PC  Converting image to text and table in Excel  Creating and manipulating PDFs

7. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App You can search within existing cloud locations, including your SharePoint and OneDrive locations, which means also accessing O365 Groups-enabled Teams and Yammer In some ways, the new Office app duplicates some of the capability in the OneDrive app You can quickly and easily add new cloud locations, including a long list of 3rd party tools

8. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App Find content, review visual cards Pin important documents Search for content across connected libraries Review and edit content in mobile format …and preview in print view View and edit metadata Share files from your mobile device

9. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App Convert tables and graphs to Excel data Convert text within images to usable text

10. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage the new Office App Easily transfer images and files between your PC and phone One caveat mentioned by fellow MVP Hal Hostetler: Office mobile has an issue that Word, PowerPoint, and Excel mobile DO NOT have. It insists that all data and its cache must be in Internal memory. The three stand-alone apps allow data and cache to be placed in External memory (your MicroSD card). If you have an older phone or a newer one with limited memory (my LG G5 has 32 GB). its EASY to run out of memory!! Outlook mobile has the same issue PLUS it has no "sync slider" like the desktop app to limit memory load.

12. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit AI-Powered To-Do Tracking in Word Editor—Word’s AI-powered writing assistant—is an indispensable tool for the written word. But sometimes you need to leave a placeholder in your document and come back to it later to stay in your flow. Word now helps users create and fill in these placeholders without leaving the flow of their work. For example, type TODO: finish this section or <<insert closing here>> and Word recognizes and tracks them as to-dos. When you come back to the document, you’ll see a list of your remaining to-dos, and you can click each one to navigate back to the right spot.

13. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit AI-Powered To-Do Tracking in Word Once you’ve created your to-dos, Word can also help you complete them. If you need help from a friend or coworker, just @mention them within a placeholder. Word sends them a notification with a “deep link” to the relevant place in the document. Soon, they’ll be able to reply to the notification with their contributions, and those contributions will be inserted directly into the document— making it easy to complete the task with an email from any device. Over time, Office will use AI to help fill in many of these placeholders. In the next few months, Word will use Microsoft Search to suggest content for a to-do like <<insert chart of quarterly sales figures>>. You will be able to pick from the results and insert content from another document with a single click. Currently in preview with Office Insiders.

15. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage Cortana Scheduler for meetings Building on Microsoft’s strategy to re-brand Cortana as an intelligent personal assistant, you can now leverage Calendar.help and have Cortana help you organize online meetings and book conference rooms. Scheduler is not a replacement, but an alternative to FindTime and FreeBusy that leverages the power of AI and allows you to respond with natural language. Scheduler works with your Office 365, Outlook.com, or Google calendar. Cortana, using Scheduler, knows your meeting preferences and uses them to find the best times. This is key: External participants do not need to download anything.

16. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Leverage Cortana Scheduler for meetings To get started, go to https://calendar.help/ Once registered and your account confirmed, simply send an email message to cortana@calendar.help and ask her to schedule meetings for you: • Focus time • Weekly 1:1 • Online meeting • Lunch meeting • Coffee or Drinks From the desktop or mobile device, you can also verbally ask Cortana to schedule these meetings.

18. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create custom results pages for Microsoft Search Create custom search results pages for Microsoft Search! Announced in January, you can now create custom search results pages in SharePoint Online, controlling the layout and design of search results to tailor your SharePoint Online experience for your enterprise environment. Btw, you can then share these results as tabs within Teams.

19. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create custom results pages for Microsoft Search To configure a custom results page in SharePoint Online follow the steps below:  Browse to the site where you would like to configure a custom results page and select Site Collection Settings > Search Settings.  In Search Settings, choose to Send queries to a custom results page, and provide a value for Results page URL: and save your changes. Read more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft- 365/blog/2020/02/27/improve-collaboration- apps-customize-experiences-new-to- microsoft-365-in-february/ Watch a video at https://youtu.be/SG3ngNXGUX8

21. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding to OneNote Meeting Notes via Mobile Within any new meeting, you have the option to add OneNote meeting notes to any outgoing meeting invite. From the Appointment menu, simply select Meeting Notes. Next, select either Share Notes with the Meeting or Take Notes on Your Own

22. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding to OneNote Meeting Notes via Mobile From your mobile device, you can now capture images, audio, or even video and add directly to the personal or teams notes, giving you yet another way to capture multi-media for your collaborative efforts.

24. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint While not brand new, Forms is an underutilized resource that allows you to quickly and easily publish surveys and snap polls within your organization – or to external users and partners. Creating your surveys is easy, as is changing the question types, adding or removing answers, and rearranging the layout before or after you push it live. Additionally, as the survey author, you have access to real-time stats, and can share the results with your management team or respondents. https://forms.microsoft.com

25. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint  Microsoft Forms is now integrated with PowerPoint for Office 365, providing a seamless way for speakers, trainers, and educators to connect and interact with participants. As shown in a Microsoft Tech Community blog post, presenters can get real-time audience feedback via forms and quizzes without asking them to leave PowerPoint.  To get started, in PowerPoint under Insert, click the Forms icon to create a new form/quiz or insert one you’ve already created.  Please note that this feature is currently only available for PowerPoint Windows 32

26. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint To see the responses to your form or quiz, sign in to your Office 365 account at https://forms.office.com/ Open the appropriate form from your My forms page, and then select the Responses tab at the top of the page.

27. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint To create a quiz, check out the article at https://support.office.com/en- us/article/create-a-quiz-with- microsoft-forms-a082a018-24a1- 48c1-b176-4b3616cdc83d

28. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Add Quick Polls to Outlook emails Quick Poll by Microsoft Forms is an Outlook app available in the Microsoft Store, and enables users to add user-friendly forms to your outgoing emails, accessible through Outlook or through the Forms website. This tool is not for complex, multi-question surveys, but for a single poll question. Outlook has long included voting buttons (under Options > Tracking) but this new app gives users the ability to quickly and easily capture pulse survey information from their constituencies. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/create-a-quick-poll-in-microsoftteams-a3f9112c-01e1-4ee4-bd88-25e4e243b80b

29. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create Internal or External Polls with Microsoft Forms While not brand new, Forms is an underutilized resource that allows you to quickly and easily publish surveys and snap polls within your organization – or to external users and partners. Creating your surveys is easy, as is changing the question types, adding or removing answers, and rearranging the layout before or after you push it live. Additionally, as the survey author, you have access to real-time stats, and can share the results with your management team or respondents. https://forms.microsoft.com

31. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do  To-Do is quickly becoming “the” default task management solution within Office. Within Outlook, did you know that you can drag-and-drop an email into To-Do via the Tasks icon?  Most of us are used to dragging and dropping emails into Calendar to set up reminders and schedule meetings, but you can follow the same process to define tasks.  Just grab an email and drag it down to the Tasks icon at the bottom left of Outlook. https://todosupport.helpshift.com/a/microsoft-todo/?s=tips-tricks&f=adding-an-email-as-a-task-in- outlook-on-windows&l=en&p=web

32. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do  A task dialog will open up, with task details at the top and the body of the email below. From here you can set due dates, reminders, assign it to someone on your team, push it to OneNote, and more.

33. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do  Click on the calendar icons to pick your start and due dates. Change the status and priority, as appropriate.  Once you have defined the start and due dates, it is always wise to set a reminder, IMO.

34. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do  Within the Tasks view of Outlook, you can quickly view all of the tasks created within Outlook – as well as task lists created in the To- Do app (Windows or mobile)  For additional productivity, there is much more than you can do with To-Do integration to your mobile device and other smart speakers, and automate using Microsoft Flow. We’ll cover more of those examples in future tips…

36. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  You can now use Microsoft Stream to record screen capture videos up to 15 minutes in length. Think of creating your own short training videos where you show something on your screen with narration and everything. Here's how that works…  When you're in Microsoft Stream, you can start your screen capture session by selecting Create > Record Screen: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

37. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  To start your recording, click the Record button: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

38. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  Before the recording starts, you get to choose exactly what you want to be capturing. This could be everything on your screen, a specific application, or a specific tab in Edge. Once you pick what you want to focus on, click Share: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

39. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  Your screen capture then starts to record. You have 15 minutes to record your video. You can pause temporarily if you need to by clicking the Pause button. Once done with your recording, click Next: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

40. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  At this point, you can either choose to re-record your video (Record Again), or you can Upload To Stream: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

41. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream  Now you can name the video, add a description, and set other information. Once the item is published, you can go out and change things such as what channels the video should appear in: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

43. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create Tabs in Teams Chats We’re all familiar with creating Tabs in Teams, but did you know that you can also create a Tab in a Chat? It is a great way to expand your collaborations with individuals or small groups without having to create the more “permanent” Teams or Channels. Tabs in channels can be seen by everyone in the Team, but Tabs in chats can only be seen by members of the chat. The same is true for bots used within private or group chats, which you can read more about at https://docs.microsoft.com/en- us/microsoftteams/platform/bots/wha t-are-bots

44. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create Tabs in Teams Chats To get started, go into the target chat in Teams and select the + from the top nav to add a tab. The Add a Tab dialog will open, allowing you to select from all of the apps available to your organization. In this example, I want to post a blog post to our chat that we can reference in our ongoing conversations. Once saved, the new tab appears in our chat, and only members of the chat can view this information.

46. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop The reality is that multi-tasking (i.e. context-switching) is a productivity-sapping dream of the ADHD and OCD crowd (I am one of them). Having said that….we all do it. So why not make it easier to organize our already overly complex desktops? The two tools that I rely on are switching between applications using Alt+Tab, and the screen-splitting bliss of the Windows Key and arrows. When you add in the Windows Timeline feature, you will become the Master of your screen domain! First, we’re probably all familiar with the Alt+Tab capability, which allows you to see and move between any and all open applications on your desktop. This is an essential tool when you have one screen or many screens.

47. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop Next up in screen splitting. Let’s say you’re taking notes in OneNote while reviewing several sites in the Edge browser, or documentation hosted on Teams. Select the first app, in this case OneNote, and while holding down the Windows Key on your keyboard, hit the right arrow ()

48. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop The primary application will lock into place on the right, and as with the Alt+Tab process, you can then select from the available open apps.

49. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop The second app will lock into place. You can then grab the divider between them, and slide left and right to adjust how much screen real estate to give each as you work.

50. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop The second app will lock into place. You can then grab the divider between them, and slide left and right to adjust how much screen real estate to give each as you work.

52. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Timeline feature in Windows 10 Great tip from MVP Joanne Klein: If you ever find yourself with a rebooted machine and wondering what happened to the last few documents that were open on your desktop, leverage the Timeline feature in Windows 10. https://joannecklein.com/2019/09/22 /the-timeline-feature-in-windows- 10-a-hidden-gem/

53. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Timeline feature in Windows 10 To enable this functionality, go into Settings > Privacy > Activity History to select which accounts to show, and whether you want to make your history visible (store your history locally) and/or share your history with Microsoft.

54. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Timeline feature in Windows 10 To enable this functionality, go into Settings > Privacy > Activity History to select which accounts to show, and whether you want to make your history visible (store your history locally) and/or share your history with Microsoft.

55. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Timeline feature in Windows 10 Once enabled, select the Timeline from the nav bar and then drag the slider on the right to go back and select the documents, slides, or apps that you had open on that date.

56. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Timeline feature in Windows 10 Once enabled, select the Timeline from the nav bar and then drag the slider on the right to go back and select the documents, slides, or apps that you had open on that date.

58. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Visualize your data with Ideas in Excel If you’ve used the Ideas option in PowerPoint and were wondering when this fantastic, AI- driven feature would be included within Excel, it’s here! Excel Ideas helps users create high-quality documents, presentations, and spreadsheets in less time. Put simply, it uses AI to turn data into visualizations to help you easily identify summaries, trends, and patterns. In addition to getting recommendations from Ideas, you can also directly ask questions about your data and narrow down the Ideas by selecting only the fields you want to see. When you choose fields and how to summarize them, Ideas analyzes that data—speeding up the process and presenting fewer, more targeted suggestions.

59. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Visualize your data with Ideas in Excel Ideas in Microsoft Excel empowers you to understand your data through high-level visual summaries, trends, and patterns. To start using Ideas in Excel, select your data set, and then click on Ideas on the top right ribbon. A panel opens on the far right with different visualizations of your data.

60. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Visualize your data with Ideas in Excel You can refine the options you see by selecting specific fields on which to focus. These options change the visualizations available to you. The idea is to provide a jumpstart into these visualizations – which you can tweak and adjust to create the right view of your data and convey the right messaging. Once you’ve identified the visualization that works best for your data, select +Insert PivotChart

61. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Visualize your data with Ideas in Excel A new tab is opened within your spreadsheet, with an abbreviated set of data based on your selection, and the related PivotChart. From here you can cut and paste into a presentation, or further manipulate the look and feel or the data. To learn more about Ideas, watch this video. To learn more about Ideas, read this article.

62. Send attachments as links in Outlook https://support.microsoft.com/en- in/help/4011261/how-to-set-attachment- preference-for-attaching-a-cloud-file-in-outlook  Send links, not files!  When working with cloud files (SharePoint, OneDrive) you can set the default attachment state to a link rather than always attaching a copy of a file.  To get started, in your Outlook desktop app go into Files, and then Options, and look within the General section for Attachment Options.  Select Always share them as links and click Ok.

63. Send attachments as links in Outlook  Next, open a new email message and select Attach File. Navigate to the relevant cloud-based file and attach.  The file will attach with the cloud icon, and by default, will say Anyone can edit. As your recipients open this file, they will be viewing and/or editing the document from within your cloud environment.

64. Send attachments as links in Outlook  Click on the right arrow on your file to see additional options, such as removing the attachment, or changing the permissions.  For local files that are not in the cloud, you can attach them to your email per normal steps, then select the right arrow on the file to save it to the cloud (you’ll see all of your available options), allowing you to manually change an attachment to a link.

66. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Present like a pro with PowerPoint Presenter Coach Now that you’ve made your content and graphs look amazing, PowerPoint Presenter Coach (in preview) helps you nail your delivery. For some, the art of delivering an impactful presentation comes naturally, while for others it can be a stressful experience. Available through PowerPoint for the Web, Presenter Coach provides real-time feedback and suggestions to help you gain confidence and improve your public speaking abilities.

67. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Present like a pro with PowerPoint Presenter Coach As you practice presenting, it offers alternatives to filler words (e.g. “um”) as well as terms and phrases for inclusive audiences. It also alerts you when it senses you’re just reading the slides or reading them too slow or fast. When you’re done, you see a summary page with insights on how to improve over time. You can find out more about PowerPoint Presenter Coach at https://support.office.com/en- us/article/Rehearse-your-slide-show- with-Presenter-Coach-cd7fc941-5c3b- 498c-a225-83ef3f64f07b You can also watch PowerPoint Presenter Coach in action in this video.

69. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Create content in Word with the new, improved Dictation Save time and simplify work with improved speech-to-text! It’s now easy to create content with your voice in Word thanks to a new dictation toolbar, suggestions experience, and auto- punctuation support. You can also now work in six new preview languages: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Japanese. The new Voice Dictation in Word for the web is rolling out to all Office 365 users now. https://www.microsoft.com/en- us/microsoft- 365/blog/2020/02/27/improve- collaboration-apps-customize-experiences- new-to-microsoft-365-in-february/

71. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates If you’re looking for ways to improve your team collaboration, it’s always helpful to start with a template — whether you’re trying to brainstorm your next big idea or get everyone on the same page. Within the Whiteboard app, there are now templates (in preview) to help you run more effective meetings with Kanban sprint planning, SWOT analysis, project planning, learning, & more. Pre-created layouts provide an immediate structure—with helpful tips for running activities—and expand to fit all your content. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft- 365/blog/2019/09/25/microsoft-365-web-desktop-productivity- new-features-office/

72. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates Getting started in easy. Go to Office.com and search for the Whiteboard app for your device or desktop (Windows 10). The website will push you to the relevant store, from which you can download and install the app.

73. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates Getting started in easy. Go to Office.com and search for the Whiteboard app for your device or desktop (Windows 10). The website will push you to the relevant store, from which you can download and install the app.

74. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates Once installed, select the + option from the bottom navigation to see your menu of options.

75. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates From here you can add the pre-built (preview) templates.

76. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Improve brainstorming with Microsoft Whiteboard templates In this case, I’ve added a Kanban list which I’ll use with my team to organize our planning for an upcoming event, leveraging my Surface Pro to quick add and edit, and drag-and-drop tasks as I project onto a screen for the entire team. This is a great free tool that anyone with Windows (or iOS) can get started using quickly and easily.

78. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Here’s how:

82. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Restore previous versions in File Explorer It is often the small, incremental improvements that can add the most productivity to your daily activities. You can now view and restore versions of a document directly within File Explorer – rather than having to open the application to view the history.

83. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Restore previous versions in File Explorer Simply right click on the file name, and from the menu dialog, select Version History The version history dialog opens, allowing you to scan through your various versions and open the right version.

85. Viewing your recent edits in OneNote With the amount of work we do on a daily basis, it's often hard to remember just exactly where you updated or changed information. If you're using OneNote to store information, OneNote makes it easy to find everything you changed and where exactly it was updated using the Recent Edits feature. Here's how that works… Go to the History tab in the Ribbon Bar and click on the Recent Edits icon. You'll see a number of date options that OneNote will use to show you your changes. In my case, I want to see everything that's been changed Since Yesterday: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

86. Viewing your recent edits in OneNote I click the Since Yesterday option, my Search Results pane appears on the right side of the page, Whenand lists every page that's been updated since the date option I selected. In addition, I can click on the links to the page to go directly to that location, plus I'll also see the changed page and content highlighted in yellow: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

87. Viewing your recent edits in OneNote By default, it searches the notebook that I'm currently viewing. However, I also have the option to have it search just the section I'm in, an entire grouped section, or all the notebooks I have in my OneNote client: I also have options on how I want the data sorted. By default, it's by date modified, but I can also go by section, by title, and by author: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

89. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Checking for gender-inclusivity when using Word If you're old like me, words like "policeman" and "fireman" just want to roll off your tongue, as that's what you grew up with. But today's communication often requires a more gender-inclusive word selection like "police officer" or "fire fighter." Microsoft Word has an option that will allow you to do grammar checks for that very scenario. Here's how to activate that… In Word, go to Options > Proofing > When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, and click on the Settings button after Writing Style: Grammar & Refinements: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

90. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Checking for gender-inclusivity when using Word Scroll down to Inclusive Language, and select the option for Gender-Specific Language: This tip courtesy of @duffbert

91. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Checking for gender-inclusivity when using Word Here are some examples of what happens now… This tip courtesy of @duffbert

93. Get my slides Slideshare Follow me @buckleyplanet Connect with me /IN/christianbuckley Check out my blog www.buckleyplanet.com Subscribe to youtube/c/collabtalk Email me cbuck@collabtalk Thank You! https://www.slideshare.net/echo4sharepoint/20-microsoft-365- productivity-tips-that-youve-probably-never-used-but-should

94. @buckleyplanet #collabsummit Christian Buckley @buckleyplanet http://www.buckleyplanet.com Tom Duff @Duffbert http://OneMinuteOfficeMagic.com …AND subscribe on YouTube at YouTube.com/c/CollabTalk

95. Thank you