MSO5

MS OFFICE WORD
MANAGING DOCUMENTS
• Manipulating Styles
You can use styles to quickly apply a set of formatting choices consistently throughout your
document. If you want formatting choices that are not available from the built-in styles and
themes available in Word, you can modify an existing style and customize it to suit your
needs. You can change the formatting (such as font size, color, and text indentation) in
styles applied to titles, headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on. You can also select formatted
text in your document to create a new style in the Styles gallery.

The styles covered in this article are located in the Styles gallery, a visual menu located on
the Home tab. To apply a style, simply select the text you want to format, and then click the
style you want in the Styles gallery.

Modify an existing style

You can modify an existing style in the Styles gallery in two ways:

▪ Modify a style by updating it to match formatting in your document

▪ Modify a style manually in the Modify Style dialog box

Modify a style by updating it to match formatting in your document

If you have text in your document that already has a style applied, you can change the
formatting of that text and apply it to the style in the Styles gallery.

1. Select text in your document that has the style applied, such as Heading 1.

When you select text that has a style applied, that style is highlighted in the Styles gallery.

2. Format the selected text with the new attributes that you want.

For example, you might want to change the point size for the Heading 1 style from 16 points
to 14 points.

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3. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, right-click the style that you want to change,
and then click Update [Style Name] to Match Selection.

Note: All text with the style that you changed will automatically change to match the new
style that you defined.

Modify a style manually in the Modify Style dialog box

You can modify a style directly in the Styles gallery, without using the text in your document.

1. On the Home tab, right-click any style in the Styles gallery and click Modify.

2. In the Formatting section, make any formatting changes you want, such as font style,
size, or color, alignment, line spacing, or indentation.

3. Choose whether the style change applies to the current document or to all future
documents.

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Create a new style based on document formatting

You can select formatted text in your document to create a new style that you add to the
Styles gallery.

1. Right-click the text on which you want to base a new style.

2. In the mini toolbar that appears, click Styles, and then click Create a Style.

3. In the Create New Style from Formatting dialog box, give your style a name and
click OK.

Your new style will now appear in the Styles gallery.

Note: If you want your new style to appear in all new Word documents, right-click it in the
Styles gallery, click Modify, and then select New documents based on this template at the
bottom of the dialog box.

• Handling Breaks & Columns

Use sections breaks to divide and format documents of all sizes. For example, you can break
down sections into chapters, and add formatting such as columns, headers and footers,
page borders, to each.

Add a section break

1. Select where you want a new section to begin.
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2. Go to Layout > Breaks.

3. Choose the type of section break

you want:

▪ Next Page Section break starts the

new section on the following page.

▪ Continuous Section break starts the

new section on the same page. This
type of section break is often used to
change the number of columns without
starting a new page.

▪ Even Page Section break starts a

new section on the next even-
numbered page.

▪ Odd Page Section break starts a new section on the next odd-numbered
page.

Show section breaks

When you’ve added section breaks in your document, the easiest way to see where they
begin and end is to first display all formatting marks.

1. Go to Home > Show/Hide .

2. The section breaks that you’ve added will start and end with something similar to this:

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You can use section breaks to change the layout or formatting of pages in your document.

To change formatting in a document, insert a section break at the beginning of where you
want the change. Set up the formatting change just past the new section break. If you want
to change formatting again, put in another section break. If your changes are to be on the
same page, choose the Continuous section break. Otherwise, choose Next Page, Odd Page,
or Even Page section breaks.

If the formatting change occurs in the previous section, press Ctrl or Command + Z and
move your cursor to after the section break and try it again.

Use section breaks to layout or format a document

When you insert a section break, choose the type of break that fits the changes you want to
make. Here are the types with usage suggestions:

The Next Page command inserts a section break and starts the new section
on the next page. This type of section break is useful to start new chapters
in a document.

The Continuous command inserts a section break and starts the new section on
the same page. A continuous section break is useful to create format changes
such as a different number of columns on a page.

The Even Page or Odd Page command inserts a section break and
starts the new section on the next even-numbered or odd-numbered
page. To start document chapters always on an odd or even page,
use the Odd page or Even page section break option.

Insert a page break

1. Put your cursor where you want one page to end and the next to begin.

2. Go to Insert > Page Break.

Tip: If Word puts a new page in your

document unexpectedly, it might be because
of a page break. To view page breaks so that
you can select and delete them, go
to Home > Show/Hide .
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Insert a column break

If you format a document with columns (as in some newsletter layouts), the text will
automatically flow from one column to the other. You can insert your own column breaks for
more control over the document format.

1. Place your cursor where you want the column to break.

2. Click Layout > Breaks.

3. A menu with options will appear. Click Column.

4. A column break is inserted.

Click Home > Show/Hide to see it.

Tip: The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Enter also

inserts a column break where you’ve placed your
cursor.

Insert Columns
Sometimes the information you include in your document is best displayed in columns.
Columns can help improve readability, especially with certain types of documents—like
newspaper articles, newsletters, and flyers.

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To add columns to a document:
1. Select the text you want to format.

2. Select the Layout tab, then click

the Columns command. A drop-down menu will
appear.

3. Select the number of columns you want to

create.

4. The text will format into columns.

Your column choices aren't

limited to the drop-down
menu that appears.
Select More Columns at the
bottom of the menu to access
the Columns dialog box. Click
the arrows next to Number of
columns: to adjust the number
of columns.

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If you want to adjust the spacing and alignment of columns, click and drag the indent
markers on the Ruler until the columns appear the way you want.

To remove columns:
To remove column formatting, place the insertion point
anywhere in the columns, then click
the Columns command on the Layout tab.
Select One from the drop-down menu that appears.

• Managing Headers and Footers

Use headers and footers to add a title, date, or page numbers to every page in a
document.

Insert a header or footer

1. Select Insert > Header or Footer.

2. Select one of the built in designs.

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3. Type the text you want in the header or footer.

4. Select Close Header and Footer when you're done.

Note: To edit any existing header or footer, open the Header & Footer Tools by double-
clicking inside the header or footer area.

Different first page

1. Edit an existing header or footer by double-clicking inside the header or footer area.

2. In the Header & Footer Tools, select Design and then Different First Page.

Remove header or footer

▪ Select Insert > Header or Footer.

▪ Select Remove Header or Remove Footer.

Remove all headers and footers

1. Go to Insert > Header or Footer, and then select Remove Header or Remove Footer.

2. If your document has more than one section, repeat this process for each section.

Delete the header or footer from the first page

1. Double-click the header or footer area.

2. Select Different First Page.

Content of the header or footer on the first page is removed.

Note: Different First Page is a toggle, so be sure you're turning it on.

3. If you want a header or footer on the first page, add the content now; it won't appear
on subsequent pages.

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4. If you want the header or footer only on the first page, go to the header or footer on
the next page and delete that content.

5. Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc to exit.

• Tabs and Tables

Insert or add tab stops
To set a tab stop
1. Go to Home and select the Paragraph
dialog launcher .

2. Select Tabs.

3. Type a measurement in the Tab stop

position field.

4. Select an Alignment.

5. Select a Leader if you want one.

6. Select Set.

7. Select OK.

To clear a tab stop

1. Go to Home and select the Paragraph dialog launcher .

2. Select Tabs.

3. Do one of the following:

▪ Select a tab stop and select Clear.

▪ Select Clear All to remove all tab stops.

4. Select OK.

Using the ruler in Word to set Tabs

• Turn on the ruler

If you don't see the ruler at the top of your document, go to View > Ruler to display it.

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Set a tab stop using the ruler

1. Select Left Tab at the left end of the horizontal ruler to change it to the type of tab
you want.

2. Choose one of the following types:

o A Left tab stop sets the left end of the text line. As you type, the text fills
toward the right.

o A Center tab stop sets the position at the middle of the text line. As you type,
the text centers on this position.

o A Right tab stop sets the right end of the text line. As you type, the text fills
toward the left.

o A Decimal tab stop aligns numbers around a decimal point. Without regard
to the number of digits, the decimal point remains in the same position. See Use
decimal tabs to line up numbers with decimal points.

o A Bar tab stop doesn't position text. It inserts a vertical bar at the tab position.
Unlike other tabs, the bar tab is added to the text as soon as you click the ruler. If
you don't clear the bar tab stop before you print your document, the vertical
line is printed.

3. Click or tap the bottom of the horizontal ruler where you want to set the tab stop.

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Clear a tab stop
Drag the tab stop down off the ruler to remove it.

Left indent
The left indent sets the position of the left side
of a paragraph. When you move the left
indent, your first line indent or hanging indent
are moved in sync.

1. Select the text where you want set the

left indent.

2. On the ruler, drag the square marker

on the lower left side of the ruler to the
place you want the left edge of the
paragraph.

Right indent
The right indent marker controls the position of the right side of a paragraph.

1. Select the text where you want set the

right indent.

2. On the ruler, drag the triangular marker on

the lower right side of the ruler to the place
you want the right edge of the paragraph.

First line indent

With a first line indent, the first line of a

paragraph is indented and the following lines

of a paragraph are not.

1. Select the text where you want to add

a first line indent.

2. On the ruler, drag the triangular

marker on the top left of the ruler to
the place you want the indentation to
start, for example to the 1" mark.

Hanging indent
With a hanging indent, the second and all the following lines of a paragraph are indented
more than the first.

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1. Select the text where you want to add
a hanging indent.

2. On the ruler, drag the upper triangular

part of the lower marker to the place
you want the indentation to start, for
example to the 1" mark.

Insert a table
For a basic table, click Insert > Table and move the cursor over the grid until you highlight the
number of columns and rows you want.

For a larger table or to customize a table,

select Insert > Table > Choose row and column.

Enter the number of columns and number of rows in the dialog box, and then click OK to
insert the table.

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Tip: To edit and format the table, switch to the Table tab in the Single Line Ribbon or
the Table Design and Table Layout tabs in the classic ribbon.

CUSTOM GRAPHICS ELEMENTS

• Inserting Pictures
Insert pictures
1. Do one of the following:

▪ Select Insert > Pictures > This Device for a picture on your PC.

▪ Select Insert > Pictures > Stock Images for high quality images or backgrounds.

▪ Select Insert > Pictures > Online Pictures for a picture on the web.
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2. Select the picture you want, and then select Insert.

Resize or move pictures

▪ To resize a picture, select the picture and drag a corner handle.

▪ To wrap text around a picture, select the picture, and then select a wrapping option.

Tip: Pick something other than In Line with Text, and

you can move the picture around the page: select the
picture and drag it.

• Wrapping Elements
Wrap text around a picture in Word
1. Select the picture.

2. Select Layout Options.

3. Select the layout you want.

Tip: In Line with Text puts the picture in a

paragraph, just as if it were text. The picture
will change position as text is added or
removed. The other choices let you move the
picture around on the page, with text flowing
around it

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Position a picture in the upper-left corner of a document
You can add a picture in the top left corner of a document and have the text flow around it.

Select a picture.

1. Go to Picture
Format or Format > Position, and
under Format with Text Wrapping,
select Top Left.

Tip: You can drag the image around the

document and align it any way you like.
Make custom changes to word
wrapping by selecting Format > Wrap
Text > More Layout Options.

Position a picture in the center of a document

You can add a picture in the center of a document and have the text flow around it.

Select a picture.

1. Go to Picture
Format or Format > Wrap
Text > Square.

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2. Select Position > More

Layout Options.

3. On the Position tab, select Alignment, and change the drop-down field to Centered.

4. Next to relative to, choose Page, and select OK.

Note: You can drag the image around the document and align it any way you like. Make
custom changes to word wrapping by clicking Format > Wrap Text > More Layout Options.

Use wrap points to adjust text flow around a shape

You can add an image in your
document and make the text flow
around it in a way that follows the shape
of the image.

Tip: For best results, use a picture with a

transparent, white, or solid colored
background.

1. Select a picture and drag it to the

middle of the page, or wherever you
want it.

2. Go to Picture Format or Format > Wrap Text > Tight.

3. On the Format tab, select Remove Background.

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Note: You cannot remove the
background from vector
images.

4. Select anywhere outside

the image to see how the text
has wrapped around the
image.

Fine-tune text wrapping

If there's too much space between the text and your image, you can set the wrap points
manually.

1. Select the picture, and go to Picture Format or Format and select Wrap Text > Edit
Wrap Points.

Drag the black wrap points

closer or farther away from your
picture until you're happy with
its appearance. Drag the red
line to create additional wrap
points.

Position a picture in line with

text
Pictures inserted in line are tied
to the place within the text
where they were inserted and
are treated like any text
character—"in line with text."
They automatically move with
the surrounding text.

1. Select a picture.

2. Go to Picture Format or Format and select Wrap Text > In Line with Text.

Ensure that a picture stays put

You can make sure that your picture stays in place as text is added or deleted.

1. Select a picture.

2. Go to Picture Format or Format and select Wrap Text > Fix Position on Page.

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• Text Boxes & Pull Quotes

Add, copy, or remove a text box in Word
A text box is an object you can add to your document that lets you put and type text
anywhere in your file. Text boxes can be useful for drawing attention to specific text and can
also be helpful when you need to move text around in your document.

Add a text box

1. Go to Insert > Text Box, and then select
one of the pre-formatted text boxes from the
list, select More Text Boxes from Office.com, or
select Draw Text Box.

2. If you select Draw Text Box, click in the document, and then drag to draw the text box
the size that you want.

3. To add text, select inside the box and type or your paste text.

If you aren't using a mouse

1. Press and release Alt, N, and then press X.

2. Press the arrow keys to select the text box that you want, and then press Enter.

3. Type the text that you want.

4. When you are finished typing and want to switch back to editing text in your
document, press Esc.

Notes:

▪ To format the text in the text box, select the text, and then use the formatting
options in the Font group on the Home tab.

To format the text box itself, use the commands on the Format contextual tab, which
appears under Drawing Tools when you select a text box.

▪ To position the text box, click it, and then when the pointer becomes a , drag
the text box to a new location.

▪ You can also change or remove a border from a text box or shape.

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▪ If you have multiple text boxes, you can link them
together so that text will flow from one box to another.
Click one of the text boxes and on the Format tab,
under Drawing Tools, in the Text group, click Create
Link.

Copy a text box

1. Select the border of the text box that you want to copy.

2. Press Ctrl+C.

Note: Make sure the pointer is on the border of the text box, not inside it. If the pointer is
inside, pressing Ctrl+C will copy the text, not the text box.

3. Select a location and press Ctrl+V to paste the text box.

Delete a text box

▪ Select the border of the text box that you want to delete, and then press Delete.

Note: Make sure the pointer is on the border of the text box and not inside it. If the pointer is
inside the box, pressing Delete will delete the text inside the text box, not the box.

Add or remove a border on a text box, shape, or SmartArt graphic

• Connecting Text Boxes

When you connect text boxes in Publisher, text that won't fit into the first text box flows into
the next text box. A chain of connected text boxes, also known as a story, can span multiple
pages.

Use connected text boxes to:

▪ Continue a story in another text box

▪ Create columns of different widths

▪ Move text from the overflow into another box

▪ If needed, create a new text box.

Connect text boxes

1. Click Home > Draw Text Box, and drag the cross shaped cursor to draw a box where
you want text.

2. Click in the text box you want as the first text box in the story.

3. On the Text Box Tools Format tab, in the Linking group, click Create Link.

The mouse pointer changes to a pitcher .

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4. Click in the text box you want as the next in the story.

This text box is now connected to the first box and any text in the overflow now appears in
the next box.

5. To connect more text boxes to the story, repeat steps 3 and 4.

FORMS IN WORD
• Create a Form
In MS Word we can create a form that others can fill out and save or print. To do this, you
will start with baseline content in a document, potentially via a form template. Then you can
add content controls for elements such as check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-
down lists. Optionally, these content controls can be linked to database information.

Steps

• Show the Developer tab

In Word, be sure you have the Developer tab displayed in the ribbon.

• You can start with a template or just start from scratch with a blank document.

Add content to the form

Go to the Developer tab Controls section where you can choose controls to add to
your document or form. Hover over any icon therein to see what control type it
represents. The various control types are described below. You can set properties on a
control once it has been inserted.

To delete a content control, right-click it, then select Remove content control in the pop-up
menu.

Note: You can print a form that was created via content controls. However, the boxes
around the content controls will not print.

• Elements in Form
Insert a text control
The rich text content control enables users to format text (e.g., bold, italic) and type multiple
paragraphs. To limit these capabilities, use the plain text content control.

1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

2. Select Developer > Rich Text Content Control or Plain Text Content Control .

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Insert a picture control
A picture control is most often used for templates, but you can also add a picture control to
a form.

1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

2. Select Developer > Picture Content Control .

Insert a building block control

Use a building block control when you want users to choose a specific block of text. These
are helpful when you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the
document's specific purpose. You can create rich text content controls for each version of
the boilerplate text, and then use a building block control as the container for the rich text
content controls.

1. Click or tap where you want to insert

the control.

2. Go to Building Block Gallery Content

Control .

3. Select Developer and content

controls for the building block.

1. Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

Insert a combo box or a drop-down list

In a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in
their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.

1. Go to Developer > Combo Box Content Control or Drop-Down List Content

Control .

2. Select the content control, and then select Properties.

3. To create a list of choices, select Add under Drop-Down List Properties.

4. Type a choice in Display Name, such as Yes, No, or Maybe.

Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.

5. Fill in any other properties that you want.

Note: If you select the Contents cannot be edited check box, users won’t be able to click a
choice.

Insert a date picker

1. Click or tap where you want to insert the date picker control.

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2. Select Developer > Date Picker Content Control .

Insert a check box

1. Click or tap where you want to insert the check box control.

2. Select Developer > Check Box Content Control .

Use the legacy form controls

Legacy form controls are for compatibility with older versions of Word and consist of legacy
form and Active X controls.

1. Click or tap where you want to insert a legacy control.

2. Go to Developer > Legacy Forms drop-down.

3. Select the Legacy Form control or Active X Control that you want to include.

Set or change properties for content controls

Each content control has properties that you can set or change. For example, the Date
Picker control offers options for the format
you want to use to display the date.

1. Select the content control that you

want to change.

2. Go to Developer > Properties.

3. Change the properties that you want.

• Securing Document Access

Add protection to a form
If you want to limit how much others can edit
or format a form, use the Restrict
Editing command:

1. Open the form that you want to lock

or protect.

2. Select Developer > Restrict Editing.

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3. After selecting restrictions, select Yes,
Start Enforcing Protection.

Advanced Tip:

If you want to protect only parts of the

document, separate the document into
sections and only protect the sections you
want.

To do this, choose Select Sections in

the Restrict Editing panel. For more info on
sections, see Insert a section break.

• Sharing Document
Choose who you want to respond to your form

In the Share pane under Send and collect responses, select the drop-down list and choose
from whom you want to collect responses.

▪ Anyone can respond - Anyone inside or outside of your organization can submit
responses to your form or quiz.

▪ Only people in my organization can respond - Only people within your organization,
signed in with a work or school account, can submit responses to your form or quiz.

▪ Specific people in my organization can respond - Only people or groups in your

organization that you specify can respond to your form.

Choose how you want to ask for responses

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Select the Link button, and then click or tap Copy next to the text box that displays a
web address. Copy and then paste this unique link wherever (e.g. a shared class
notebook) your intended audience can see and click it to access your form or quiz.

Select the QR
code button, and then
click or tap
the Download button, which will
download your QR code as a
.png file. Insert the .png
wherever your intended
audience can scan it with a QR
code scanner, such as a mobile device, to access your form or quiz.

Select the Embed button, and then click or tap Copy. Paste this embed code into a
web page, Sway, or a document.

Select the Email button. When your designated email application opens, add email
addresses of the people for whom you intend the form. Microsoft Forms includes a
brief note in the email body and a link to your form. You can customize the email
message as you like.

MS EXCEL
FILTERING DATA
Use AutoFilter or built-in comparison operators like "greater than" and “top 10” in Excel to
show the data you want and hide the rest. Once you filter data in a range of cells or table,
you can either reapply a filter to get up-to-date results, or clear a filter to redisplay all of the
data.

• Filtering data using Advanced Filter

If you use Excel for data analysis, then you are very familiar with
the AutoFilter, even though you may not recognize that
particular name. The AutoFilter is the standard filters that you
add by hitting Data > Filter and then the friendly filter icons are
added to your column headers.

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But what happens when you click on the Excel Advanced filter? Well, it's a way more
powerful option! AutoFilter is a basic search tool, but when you have intricate questions -
AutoFilter falls short.

The Advanced Filter in Excel, on the other hand, handles these complex tasks with precision.
It lets you apply multiple criteria and get specific results tailored to your choices. Let’s walk
through how it works! Also, is it the best option out there for advanced filtering?
Create an Advanced filter in Excel?

You can create an Advanced filter in Excel in four easy steps.

Step 1: Prepare Your Data.

Make sure your data is well-organized with column headers, and you know the specific criteria you
want to use for filtering.

Step 2: Select the Data Range.

Click anywhere within the dataset you want to filter. Excel will automatically detect the boundaries of
your data. Or, you can manually select the data range by clicking and dragging over the cells.

Step 3: Access the Advanced Filter Dialog Box.

Go to the "Data" tab in the Excel ribbon. In the "Sort & Filter" group, click on "Advanced."

Step 4: Define the Criteria Range

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In the Excel Advanced Filter dialog box that appears:

• Choose whether you want to filter the data in place (replace the original data with the filtered
data) or copy it to another location. If you choose to filter in place, make sure you have enough
empty rows below your data to accommodate the filtered results.

• Specify the "List range," which is the range of cells containing your data.

• Specify the "Criteria range," which is a range of cells where you will define your filtering
criteria.

Step 5: Define Filtering Criteria

In the criteria range you specified:

• Create column headers that match the headers in your data.

• Under each column header, specify the filtering criteria. You can use comparison operators like
"=," "<>," "<, ",”>," "<=," ">”, “=" or logical operators like "AND" and "OR" to define complex
criteria.
• Leave cells blank for columns where you don't want to apply any criteria.

Step 6: View the Filtered Data

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• Excel will apply the advanced filter based on your criteria.

• If you choose to filter in place, you'll see the filtered results in your original data range. If you
choose to copy the data, it will appear in the specified location.

Step 7: Clear the Filter (Optional)

For example, to filter all business niches that have “building” in their names and have employees
greater than or equal to 100, I added this criterion:

• Office 365 Filter functions (optional)

The FILTER function allows you to filter a range of data based on criteria you define.

In the following example we used the formula =FILTER(A5:D20,C5:C20=H2,"") to return all

records for Apple, as selected in cell H2, and if there are no apples, return an empty string
("").

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Syntax
The FILTER function filters an array based on a Boolean (True/False) array.

=FILTER(array,include,[if_empty])

FILTER used to return multiple criteria

In this case, we're using the multiplication operator (*) to return all values in our array range
(A5:D20) that have Apples AND are in the East
region: =FILTER(A5:D20,(C5:C20=H1)*(A5:A20=H2),"").

FILTER used to return multiple criteria and sort

In this case, we're using the previous FILTER function

with the SORT function to return all values in our
array range (A5:D20) that have Apples AND are in
the East region, and then sort Units in descending
order:

=SORT(FILTER(A5:D20,(C5:C20=H1)*(A5:A20=H2),""),4,-1)

In this case, we're using the FILTER function with the

addition operator (+) to return all values in our array range (A5:D20) that have Apples OR are

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in the East region, and then sort Units in descending order:
=SORT(FILTER(A5:D20,(C5:C20=H1)+(A5:A20=H2),""),4,-1).

Notice that none of the functions

require absolute references, since they
only exist in one cell, and spill their results
to neighboring cells.

• Conditional Formatting
Highlight patterns and trends with conditional formatting
Conditional formatting makes it easy to highlight certain values or make particular cells easy
to identify. This changes the appearance of a cell range based on a condition (or criteria).
You can use conditional formatting to highlight cells that contain values which meet a
certain condition. Or you can format a whole cell range and vary the exact format as the
value of each cell varies.

Temperature information with conditional formatting applied that shows top 10% and
bottom 10% values

Temperature information with 3-color scale conditional formatting applied

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Apply conditional formatting
1. Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you
want to apply conditional formatting to.

2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Do one of the following:

To highlight Do this

Values in specific cells. Examples are dates after this Point to Highlight Cells
week, or numbers between 50 and 100, or the bottom Rules or Top/Bottom Rules, and
10% of scores. then click the appropriate
option.

The relationship of values in a cell range. Extends a Point to Data Bars, and then
band of color across the cell. Examples are click the fill that you want.
comparisons of prices or populations in the largest
cities.

The relationship of values in a cell range. Applies a Point to Color Scales, and then
color scale where the intensity of the cell's color reflects click the scale that you want.
the value's placement toward the top or bottom of the
range. An example is sales distributions across regions.

A cell range that contains three to five groups of Point to Icon Sets, and then
values, where each group has its own threshold. For click a set.
example, you might assign a set of three icons to
highlight cells that reflect sales below $80,000, below
$60,000, and below $40,000. Or you might assign a 5-
point rating system for automobiles and apply a set of
five icons.

Apply conditional formatting to text

1. Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you want to apply
conditional formatting to.

2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Point to Highlight Cells Rules, and then click Text that Contains.

4. Type the text that you want to highlight, and then click OK.

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Create a custom conditional formatting rule

1. Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you
want to apply conditional formatting to.

2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Click New Rule.

4. Select a style, for example, 3-Color Scale, select the conditions that you want, and
then click OK.

Delete a conditional formatting rule

1. You can delete conditional formats that you no longer need.
2. Click in the range that contains the conditional formatting rule that you
want to change.
3. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.
4. Click Manage Rules.
5. Select the rule, and then click .
6. Click OK.

Use data bars, color scales, and icon sets to highlight data
Data bars, color scales, and icon sets are conditional formats that create visual effects in
your data. These conditional formats make it easier to compare the values of a range of
cells at the same time.

Data bars

Color scales

Icon sets

Format cells by using data bars

Data bars can help you spot larger and smaller numbers, such as top-selling and bottom-
selling toys in a holiday sales report. A longer bar represents a larger value, and a shorter bar
represents a smaller value.

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1. Select the range of cells,
the table, or the whole
sheet that you want to
apply conditional
formatting to.

2. On the Home tab,

click Conditional
Formatting.

3. Point to Data Bars, and then click a gradient fill or a solid fill.

Tip: When you make a column with data bars wider, the differences between cell values
become easier to see.

Format cells by using color scales

Color scales can help you understand data distribution and variation, such as investment
returns over time. Cells are shaded with gradations of two or three colors that correspond to
minimum, midpoint, and maximum thresholds.

1. Select the range of cells, the

table, or the whole sheet that you
want to apply conditional
formatting to.

2. On the Home tab,

click Conditional Formatting.

3. Point to Color Scales, and then click the color scale format that you want.

The top color represents larger values, the center color, if any, represents middle values, and
the bottom color represents smaller values.

Format cells by using icon sets

Use an icon set to present data in three to five categories that are distinguished by a
threshold value. Each icon
represents a range of values
and each cell is annotated
with the icon that represents
that range. For example, a
three-icon set uses one icon to
highlight all values that are
greater than or equal to 67

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percent, another icon for values that are less than 67 percent and greater than or equal to
33 percent, and another icon for values that are less than 33 percent.

1. Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you want to apply
conditional formatting to.

2. On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Point to Icon Sets, and then click the icon set that you want.

Tip: Icon sets can be combined with other conditional formats.

EXPLORING ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

• LOOKUP REFERENCES
Excel comes with multiple Lookup and Reference functions that let you find matching
values.

o VLOOKUP
Use VLOOKUP when you need to find things in a table or a range by row. For example, look
up a price of an automotive part by the part number, or find an employee name based on
their employee ID.

In its simplest form, the VLOOKUP function says:

=VLOOKUP(What you want to look up, where you want to look for it, the column number in
the range containing the value to return, return an Approximate or Exact match – indicated
as 1/TRUE, or 0/FALSE).

Example 1

Example 2
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o HLOOKUP
Searches for a value in the top row of a table or an array of values, and then returns a value
in the same column from a row you specify in the table or array. Use HLOOKUP when your
comparison values are located in a row across the top of a table of data, and you want to
look down a specified number of rows. Use VLOOKUP when your comparison values are
located in a column to the left of the data you want to find.

The H in HLOOKUP stands for "Horizontal."

Syntax:

HLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup])

The HLOOKUP function syntax has the following arguments:

▪ Lookup_value Required. The value to be found in the first row of the table.
Lookup_value can be a value, a reference, or a text string.

▪ Table_array Required. A table of information in which data is looked up. Use a

reference to a range or a range name.

▪ The values in the first row of table_array can be text, numbers, or logical values.

▪ If range_lookup is TRUE, the values in the first row of table_array must be placed
in ascending order: ...-2, -1, 0, 1, 2,... , A-Z, FALSE, TRUE; otherwise, HLOOKUP may
not give the correct value. If range_lookup is FALSE, table_array does not need
to be sorted.

▪ Uppercase and lowercase text are equivalent.

▪ Sort the values in ascending order, left to right.

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▪ Row_index_num Required. The row number in table_array from which the matching
value will be returned. A row_index_num of 1 returns the first row value in table_array,
a row_index_num of 2 returns the second row value in table_array, and so on. If
row_index_num is less than 1, HLOOKUP returns the #VALUE! error value; if
row_index_num is greater than the number of rows on table_array, HLOOKUP returns
the #REF! error value.

▪ Range_lookup Optional. A logical value that specifies whether you want HLOOKUP
to find an exact match or an approximate match. If TRUE or omitted, an approximate
match is returned. In other words, if an exact match is not found, the next largest value
that is less than lookup_value is returned. If FALSE, HLOOKUP will find an exact match. If
one is not found, the error value #N/A is returned.

Use the HLOOKUP (Horizontal lookup) function.

o XLOOKUP (optional)
Use the XLOOKUP function to find things in a table or range by row. For example, look up
the price of an automotive part by the part number, or find an employee name based on
their employee ID. With XLOOKUP, you can look in one column for a search term and return
a result from the same row in another column, regardless of which side the return column is
on.

Syntax

The XLOOKUP function searches a range or an array, and then returns the
item corresponding to the first match it finds. If no match exists, then XLOOKUP can return
the closest (approximate) match.

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=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found],[match_mode], [search_
mode])

Example 1 uses XLOOKUP to look up a country name in a range, and then return its
telephone country code. It includes
the lookup_value (cell
F2), lookup_array (range B2:B11),
and return_array (range D2:D11)
arguments. It doesn't include
the match_mode argument, as
XLOOKUP produces an exact match
by default.

Note: XLOOKUP uses a lookup

array and a return array, whereas
VLOOKUP uses a single table array
followed by a column index number.
The equivalent VLOOKUP formula in this case would be: =VLOOKUP(F2,B2:D11,3,FALSE)

Example 2 looks up employee

information based on an
employee ID number. Unlike
VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP can return an
array with multiple items, so a
single formula can return both
employee name and department
from cells C5:D14.

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Example 3 adds
an if_not_found argument to the
preceding example.

Example 4 looks in column C for

the personal income entered in
cell E2, and finds a matching tax
rate in column B. It sets
the if_not_found argument to
return 0 (zero) if nothing is found.
The match_mode argument is set
to 1, which means the function will
look for an exact match, and if it
can't find one, it returns the next larger item. Finally, the search_mode argument is set to 1,
which means the function will search from the first item to the last.

Note: XARRAY's lookup_array column is to the right of the return_array column, whereas
VLOOKUP can only look from left-to-right.

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Example 5 uses a nested
XLOOKUP function to perform both
a vertical and horizontal match. It
first looks for Gross Profit in column
B, then looks for Qtr1 in the top row
of the table (range C5:F5), and
finally returns the value at the
intersection of the two. This is
similar to using
the INDEX and MATCH functions
together.

Tip: You can also use XLOOKUP to

replace the HLOOKUP function.

Note: The formula in cells D3:F3

is: =XLOOKUP(D2,$B6:$B17,XLOOKUP($C3,$C5:$G5,$C6:$G17)).

o INDEX, MATCH & CHOOSE

Index
The INDEX function returns a value or the reference to a value from within a table or range.

There are two ways to use the INDEX function:

▪ If you want to.

▪ If you want to return a reference to specified cells

Return the value of a specified cell or array of cells

Returns the value of an element in a table or an array, selected by the row and column
number indexes.

Use the array form if the first argument to INDEX is an array constant.

Syntax

INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

The INDEX function below returns a specific value in a one-dimensional range.

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Explanation: the INDEX function returns the 5th value (second argument) in the range E3:E9
(first argument).

Match
The MATCH function searches
for a specified item in a range
of cells, and then returns the
relative position of that item in
the range.

MATCH(lookup_value,
lookup_array, [match_type])

The MATCH function returns

the position of a value in a
given range. For example, the
MATCH function below looks
up the value 53 in the range B3:B9.

Explanation: 53 (first argument) found at position 5 in the range B3:B9 (second argument). In
this example, we use MATCH to return an exact match so we set the third argument to 0.

Index & Match

INDEX and MATCH is the most popular tool in Excel for performing more advanced lookups.
This is because INDEX and MATCH are incredibly flexible – you can do horizontal and vertical
lookups, 2-way lookups, left lookups, case-sensitive lookups, and even lookups based on
multiple criteria. If you want to improve your Excel skills, INDEX and MATCH should be on your
list. See example below.

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Replace the value 5 in the INDEX function(=INDEX(E3:E9,5), with the MATCH function to
lookup the salary of ID 53.

Explanation: the MATCH function returns position 5. The INDEX function needs position 5. It's a
perfect combination. If you like, you can also use the VLOOKUP function. It's up to you.
However, you'll need INDEX and MATCH to perform advanced lookups, as we will see next.

Choose
Uses index_num to return a value from the list of value arguments. Use CHOOSE to select one
of up to 254 values based on the index number.

Syntax

CHOOSE(index_num, value1, [value2], ...)

Example of a CHOOSE formula in the

simplest form:

=CHOOSE(3, "Mike", "Sally", "Amy", "Neal")

The formula returns "Amy"

because index_num is 3 and "Amy" is the
3rd value in the list:

Another example of Choose

Step 1: Format your data

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Now, if we want to get the value of

any number (index) in E1. Next,

Step 2: Enter the Formula

We will enter
” =CHOOSE(E1,B3,B4,B5,B6,B7,B8,B9) ”
in E2 cell.

Here we said Excel should

return our index (E1) from
our list; B3,B4,B5,B6,B7,B8,B9.

This will return a #VALUE! Error because there is no number provided in E1.

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Let’s put 1 in E1. The
CHOOSE function
returns Apple
because Apple is the
value with index 1 on
your list.

IF FUNCTION
Simple IF
The IF function is one of the most popular functions in Excel, and it allows you to make logical
comparisons between a value and what you expect.

So an IF statement can have two results. The first result is if your comparison is True, the
second if your comparison is False.

For example, =IF(C2=”Yes”,1,2) says IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1, otherwise return a 2).

Syntax

Use the IF function, one of the logical functions, to return one value if a condition is true and
another value if it's false.

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IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

For example:

▪ =IF(A2>B2,"Over Budget","OK")

▪ =IF(A2=B2,B4-A4,"")

Simple IF examples
=IF(C2=”Yes”,1,2)

In the above example, cell D2 says: IF(C2 = Yes, then return a 1,

otherwise return a 2)

▪ =IF(C2=1,”Yes”,”No”)

In this example, the formula in cell D2 says: IF(C2 = 1, then

return Yes, otherwise return No)

As you see, the IF function can be used to evaluate both text and values. It can also be used
to evaluate errors. You are not limited to only checking if one thing is equal to another and
returning a single result, you can also use mathematical operators and perform additional
calculations depending on your criteria. You can also nest multiple IF functions together in
order to perform multiple comparisons.

▪ =IF(C2>B2,”Over
Budget”,”Within Budget”)

In the above example, the IF function

in D2 is saying IF(C2 Is Greater Than
B2, then return “Over Budget”,
otherwise return “Within Budget”)

▪ =IF(C2>B2,C2-B2,0)

In the above illustration, instead of

returning a text result, we are going
to return a mathematical
calculation. So the formula in E2 is
saying IF(Actual is Greater than
Budgeted, then Subtract the

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Budgeted amount from the Actual amount, otherwise return nothing).

=IF(E7=”Yes”,F5*0.0825,0)

In this example, the formula in F7 is saying IF(E7 =

“Yes”, then calculate the Total Amount in F5 *
8.25%, otherwise no Sales Tax is due so return 0)

Note: If you are going to use text in formulas, you

need to wrap the text in quotes (e.g. “Text”). The
only exception to that is using TRUE or FALSE,
which Excel automatically understands.

Nested IF and IFS

While Excel will allow you to nest up to 64 different IF functions, it’s not at all advisable to do
so. Why?

▪ Multiple IF statements require a great deal of thought to build correctly and make sure
that their logic can calculate correctly through each condition all the way to the end.
If you don’t nest your formula 100% accurately, then it might work 75% of the time, but
return unexpected results 25% of the time. Unfortunately, the odds of you catching the
25% are slim.

▪ Multiple IF statements can become incredibly difficult to maintain, especially when

you come back some time later and try to figure out what you, or worse someone
else, was trying to do.

Let’s look at how to properly create a complex nested IF statement using multiple IFs, and
when to recognize that it’s time to use another tool in your Excel arsenal.

Examples

Following is an example of a
relatively standard nested IF
statement to convert student
test scores to their letter
grade equivalent.

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▪ =IF(D2>89,"A",IF(D2>79,"B",IF(D2>69,"C",IF(D2>59,"D","F"))))

This complex nested IF statement follows a straightforward logic:

1. If the Test Score (in cell D2) is greater than 89, then the student gets an A

2. If the Test Score is greater than 79, then the student gets a B

3. If the Test Score is greater than 69, then the student gets a C

4. If the Test Score is greater than 59, then the student gets a D

5. Otherwise the student gets an F

This particular example is relatively safe because it’s not likely that the correlation between
test scores and letter grades will change, so it won’t require much maintenance. But here’s a
thought – what if you need to segment the grades between A+, A and A- (and so on)? Now
your four condition IF statement needs to be rewritten to have 12 conditions! Here’s what
your formula would look like now:

▪ =IF(B2>97,"A+",IF(B2>93,"A",IF(B2>89,"A-",IF(B2>87,"B+",IF(B2>83,"B",IF(B2>79,"B-",
IF(B2>77,"C+",IF(B2>73,"C",IF(B2>69,"C-",IF(B2>57,"D+",IF(B2>53,"D",IF(B2>49,"D-
","F"))))))))))))

Following is a very common example of calculating Sales Commission based on levels of

Revenue achievement.

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=IF(C9>15000,20%,IF(C9>12500,17.5%,IF(C9>10000,15%,IF(C9>7500,12.5%,IF(C9>5000,10%,0)))
))

This formula says IF(C9 is Greater Than 15,000 then return 20%, IF(C9 is Greater Than 12,500
then return 17.5%, and so on...

IFS function
The IFS function checks whether one or more conditions are met, and returns a value that
corresponds to the first TRUE condition. IFS can take the place of multiple nested IF
statements, and is much easier to read with multiple conditions.

Simple syntax

Generally, the syntax for the IFS function is:

=IFS([Something is True1, Value if True1,Something is True2,Value if True2,Something is

True3,Value if True3)

Please note that the IFS function allows you to test up to 127 different conditions. However,
we don't recommend nesting too many conditions with IF or IFS statements.

Example 1

The formula for cells A2:A6 is:

▪ =IFS(A2>89,"A",A2>79,"B",A2>69,"C",A2>59,"D",TRUE,"F")

Which says IF(A2 is Greater Than 89, then return a "A", IF A2 is Greater Than 79, then return a
"B", and so on and for all other values less than 59, return an "F").

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Example 2

The formula in cell G7 is:

▪ =IFS(F2=1,D2,F2=2,D3,F2=3,D4,F2=4,D5,F2=5,D6,F2=6,D7,F2=7,D8)

Which says IF(the value in cell F2 equals 1, then return the value in cell D2, IF the value in cell
F2 equals 2, then return the value in cell D3, and so on, finally ending with the value in cell D8
if none of the other conditions are met).

IF with conditions
AND Function
The AND function returns TRUE if all its arguments evaluate to TRUE, and returns FALSE if one or
more arguments evaluate to FALSE.

One common use for the AND function is to expand the usefulness of other functions that
perform logical tests.

Here are some general examples of using AND by itself, and in conjunction with
the IF function.

Here is a fairly common

scenario where we
need to calculate if
sales people qualify for
a bonus
using IF and AND.

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▪ =IF(AND(B14>=$B$7,C14>=$B$5),B14*$B$8,0) – IF Total Sales are greater than or equal

(>=) to the Sales Goal, AND Accounts are greater than or equal to (>=) the Account
Goal, then multiply Total Sales by the Bonus %, otherwise return 0.

OR Function
The OR function returns TRUE if any of its arguments evaluate to TRUE, and returns FALSE if all
of its arguments evaluate to FALSE.

One common use for

the OR function is to expand the
usefulness of other functions that
perform logical tests

Examples of using OR by itself, and

in conjunction with IF.

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This is a common scenario where we need to calculate if sales people qualify for a
commission using IF and OR.

=IF(OR(B14>=$B$4,C14>=$B$5),B14*$B$6,0) - IF Total Sales are greater than or equal to

(>=) the Sales Goal, OR Accounts are greater than or equal to (>=) the Account Goal,
then multiply Total Sales by the Commission %, otherwise return 0.

NOT Function
The NOT function reverses the value of its argument.

One common use for

the NOT function is to expand the
usefulness of other functions that
perform logical tests.

Examples of using NOT by itself, and in conjunction with IF, AND and OR.

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Here is a scenario where we need to calculate if sales people qualify for a bonus
using NOT with IF and AND.

▪ =IF(AND(NOT(B14<$B$7),NOT(C14<$B$5)),B14*$B$8,0)- IF Total Sales is NOT less than

Sales Goal, AND Accounts are NOT less than the Account Goal, then multiply Total
Sales by the Commission %, otherwise return 0.

PIVOT TABLES
Fundamentals of Pivot Table
A PivotTable is a powerful tool to calculate, summarize, and analyze data that lets you see
comparisons, patterns, and trends in your data. PivotTables work a little bit differently
depending on what platform you are using to run Excel.

Using PivotTables to answer questions

Consider the example below. Let's say we wanted to answer the question What is the
amount sold by each salesperson? Answering it could be time consuming and difficult; each
salesperson appears on multiple rows, and we would need to total all of their different orders
individually. We could use the Subtotal command to help find the total for each salesperson,
but we would still have a lot of data to work with.

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Fortunately, a PivotTable can instantly calculate and summarize the data in a way that will
make it much easier to read. When we're done, the PivotTable will look something like this:

Once you've created a PivotTable, you can use it to answer different questions by
rearranging—or pivoting—the data. For example, let's say we wanted to answer What is the
total amount sold in each month? We could modify our PivotTable to look like this:

To create a PivotTable:
1. Select the table or cells (including column
headers) you want to include in your
PivotTable.

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2. From the Insert tab, click the PivotTable command.

3. The Create PivotTable dialog box will appear. Choose your settings, then click OK. In
our example, we'll use Table1 as our source data and place the PivotTable on a new
worksheet.

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4. A blank PivotTable and Field List will

appear on a new worksheet.

5. Once you create a PivotTable, you'll need to decide which fields to add. Each field is
simply a column header from the source data. In the PivotTable Field List, check the
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box for each field you want to add. In our
example, we want to know the total amount sold
by each salesperson, so we'll check
the Salesperson and Order Amount fields.

6. The selected fields will be added to one of

the four areas below. In our example,
the Salesperson field has been added to
the Rows area, while Order Amount has been
added to Values. Alternatively, you can drag and
drop fields directly into the desired area.

7. The PivotTable will calculate and

summarize the selected fields. In our
example, the PivotTable shows
the amount sold by each salesperson.

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Just like with normal spreadsheets, you can sort the data in a PivotTable using the Sort &
Filter command on the Home tab. You can also apply any type of number formatting you
want. For example, you may want to change the number format to Currency. However, be
aware that some types of formatting may disappear when you modify the PivotTable.

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If you change any of the data in your source

worksheet, the PivotTable will not update
automatically. To manually update it, select the
PivotTable and then go to Analyze Refresh.

Creating and Manipulating Pivot

table
Pivoting data
One of the best things about PivotTables is that they can quickly pivot—or reorganize—your
data, allowing you to examine your worksheet in several ways. Pivoting data can help you
answer different questions and even experiment with your data to discover new trends and
patterns.

To add columns:
So far, our PivotTable has only shown one column of data at a time. In order to show multiple
columns, you'll need to add a field to the Columns area.

1. Drag a field from the Field List into

the Columns area. In our example, we'll use
the Month field.

2. The PivotTable will include multiple columns. In

our example, there is now a column for each
person's monthly sales, in addition to the grand
total.

To change a row or column:

Changing a row or column can give you a
completely different perspective on your data. All
you have to do is remove the field in question,
then replace it with another.

1. Drag the field you want to remove out of

its current area. You can also uncheck the

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appropriate box in the Field List. In this example, we've removed
the Month and Salesperson fields.

2. Drag a new field into the desired

area. In our example, we'll place
the Region field under Rows.

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3. The PivotTable will

adjust—or pivot—to show the
new data. In our example, it
now shows the amount sold
by each region.

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Pivot Charts
PivotCharts are like regular charts, except they display data from a PivotTable. Just like
regular charts, you'll be able to select a chart type, layout, and style that will best represent
the data.

To create a PivotChart:
In the example below, our PivotTable is showing a portion of each region's sales figures. We'll
use a PivotChart so we can see the information more clearly.

1. Select any cell in your PivotTable.

2. From the Insert tab, click the PivotChart command.

3. The Insert Chart dialog box will appear. Select the desired chart type and layout, then
click OK.

4. The PivotChart will

appear.

Try
using filters or slicers to
narrow down the data in
your PivotChart. To view
different subsets of
information, change
the columns or rows in
your PivotTable. In the
example below, we've
changed the PivotTable
to view the monthly
sales for each
salesperson.

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Slicers
Slicers make filtering data in PivotTables even easier. Slicers are basically just filters but are
easier and faster to use, allowing you to instantly pivot your data. If you frequently filter your
PivotTables, you may want to consider using slicers instead of filters.

To add a slicer:
• Select any cell in the PivotTable.
• From the Analyze tab, click the Insert Slicer command.

1. A dialog box will appear. Check the box next to the desired field. In our example,
we'll select Salesperson, then click OK.

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The slicer will appear next to the PivotTable. Each selected

item will be highlighted in blue. In the example below, the
slicer contains all eight salespeople, but only five of them
are currently selected.

Just like filters, only selected items are used in the PivotTable. When
you select or deselect an item, the PivotTable will instantly reflect the change. Try selecting
different items to see how they affect the PivotTable. Press and hold the Ctrl key on your
keyboard to select multiple items at once.

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You can also click the Filter icon in the top-right corner of the slicer to select all items at
once.

Sparklines
A sparkline is a tiny chart in a worksheet cell that provides a visual representation of data.
Use sparklines to show trends in a series of values, such as seasonal increases or decreases,
economic cycles, or to highlight maximum and minimum values. Position a sparkline near its
data for greatest impact.

Add a Sparkline
1. Select a blank cell at the end of a row of data.

2. Select Insert and pick Sparkline type, like Line, or Column.

3. Select cells in the row and OK in menu.

4. More rows of data? Drag handle to add a Sparkline for each row.

Format a Sparkline chart

1. Select the Sparkline chart.

2. Select Sparkline and then select an option.

▪ Select Line, Column, or Win/Loss to change the chart type.

▪ Check Markers to highlight individual values in the Sparkline chart.

▪ Select a Style for the Sparkline.

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▪ Select Sparkline Color and the color.

▪ Select Sparkline Color > Weight to select the width of the Sparkline.

▪ Select Marker Color to change the color of the markers.

▪ If the data has positive and negative values, select Axis to show the axis.

Analyze trends in data using sparklines

Sparklines are tiny charts inside single worksheet cells that can be used to visually represent
and show a trend in your data. Sparklines can draw attention to important items such as
seasonal changes or economic cycles and highlight the maximum and minimum values in a
different color. Showing trends in your worksheet data can be useful, especially when you’re
sharing your data with other people.

1. Select a blank cell near the data you want

to show in a sparkline.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Sparklines group,

click Line, Column, or Win/Loss.

3. In the Data Range box, enter the range of cells that has the data
you want to show in the sparkline.

For example, if your data is in cells A, B, C, and D of row 2, enter A2:D2.

If you’d rather select the range of cells on the

worksheet, click to temporarily collapse the
dialog box, select the cells on the worksheet,
and then click to show the dialog box in full.

4. Click OK.

The Sparkline Tools appear on the ribbon. Use

the Style tab to customize your sparklines.

Tips

▪ Because a sparkline is embedded in a cell, any text you enter in the cell uses the
sparkline as its background, as shown in the following example.

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▪ If you select one cell, you can always copy a sparkline to other cells in a column or
row later by dragging or using Fill Down (Ctrl+D).

Customize your sparklines

After you create sparklines, you can change their type, style, and format at any time.

1. Select the sparklines you want to customize to show the Sparkline Tools on the ribbon.

2. On the Style tab, pick the options you want. You can:

▪ Show markers to highlight individual values in line sparklines.

▪ Change the style or format of sparklines.

▪ Show and change axis settings.

If you click the Date Axis Type option in this drop-down,

Excel opens the Sparkline Date Range dialog box. From
here, you can select the range in your workbook that
contains the date values you want for your Sparkline data.

If you click the Custom Value options in this drop-down,

Excel opens the Sparkline Vertical Axis Setting dialog box.
From here, you can enter either the minimum or maximum
value (depending upon which option you selected) for
the vertical axis for your Sparkline data. By default, Excel
determines how to display the Sparkline data so with these
options you can control the minimum and maximum values.

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▪ Change the way data is shown.

If you click the Edit Single Sparkline's Data option in this drop-down, Excel opens
the Edit Sparkline Data dialog box. From here, you can select the range in your
workbook that contains the data you want for your Sparkline data. Use this option if
you want to change only one Sparkline.

If you click the Hidden & Empty Cells option in this drop-
down, Excel opens the Hidden and Empty Cell
Settings dialog box. Use this option to change how Excel
treats hidden and null values for the Sparkline data.

You can choose to show empty cells as Gaps, Zero, or Connect data points with line.

Select the Show data in hidden rows and

columns option to have Excel include data in
hidden rows and columns in your Sparkline data.
Clear this option to have Excel ignore data in
hidden rows and columns.

IMPORTING DATA
Getting data from different Sources
You can import data into Excel from a wide variety of data sources and the sections that
follow show you how.

This is a sample of how data being imported in Excel:

From Table/Range
You can create a query from an Excel table, named range, or dynamic array in the current
workbook. If the selected data is a simple range, it’s converted to a table. Importing
dynamic arrays requires a Microsoft 365 subscription. For more information on dynamic
arrays, see Dynamic array formulas and spilled array behavior.

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1. Select any cell within your data range.

2. Select Data > From Table/Range.

This command is also available from Data > From Other Sources > From Table/Range.

3. If prompted, in the Create Table dialog box, you can select the Range
Selection button to select a specific range to use as a data source.

4. If the table or range of data has column headers,

select My table has headers. The header cells are used
to define the column names for the query.

5. Select OK.

File: Excel Workbook

1. Select Data > Get Data > From File > From Excel Workbook.

2. In the Excel Browse dialog box, browse for or type a path to the file that you want to
query.

3. Select Open.

If your source workbook has named ranges, the name of the range will be available as a
data set.

File: Text/CSV
The following procedure shows the basic steps. For more detailed coverage, see Import or
export text (.txt or .csv) files.

1. Select Data > Get Data > From File > From Text/CSV.

2. In the Comma-Separated Values Browse dialog box, browse for or type a path to the
file that you want to query.

3. Select Open.

Note: If you are importing data from a CSV file, Power Query will automatically detect
column delimiters including column names and types. For example, if you imported the
example CSV file below, Power Query automatically uses the first row as the column names
and changes each column data type.

Example CSV file

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Power Query automatically changes each column data type:

▪ Order ID changes to number

▪ Order Date changes to date

▪ Category remains text (the default column type)

▪ Product Name remains text (the default column type)

▪ Sales changes to number

Below are some of the connectors that you can inport form.

File: XML

File: JSON

File: PDF

File: Folder

Cleaning Data Using Power Query

To give you an example of some of the awesomeness of Power Query, say that you get the
file shown below every day. Column A is not filled in. Quarters are going across instead of
down the page.

To start, save that workbook to your hard drive. Put it in a predictable place with a name
that you will use for that file every day.

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In Excel, select Get Data, From File, From Workbook.

Browse to the workbook. In the Preview pane, click on Sheet1. Instead of clicking Load, click
Edit. You now see the workbook in a slightly different grid—the Power Query grid.

Now you need to fix all the blank cells in column A. If you were to do this in the Excel user
interface, the unwieldy command sequence is Home, Find & Select, Go To Special, Blanks,
Equals, Up Arrow, Ctrl+Enter.

In Power Query, select Transform, Fill, Down.

All of the null values are replaced with the value from above.
With Power Query, it takes three clicks instead of seven.

Next problem: The quarters are going across instead of down. In

Excel, you can fix this with a Multiple Consolidation Range pivot table. This requires 12 steps
and 23+ clicks.

In Power Query select the two columns that are not quarters. Open the Unpivot Columns
dropdown on the Transform tab and choose Unpivot Other Columns, as shown below.

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Right-click on the
newly created
Attribute column
and rename it
Quarter instead of
Attribute. Twenty-
plus clicks in Excel
becomes five clicks
in Power Query.

Now, to be fair, not every cleaning step is shorter in Power Query than in Excel. Removing a
column still means right-clicking a column and choosing Remove Column. But to be honest,
the story here is not about the time savings on Day 1.

But Wait: Power Query Remembers All of Your Steps

Look on the right side of the Power Query window. There is a list called Applied Steps. It is an
instant audit trail of all of your steps. Click any gear icon to change your choices in that step
and have the changes cascade through the future steps. Click on any step for a view of
how the data looked before that step.

When you are done cleaning the data, click Close & Load
as shown below.

Tip

If your data is more than 1,048,576 rows, you can use the
Close & Load dropdown to load the data directly to the
Power Pivot Data Model, which can accommodate 995
million rows if you have enough memory installed on the machine.

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In a few seconds, your transformed data appears in Excel.

The Payoff: Clean Data Tomorrow With One Click

But again, the Power Query story is not about the time savings on Day 1. When you select the
data returned by Power Query, a Queries & Connections panel appears on the right side of
Excel, and on it is a Refresh button. (We need an Edit button here, but because there isn't
one, you have to right-click the original query to view or make changes to the original
query).

It is fun to clean data on Day 1. I love doing

something new. But when my manager sees the
resulting report and says “Beautiful. Can you do
this every day?” I quickly grow to hate the tedium
of cleaning the same data set every day.

So, to demonstrate Day 400 of cleaning the data,

I have completely changed the original file. New products, new customers, smaller numbers,
more rows, as shown below. I save this new version of the file in the same path and with the
same filename as the original file.

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If I open the query workbook and click Refresh, in a

few seconds, Power Query reports 92 rows instead
of 68 rows.

Cleaning the data on Day 2, Day 3, Day, 4,...Day

400,...Day Infinity now takes two clicks.

This one example only scratches the surface of Power Query. Combining all Excel or CSV files
from a folder into a single Excel grid

MS POWERPOINT
VISUAL VS TEXT
Create Infographics
An infographic is a visual usually comprising charts, images and text with the intention of
spreading information. Infographics are an important marketing tool that can reach the
public in a manner that is both efficient and aesthetically pleasing. Professionals across
different industries use them, but they all aim to inform. The main strength of infographics is
their ability to keep the audience engaged. Infographics often use visual tools such as
timelines and graphs to catch the attention of the consumer. While there are plenty of
creation programs available on the internet, you can use the presentation tool PowerPoint
to make informative, visually satisfying infographics.

Step-by-step guide for creating infographics on PowerPoint:

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1. Start a new presentation

The first step toward creating your infographic on PowerPoint is to create a blank slide as
part of a new presentation. You can do this by opening the program and clicking "New" on
the left-hand side bar and then choosing the "Blank Presentation" format. Click "Create" on
the lower right-hand side of your screen and your new presentation and slide should appear.

2. Change slide to portrait mode

The default setting on PowerPoint creates presentations in landscape view, but infographics
are typically in a portrait style. To change this, click the "Design" tab on the top of the screen.
Next, click "Slide Size" and navigate to the "Orientation" section. Change the slides
orientation from landscape to portrait. You also have the option to customize the size of the
infographic, with 6 inches wide by 14 inches tall being a good starting point.

3. Choose a background

While you may choose to stick with a standard white background, you can also change it to
the aesthetic you wish to convey in your infographic. To change your background, right-click
on your slide and navigate to "Format Background." This opens up a selection box where you
can choose the gradient, pattern, texture, transparency and color of your background.

4. Add title and subheading text

Your title is one of the focal points of your infographic, so consider an engaging title and
subheading that draw the attention of your audience. The default settings for slides include
a title and subheading text box. Click these text boxes to insert your desired title and
subheading.

5. Open "SmartArt" and choose your visual elements

SmartArt is an application within PowerPoint that gives users the ability to insert various visual
elements, including graphs, charts and shapes. To access SmartArt, click "Insert" on the top
bar and navigate to the "SmartArt" icon. Once open, you have the choice of several types
of graphics. Flow charts, pyramids, cycles and diagrams are a few of the options available
to users. Once you decide on your graphic style, click its icon and then the "OK" button. You
can also change the colors of your graphic by clicking it and choosing the "Change Color"
option.

Besides using SmartArt, you could also use Shapes to create your own Infographics shapes.

6. Add informative text

The goal of all infographics is to inform, so making sure that you include quality text is an
essential part of creating an effective infographic. To add text into your SmartArt graphics,
click on the graphic and enter your text in the provided box. To add text to the background
of your infographic, click "Insert" and navigate to the "Text Box" icon and choose the area
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where you want the text to appear. You also have the option of creating custom text boxes
and graphics using the "Shapes" tool under "Insert."

7. Add images

Infographics are effective mainly due to their extensive visual elements. While it's important
to include informative text and graphics, you may also want to add relevant images to your
infographic. To include a downloaded image, click "Insert" and navigate to "Picture." This
prompts you to choose a picture from your computer for uploading. PowerPoint also gives
users the option to search the internet for pictures while using the application.

8. Save your infographic

Once you have looked over your infographic for accuracy, it's time to save it. Click "File" on
the top of your screen and navigate to "Save As." This prompts you to enter a title for your
project and a file type. The most common types of files used for sharing infographics are PDF,
JPG and PNG. After you click "Save," you have the option to save the individual infographic
slide as opposed to the entire presentation. This will remove all blank slides that are pre-
loaded onto PowerPoint when beginning a new project.

Typography
Graphics are important in your presentations, but it is text content that is the king. We use
typography to better convey our ideas, create mood, and evoke emotional response from
our audience. As it is a very important element in your presentation, let's run through a few
important rules to keep in mind when deciding on your fonts

Choose your fonts wisely

▪ be consistent throughout your presentation and don't use more than 2-3 fonts in the
same document.

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▪ focus on readability at any size
▪ use serif fonts (such as Times
New Roman or Georgia) use
them only for headings, but
not for the body text. Serif
fonts have been originally
designed for print and are
harder to read on the screen,
especially at smaller sizes.

Font Personality

Titles should be big, and your main

text should be readable
▪ Minimum font size for
body text and bullets: 18
points
▪ Preferred font size for body text and bullets: 24 points
▪ Preferred font size for headings or titles: 36 to 44 points

Go easy on those caps

Caps can work well in titles or if you would like to EMPHASISE something in a sentence. Also,
using too many caps might make the audience feel like you are SHOUTING AT THEM.

Let you text breathe

Set proper text spacing. This refers to paragraph spacing - that is giving the text block
enough margins so it looks visually separate. Also adjust the line-spacing for easy readable
experience.

Bullets and line length

Which is easier for your eyes to follow?

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Experiment with different

layouts to make your
point. Presenting your
thoughts in text blocks
and laid out columns
with colourful icons, as
opposed to bullet points,
might be more attractive
and easier to scan for
the eye.

Manipulating Pictures
You can use PowerPoint to edit the pictures you've added to your slides, just like any photo
editor. PowerPoint makes it easy to add effects, change colors, add borders, crop, resize,
and recolor images on the Picture Format tab.

Steps

1. Click a picture in your presentation to select it.

2. Click the Picture Format tab.

3. Adjust brightness, color, and contrast.

4. Select effects from the Artistic Effects menu.

5. Add borders, adjust alignment, crop, resize, and more.

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Cropping and Resizing
1. Select a picture and click the Picture Format tab.If you want to crop an image or
make it larger or smaller, use the Crop and Resize tools in PowerPoint. The Picture
Format tab appears at the top of
PowerPoint when an image is
selected.
2. Crop the picture.To crop, click
the Crop icon at the upper-right
corner, then drag the box around
the image to the desired size. You
can also click the menu beneath
the Crop icon to see other
cropping options, such as the
ability to crop the image to a
specific shape.

3. Resize the picture.Also, when the image is

selected, you'll see boxes for Height and
Width on the Picture Format tab. The
current size in inches appears in each box,
and you can edit the boxes to make the
image larger or smaller.

Brightness, Contrast, and Color

1. Select the picture and click the Picture

Format tab.The Picture Format tab,

which is only visible when you click the
image, has plenty of options for editing
your picture's colors, brightness, and
contrast.
2. Adjust the brightness and contrast.
Click the Corrections menu to find the
brightness and contrast options.
Choosing an option from the menu
instantly applies the effect to the
picture.

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• You'll also see Sharpness options here. If the image seems blurry, you can
increase the sharpness. If it's too sharp, select one of the Softness options
instead.

Change the color tone and saturation.

Click the Color menu to find coloring options.
Here you'll find multiple options for recoloring
the image.

Artistic Effects
1. Select the picture and click the Picture
Format tab. PowerPoint's "Artistic
Effects," which you'll see on the Picture
Format tab, allows you to select from
various stylized filters.
2. Click Artistic Effects and select an
effect.To see how your image will look
with an artistic effect, just hover your mouse cursor over an effect. When you find an
effect you like, click to apply it to your picture.

3. Apply effects.There are two places

to find fun effects for your photos.
Click Artistic Effects to find fun effects to
change the lines in the photo, or Picture
Effects for more 3D-type effects like drop-
shadow, bevel, and glow.
4. Click Artistic Effects Options.. to fine-
tune each effect.You can then use the
tools in the right sidebar to tweak the
selected effect or create your own.

Backgrounds and Transparency

1. Select the picture and click the Picture Format tab.If you want to adjust the opacity of
the image or give it a transparent background, you'll find the options for doing so on
PowerPoint's Picture Format tab. The tab is only visible when a picture is selected.

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2. Adjust the opacity.By default, adding a picture to a slide hides everything behind it. If
you want to make the picture more translucent so you can see a bit of the
background or objects behind it, click the Transparency menu and select an option.
3. Remove the picture's
background.If the picture is of a
subject on a background, you
can remove the background. Just
click Remove Background in the
toolbar, mark the parts of the
image you want to keep, then
click Keep changes.

Borders
1. Select the picture and click the Picture Format tab.To create a border around the
picture in your slide, you can use the Borders options on the Picture Format tab. You'll
see this tab at the top of PowerPoint when a picture is selected.
2. Create a border.Click the Picture Border menu to add a border to the image. You can
select a custom
color, weight, and
even a pattern to
surround your picture.

Arrangement and
Positioning
1. Select the picture
and click the Picture
Format tab.If you've
added multiple
pictures and/or
objects to a slide, you
might need to move
one to the front or
back to make it
visible. You can also
rotate and align an image to fit properly with your text and other objects. These

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options are on the Picture Format tab, which you'll see at the top of PowerPoint when
an image is selected.
2. Use Bring Forward or Send Backward to arrange objects.To bring the selected object
forward, just click Bring Forward, or click the menu and select Bring to Front to bring it
all the way to the front. Send Backward works the same, but moves the selected
image or object behind the object it's in front of.

• To change the arrangement of a different picture or object, select it, then use
the same tools.

•Click Selection Pane to

see a list of all objects
and pictures on the slide

• Use the Align menu to

change the picture's
alignment.Here you can
center the picture, flush it
left or right, or even align
it to the top, middle, or
bottom of the slide.

Click Rotate to rotate

•
the image.If the picture is
upside-down or facing the wrong direction, use the Rotate menu to change its
position.

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Adding Text and Shapes

1. Click the Insert menu.If you want to add text, objects, or a drawing to an image, you
can do so from the Insert tab.

2. Add text.Click Text Box, then

draw a text box on the part of the
image where you want the text to
appear. Type your text—you can
then change how the text looks by
selecting it and choosing options
from the text formatting menu that

appears.

3. Add lines and

shapes.Click Shapes to draw
circles, squares, and other shapes
anywhere on the picture.

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COLLABORATING PRESENTATION
Transition & Animations
A transition can be as simple as fading to the next slide or as flashy as an eye-catching
effect. PowerPoint makes it easy to apply transitions to some or all of your slides, giving your
presentation a polished, professional look.

There are three categories of unique transitions to choose from, all of which can be found on
the Transitions tab.

• Subtle: These are the most basic types of transitions. They use simple animations to
move between slides.

• Exciting: These use more complex animations to transition between slides. While
they're more visually interesting than Subtle transitions, adding too many can make
your presentation look less professional. However, when used in moderation they can
add a nice touch between important slides.

• Dynamic Content: If you're transitioning between two slides that use

similar slide layouts, dynamic transitions will move only the placeholders, not the slides

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themselves. When used correctly, dynamic transitions can help unify your slides and
add a further level of polish to your presentation.

Transitions are best used in moderation. Adding too many transitions can make your
presentation look a little silly and can even be distracting to your audience. Consider using
mostly subtle transitions, or not using transitions at all.

To apply a transition:
1. Select the desired slide from the Slide Navigation pane. This is the slide that will
appear after the transition.

2. Click the Transitions tab, then locate

the Transition to This Slide group. By default, None is
applied to each slide.

3. Click the More drop-down arrow to display all

transitions.

4. Click a transition to apply it to the selected slide. This will automatically preview the
transition.

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You can use the Apply To

All command in
the Timing group to apply
the same transition to all
slides in your presentation.
Keep in mind that this will
modify any other transitions
you've applied.

Try applying a few different types of transitions to various slides in your presentation. You may
find that some transitions work better than others, depending on the content of your slides.

To preview a transition:
You can preview the transition for a selected slide at any time using either of these two
methods:

• Click the Preview command on the Transitions tab.

• Click the Play

Animations command in the Slide
Navigation pane.

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Modifying transitions

To modify the transition effect:

You can quickly customize the look of a transition by changing
its direction.

1. Select the slide with the transition you want to modify.

2. Click the Effect Options command and choose the

desired option. These options will vary depending on the
selected transition.

The transition will be modified, and

a preview of the transition will
appear.

Some transitions do not allow you

to modify the direction.

To modify the transition duration:

1. Select the slide with the

transition you want to modify.

2. In the Duration field in

the Timing group, enter the desired
time for the transition. In this
example, we'll decrease the time
to half a second—or 00.50—to make the transition faster.

To add sound:
1. Select the slide with the transition you want to modify.

2. Click the Sound drop-down menu in the Timing group.

3. Click a sound to apply it to the selected slide, then preview the transition to hear the
sound.

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Sounds are best used in moderation. Applying a sound
between every slide could become overwhelming or even
annoying to an audience when presenting your slide show.

To remove a transition:
1. Select the slide with the transition you want to remove.

2. Choose None from the Transition to This Slide group. The

transition will be removed.

To remove transitions from all slides, apply the None transition to a slide, then click the Apply
to All command.

Advancing slides
Normally, in Slide Show view you would advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or
by pressing the spacebar or arrow keys on your keyboard. The Advance Slides setting in
the Timing group allows the presentation to advance on its own and display each slide for a
specific amount of time. This feature is especially useful for unattended presentations, such as
those at a trade show booth.

To advance slides automatically:

1. Select the slide you want to modify.

2. Locate the Timing group on the Transitions tab. Under Advance Slide, uncheck the
box next to On Mouse Click.

3. In the After field, enter the amount of time you want to display the slide. In this
example, we will advance the slide automatically after 1 minute and 15 seconds, or
01:15:00.

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Select another slide and repeat the
process until all slides have the desired
timing. You can also click the Apply to
All command to apply the same timing to
all slides.

If you need to advance to the next slide before an automatic transition, you can always
click the mouse or press the spacebar to advance the slides as normal.

Animation
Animation—or movement—on the slide can be used to draw the audience's attention to
specific content or to make the slide easier to read.

The four types of animations

There are several animation effects you can choose from, and they are organized into four
types.

• Entrance: These control how the object enters the slide. For example, with
the Bounce animation the object will "fall" onto the slide and then bounce several
times.

Emphasis: These animations

occur while the object is on
the slide, often triggered by
a mouse click. For
example, you can set an
object to spin when you
click the mouse.

Exit: These control how the

object exits the slide. For
example, with
the Fade animation the
object will simply fade
away.

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Motion Paths: These are similar to Emphasis effects, except the object moves within the slide
along a predetermined path, like a circle.

To apply an animation to an object:

1. Select the object you want to animate.

2. On the Animations tab, click the More drop-down arrow in the Animation group.

3. A drop-down menu of animation effects will appear. Select the desired effect.

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4. The effect will apply to the object. The object will have a small number next to it to
show that it has an animation. In the Slide pane, a star symbol also will appear next to
the slide.

At the bottom of the menu, you

can access even more effects.

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Effect options
Some effects will have options you can
change. For example, with the Fly In effect you
can control which direction the object comes
from. These options can be accessed from
the Effect Options command in the Animation
group.

To remove an animation:
1. Select the small number located next to
the animated object.

2. Press the Delete key. The animation will be deleted.

Animations are best used in moderation. Adding too many animations can make your
presentation look a little silly and can even be distracting to your audience. Consider using
mostly subtle animations, or not using animations at all.

Working with animations

To add multiple animations to an object:
If you select a new animation from the the menu in the Animation group, it will replace the
object's current animation. However, you'll sometimes want to place more than one
animation on an object, like an Entrance and an Exit effect. To do this, you'll need to use
the Add Animation command, which will allow you to keep your current animations while
adding new ones.

1. Select an object.

2. Click the Animations tab.

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3. In the Advanced Animation group, click the Add Animation command to view the
available animations.

4. Select the desired animation effect.

5. If the object has more

than one effect, it will
have a
different number for each
effect. The numbers
indicate the order in
which the effects will
occur.

To reorder the animations:

1. Select the number of the effect you want to change.

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2. From the Animations tab, click the Move Earlier or Move Later commands to change
the ordering.

To copy animations with the Animation Painter:

In some cases, you may want to apply the same effects to more than one object. You can
do this by copying the effects from one object to another using the Animation Painter. In our
example, we want to copy an animation from one slide to another because they have
similar layouts.

1. Click the object that has the effects you want to copy. In our example, we'll click our
answer text.

2. From the Animations tab, click

the Animation Painter command.

3. Click the object you want to copy the effects to. In our example, we'll click the answer
text on the next slide. Both objects now have the same effect.

To preview animations:
Any animation effects you have applied will show up when you play the slide show.
However, you can also quickly preview the animations for the current slide without viewing
the slide show.

1. Navigate to the slide you want to preview.

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2. From the Animations tab, click the Preview command. The animations for the current
slide will play.

The Animation Pane

The Animation Pane allows you to
view and manage all of the effects
that are on the current slide. You
can modify and reorder effects
directly from the Animation Pane, which is especially useful when you have several effects.

To open the Animation Pane:

1. From the Animations tab, click the Animation Pane command.

2. The Animation Pane will open on the right side of the window. It will show all of the
effects for the current slide in the order in which they will appear.

If you have several animated

objects, it may help to
rename the objects before
reordering them in the
Animation Pane. You can
rename them in the Selection
Pane. To open the Selection
Pane, click an object, then
from the Format tab
click Selection Pane. Double-
click the name of an object
to rename it.

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To reorder effects from the Animation Pane:

1. On the Animation Pane, click and drag an effect up or down.

The effects will reorder themselves.

To preview effects from the Animation Pane:

1. From the Animation Pane, click

the Play button.

2. The effects for the current slide will play. On the right side of the Animation Pane, you
will be able to see a timeline that shows the progress through each effect.

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If the timeline is not visible, click the drop-down

arrow for an effect, then select Show
Advanced Timeline.

To change an effect's start option:

By default, an effect starts playing when you click the mouse during a slide show. If you have
multiple effects, you will need to click multiple times to start each effect individually.
However, by changing the start option for each effect, you can have effects that
automatically play at the same time or one after the other.

1. From the Animation Pane, select an effect. A drop-down arrow will appear next to the
effect.

2. Click the drop-down arrow and select one

of the three desired start options. Start on
Click will start the effect when the mouse is
clicked, Start With Previous will start the effect
at the same time as the previous effect,
and Start After Previous will start the effect
when the previous effect ends.

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When you preview the animations, all of the effects will play through automatically. To test
effects that are set to Start on Click, you will need to play the slide show.

The Effect Options dialog box

From the Animation Pane, you can access the Effect Options dialog box, which contains
more advanced options you can use to fine tune your animations.

To open the Effect Options dialog box:

1. From the Animation Pane, select an effect. A drop-down arrow will appear next to the
effect.

2. Click the drop-down arrow, then select Effect Options.

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3. The Effect Options dialog box will appear.

Click the drop-down menus and select the
desired enhancement. You can add
a sound to the animation, add an
effect after the animation is over, or animate
text in a different sequence.

Some effects have additional options you can

change. These will vary depending on which
effect you have selected.

To change the effect timing:

1. From the Effect Options dialog box, select the Timing tab.

2. From
here, you can
add
a delay before
the effect starts,
change
the duration of
the effect, and
control whether
the effect repeats.

Videos & Audio

PowerPoint allows you to insert a video onto a slide and play it during your presentation. This
is a great way to make your presentation more engaging for your audience.
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You can even edit the video within PowerPoint and customize its appearance. For example,
you can trim the video's length, add a fade in, and much more.

To insert a video from a file:

1. From the Insert tab, click the Video drop-down arrow, then select Video on My PC.

2. Locate and select the desired video file, then click Insert.

3. The video will be added to the

slide.

With the Screen Recording feature

on the Insert tab, you can create a
video of anything you are doing on
your computer and insert it into a
slide.

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To insert an online video:

Some websites—like YouTube—allow you to embed videos into your slides. An embedded
video will still be hosted on its original website, meaning the video itself won't be added to
your file. Embedding can be a convenient way to reduce the file size of your presentation,
but you'll also need to be connected to the Internet for the video to play.

Working with videos

To preview a video:
1. Click a video to select it.

2. Click the Play/Pause button below the video. The video will begin playing, and
the timeline next to the Play/Pause button will advance.

3. To jump to a different part of the video,

click anywhere on the timeline.

To resize a video:
• Click and drag the corner sizing handles until the video is the desired size.

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The corner sizing handles will resize a video while

preserving its original aspect ratio. If you use the side
sizing handles, the video will become distorted.

To move a video:
• Click
and drag
to move a video to
a new location on a slide.

To delete a video:
• Select the video you want to delete, then press
the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard.

Editing and formatting videos

The Playback tab has several options you can use to edit your video. For example, you
can trim your video to play an excerpt from the original, add a fade in and fade out, and
add bookmarks that allow you to jump to specific points in the video.

Most of the features on the Playback tab can only be used with videos that are inserted from
a file. They will not work with embedded videos.

To trim a video:
1. Select the video, then click the Playback tab on the Ribbon.

2. Click the Trim Video command.

3. A dialog box will appear. Use the green handle to

set the start time and the red handle to set
the end time.

4. To preview the video, click the Play button.

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5. When you're done trimming the video, click OK.

To add a fade in and fade out:

1. On the Playback tab, locate the Fade In: and Fade Out: fields.

2. Type the desired values, or use the up and down arrows to adjust the fade times.

To add a bookmark:
1. Click the timeline to locate the desired part of the video.

2. From the Playback tab, click the Add

Bookmark command.

3. The bookmark will appear on the timeline. Click the bookmark to jump to that
location.

Video options
There are other options you can set to control how your
video will play. These are found in the Video Options group
on the Playback tab.

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• Volume: Changes the audio volume for the video

• Start: Controls whether the video starts automatically or when the mouse is clicked

• Play Full Screen: Lets the video fill the entire screen while playing

• Hide While Not Playing: Hides the video when not playing

• Loop until Stopped: Replays the video until stopped

• Rewind after Playing: Returns the video to the beginning when it is finished playing

Formatting the appearance of a video

Like pictures, PowerPoint allows you to format the appearance of a video by applying
a video style, adding a border, changing the shape, and applying various effects.

To create a poster frame:

You can add a poster frame to a video, which is the placeholder image your audience will
see before the video starts playing. The poster frame is usually just a frame taken from the
video itself.

1. Click the timeline to locate the desired part of the video.

2. From the Format tab, click the Poster Frame command. Select Current Frame from the
menu that appears.

3. The current frame will become the

poster frame.

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If you want to use a picture from your
computer, select Image from file.

To apply a video style:

1. Select the video, then click

the Format tab on the Ribbon.

2. In the Video Styles group, click

the More drop-down arrow to display
available video styles.

3. Select the desired style.

4. The new style will be applied to the video.

Screen Recording
You can record your computer screen and related audio, and then embed it in your
PowerPoint slide—or you can save it as a separate file.

1. Open the slide that you want to put the screen recording on.

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2. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, select Screen Recording.

3. On the Control Dock, choose Select Area (or if you want to select the entire screen for

recording, press Windows logo key+Shift+F). You'll see the cross-haired cursor .
Select and drag to select the area of the screen you want to record. The minimum size
area you can record is 64x64 pixels.

Tip: PowerPoint automatically records the audio and the mouse pointer, so by default those
options are selected on the control dock. To turn them off, deselect Audio and Record
Pointer.

4. Select Record. Use Pause as needed and Stop when you're done.

Note: Unless you pin the Control Dock to the screen, it will slide up into the margin while you
record. To make the unpinned Control Dock reappear, point the mouse cursor at the top of
the screen.

5. Your video is added to the slide. Right-click the video frame, select the Start icon and
pick how you want your video to start: In Click Sequence, Automatically, or When
Clicked On.

6. You can change the look of the video by right-clicking the video frame, select
the Style icon, and pick another shape.

Save your screen recording as a separate file

1. Right-click the video frame and select Save Media as.

2. In the Save Media as box, choose a folder, and in the File name box, type a name.

3. Select Save.

Trim your video

1. Right-click the video frame and select Trim.

2. To determine where you want to trim your video footage, in the Trim Video box,
select Play.

3. When you reach the point where you want to make the cut, select Pause. Use
the Next Frame and Previous Frame buttons to specify precise timing.

4. Do one or more of the following:

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▪ To trim the beginning of the clip, select the start point (shown in the image
below as a green marker). When you see the two-headed arrow, drag the
arrow to the desired starting position for the
video.

To trim the end of the clip, click the end

▪
point (shown in the image above as a red
marker). When you see the two-headed arrow, drag the arrow to the desired
ending position for the video.

5. Select OK.

Creating Handouts
You can use the Handout Master tab to edit the appearance of presentation handouts,
including the layout, headers and footers, and background. Changes made to the handout
master appear on all pages of the printed handout.

To see the handout options, click the View tab, and then click Handout Master in the Master
Views group.

This opens the Handout Master view.

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Change the layout
In the Page Setup group, you can specify the number and layout of slides to print on each
page, change the orientation of handouts, and set the slide size. You can use settings on all
three menus—Handout Orientation, Slide Size, and Slides Per Page—to customize your layout
exactly how you want it.

Set the slides per page

1. Click Slides Per Page.

2. Choose a layout option from the thumbnail images.

Tip: The 3 Slides option includes lines that your audience can use
to take notes.

Set the orientation

▪ Click Handout Orientation, and then

choose Portrait or Landscape.

Set the slide size

▪ Click Slide Size, and then choose

one of the options.

When PowerPoint is unable to

automatically scale your content, it will
prompt you with a message. Select Maximize to increase the size
of your slide content when you are scaling to a larger slide size.
(Choosing this option could result in your content not fitting on the
slide. ) Select Ensure Fit to decrease the size of your content. (This
could make your content appear smaller, but you’ll be able to see all content on your slide.)

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Tips:

▪ To set a custom size, including width,

height, slide numbering, and orientation of
slides and notes, click Custom Slide Size on
the Slide Size menu.

▪ To make sure your slides will print the way

you want, preview your handouts before
printing.

Change headers and footers

You can adjust headers and footers in the Placeholders group. By default, the placeholders
appear in the top and bottom corners of the Handout Master page.

Click in a text placeholder (Header, Footer,

Date, or Page Number) to make changes to it.
You can do things like:

▪ Edit or add content in the text

placeholders: In addition to text changes, you
can use commands on the Insert tab to add
graphics or other content types.

▪ Format text shape and appearance: Select

the text and use the options on the Format tab
to make changes.

▪ Change text placeholders: Drag a text placeholder to move it, and use the text box
sizing handles to change its size.

▪ Turn placeholders on or off: Clear the check box of the placeholder (Header, Date,
Footer, or Page Number) that you want to turn off.

Change the background

You can change the background of your handouts (but not the background of your slides)
in the Background group. You can also quickly change the font for all for your handout text
at once, and you can apply special borders and visual effects.

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▪ Colors: Choose a color theme for your handout

background. You may have to click Background
Styles and choose an option to see it applied.

▪ Background Styles: Choose a style option from the list. The colors displayed depend on
your choice in the Colors list.

Tip: Click Format Background at the bottom of the Background Styles list to open
the Format pane and choose from more background options, such as advanced fill settings,
artistic effects, and color and image settings.

▪ Fonts: Choose a font from the list to quickly apply it to all headers and footers.

▪ Effects: Choose an effect from the list to apply a theme effects, with features including
shadows, reflections, lines, fills, and more.

Preview your handouts

To preview the way your handout will look when printed:
1. Click File > Print.

2. Go to Settings > Full Page Slides, and then under Handouts, select the layout you want
and look at the preview pane. Click the File tab again to return to your previous view.

MS PUBLISHER
LAYOUT & GRAPHICS
Mastering Design Techniques
1. Graphics
2. Text & Pull Quotes
3. Color Scheme

Link text boxes

If you have too much text to fit in a text box, select or create another text box and link them.

1. Select the overflow button .

The cursor changes to a pitcher .

2. Select the text box you want the text to flow into, or click anywhere on the page to
create a new text box for the overflow text.

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Swap pictures
Drag and swap pictures from the scratch area to your layout until you find the layout you
like.

1. Select a picture.

2. Drag the picture by the mountain icon where you want it.

3. When the pink highlight appears around the picture, release the mouse button.

Crop a picture
1. Select the picture.

2. Select Picture Tools Format > Crop.

3. Use the cropping handles to size the picture:

▪ Drag a center handle to crop that side.

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▪ Hold Ctrl and drag a center handle to crop evenly on two sides.

▪ Hold Ctrl+Shift and drag a corner handle to crop all four sides evenly.

4. Click outside the picture to crop.

Add effects to pictures

You can add effects like shadow, reflection, glow, soft edges, bevel, and 3-D rotation to
pictures.

1. Select a picture.

2. Select Picture Tools Format > Picture Effects.

3. Select an effect: Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, Bevel, or 3-D Rotation.

4. Select the effect you want.

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Add effects to text
You can add shadow, reflection, glow, and bevel effects to text.

1. Select the text you want to format.

2. Select Text Box Tools Format > Text

Effects.

3. Select the type of

effect: Shadow, Reflection, Glow,
or Bevel.

4. Select the specific effect you want.

Add a building block

Publisher offers hundreds of building blocks
to use in your publications, like headings,
calendars, borders, and advertisements.

1. Select the Insert tab.

2. Select a building block:

▪ Page Parts

▪ Calendars

▪ Borders & Accents

▪ Advertisements

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See all building blocks

▪ Select Show Building Block Library .

▪ Select a building block in the library, and then

select Insert.

Creating Master Pages

Use master pages to repeat design and layout elements on multiple pages in a publication.
Using master pages for these common elements gives your publication a more consistent
appearance and allows you to create and update these elements in one place, rather than
changing them on each publication page.

Create or edit master pages

You can create a new master page from scratch or duplicate an existing master page,
which you can then edit to change just those elements that you want to be different.

If you set up your publication to be viewed as two-page spreads, you should use two-page
master pages. If you set up your publication to be viewed as single pages, you should use
single-page master pages.

1. To view the current master pages in your open publication, click View > Master Page.

2. Begin to edit the master page in the master page window by adding elements such
as headers and footers or page numbers.

3. Click Close Master Page to go back to publication view.

Note: Elements added in Master Page view can't be edited in the publication, so it's best to
use master pages for elements such as headers and footers, page numbers, borders, and
other design elements you don't want to change from page to page in your publication.
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Change a two-page master page to a single-page master page
When you change a two-page master page to a single-page master page, the left page of
the two-page spread is deleted. Any publication pages to which the left page of the two-
page master page was applied will display the elements from the right page.

1. On the View menu, click Master Page.

2. On the Master Page tab, in the Page Navigation pane, select the two-page master
page that you want to change to a single-page master page, and then click Two
Page Master on the toolbar.

3. In response to the message Do you want to switch to one master page, click OK.

4. Click Close Master Page.

ANIMATION & VIDEO

Embedding Videos
To embed a video in MS Publisher, you can insert a hyperlink to an online video, but you
can't directly embed video files. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add a video link in
Publisher:

Steps to Link a Video:

1. Choose the Video URL:

o Copy the URL from the video platform (like YouTube or Vimeo).

2. Insert a Text or Picture Placeholder:

o Open Publisher and select the page where you want the video link.

o You can either insert a picture or text box as a placeholder for the video.

▪ To insert a picture: Go to Insert > Pictures, then choose an image.

▪ To insert a text box: Go to Insert > Draw Text Box, and click where you
want to place it.

3. Add a Hyperlink:

o Select the text or picture you inserted.

o Right-click and choose Hyperlink.

o In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, paste the video URL in the Address field.

o Click OK.

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4. Preview the Link:

o When someone views the document digitally, clicking the link will open the
video in their browser.

Sound and Motions

In Microsoft Publisher, users can insert audio attachments or objects onto the page using
the Object feature.

The Object feature in Microsoft Office embeds documents or files into the current document,
so instead of having
separate files, you can
embed them in one
document. When using
the Object feature, you
can choose to Create
New or Create from File. If
Create New is selected,
you can choose an object
type to embed in the
document, such as a
Graph chart, Word
document, or PowerPoint slide. If the Choose from File option is selected, you can choose an
object from your files.

1. Launch Publisher.

Click the Insert tab, then click

the Object button in the Text
group.

In the Insert Object dialog box,

click Create from File.

Then click Browse.

Now search for the audio file

and click Open.

Then click OK.

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The Audio file will be inserted into the
publication.

Double-click the audio file attachment.

A dialog box will open. Click Open.

The main media player on your device

will open, playing the audio.

Mail Merge
The Microsoft Publisher mail merge feature allows you to send bulk email messages, such as
e-newsletters, to multiple recipients in a contact list. In order to mail merge your publication,
you must create an address list in Publisher, then use the mail merge wizard.

1. Prepare the Publication

• Open Publisher and create a new publication or open an existing one.

• Set up the layout with placeholders for the personalized data (like "Name" or
"Address").

2. Start Mail Merge

• Go to the Mailings tab in the Ribbon.

• Select Mail Merge.

3. Select Data Source

• Click Select Recipients.

• Choose to use an existing list (like an Excel file) or type a new list directly in Publisher.

• If using an existing list:

o Select Use an Existing List.

o Browse to the location of your data source, such as an Excel file or Access
database.

o Choose the worksheet or table containing the data and click OK.

4. Insert Merge Fields

• After selecting your data, place your cursor where you want the personalized data
(e.g., name, address).
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• Go to Mailings > Insert Merge Field, and choose the field you want (e.g., First Name,
Last Name).

• Repeat this step for each field you want to insert.

5. Preview the Results

• Click Mailings > Preview Results to see how the merged data looks in your publication.

• You can scroll through the records using the navigation buttons to check each one.

6. Complete the Merge

• Once satisfied, select Finish & Merge.

• Choose to print the documents or save them for later use.

o You can also select Send E-Mail Messages if you’re creating an email-based
campaign.

MS OUTLOOK
Working with Tasks & Notes
Create & Update Tasks
Create a task
Creating tasks builds a to-do list in Outlook to help you stay organized.

1. Select Tasks in the navigation pane and choose New Task, select New
Items > Task, or press Ctrl+Shift+K.

2. In the Subject box, enter a name for the task. It's best to keep the name short and then
add the details in the task body.

3. If there’s a fixed start or end date, set the Start date or Due date.

4. Set the task’s priority by using Priority.

5. If you want a pop-up reminder, check Reminder, and set the date and time.

6. Select Task > Save & Close.

Create a task from an Outlook item

You can create a task out of any Outlook item, such as an email message, contact,
calendar item, or note.

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Do one of the following:
▪ Drag an e-mail message to the To-Do Bar

▪ Drag an item to the Tasks icon in the Navigation Pane.

Tip: To add the item as an attachment to a new task instead of pasting the text into the task
body, right-click the item and drag it to the task list, and then select Copy Here as Task with
Attachment.

Creating a task from a message versus flagging the message

When you flag an email message, the message appears in the To-Do List in Tasks and on the
Tasks peek. However, if you delete the message, it also disappears from the To-Do List in Tasks
and on the Tasks peek. Flagging a message doesn’t create a separate task.

By creating a task from a message as described above, the new separate task is
independent of the message. If the original message is deleted, the task is still available,
including the copied contents of the message.

Create a task in the To-Do Bar

To create a task in the To-Do Bar, do one of the following:

▪ In the To-Do Bar, select the Type a new task box, and then enter the task description.
Press Enter to finish. The task appears in your To-Do list with today's date.

▪ In the To-Do Bar, double-click the Type a new task box to open a new task window.
You can enter more details about the task.

Tip: To turn on and show Tasks in the To-Do Bar, on the View tab, in the Layout group,
select To-Do Bar and select Tasks. For more information about the To-Do Bar

View your tasks

View your tasks. Tasks are displayed in three locations in Outlook — in the To-Do Bar, in Tasks,
and in the Daily Task List in Calendar. If you subscribe to a SharePoint task list, any task
assigned to you from this list also appears in all three locations.

1. On the navigation bar, select Tasks.

2. Select a task to view it in the Reading Pane, or double-click it to open it in a new

window.

Another way to see tasks, including flagged to-do items, is the Tasks peek.

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▪ Point to Tasks on the Navigation Bar.

The Tasks peek pops up. To keep the Tasks peek in view, pin it
by selecting .

3. Sort your task list by selecting Tasks > Home and

choosing one of many Current View options available.

Use the To Do app in classic Outlook

If you have an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription and user license for the Microsoft To
Do app, you can use the Microsoft To Do app to manage your tasks inside Outlook for
Windows. To Do allows you to quickly access calendar items and tasks alongside the main
Outlook functions such as email and calendar, which are now displayed vertically to the left
of the folder pane. You can check what subscriptions you are licensed for in your account
information. Log in to www.office.com, select your profile picture in the top-right corner,
select View account, and then select Subscriptions.

Open the To Do app

▪ On the left margin of the Outlook window, select the To Do icon.

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Make the To Do app your preferred tasks management experience

With your Microsoft 365 subscription, you can specify your preferred experience for
managing tasks in Outlook for Windows. There are a few different ways to configure this
option.

▪ On the teaching callout, select Try it:

▪ In Tasks, select Try it on the yellow bar:

▪ Navigate to File > Options > Tasks, and then select Open tasks in the To Do app. You
can switch back to Outlook tasks at any time by unchecking this setting.

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How it works
When you select the option to open tasks in To Do, the following changes are made:

▪ The tasks icon ( ) is unpinned from the navigation bar (on the left margin of the

Outlook window) and moved under More apps on the navigation bar. The To Do
app icon remains pinned and visible.

▪ When you select New Items > Task, it opens the To Do app instead of the classic
Outlook Tasks app.

When you Open a task from the To Do

Bar, the Reminders window, or the
Daily task list on the Calendar, it opens
the task in the To Do app.

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Additional Information
Even when To Do is configured as the preferred tasks management experience, Outlook
Tasks will be used in the following cases:

▪ Managing tasks for non-Microsoft 365 accounts: To Do is supported for Microsoft 365
(Exchange Online) enterprise and consumer accounts only.

▪ Opening Outlook tasks directly from the More apps menu: When you create or view
tasks directly from Outlook tasks module, you will not be redirected to the To Do app.

You must be online and connected to Microsoft 365 to use the To Do app. You will see the
following error message if you try to open the To Do app while offline: “There was a problem
connecting to this app.”

Search & Assign Tasks

Assign and track tasks

1. On the navigation bar, select Tasks, and then select New Task, open an existing task,
or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+K.

2. Select Assign Task. In

the To box, enter a name or an
email address.

3. Enter Subject, Start date,

and Due date.

4. If you want the task to repeat,

select Recurrence, select the
options you want, and then
select OK.

5. Select Send.

Note: If you assign a recurring task to someone else, a copy of the task remains in your task
list, but won't update. If you check the Send me a status report when this task is
complete box, you receive status reports for each completed occurrence of the task.

When you open a task you assigned, you can review the progress of assigned tasks with
the % Complete box, which either you or the recipient can update when they send you an
assigned task status report.

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Note: Tasks assigned from Outlook for Windows must be accepted or declined using the
Outlook for Windows application.

Assigning tasks to multiple people

Outlook can track the progress of a task assigned to one person. If you want to multiple
people to work on a task, it’s a good idea to divide the task into smaller pieces or assign
each task individually. For example, to track a report to be written by three writers, create
three separate tasks named Write Report: Anne, Write Report: Carlos, and Write Report:
Michiyo, and assign each individual task to the appropriate writer.

Track tasks you've assigned to someone else

1. On the navigation bar, select Tasks.

2. Select View > Change View > Assigned.

Assigned tasks are missing

If you’re not seeing tasks you’ve assigned,

Outlook might not be set up to keep copies of
tasks you assign. Here's how you can change
that setting:

1. Select File > Options > Tasks.

2. Under Task options, check the Keep my

task list updated with copies of tasks I assign to
other people box.

Turning on this option doesn’t

track the tasks you’ve already
assigned, but it will track any new
ones you assign.

Responding to Assigned Task

In Outlook, responding to assigned tasks is essential for managing your workload and
keeping track of project deadlines. Responding to Assigned Tasks in Outlook

1. Receiving a Task Assignment

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• When someone assigns you a task, you will receive it as an email message in your
inbox.

• The task email will include details such as the task subject, due date, and any
additional notes.

2. Accept or Decline the Task

• Open the task email.

• In the email, you will see options to Accept or Decline the task.

o Accept: Click this option if you want to take responsibility for the task.

o Decline: Click this option if you’re unable to complete the task.

o You can also add a note explaining why you accepted or declined.

3. View the Task in Your To-Do List

• Once you’ve accepted a task, it will automatically appear in your To-Do List and Tasks
folder.

• You can access your Tasks from the left sidebar in Outlook.

o Go to Tasks > To-Do List to view all tasks.

• You’ll see the task’s due date, priority level, and any associated notes.

4. Updating the Task Progress

• As you work on the task, you can update its status by double-clicking on the task from
your To-Do List.

• In the task window, you can:

o Update the status (e.g., Not Started, In Progress, Completed).

o Set the priority level (Low, Normal, High).

o Add additional notes or comments on the progress.

o Change the due date if necessary.

5. Mark the Task as Complete

• Once you’ve finished the task, open it from your Tasks folder or To-Do List.

• Check the box next to Mark Complete or update the status to Completed.

• This will notify the person who assigned the task to you that it has been completed.

6. Responding with Updates

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• If the task requires regular updates or communication with the task assigner:

o Open the task and use the Respond button to send a message with updates or
ask questions about the task.

o You can also attach any relevant documents or files to the task update.

Outlook Task Features to Enhance Productivity:

• Reminders: Set reminders for important tasks to ensure you meet deadlines.

• Categorization: Organize tasks by categories, such as "High Priority" or "Work," to help

keep your task list clean and structured.

• Assigning Tasks to Others: If you need to reassign a task, you can forward it to another
colleague, transferring responsibility.

CALENDAR & SIGNATURE

Recurring Appointments
Recurring events are an important part of Outlook calendaring. Each recurrence is made
up of two parts: the recurrence pattern (how often) and the recurrence range (for how
long).

Add recurrence to a new or existing appointment

To create or add recurrence to a calendar appointment:
1. Go to the Calendar in the navigation pane.

2. In the ribbon, select "New Appointment" or open an existing appointment from the
calendar to add recurrence information to.

3. In the "Options" group in the ribbon inside the appointment, click "Recurrence." The
Appointment Recurrence window will open.

4. Select the start and end times of your appointment in the dropdown boxes.

5. Select how often you want the appointment to reoccur by clicking the radio button
next to one of the following options:

o Daily: If the appointment recurs every day, every few days, or every weekday

o Weekly: If the appointment recurs on the same days for several weeks or every
few weeks

o Monthly: If the appointment recurs on the same day of the month every month
or few months

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o Yearly: If the appointment recurs on the same day of the year every year or few
years

6. Select the specifics for when you want the appointment to recur:

o For daily reoccurrences, choose whether you want the appointment to repeat
every day or every few days, or whether you want it to repeat only on
weekdays.

o For weekly reoccurrences, choose whether you want the appointment to

repeat every week or every few weeks. Also select boxes next to the days of the
week you want the appointment to recur on.

o For monthly reoccurrences, choose whether you want the appointment to recur
on the same date in each month or every few months, or whether you want it to
repeat on a specific day of the month (like the second Sunday).

o For yearly reoccurrences, choose whether you want the appointment to recur
on the same date every year or every few years or whether you want it to
repeat on a certain day of the month, such as the first Sunday of July.

7. Select the range of time during which the event will recur. Select a start date by
clicking on the dropdown box and clicking on the date in the calendar.

o For recurring events that have no end date, such as an anniversary or birthday,
leave the radio button next to "No end date" selected.

o For events that occur a specific number of times, select the radio button next to
"End after:" and enter the number of times it will happen in the occurrences
field.

o For other events, select an end date by clicking on the dropdown box and
clicking on the date in the calendar.

8. Click [OK]. In the Appointment window, the recurrence details will be displayed below
the Location field.

9. When you are finished editing the rest of the appointment, click Save & Close.

Edit or remove recurrence information

To edit or remove recurrence information from an appointment:

1. Double-click on the appointment in the calendar to open it. A pop-up box will appear
asking if you want to open just this occurrence of the appointment or open the series
of appointments.

2. Select "Open the series" and click [OK].

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3. In the "Options" group in the ribbon, click "Recurrence." The Appointment Recurrence
window will open.

4. To edit, change any details as desired and click [OK].

5. To stop the appointment from recurring, click [Remove Recurrence].

6. When you are finished editing the appointment, click [Save & Close].

Meeting Polls
Scheduling Poll helps minimize the back-and-forth emails in scheduling by letting you send a
poll to attendees inside and outside your organization, so they can vote on which meeting
times work best for them.

You can access Scheduling Poll via Mail or Calendar.

1. Create a new email or select an email to reply to. List required attendees for the
meeting in the To field and optional attendees in the Cc field. Select Scheduling poll in
the Message tab.

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2. Create a new meeting event or select an existing event to edit it. List required
attendees in the Invite attendees field and click the optional button to add optional
attendees. Select Scheduling poll in the Event tab.

The organizer can send multiple time options through Scheduling Poll and minimize the back-
and-forth emails about scheduling.

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Note: If you need help locating the entry points for Scheduling Poll for
the Outlook client you are using, see Access Scheduling Poll.

Create a poll

1. Select the meeting settings.

a. View all your polls: Click this link to view and manage all the
polls created by you.

b. Time zone: Select the time zone dropdown menu to change

the time zone for the meeting.

Note: The time zone used is retrieved from your organizer settings, but
you can select a new one from the list. Daylight savings time is
considered and meetings after the yearly switch show the correct
time.

c. Duration: Select a meeting duration from the list.

d. Meeting hours: Check to limit suggested meeting times to

workdays and working hours only.

Note: The default working hours are either retrieved from your organizer settings (if available),
or else your Exchange settings are used. They default to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. if no settings are
found.

e. Date Picker: The date picker will allow you to pick different dates to see time
availability. You can add times from different dates to a poll. Alternatively, you
can use the left and right arrow buttons to go to the previous or next day and
use the calendar icon (between the arrow buttons) to jump back to today.

2. Scheduling Poll looks through the attendees' schedules (if available) and suggests a list
of suitable meeting times. Factors used to determine the best options include how
many attendees are free, how many required vs. optional attendees are free, whether
conflicted attendees have tentative or busy commitments on their calendar.

Note: Scheduling Poll uses your Microsoft 365 business account to access your calendar and
the calendars of attendees in your organization to determine availability. Calendars that are
not associated with a Microsoft 365 account will show attendee's availability as unknown.

a. People Icons: Hovering over the person icon will show participants’ availability
and whether they are required or optional.

i. Underlined: Organizer

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ii. Green: Available

iii. Red: Busy

iv. Purple: Out of Office

v. Gray: Unknown

b. Expand/Collapse button: Will allow you to see a

detailed list of participants’ availability and
whether they are required or optional for a
given time suggestion.

3. Select a few suitable meeting times. The Next button

will be enabled if you select one or more options.

4. Select Next. You will be presented with the list of

selected times and poll settings before you can
finish creating the poll.

a. You can now delete any selected meeting

times by clicking the delete icon in
the Selected times list.

b. You have the option to add a meeting

location.

c. Online meetings are enabled by default. Select the Online Meeting check box
to disable it. The name of the setting will be updated depending on the default
meeting provider selected by your organization. You can change the meeting
provider in your Outlook settings.

d. Use the expand/collapse button to view options under Manage poll settings.

i. Schedule when attendees reach consensus: A calendar event is

automatically scheduled if all required attendees have voted in favor of a
specific time option. If multiple options are available, the earliest option
will be scheduled.

ii. Hold selected times on my calendar: A tentative event is placed on your

calendar for each time option you propose. All holds are removed when
the meeting is scheduled, or the poll is canceled.

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iii. Notify me about poll updates: You’ll receive an email each time an
attendee votes. The message includes the current poll status and an
option to schedule.

iv. Require attendees to verify their identity: To help prevent anonymous

voting, attendees will be required to authenticate before voting.

v. Lock poll for attendees: Attendees will not be able to suggest new times or
edit other attendees.

5. Select Create poll. Scheduling Poll inserts the poll details into your email body which
includes a link to the voting page and a link to all the polls you’ve created so far.

6. Select Send to send the email and start the voting process.

Multiple Time Zones

At any time, you can change the time zone in Outlook so that it matches your current
geographic location. Changing the time zone in Outlook is the same as changing it in the
Windows Control Panel, and the change is reflected in the time displays in all other Microsoft
Windows-based programs.

Change your time zone

When you change the time zone setting in Outlook, all Calendar views are updated so that
they display the new time zone, and all Calendar items reflect the new time zone.

1. Click the File tab.

2. Click Options.

3. On the Calendar tab, under Time zones, type a name for the current time zone in
the Label box.

4. In the Time zone list, click the time zone that you want to use.

Notes:

▪ When you adjust time zone and daylight-saving time settings in Outlook,
Windows clock settings are also adjusted.

▪ When Outlook is set to a time zone that observes daylight saving time, the clock
adjusts for daylight saving time by default. You can turn off the adjustment.
However, this is not recommended.

▪ Some time zones do not have daylight saving time. When Outlook is set to time
zone that doesn’t observe daylight saving time, such as Arizona in the United
States, the daylight-saving time adjustment cannot be turned on.

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Add a second or third time zone
In the latest versions of Outlook for Microsoft 365, three separate time zones can be
displayed in the Calendar.

In other versions of Outlook, including Outlook 2019 LTSC and Outlook 2016, you can display
two time zones.

The time zones can be, for example, your local time zone, the time zone of another business
location, and the time zone of a city that you often travel to. The second and third time
zones are used only to show a second and third time bar in Calendar view, and do not
affect the way in which Calendar items are stored or displayed.

1. Click the File tab.

2. Click Options.

3. On the Calendar tab, under Time zones, select the Show a second time zone check
box and, if needed, the Show a third time zone check box.

4. In the Label box for each time zone, type a name for the additional time zone.

5. In the Time zone list, click the time zone that you want to add.

6. If you want your computer clock to automatically adjust for daylight saving time (DST)
changes, select the Adjust for daylight saving time check box. This option is available
only in time zones that use daylight saving time (DST).

Swap time zones

When you have two or three time zones displayed in Calendar, you can swap their positions.

1. In Calendar, right-click in the time bar, and then click Change Time Zone.

2. Under Time zones, click Swap Time Zones.

Remove a time zone

1. Click the File tab.

2. Click Options.

3. On the Calendar tab, under Time zones, clear the Show a second time zone check
box and/or the Show a third time zone check box.

More about time zones in Outlook

The start and end times for items in the Outlook Calendar are saved in the Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) format, an international time standard similar to Greenwich Mean Time.

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When you send a meeting request to an attendee in a different time zone, the meeting item
is displayed at the respective local times on each person's calendar but saved in UTC.

For example, a meeting organizer in the United States Pacific time zone sends a meeting
request for 2:00 P.M. Pacific time to an attendee in the United States Mountain time zone.
The attendee sees the meeting as starting at 3:00 P.M. Mountain time. In both cases, the
meeting is saved as starting at the same UTC time of 10:00 P.M.

Create Signature
In Outlook, you can create one or more personalized signatures for your email messages.
Your signature can include text, links, pictures, and images (such as your handwritten
signature or a logo).

Create and add an email signature

1. On the View tab, select View Settings.

2. Select Accounts > Signatures.

3. Select New signature, then give it a distinct name.

4. In the editing box below the new name, type your signature, then format it with the
font, color, and styles to get the appearance you want.

5. Select Save when you're done.

6. With your new signature selected from the list above the editing box, go to Select
default signatures and choose whether to apply the signature to new messages and
to replies and forwards.

7. Select Save again.

AUTOMATED SCHEDULING
Use Quick Steps
Quick steps apply multiple actions at the same time to email messages. This helps you quickly
manage your mailbox.

Create a new Quick step

1. In new Outlook, select Mail from the navigation pane.

2. From the Home tab, select the drop-down menu next to Quick
steps and select Manage quick steps.

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3. In the Settings window,

under Quick steps, select +New
quick step.

4. Type a name for the new

Quick step.

5. Under Choose an action, select the action that you want the Quick step to do.
Select Add another action for any additional actions. If you're done now, select Save,
or continue with additional options to further customize your quick step.

6. In the Optional section add a description to Customize your quick step. Your custom
description will appear when you hover over the Quick step in the ribbon.

7. To create an optional keyboard shortcut, in

the Choose a shortcut box select the keyboard
shortcut that you want to assign. Ctrl+Shift 5-9 are
the available options.

8. Click Save.

Modify an existing Quick step

1. In Mail, select the Home tab. Select the drop-down menu next to Quick steps and
select Manage Quick step.

2. Find the Quick step you’d like to change and select the icon to Edit quick step.

3. Under Choose an Action, change or add

the actions that you want this Quick step to
do.

4. You can update the Quick step name,

add a shortcut, add a keyboard shortcut,
and update the description.

5. To rearrange the order in which the Quick steps are displayed on the Home tab, select
the up or down arrows of the Quick step you’d like to move. Click Save.

You can view the new order in the Quick step section on the ribbon.

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Use Rules
Create an inbox rule for new Outlook for Windows
Rules are applied to incoming messages and can be created from any folder.

1. To quickly create a rule that moves all email from a specific sender or a set of senders
to a folder, right-click a message in your message list that you want to create a rule
for, hover over Rules and then select Create rule.

2. Choose the folder where you want all messages from that sender or set of senders to
be moved, and then select OK.

3. After selecting OK, the rule will be applied to all incoming messages.

If you'd like to do more than just move the message from a specific sender or set of senders
to a folder, select More options. The rules settings menu will open.

▪ Every rule needs at least three things:

a name, a condition, and an action. Rules
can also contain exceptions to conditions.
You can add multiple conditions, actions,
and exceptions at each step by
choosing Add a condition, Add an action,
and Add an exception.

▪ If you don't want any more rules to

run after this one does, select the Stop
processing more rules check box.

▪ Press Save to create your rule

or Discard to cancel rule creation.

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Edit an inbox rule in new Outlook for Windows
1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Rules.

3. In the rule you want to edit, select .

4. Press Save to save your edited rule.

Note: Some rules created in classic Outlook can't be processed by new Outlook because
they are client-side rules. To fix a rule that was migrated from classic Outlook, create a new
rule to replace it.

Delete an inbox rule in new Outlook for Windows

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Rules.

3. In the rule you want to delete, select .

Tip: If you just want to turn the rule off for a while, select the toggle next to the rule.

Set the order in which inbox rules are applied to incoming messages in new Outlook for
Windows

Inbox rules are applied to incoming messages based on the order they're in within the Inbox
rules list. You can arrange the order in which the rules you create are applied to messages
coming into your inbox.

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Rules.

3. Select a rule, and then use the Up arrow or Down arrow to change the order in which
the rule is applied to incoming messages.

Run inbox rules on existing messages in new Outlook for Windows

By default, an inbox rule runs on incoming messages after you've created the rule. To run a
rule on existing messages:

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Rules.

3. Select next to the rule you want to run.

Disable and enable rules in new Outlook for Windows

If you'd like to temporarily pause, or suspend, a rule from operating and you don't want to
delete it, consider disabling the rule. To disable or enable a rule:
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1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Rules.

3. Use the toggle next to the rule name to disable or enable the rule.

Use rules to automatically perform

specific actions on email that arrives in
your inbox.

Stop Processing Rules

Create Autoreply
set up automatic replies for when they are out-of-office or unavailable to respond to email.

1. Select File > Automatic Replies.

2. Select Send automatic replies.

3. If you don't want the messages to go out right away, select Only send during this time
range.

4. Choose the dates and times you'd like to set your automatic reply for.

5. Type in a message. You can format the text using the tool bar, or cut and paste text
you've formatted, including hyperlinked text.

6. Select OK.

Notes:

▪ To set an automatic reply for contacts outside your company, select Outside My
Organization > Auto-reply to people outside my organization, type in a message, and
select OK.

▪ The OK button may be missing because of certain screen solution and scaling settings.
To resolve this issue, you can adjust the screen resolution and scaling settings, or use a
lar

Create Outlook Data File

When you add an email account to Outlook, a local copy of your information is stored on
your computer. This feature allows you to access your previously downloaded or
synchronized email messages, calendar information, contacts, and tasks without an internet
connection.

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Certain types of accounts, such as POP accounts, store their information in Outlook Data
Files (.pst files). Outlook 365 accounts, Exchange accounts, IMAP accounts, and
Outlook.com accounts store their information in Offline Outlook Data Files (.ost files).

1. From the Inbox, select New Items > More Items > Outlook Data File.

2. Enter a File name.

3. To add a password, check the Add Optional Password box.

4. Select OK. Type a password in both the Password and Verify Password text boxes and
select OK again.

If you set a password, you must enter it every time that the data file is opened — for
example, when Outlook starts or when you open the data file in Outlook.

About Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost)

When you run Outlook for the first time, the necessary data files are created automatically.

Sometimes additional data files are needed. Outlook Data Files (.pst) are saved on your
computer in the Documents\Outlook Files folder.

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▪ Older messages and items that you don’t use regularly can be archived to an Outlook
Data File (.pst).

▪ If your online mailbox is nearly full, you can export some items to an Outlook Data File
(.pst). You can also use these files to create archives, project files, or backups from any
Outlook account.

▪ Outlook Data Files (.pst) are used for POP3 email accounts

Tip: If your Outlook Data File (.pst) becomes large, it can slow down your OneDrive sync and
may show "Processing changes" or "A file is in use".

Some accounts (IMAP, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Outlook.com) use an offline Outlook
Data File (.ost). This is a synchronized copy of the messages saved on a server. It can be
accessed from multiple devices and applications such as Outlook.

Offline Outlook Data Files are saved in

the drive:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook folder.

Tip: It isn't necessary to back up an offline Outlook Data File (.ost), because it's already a
copy of the live information on the server. If you set up the account again or on another
computer or device, a synchronized copy of your messages will be downloaded.

Archive older items automatically

Email can fill your Outlook inbox quickly – new messages, replies, and forwards. Before you
know it, you could have thousands of messages. Keep your Outlook inbox and its folders
under control by moving older items you want to keep to an archive. Use AutoArchive to do
this automatically.

You can change how often AutoArchive runs, where it stores archived items, and how long
Outlook keeps items before archiving them.

Important: Archive and AutoArchive might not be available if your mail profile connects to
an Exchange Server. It's also possible that your organization has a mail retention policy that
overrides AutoArchive. Check with your system administrator for more information.

1. Click File > Options > Advanced.

2. Under AutoArchive, click AutoArchive Settings.

3. Click the Run AutoArchive every n days box and specify how often to run
AutoArchive.

4. Choose any other options you want, such as having Outlook delete old items instead
of archiving them.

Change the AutoArchive settings for an individual folder

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1. In the Navigation Pane's folder list, right-click the folder you want to change, and
click Properties.

2. On the AutoArchive tab, choose the options you want.

Manage Junk Emails

Mail identified as possible junk email can be automatically moved to the Junk Email folder.
Any malware—potentially malicious software or code—is disabled.

Block senders from sending you email

If you're receiving unwanted email, you can block the email addresses and domains you
don't want to receive messages from. Add any email address or domain to your blocked
senders list to move these messages directly to your Junk Email folder.

Note: Junk email is retained for 30 days before it is automatically deleted and is not
recoverable.

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Junk email.

3. If you want to block an email address or domain, select Blocked senders and
domains and select Add blocked sender. Enter the email address you'd like to block,
or if you want to block all email from a domain, enter the domain name.

4. Select OK, and then Save.

Keep messages from specific people or domains from going into your Junk folder
There are times when you don't want messages from a specific person or domain to end up
in your Junk Email folder. Messages from addresses or domains on the safe senders list won't
get moved to your Junk Email folder.

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. Select Mail > Junk email.

3. Under Safe senders and domains, select Add safe sender and enter the email address
or domain you want to add.

4. Select OK, and then Save.

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS

Setting up multiple accounts
There are many different types of email accounts you can add to Outlook, including an
Outlook.com or Hotmail.com account, the work or school account you use with Microsoft
365, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and Exchange accounts.
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dd a new account in new Outlook

1. On the View tab, select View settings.

2. Select Accounts > Email accounts.

You can now add a new account.

3. Under Email accounts, select Add

Account, and select a suggested account from the dropdown menu or enter a
different email address. Click Continue.

Note: Some non-Microsoft email providers, like Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud, require you to
change some settings on their websites before you can add these accounts to Outlook.

4. If prompted, enter your

password for the account and
select Done.

Set as primary account in new

Outlook

1. On the View tab, select View

settings > Accounts > Email
accounts.

2. In the Email accounts section,

find the account you want to
make changes to or delete. Beside
the account name,
select Manage.

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3. Under Account details,

select Set as primary account.

4. When you're finished,

select Return to accounts page, or
close the Settings window

Remove an account in new

Outlook

1. On the View tab, select View

settings > Accounts > Email
accounts.

2. In the Email accounts section,

find the account you want to
delete. Beside the account name, select Manage.

3. Under Account details, select Remove to remove this account from Outlook. Any
offline cached content for this account will be deleted when you remove the
account.

Note: This step only removes the account from the Outlook app, it doesn't delete the
account. To delete an account, get help from your email provider.

4. For accounts where Microsoft isn't the email provider (for example, Gmail, Yahoo,
iCloud, and non-Microsoft IMAP and POP accounts), the Remove Account window
appears. Select an option to remove the account from only this device or from all
devices.

If you select, Remove from all devices, your account will be removed from all devices
where you added your account to Outlook.

5. When you're finished, select Return to accounts page, or close the Settings window.

Troubleshoot password issues when adding an account in new Outlook

Forgot your password

If you forgot the password for a Microsoft account, use our sign-in helper to get back into
your account, or see Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.

If you forgot your password for a work or school account, see Reset your work or school
password using security info.

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App password message
If you know you’re using the correct password for your email account, and you see a
message such as:

• Please create an app password for Outlook on your email provider's site.

App passwords are randomly generated one-time use passwords that provide temporary
access to your online accounts. Temporary passwords act as a security layer, preventing the
need to share your main account credentials with potentially less secure or unknown
applications.

Depending on your email provider, an app password may be necessary to add certain
account types to Outlook such as IMAP or iCloud accounts.

To add an app password, do the following:

1. Go to your email provider to get the app password. Your email provider will provide
instructions for how to generate an app password to use in email applications such as
Outlook in place of your regular password.

2. After you get the app password from your provider, copy it, and then paste it when
prompted for your account password in Outlook.

Sending emails from different accounts

You can send email from any email account you connect to Outlook.com, or from any alias
used by your Microsoft account.

Send email from a different email address

1. In the compose window, select > Show From to see the From line.

2. Select From and choose which email address you want to use.

3. If you don't see all your accounts or aliases, select Other email address... and start
typing the email address or name you want to send from.

Notes:

▪ You may not have permission to send from all the addresses you see in the list.

▪ Any sent emails will appear in your Sent Items folder regardless of the address sent
from.

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Change your default From address

1. At the top of the page, select Settings .

2. In the Options pane, under Mail > Sync email.

3. Under Set default From address, choose an address from the drop-down list.

4. Select Save.

Using site-specific email addresses in Outlook.com

Outlook.com allows you to add custom information to your own existing email address to
help you identify how it's being used or where you're providing your email.

For example, if you sign up for a newsletter, book a table in a restaurant, or provide an email
for online shopping, and you are required to give an email address, you can add the site
name to your own email address. The email will still come to your own inbox, but you will
know who it's from.

If you receive emails to that address from anyone else, you will know they have shared your
details. You can also Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook to filter or redirect
any email that comes in using that address.

POP vs IMAP Emails Programs

IMAP and POP3 are Message Access Agents (MAA) used by email clients to retrieve/pull
messages from the mail servers. IMAP and POP3 are also known as pull protocols because of
their nature.

You can opt for POP or IMAP protocols when setting up your email address in an email client.

What is POP3?
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) is the email retrieval protocol used to receive emails from the
server.

POP3 downloads the original emails from the email server on a single device/computer. Then
it deletes the emails from the server’s inbox.

It lacks synchronization; thus, several devices cannot access the same email. This protocol is
best suited for people who use a single device (say office computer) to access emails.

What is IMAP?
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is also an email retrieval protocol to retrieve email
messages from the server. IMAP4 is the latest version in use.

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IMAP is the most commonly used email protocol. After establishing the connection with the
server, IMAP retrieves all the data from the mail server and caches the retrieved data on
your local device.

It allows you to access the same email

on different devices since all your data is
stored on the server and not on the local
machine. Any changes you make to the
emails will be synced to the mail server.

IMAP vs. POP3: What are the

differences?
IMAP and POP3 are email protocols for
accessing and managing emails on
remote servers. IMAP syncs emails across
multiple devices, storing them on the
server. POP3 downloads emails to a
single device, deleting them from the
server.

IMAP offers more advanced features like labeling, searching, and folder management
across devices.

And there are other various technical differences between IMAP and POP3. And the below
table represents the major functional differences between these two protocols.

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