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Microsoft Office has been around forever, so you’d think there’d be no surprises left. But these features feel like secret backdoors by cutting hours of effort with just a few clicks. They make work so much easier that it almost feels like cheating.
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Pop Out Panes (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
When you work with long documents or large data sets, a clear view of the document always helps. Some tools in Microsoft Office work like Word’s Editor Pane or the Clipboard, as they can all be moved around and positioned anywhere on the screen.
How to Use Pop-Out Panes
Any menu item with a Move option can be detached and placed anywhere on the Office screen. Along with a better view, it helps to free up a screen’s real estate. You can also resize some of the panes by dragging the border.
I often move and resize the Copilot pane to give more breathing room to the document. Select the Down arrow on the Copilot pane and use the four-headed arrow to move a reduced version of the pane anywhere on the screen.
7
Alt Key Navigation (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
The Alt key is a secret door to keyboard shortcuts in Office. With just a tap, you can access any ribbon command without using the mouse for navigation.
How to Use Alt Key Navigation
Press Alt, and letter combinations appear over every ribbon button. This unlocks keyboard shortcuts for everything in Office.
Alt + H opens Home, Alt + N accesses Insert, and Alt + P takes you to Page Layout. Once in a tab, more letters appear for specific functions. You’ll complete tasks in seconds instead of hunting through menus with your mouse.
Keep typing the sequence shown for your target command. To exit, press Esc.
When I started using Alt shortcuts, my workflow sped up immediately. No more clicking around the ribbon, and I also didn’t have to remember sheets of Microsoft Office keyboard shortcuts.
Remember, you can use the left and right arrow keys to move through the Ribbon tabs once you press Alt.
6
Paste Special > Transpose (Excel, Word)
If you’ve ever needed to turn rows into columns, or vice versa, Transpose is the option to choose. In Excel, this move flips your data’s orientation instantly.
How to Use Paste Special (> )Transpose in Excel
Select and Copy the range you want to flip. Right-click where you want to paste. Choose Paste Special > Transpose (or from the Home tab’s Paste dropdown, find the Transpose icon). Finally, click OK.
While there are several ways to paste text in Word, it doesn’t have the Transpose option. As a workaround to format your Word tables perfectly, paste your list into Excel, transpose it, then copy it back. Whenever I need to rearrange data, Transpose saves me the annoyance.
5
Format Painter (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
You don’t have to repeat the same formatting steps. Format Painter copies all the styling from one place and applies it elsewhere with a simple swipe. It can duplicate font types, sizes, colors, bold and italic styles, text highlights, paragraph formatting, and even cell borders in Excel.
How to Use Format Painter
Select the text or object with the formatting you want. Click Format Painter (paintbrush icon) on the Home tab. Your cursor changes to a paintbrush.
Highlight or click what you want to format. For multiple targets, double-click Format Painter, then paint everywhere you like. Press Esc to stop.
I rely on the Microsoft Office tool to save time with formatting and keep the style of the document consistent without the hassle. One “brushstroke”, and everything matches.
4
Thesaurus and Synonyms (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Ever since Microsoft deprecated the handy Smart Lookup feature, Office users have been searching for an alternative.
You can access synonyms in two ways: select a word or phrase, right-click, and choose Synonyms. Alternatively, go to the Review tab and click Thesaurus. The pane opens on the right side of your document with relevant words that you can directly insert into the document.
This feature is particularly useful for me as a writer. I can quickly search similar words and use them to make my prose less monotonous.
3
Text to Columns (Excel, Word)
Text to Columns transforms messy, concatenated data into organized, separate columns. This feature is essential when working with imported data that arrives in a single column but needs to be split based on delimiters like commas, spaces, or tabs.
How to Use Text to Columns in Word & Excel
In Excel, select your data column and go to Data > Text to Columns. Choose whether your data is delimited (separated by specific characters) or fixed-width, then follow the wizard to specify how you want the data split.
Word offers a similar feature for tables. Select your text, go to Insert > Table > Convert Text to Table, and specify your separator. This transforms lists or comma-separated values into properly formatted tables instantly.
I use Text to Columns whenever I get messy data. For instance, splitting full names and separating addresses. The option is more prominent in Excel, of course. So, if you’re working with data-heavy tasks, move your text to Excel to save time.
2
Multi-Cell Data Entry (Excel, Word)
Want to enter the same value in several places at once? Excel has a handy trick for saving enormous amounts of time during data entry tasks.
How to Use Multi-Cell Entry in Excel
To fill multiple cells with the same data in Excel, start by selecting the cells you want (you can hold Ctrl and click to pick non-adjacent ones). Next, type your data into the active cell (the last one with the double border) and hit Ctrl + Enter. This will fill all the selected cells with that data.
To populate your spreadsheet faster, you can use Flash Fill and Auto Fill.
Pasting text in multiple cells in Word tables works a bit differently. Select and copy the text; then select the empty cells where you want to insert it. Press Ctrl + V or click Paste to fill the selected cells.
Alternatively, you can use the Clipboard to paste any snippet of text in multiple cells by selecting the specific cells first. I often use multiple cell data entry for marking all tasks complete or filling out the same date across rows.
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Dictation (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)
Dictation is particularly powerful for drafting emails in Outlook, creating presentation content in PowerPoint, or writing long documents in Word when typing becomes tedious. And it can protect you from repetitive stress injuries too.
How to Use Dictation
Click the Microphone icon in the Home tab or press Windows + H to start dictation. Speak naturally, and Office converts your speech to text in real-time. You can also use voice commands for punctuation and formatting, like saying “period,” “comma,” or “new line.” The voice commands in Microsoft Office’s Dictation tool are easy to remember.
Dictation gets better with every iteration of Microsoft Office. This feature works across multiple Office applications and supports various languages and accents.
I use dictation when I want to get my ideas down quickly, especially for long emails or first drafts.
Located below the Dictate button is the option for Transcribe (only in Word). As speaking (or recording any audio) is faster than typing, I use voice transcriptions in Word to convert my voice journal to notes or create accessible meeting minutes. You will need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use Transcribe.
Most of us barely scratch the surface when we use Microsoft Office. Leaving aside Excel, which is a powerhouse in its own right, the others like Word, PowerPoint, Outlook etc., also have enough underrated features we often ignore. Each of these tips is beginner-friendly but packs a punch in terms of time saved and frustrations sidestepped.
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