Make Office 365 Better: Expert Tips to Boost Productivity
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is the world’s most popular productivity suite, but many users only scratch the surface of its features. With the right shortcuts and settings, you can make Word, Excel, and PowerPoint far more powerful. Here are some expert tips for Office 365 users, including some lesser-known tricks.
1. Microsoft Excel: Create Number Sequences with SEQUENCE()
One of the most underrated Excel functions is SEQUENCE(), introduced in Office 365. It lets you generate number lists or grids instantly, without manual typing or dragging cells.
=SEQUENCE(10)→ Creates a vertical list of numbers 1 to 10.=SEQUENCE(1,10)→ Creates a horizontal row of numbers 1 to 10.=SEQUENCE(5,6,100,10)→ Creates a 5×6 grid starting at 100, increasing by 10 each time.
📌 Pro Tip: Combine SEQUENCE with other formulas like RANDARRAY() or TEXT() to quickly generate sample datasets for testing.
2. Microsoft Word: Jump Back to Your Last Edit
In long documents, finding where you left off can be frustrating. Office 365 Word includes a shortcut:
- Press Shift + F5 to jump to your last edit location.
- Press again to cycle through your last three edits.
This works across sessions, meaning you can close a document and reopen it later, and still return to the exact spot you were working on.
3. PowerPoint: Reuse Slides from Other Decks
Instead of copy-pasting between presentations, Office 365 lets you reuse slides directly:
- Open your PowerPoint deck.
- Go to Home > New Slide > Reuse Slides.
- Browse to another presentation and select the slides you want.
You can keep the original formatting or match them to your current theme automatically.
📌 Pro Tip: Pair this with the Designer feature (Design > Designer) for polished slides in seconds.
4. Outlook: Delay or Schedule Emails
Sometimes you don’t want your email to send right away. In Outlook (part of Office 365), you can schedule emails:
- Draft your email.
- Click Options > Delay Delivery.
- Choose the date and time to send.
This is perfect for working late at night but keeping your communication professional during business hours.
5. Microsoft Teams: Use Together Mode in Meetings
If you’re using Office 365 for collaboration, Teams includes Together Mode, which places all meeting participants in a shared background (like an auditorium or café).
- It reduces fatigue by making conversations feel more natural.
- Great for classrooms, workshops, and brainstorming sessions.
Enable it via More Options > Together Mode during a meeting.
6. OneNote: Convert Handwriting to Text
OneNote in Office 365 can convert handwritten notes (from a stylus or touchscreen) into editable text.
- Write your notes.
- Select them with the Lasso Tool.
- Go to Draw > Ink to Text.
This is especially handy for tablets or Surface devices.
7. Excel: Flash Fill for Quick Data Entry
Flash Fill is one of those Excel features that feels like magic. If Excel detects a pattern in your data, it can auto-complete the rest.
Example:
- Type “John Smith” into one cell, then type “J. Smith” in the next column.
- Excel will suggest filling down the entire column with the same pattern.
Trigger it manually with Ctrl + E.
Final Thoughts
Office 365 is more than just Word, Excel, and PowerPoint—it’s a full ecosystem of tools that, when used effectively, can save hours of work every week.
Here’s a quick recap of today’s tips:
- Excel: SEQUENCE() for instant number grids, Flash Fill for smart auto-completion.
- Word: Jump to your last edit with Shift + F5.
- PowerPoint: Reuse slides and polish them with Designer.
- Outlook: Schedule emails to send later.
- Teams: Use Together Mode for better collaboration.
- OneNote: Convert handwriting into editable text.
With these tricks, you’ll not only work faster but also make your Office 365 experience more seamless and enjoyable.
