Make Windows and Office Better: Little Fixes That Make a Big Difference
We’ve all had those days when our computer seems to have a mind of its own — the Wi-Fi drops mid-meeting, the Caps Lock key refuses to cooperate, or you can’t find your mouse pointer no matter how hard you squint.
I’ve been there too. Over time, I’ve found a few small tricks that make using Windows and Office a little smoother — and a lot less frustrating.
Here are some of my favorite ones that actually make a difference.
🌐 When Your Wi-Fi Acts Up — Try This Simple Tool
If you’ve ever stared at your screen wondering why on earth the Wi-Fi just disconnected again, you’ll love WiFiDiagnosticsView.
It’s a free little tool from NirSoft that quietly keeps an eye on your Wi-Fi adapter and notes every single change — when it connects, drops, or struggles with signal. The best part? If something goes wrong, it even gives you an error code so you can search for an exact fix instead of guessing.
They recently added a “Clear All Items” button (or you can hit Ctrl + X) so you can clear the clutter and focus on what matters. It’s like tidying up your digital workspace before troubleshooting.
You can grab it safely from the official NirSoft site. If Windows gives you a warning, just click “More info → Run anyway.” Totally fine — I promise.
🔠 That Stuck Caps Lock Key? Shift Can Save the Day
I’ll admit it — I’ve yelled at my keyboard more than once when it randomly decided to TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS.
Turns out, there’s a calmer fix. You can disable a stuck Caps Lock just by pressing Shift.
But to make that your permanent rescue button, you’ll need to tweak one small setting.
On Windows 10:
- Right-click the Start menu → Time & Language → Language
- Click Spelling, typing & keyboard settings → Advanced keyboard settings
- Open Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings
- Choose “Press the SHIFT key” and click OK
On Windows 11:
- Go to Settings → Time & language → Typing
- Click Advanced keyboard settings → Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings
- Select “Press the SHIFT key” → OK
That’s it! No more typing an entire paragraph before realizing you’re shouting.
🖱 Can’t Find Your Cursor? Make It Glide Across the Screen
You know those moments when your mouse pointer seems to vanish into thin air?
The first time it happened to me, I spent a full minute waving the mouse like a maniac.
Then I discovered a PowerToys gem called Mouse Pointer Crosshairs. It highlights your cursor with red crosshairs so you can always see where it is. And now there’s a new “Gliding Cursor” option that lets you move your cursor using your keyboard.
It’s not just cool — it’s incredibly helpful for anyone who finds mouse control tricky.
Here’s how to try it:
- Open PowerToys → Input/Output → Mouse utilities
- Turn on Mouse Pointer Crosshairs
- Press Win + Alt + P to show the crosshairs
- Press Win + Alt + . (period) to make it glide horizontally, then again for vertical
You can even adjust the speed if it feels too fast or slow. It’s like watching your cursor gently float across the screen — oddly satisfying.
🎧 Want Just the Sound from a Video? Clipchamp Has You Covered
I once spent half an hour trying to extract audio from a video just to use a background sound for a project. Then I found out Clipchamp, Microsoft’s free video editor, could do it in about ten seconds.
Just import your video, click Export → Audio-only, and choose where to save the file. By default, it saves to OneDrive, but you can change it to Save to your computer instead.
That’s it — your audio is ready in MP4 format. Perfect for podcasts, voiceovers, or just saving your favorite song from a home video.
🏢 Let’s Talk About Office — Small Tweaks, Big Impact
Sometimes, productivity isn’t about big new tools. It’s about finding the quiet little settings that make your day flow better.
📸 Copy Text from an Image in OnlyOffice
Ever taken a screenshot of something important and then wished you could copy the text from it?
You can — using OnlyOffice’s built-in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) plugin.
You don’t even need to install it. Just open a document, click Plugins → OCR, load your image, then hit Recognize.
The text appears instantly on the side. Click Insert Text, and there it is — ready to edit.
It’s not always perfect, but it saves time (and sanity).
📊 LibreOffice Calc: Tame Those CSV Imports
If you use LibreOffice Calc, you’ve probably seen that annoying “Text Import” box every time you open a CSV file.
Good news: in version 25.8, you can finally control that behavior.
Now there’s a checkbox called “Always show on import.”
If you tick it, the import box pops up every time so you can adjust separators. If not, Calc just remembers your last choice.
A tiny change, but it makes work feel smoother — especially if you open dozens of CSV files a day.
📈 Excel: Hide Those Annoying Zeroes
Ever looked at a spreadsheet filled with “0”s and thought it just looks messy?
You can easily make those zero-value cells appear blank.
Go to File → Options → Advanced, scroll to Display options, and untick “Show a zero in cells that have zero value.”
Boom — cleaner sheets without any data loss. I use this all the time for reports.
📅 Outlook: Get Calendar Alerts Even When It’s Closed
If you use the new Outlook app, here’s a lifesaver — you can now get notifications for your meetings even when Outlook isn’t open.
It’s like having a personal assistant who never forgets your next call.
Just:
- Open Settings → System → Notifications
- Turn on banners and lock screen alerts
- Then go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Outlook for Windows → Advanced options
- Choose Always for background running
- In Outlook, open Settings → General → Notifications
- Turn on “Send notifications when Outlook is closed”
You’ll never miss another calendar alert again — even on those chaotic mornings.
❤️ Final Thoughts
Technology can be tricky, but small tweaks like these can make your daily routine feel smoother and more human.
They’re not about reinventing Windows or Office — just about making them fit you a little better.
I’ve learned that the best tech upgrades aren’t the flashy ones — they’re the quiet fixes that stop you from pulling your hair out at 9 a.m. on a Monday.
