Hidden Office App Features That Instantly Improve Daily Productivity
4 Hidden Productivity Features in Outlook, OnlyOffice, LibreOffice, and Word
Small settings that quietly save serious time
Modern software updates often focus on big headline features, but the real productivity gains usually come from smaller improvements hidden deep in settings menus. When enabled, these features remove friction from everyday tasks and make familiar tools feel noticeably better to use.
Below are four lesser-known productivity enhancements across Outlook, OnlyOffice, LibreOffice, and Microsoft Word that are well worth enabling.
Outlook: Open Emails in Separate Windows Again
The new Outlook experience introduced a more unified interface, opening messages, replies, and forwards directly within the main reading pane. While this works for casual use, it can feel restrictive if you regularly reference multiple emails or work across multiple screens.
Fortunately, you can restore the classic behavior where emails open in their own windows.
How to enable pop-out email windows
- Click View in the Outlook menu bar
- Select View settings
- Open Compose and reply
- Scroll to Pop-out settings
- Choose Pop-out to a new window
- Click Save
From now on, every new email, reply, and forward opens in a separate window. This makes it easier to compare messages, drag emails between monitors, and maintain context while writing longer responses.
OnlyOffice: Redact PDFs Using Custom Colors
PDF redaction usually means thick black boxes. OnlyOffice now allows you to change redaction colors, making it easier to visually differentiate between types of sensitive information before finalizing a document.
How to apply colored redactions
- Update OnlyOffice to the latest version
- Open your PDF in the PDF Editor
- Select Edit PDF → Redact → Mark for Redaction
- Highlight the text, image, or area to remove
- Hover over the selection and click Select
- Click the color square and choose a new color
The preview updates instantly, allowing you to use different colors for different categories, such as personal data, internal notes, or financial information.
Finalize the redaction
- Click Apply Redactions
- Confirm by selecting Yes
This extra flexibility improves readability during reviews and adds clarity to collaborative workflows involving sensitive documents.
LibreOffice: Customize Toolbars Without Digging Through Menus
LibreOffice includes a powerful set of tools, but many of them remain buried in menus that interrupt workflow. Recent updates make toolbar customization far more accessible, allowing you to place frequently used commands exactly where you want them.
How to customize the toolbar
- Click View → User Interface
- Open the Toolbars tab
- Check the features you want to display
- Click Close
The selected tools appear immediately and can be repositioned using drag and drop. Whether it’s alignment controls, form tools, or layout shortcuts, having them one click away significantly reduces repetitive navigation.
Microsoft Word: Print Multiple Envelopes at Once
Word can print multiple envelopes with the same address in one batch. This is ideal for mailers, invitations, invoices, or office correspondence where the recipient address stays consistent.
How to print envelopes in bulk
- Confirm your printer supports envelope feeding
- In Word, go to Mailings → Envelopes
- Enter the recipient and optional return address
- Click Options to set envelope size and layout
- Open the Feed tab and match your printer’s orientation
- Click OK → Add to Document
- Load multiple envelopes into the printer
- Go to File → Print
- Set the number of copies and choose Print Current Page
- Click Print
Pro tip
Save the document as a template. Next time, you only need to update the address and print—no setup required.
Why These Features Matter
None of these changes are dramatic on their own. But together, they eliminate unnecessary steps from everyday tasks:
- Outlook regains its multi-window workflow
- PDF redactions become clearer and more flexible
- LibreOffice adapts to how you work
- Word handles repetitive printing effortlessly
These are the kinds of improvements that don’t grab attention but steadily make work smoother and faster.
Final Thought
If software ever feels slow or clumsy, it’s often not because it lacks features—but because the best ones are hidden. Taking a few minutes to explore settings can unlock hours of saved time over the long run.
These four features are a good place to start.
