Newsletter Archives

• Microsoft 365: Year in review

  Posted on December 26, 2022 at 02:44 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Let’s take a minute to check the rearview mirror and review what’s happened this year with Microsoft Office. We’ll also peer over the horizon to speculate about 2023.

  There were obvious (and not-so-obvious) changes to Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365. I’ll look at just some of the changes. They might not be the most hyped changes coming from the never-ending road that is Microsoft marketing, and some of them might be overlooked but yet interesting.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.52.0, 2022-12-26).

  Microsoft 365 Clipchamp, Designer, Excel, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Office 365, PowerPoint, Sketchup, Teams, Word

• The surprising truth about ultra-cheap Microsoft Office

  Posted on September 12, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Ever wondered about those ultra-cheap deals for Microsoft Office? Are they safe to buy, or a scam? Is the license legal and recognized by Microsoft?

  The answers might surprise you as much as they surprised me.

  It’s part of the modern world that’s widely advertised but not much talked about. My research includes feedback (generally positive) from many readers, plus my own purchases from a well-known site. I’ll focus on Office 2021, but the same info and warnings apply to cheap offers for Windows or other software.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.37.0, 2022-09-12).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Prices

• Discover the useful but hidden extras at Office.com

  Posted on May 23, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft has done a lot of work on the Office.com home page, especially for business and enterprise users.

  There’s a lot more available on those pages than first appearances indicate. In fact, some of the most useful features are hiding behind faint, almost hidden, icons.

  Office.com is a useful portal to access recent documents saved on OneDrive or SharePoint/Teams across all your Office apps and document types. I’ll first look at the many changes for Business, Enterprise, and Education users, and then I’ll explore some hidden extras for Microsoft 365 Family/Personal.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.21.0, 2022-05-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, office.com

• The twists and turns of Office Fast Account Switching

  Posted on May 16, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.20 • 2022-05-16

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Fast Account Switching lets you quickly “change hats” between work, home, and other Microsoft accounts in Microsoft 365, Office 2021 and 2019, and now the browser-based Office.com apps.

  Most of us have more than one online life, usually a work account — and a personal account and possibly more for other work or voluntary commitments. For Office users, that means separate Microsoft accounts and switching between those accounts to see recent documents and online storage related to that part of your life. In the past, and still in Office for Mac, changing accounts meant reopening the Office app.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.20.0, 2022-05-16).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Accounts, Office 365, tips

• OneDrive app support ending on older Windows

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:45 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.47 • 2021-12-06

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft dropped a minor bombshell with the announcement that the OneDrive app would stop working for some Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users beginning in March 2022.

  The changes have some unusual elements, such as a split between personal and work use. Microsoft has (deliberately?) added confusion with poor and incomplete communication.

  Office 365 users are affected by these changes, yet Microsoft hasn’t said a word about that.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.47.F (2021-12-06).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office, Office 365, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business

• All the stuff to use or ignore in Teams

  Posted on October 4, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Get a grip on Teams by exploring its “nuts and bolts,” including what to ignore, what’s compulsory, what’s possible, and why some people move away from Teams to get things done.

  Teams is confusing because Microsoft has thrown everything except the proverbial kitchen sink into it. Even people who’ve used it for a while get a little lost. Microsoft doesn’t help by making some elements compulsory — with no way to remove, hide, or even rename them. There’s a wide range of Teams apps that can be useful but also add to the confusion.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.38.0 (2021-10-04).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Teams

• So many Outlooks — think you know them all?

  Posted on August 16, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  If you think Outlook is one thing, you’re wrong. It’s Microsoft’s fault – the Outlook brand is beyond confusing.

  Years ago, Microsoft decided it would be “easy” to call all their email products “Outlook.” The result has been a mess of confusion and difficulty for everyone, including front-line ’softies. Microsoft doesn’t help by referring to “Outlook” without being specific about which software or service it is talking about.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.31.0 (2021-08-16).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, outlook

• Microsoft 365 plans revealed!

  Posted on July 26, 2021 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.28 • 2021-07-26

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Which Microsoft 365 Business plan is best and cheapest for you?

  Yes, I said business plans. But wait – don’t go away – a business plan might be just the thing for you. Read on.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.28.0 (2021-07-26).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.28.F (2021-07-26).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365

• All storage is not created equal

  Posted on April 19, 2021 at 01:00 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  ONEDRIVE TIP

  

  By Will Fastie

  The word “drive” in the name implies that OneDrive is just like any other local hard drive or solid-state drive in your system.

  It isn’t. I consider that a bug. A serious bug.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, OneDrive

• Microsoft OneDrive: The basics

  Posted on February 1, 2021 at 01:15 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  onedrive

  Microsoft OneDrive: The basics

  By Lance Whitney

  Want to be able to back up and synchronize your files with Microsoft OneDrive
  but aren’t sure where to start? Here’s a primer on getting started with OneDrive.

  Microsoft OneDrive is an effective tool for automatically backing up and synchronizing your documents, photos, and other files. By backing up your files to OneDrive in the cloud, you can recover them in case you accidentally delete or lose them. And by synchronizing your files, you ensure that they’re accessible from any computer or device running OneDrive.

  OneDrive is automatically included and accessible in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Those of you still running Windows 7 can manually download and install it. Beyond Windows, OneDrive is available for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android, so you can access it from any computer or mobile device. I use OneDrive as my primary backup and synchronization service and find it very convenient and helpful.

  But OneDrive can be tricky to set up and configure initially, especially if you’re not familiar with its various settings and options. Let’s look at the basics of OneDrive to see how you can get started and use it most effectively.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.4.0 (2021-02-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, OneDrive

• SetUp Guides for Microsoft 365 – request for feedback

  Posted on November 30, 2020 at 21:24 CST by Kirsty • Comment in the Forums

  Are you an IT Admin that sets up Microsoft 365 / Office 365 services? If you are, @mikebailey2000 is looking for feedback on SetUp Guides.

  Mike’s a Microsoft Program Manager. It’s great to welcome his interest in the opinion of our members.

  Please, head over to Mike’s first post here at AskWoody, wish him a very warm AskWoody welcome, and help him to improve the setup guides. He explains the limitations on accessing the documents.

  Office Microsoft 365, Office 365, Setup Guides

• Office 365 becomes Microsoft 365: Less here than meets the eye

  Posted on April 13, 2020 at 01:15 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  WOODY’S WINDOWS WATCH

  By Woody Leonhard

  Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that, as of April 21, the “rented” version of Office known as Office 365 will henceforth be known as Microsoft 365.

  Other than a bewildering array of new names and vague promises of future features, very little will actually change on that day.

  Mostly, if you’re currently subscribed to Office 365, you’ll soon be seeing (and paying for) Microsoft 365.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.14.0 (2020-04-13).

  Office News AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Office subscriptions
• « Older Entries