If the floating Copilot icon in Microsoft 365 keeps getting in the way, there’s a quick way to move it back to the ribbon.

What can you do?:

Move the icon:
Put Copilot back into the ribbon if the floating button is covering content.

Dock or undock:
Dock the icon to shrink it and keep it out of the way, or undock it to bring it back into view.

Switch positions:
Toggle between the bottom‑right floating icon and the ribbon version depending on what works best for your workflow.

It’s a simple set of options, but it makes Copilot much less intrusive if the default placement isn’t working for you.

Watch it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oXQQDqvV_ko

Has the floating icon been getting in your way too?

If you use Microsoft Teams a lot, there’s a simple trick that makes finding emojis way faster.

Just type a colon : in the message box and start entering a couple of letters. Teams will instantly surface every matching emoji, including custom ones your org (or users in your org) has added to Teams.

Examples from the tip:

• :wa brings up waving, surfing (think of the waves), and other emojis with “wa” in
• Custom emojis that don’t appear in the bracket search also show up through this method, so if you added a Copilot emoji and labelled it "Copilot Logo", it'll appear as "copilot-logo" in the colon search for your emoji.

It’s a small shortcut, but it makes navigating the emoji library much quicker and reveals options you might not even know exist.

Watch it in action here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/b2st316Jmng

Did you know this method for searching emojis in Teams?

Do you ever want to add something dynamic to your presentation or a video without leaving your presentation mode?

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to confidently insert, format, and control videos in your presentations.

1. Inserting Videos into PowerPoint

PowerPoint gives you three powerful ways to add video content into your slides:

From Your Device

Perfect for MP4s, screen recordings, or any video stored locally.

• Go to Insert → Video → This Device
• Select your file and drop it straight onto the slide

Stock Videos (Microsoft 365)

Ideal when you need clean, professional footage in the background without leaving PowerPoint.

• Insert → Video → Stock Videos
• Search the library and insert high‑quality clips instantly

Online Videos (YouTube, Vimeo, SlideShare)

Great for embedding content directly from the web.

• Insert → Video → Online Videos
• Paste the URL from YouTube, Vimeo, or SlideShare
• The video embeds and plays inside your slide

2. Formatting Your Video

Once your video is on the slide, you can transform its appearance just like you can with images and shapes. You can play with brightness, contrast, colour tone, styles and more.

3. Trim Your Video or Fade In / Fade Out

Cut off unneeded pieces from the start or end of videos to keep only the important part(s) and even add smooth transitions so your video doesn’t start or stop abruptly.

4. Playback Behaviour

Choose how your video behaves during your presentation, from 3 different settings:

• Automatically [Starts when the slide appears]
• On Click [When you click it, it'll play]
• In Click Sequence [If you have animations it'll play in the order in your animation pane]

5. Audio Settings

Adjust volume or mute the clip entirely.

Mastering these features will help you create presentations that feel cinematic, engaging, and far more professional. PowerPoint’s video tools are deeper than most people realise and is a gateway into learning to work with videos in your presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3td6KzCK0Y

I find it really useful to use Copilot when I get to a topic, I don't understand or a jargon word that keeps getting thrown around.

This is where I get Copilot to "Explain what [Insert topic] is as if I'm 6 years old.".

It breaks things down to a simpler and much clearer level, making it much easier to understand. It’s a great way to quickly understand what something actually means.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iHPq6C3i9iQ

MS just moved the Copilot button in the ribbon to the bottom right of my window in Excel, PowerPoint and Word, covering content on my files which has been frustrating me.

At least there's a way to remove it, kinda...

1. Head to the hovering Copilot icon in your document and right-click it.
2. Click Dock and it should tag with a smaller footprint on screen, holding onto the scrollbar for dear life haha.

Video linked above and here.

Anyone else find this hovering Copilot icon annoying?

If you have ever managed a massive spreadsheet and found yourself constantly digging through folders or opening your browser just to find related files or websites, you know how disruptive it can be in breaking your flow. Or you need to link where the data is coming from so people can check.

That’s where the HYPERLINK function steps in. It is one of Excel's best tools for building clean, interactive dashboards, allowing you to launch websites, open server files, or jump straight to shared documents or other cells in your workbook directly from a single cell.

Here is a full walkthrough of how to use the HYPERLINK formula to keep your spreadsheets organised and highly accessible.

1. HYPERLINK Formula

The HYPERLINK function is incredibly straightforward, relying on just two parameters to work:

=HYPERLINK(link_location, [friendly_name])

• link_location (Mandatory): The actual path to the destination. This can be a web URL, a file path on your local computer, or a link to a shared server. (Note: This must always be enclosed in quotation marks, or point to a cell reference that contains the path).
• [friendly_name] (Optional): The text or value that is actually displayed in the cell. If you leave this blank, Excel will simply display the raw, unappealing URL path instead.

2. Linking to the Web with Dynamic Names

Connecting your spreadsheet to external websites is simple.

• Static Link: =HYPERLINK("https://www.google.com", "Go to Google")
• Dynamic Link: You can also use cell references for the display name. If cell A2 contains the text "Formula 1 Website" and cell B2 contains the actual URL, your formula can look like this: =HYPERLINK(B2, A2). This makes it incredibly easy to update display names across a massive list without changing the formulas themselves.

3. Linking to Local or Shared Files

HYPERLINK isn't just for web browsing; it is highly effective for linking directly to documentation, contracts, or reference sheets stored elsewhere.

• Local & Server Files: You can link directly to a file on your hard drive or a company server by inputting the file path (e.g., "C:\Documents\ProjectPlan.xlsx" or "\\SERVER_prod\ProjectPlan.xlsx").
• Cloud Platforms: If your team relies on cloud collaboration, you can paste the share links from SharePoint or OneDrive directly into the link_location parameter, giving your team instant access to the master files.

4. Security Alerts and Navigation Behaviour

When interacting with hyperlinks in Excel, it helps to understand how they behave out of the box:

• Security Notices: When clicking a link pointing to a local file or an external server, Excel will often trigger a security warning. Don't panic as this is a native Microsoft safety feature ensuring you want to open a file outside of the workbook.

To see these web and file examples built out step-by-step, watch the full video walkthrough here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl3r_9wGtHc

If you have ever stared at a Microsoft Word document feeling overwhelmed, or found yourself wasting time hunting through menus for basic formatting options, you are not alone. Whether you are a student writing an assignment, a professional drafting reports, or simply looking to boost your digital skills, mastering the foundations of Word can save you hours of frustration.

This comprehensive guide breaks down the essential features, keyboard shortcuts, and layout tools you need to navigate, edit, and format documents efficiently.

1. Document Fundamentals & Essential Shortcuts

Before diving into complex layouts, you need to master the core shortcuts. These universal commands keep your hands on the keyboard and speed up your workflow:

• Create a new document: Ctrl + N
• Open an existing file: Ctrl + O
• Save your progress: Ctrl + S
• Print the document: Ctrl + P
• Close the file: Ctrl + W

2. Navigating Your Document Like a Pro

Scrolling endlessly through a long document is highly inefficient. Instead, use these precise navigation keys to jump exactly where you need to be:

• Move up or down one full screen: Page Up / Page Down
• Jump to the start or end of a line: Home / End
• Jump to the absolute beginning or end of the document: Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End
• Open the "Go To" dialog box: Ctrl + G (Perfect for instantly jumping to a specific page number)

3. Efficient Text Editing and Proofing

Writing is only half the battle; editing is where the real work happens. Use these standard editing commands alongside Word's built-in proofing tools to polish your content:

Core Editing Shortcuts

• Cut / Copy / Paste: Ctrl + X / Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V
• Undo / Redo an action: Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y
• Find / Replace text: Ctrl + F (to locate words) / Ctrl + H (to replace words globally)
• Select everything: Ctrl + A

Proofing Tools

To ensure your document is error-free, take advantage of the Thesaurus to vary your vocabulary, and use the Word Count tool to track document length. When you are ready to review your work, press F7 to open the Microsoft Editor pane, which will instantly scan your text for spelling and grammar mistakes.

4. Formatting Text & Paragraphs

Clear visual hierarchy makes your document professional and easy to read. You can format individual words or entire paragraphs using these core adjustments:

• Text Styles: Use Ctrl + B for Bold, Ctrl + I for Italics, and Ctrl + U for Underline. You can also easily change font types, sizes, and font colours from the Home tab.
• Paragraph Alignment: Align your text to fit your document style:
  • Ctrl + L (Left-aligned)
  • Ctrl + E (Centred)
  • Ctrl + R (Right-aligned)
  • Ctrl + J (Justified – aligns text to both margins for a clean, book-like look)
• Lists & Spacing: Organise information cleanly using bulleted or numbered lists. You can also adjust line and paragraph spacing, or use Tab stops and the horizontal ruler to create custom indents.
• The Format Painter: Found a style you love? Use the format copying shortcuts to copy the layout of one piece of text and apply it directly to another without redoing your settings.

5. Page Layout, Design & Advanced Elements

Once your text is finalised, it is time to focus on the structural structure and design of the pages themselves. These settings are crucial for creating polished, presentation-ready documents:

• Page Setup: Adjust your Margin Size (e.g., Normal or Narrow), swap the Paper Orientation between Portrait and Landscape, or change the Paper Size (such as A4 or Letter).
• Breaks & Columns: Use Page Breaks or Column Breaks to control how text flows across pages, or split your text into multiple columns for newsletter layouts.
• Polished Extras: Add Headers and Footers for a consistent top-and-bottom border, insert automated Page Numbers, or apply a subtle Watermark (like "Draft" or "Confidential"). You can even add custom page colours and borders for creative projects.
• Advanced Elements: Don't limit yourself to just plain text. Word allows you to insert complex mathematical equations, special symbols, or even import text directly from external files.

To see every single one of these shortcuts and tools demonstrated step-by-step in a guided walkthrough, watch the full video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZenZHmPco

If you're ever like me and have more than 5 tabs open at any one time, it's quick to get lost where you stuck a tab, be it in a tab group or having accidentally closed it.

I'm so glad I can now search all my open tabs with Ctrl + Shift + A and sometimes it brings my recently closed tabs for when I've been a numpty and closed something I needed open 🤦🏻‍♂️

If you want to see it in action watch the linked video.
Have you ever used this shortcut in Microsoft Edge? Are there any other shortcuts you find useful?

Do you ever feel trapped by PowerPoint's default colour options? If you want your presentations to look more cohesive, professional, and perfectly branded to you or your business, you need to move beyond the standard palettes available.

Mastering Colour Themes and the Eyedropper tool is key to begin taking full control of how your presentation's look.

1. Working with Colour Themes

PowerPoint comes packed with built-in colour palettes (including colour palettes from older versions of Office) that automatically update your text, shapes, and charts to match.

• Where to find them: Head over to the Design tab on the ribbon.
• Variants: Next to the main themes, you'll see a Variants box. You'll usually find this on the right handside after Themes. Drop this down to quickly swap between different colour configurations of the same overall style.

2. How to Create a Custom Colour Palette

For a more cohesive brand with brand consistency, you can build your own theme from scratch. Imagine you are building a custom palette for a brand like your business; you can create colours that match, be it warm browns and creams, bright yellow and reds or whatever matches your own brand.

1. Go to the Design tab, click the dropdown arrow in the Variants group, and hover over Colours or Colors depending on the language pack installed.
2. Click Customise Colours or Customise Colors at the bottom of the list.
3. Swap out the accent colours to match your brand's specific hex codes or RGB values.
4. Name your new theme something recognisable and click Save.

Now, this custom palette will be available across your entire deck, ensuring your shapes and fonts always stay coloured to your brand.

3. Prioritising Contrast and Accessibility

When building your palette, beautiful colours shouldn't override readability. Always ensure there is contrast between your background elements and your foreground text. Failure to have this can really make it hard for people to distinguish what is on your slides.

• Dark backgrounds require crisp, light text (whites, creams, light grays).
• Light backgrounds demand dark text (blacks, deep navies, dark charcoals).

If the contrast is too low, your audience will struggle to read your slides, making your presentation lose its impact.

4. The Eyedropper Tool: Precise Colour Matching

If you have a logo, website screenshot, or product image on your slide and want to copy its exact colour, don't guess the shade. Use the Eyedropper tool:

1. Select the shape or text you want to recolour.
2. Go to Shape Format (or Home) and click the dropdown next to Shape Fill or Font Colour.
3. Select Eyedropper. Your cursor will turn into a pipette.
4. Hover over the image and click the exact pixel of colour you want to steal.

Bonus Tip: Once you sample a colour with the Eyedropper pipette, PowerPoint automatically stores it in your Recent Colours section for that session, so you don't have to keep re-sampling it if you wish to apply that colour to other objects!

Watch the full video walkthrough here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRUjDDfQMqI

I hated it when I placed things beautifully on a slide to close it for the night and a colleague or fellow student would go into the file make their own changes and move a background image or shape while trying to edit the deck. Thankfully, I can easily freeze objects in place so they can't be shifted with the Lock function in PowerPoint.

Here is how to lock and unlock elements in PowerPoint:

How to Lock an Object

1. Right-click on the item (image, shape, or text box) you want to freeze.
2. Select Lock from the context menu. Once locked, the item cannot be moved or resized by accident.

Thankfully, you can still edit text boxes when objects are locked so you can update the content in those objects without the worry of having to unlock it.

How to Unlock an Object

1. Right-click the locked item.
2. Select Unlock. The element is now free to be moved, edited, or resized again.

Bonus Tip: If you have multiple overlapping objects and find it difficult to right-click the exact item you want to lock, go to the Home tab, click Arrange, and open the Selection Pane. From there, you can click the little padlock icon next to any layer name to lock or unlock it instantly.

If you’ve ever built a “central hub” app and thought “how do I get users to our external resources”, there’s a good chance the issue isn’t your navigation... it’s the function you’re using to bridge the gap. That’s where the Launch function steps in. It’s one of Power Apps’ most practical tools, quietly turning your app into a gateway for the rest of the web.

Below is a full walkthrough of what the Launch function does, how to set it up, and how it behaves in real‑world apps.

What the Launch Function Is & Why It Matters

The Launch function allows you to open external URLs such as Google, SharePoint, or other internal tools like SAP directly from your app. It is the primary tool for linking your users to content that lives outside of Power Apps.

Setting Up & Formula Syntax

To trigger an external link, you typically walk through a simple control setup:

• Button Control: You start by inserting a button control and renaming it for clarity.
• OnSelect Property: You then use the OnSelect property of that button or any other element to trigger the action.
• The Power of Quotes: Within the Launch function, it is essential to use speech marks (quotes) around the URL so Power Apps recognizes it as text.

Launch vs. Navigate: Know the Difference

A core concept for building navigation is understanding the distinction between two key functions:

• Launch: Use this exclusively for external pages or apps outside of your current Power App.
• Navigate: Use this for moving between different screens internally within the same app.

The Launch Function in Action (Simple Example)

Imagine an app acting as a company portal. You have a button labeled "Submit Feedback." By setting its OnSelect property to a Launch function pointing to a Microsoft Form URL, clicking that button instantly opens the form in a new browser tab.

An example of how the formula looks is: Launch("https://www.google.com")

This ensures that your app can effectively manage external content in a way that feels professional and user-friendly.

Testing Your Connections

Always verify your formulas by ensuring your URLs are properly encased in quotes and testing the button behavior in your app's preview mode to confirm the correct external pages are launching.

To see the Launch function in action with a guided walkthrough, take a look at the video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZfAiwcPu-k&list=PLju7Zi4M1O9bJWG56RKjVa8Jmv8CDpahU&index=2

If you’ve ever spent an hour building a presentation and thought “why is this taking so long,” there’s a good chance the issue isn’t your content... it’s the constant clicking you’re doing to add new slides. That’s where the Ctrl + M shortcut steps in. It’s one of PowerPoint’s simplest but most effective efficiency tools, quietly keeping you in the creative flow.

Below is a full walkthrough of why this shortcut is a game-changer and how it behaves in real-world deck building.

The "Clicking" Trap

Manually navigating to the "Home" or "Insert" tab just to find and click the "New Slide" button might only take a few seconds, but those seconds add up. Every time you move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse, you break your typing momentum and slow down your creative process.

The Solution: Instant Slide Insertion

The fastest way to add a slide isn't through a menu... it's through your keyboard. By using a simple key combination, you can build your deck without ever breaking your stride.

• The Shortcut: Pressing Ctrl + M instantly inserts a new slide into your presentation.
• The Placement: The new slide is added immediately after your currently selected slide, typically adopting the layout of the slide before it.

This ensures that the "flow" of your work remains uninterrupted, allowing you to focus on the story you're telling rather than the software you're using.

To see this shortcut in action with a guided walkthrough, take a look at the video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbhXapstCf8&list=PLju7Zi4M1O9b5-VRfN4ykQvFoOM_sq6QP&index=17

Are there any other shortcuts you love using or find intriguing?

If you’ve ever filled out a survey and thought “why am I being asked this,” there’s a good chance the issue isn’t the questions... it’s the logic you didn’t realise was missing. That’s where Branching steps in. It’s one of Microsoft Forms’ simplest but most professional features, quietly ensuring your respondents only see what actually matters to them.

Below is a full walkthrough of what Branching does, how to set it up, and how it behaves in real‑world surveys.

What Branching Is & Why It Matters

Branching allows you to create dynamic surveys where the path a respondent takes depends entirely on their previous answers.

It is the primary tool for creating a "choose your own adventure" style form. You need it when you want to:

• Track specific data without cluttering the form for everyone.
• Skip irrelevant questions to reduce "survey fatigue" for respondents
• Validate paths by sending users to specific follow-up sections.
• Professionalise the experience by only showing relevant content.
• Avoid confusion caused by "If yes, answer question 5" instructions.

Setting Up & Configuring Logic

To start, you access the branching options by clicking the three-dot menu (More settings) on any specific question and selecting "Add branching."

From there, you map out the logic:

• Response Mapping: You can assign specific choices (like "Yes" or "No") to different follow-up questions.
• End of Form: You can even direct a specific answer to jump straight to the end of the form, bypassing the rest of the survey entirely.

Branching in Action (Simple Example)

Imagine a registration form where you ask if a guest has dietary requirements.

• If the respondent selects "No," they skip the next five questions about allergies and go straight to the "Submit" button.
• If they select "Yes," the form instantly reveals a "Please specify" text box.

This ensures that the "something" the user sees is always relevant to their specific situation.

The Benefits of Dynamic Numbering

One of the smartest features of Microsoft Forms is that it automatically adjusts question numbering. Even if a respondent skips from Question 2 to Question 10, the form will renumber them as 1, 2, and 3 on their screen.

This keeps the flow seamless and ensures the respondent never feels like they are missing out on parts of the form.

Testing Your Logic

Before sending your form out, always use the "Preview" mode. This allows you to walk through the different paths yourself to ensure the logic flows exactly as intended.

To see Branching in action with a guided walkthrough, take a look at the video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWpe5uL4GGs