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| Warning: You are viewing this page with an unsupported Web browser. This Web site works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5, or Netscape Navigator 8.0 or later. Learn more about supported browsers. 10 Office features you need to know about
Applies to: Microsoft Office Access 2007, Excel 2007, OneNote 2007, Outlook 2007, PowerPoint 2007, Publisher 2007, Word 2007, Access 2003, Excel 2003, OneNote 2003, Outlook 2003, PowerPoint 2003, Publisher 2003, Word 2003, Access 2002, Excel 2002, Outlook 2002, PowerPoint 2002, Publisher 2002, Word 2002
 Crabby Office Lady Some things we just can't do without in life: love, friendship, a bathroom door that locks. With Office, the same is true: Some features should not be overlooked. Subscribe to Crabby's columns Read all the Crabby Office Lady columns Get the Crabby Office Lady's book One of the complaints we get around here is that some of these programs have so many features that you can't figure out which ones would be the most useful for you. This week I'll clue you into some of favorites. Feature #1: The editor inside the box: Use the Spelling checker... especially if you're writing to me! If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times: Please, if you're sending e-mail, writing a letter, or creating a Web site, please make use of the spelling checker. Either turn on this feature so that it automatically notifies you when you've misspelled a word, or press F7 to launch the spelling checker yourself before you've completed your task. It's simple, it's quick, and it's the courteous thing to do. More information about the spell checkerOffice 2007
Office 2003
And before I forget, Word 2007 has this fabulous new feature: Instead of just giving you the squiggly read line to indicate a spelling error a green squiggly line for a grammar error, Word 2007 introduced a new member of this flagging community: The blue squiggly line. It flags words that are likely inappropriate, considering their content. Interested in finding out more? Read program manager Jonathan Bailor's Office Hours column The next generation of the spell checker. Feature #2: Say it, don't spray it: The Bcc boxNow this one I KNOW I've mentioned before. Bcc is an abbreviation for blind carbon copy. If you add a recipient's name to this box in an e-mail, a copy of the message is sent to that recipient, and the recipient's name is not visible to other recipients of the message. Consider using the Bcc box when:
Of course, there are other reasons to use the Bcc box, but I'll leave you and your sneaky mind to come up with those. More information about the Bcc box
Feature #3: I came, I saw, I rewrote: Revision marksWriters and editors have to work together; it's a law of nature, like gravity or a feeling territorial about a parking space. Using revision marks in Word is one way to keep track of all the changes — agreed upon or otherwise — that you, as a writer or a reviewer, talk about as a document is written. Using Word's built-in reviewing tools, such as comments or tracked changes, is a lot easier than getting out the red pen or using strikethrough formatting (or whatever). Make use of this handy feature; it really facilitates the reviewing process. More information about revision marks
And listen, while some of you Word 2003 and Word 2002 users prefer the way Word 2000 handled revision marks (no balloons, just strikethrough formatting for deletions and underlining for insertions) you can set up your version of Word to use the Word 2000 style of revision marks:
Feature #4: Get yourself some insurance: Protect your workSecurity is a big word these days, and you'd be wise to pay attention. There are many aspects to computer security, and being who I am, I'm here to encourage you to make your Office documents as secure as you can. Some of the ways you can do this are to password-protect your documents, presentations and spreadsheets; lock your shapes in Visio and prevent changes to files; protect your InfoPath form designs; and Receive Microsoft Technical Security Notifications (via e-mail, RSS, or Windows Live Alerts). I'm not going to say that security is a simple, straight-forward topic; it isn't. But if you read the information we have out there and follow some of our guidelines, you can rest assured that your Office documents will be a lot more secure than if you just close your eyes and hope for the best. More information about Office security
Feature #5: I know what I mean: AutoCorrectThis is one handy feature that I use a lot, and I use it in two ways:
More information about AutoCorrect
Feature #6: Help me, I'm drowning: AutoArchiveYour mailbox is growing and growing ... and growing. You need a place to store all those items that you can't delete but don't need on a daily basis, and you need a way to do it automatically. AutoArchive in Outlook is the way to handle it. It's on by default and runs automatically at scheduled intervals, clearing out old and expired items from folders. Old items are those that reach the archiving age you specify. Expired items are mail and meeting items whose content is no longer valid after a certain date, such as a meeting you had four months ago that still appears on your calendar. I like to think of it as spring cleaning, but it's easier and can happen more frequently, at any interval you desire. More information about AutoArchive
Feature #7: Decorating made simple: The Format PainterThe Format Painter, You basically select the text that you want to copy, click the Format Painter button and then select the text to which you want to apply formatting. If you want to apply the same formatting to more than one item, select the formatting you want, double-click Format Painter, and then select each word, phrase, or paragraph you want to apply formatting to. When you're finished, press ESC. No guessing, no multiple steps, and you can use the Format Painter in just about any Office program. More information about the format painter
Feature #8: Leverage someone else's work: Use a templateWhen time is of the essence (and when is it not?), no one is a better friend to you than a template. In a nutshell, a template is a pre-designed document, spreadsheet, presentation or any other type of Office document that's been created by a template elf. It has all the colors, layouts, bullets, fonts, and whatever else you want to make your Office document sparkle. All you have to do is plug in your content and away you go. A template saves you the burden of having research and design skills, and it saves us the burden of reminding you that you need to brush up on your research and design skills. More information about using Office templates
Feature #9: Show, don't just tell: Use some Clip artI often get e-mails from folks asking me if they can use the clip art on our site for their documents, spreadsheets, e-mail signatures, etc. People: If it's on our site, you can use it. Why would we have it there? Just to tempt you? Yes, use our clip art for all your artistic (and I do realize tha's a broad term) needs! More information about using clip art
Feature #10: Say it loud, say it proud: Give feedbackI know: You think we're not listening, that we just make these products year after year, without thinking about you or your needs. That just isn't true. In fact, some of us spend a majority of our time listening to you and your ideas. But we can't listen if you're not talking. So please, make the effort and tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what you wish you could have. More information about saying it loud, saying it proud
All praise the tip of the monthA lot of great people, inventions, and ideas have come out of the Peach State, Georgia:
Right you are Misty! That is a great find. So, in other words, YOU have control over what's in that Recent Documents list.
Note Recent Documents, the display of the last few files you opened in that program appears from the Office Button "A human being has a natural desire to have more of a good thing than he needs." — Mark Twain About the authorAnnik Stahl, the Crabby Office Lady columnist, takes all of your complaints, compliments, and knee-jerk reactions to heart. Therefore, she graciously asks that you let her know whether this column was useful to you — or not — by entering your feedback using the Was this information helpful? tool below. And remember: If you don't vote, you can't complain. Subscribe to Crabby's columnsRead all the Crabby Office Lady columns Get the Crabby Office Lady's book
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is one of the most handy little features I know. It's a way to copy any formatting you want to duplicate: fonts, shading, borders, and more.
in Office 2007 versions of Access, Excel, InfoPath, PowerPoint, Visio, and Word. 
The adorable push pin that Misty is talking about is only available in Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. When a document has been pinned to the Recent Documents list, the pin button looks like a push pin viewed from the top. 
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