One of the best things about Office programs (and just about any other application, for that matter) is that when I close a file without saving, I get prompted with a familiar message: It’s simple, I know, but I can’t tell you how many times this has saved my bacon. I also can’t...

If you already know how to use SmartArt to convert ideas into engaging graphics , you won't hesitate to download the new SmartArt for Office 2010. The new Converging Text SmartArt is particularly helpful in showing how ideas feed into a process or outcome. Another new SmartArt graphic called Theme Picture...

If you have a blog or web site, you no longer need to worry about whether your site visitors have Office installed. You can embed Office documents directly onto your page. First, you'll need a free SkyDrive account at https://skydrive.live.com/ - just login with your Windows Live ID, or create one if...

The Office team has compiled customers' favorite commands across all Office 2010 applications, which you can download to add as a Favorites tab in Access, Excel, InfoPath, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Publisher, Visio, and Word. For example, the Favorites tab in Word puts Save , Send , Properties...

Too busy to read all of the documents on your To Do list? If you want, you can have your Office applications read them to you. This will work in any Office 2010 program except Access. First, click the arrow icon to the right of your Quick Access Toolbar on the Office application for which you want to...

If you use pictures in your Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, you probably hunt regularly for useful clip art on Office.com. But you don't have to stop there. Make the imagery your own by changing the colors and even removing unwanted elements. First, make sure you use illustrations (not photographs...

If you're an old pro at Office, you may be wondering what happened to Smart Tags when you upgraded to Office 2010. They have been renamed Actions, and you have a lot of flexibility in how you use them. Actions are also less obtrusive. There's no longer an icon that pops up when Office detects a word...

One of the little trumpeted but extremely valuable features in PowerPoint 2010 is the ability to compare and merge slides from separate decks. To use this feature, first open your main presentation file and go to the Review tab. Click the Compare button: Select the file you wish to compare it with and...

Have you ever mistakenly launched the wrong Office application? I know I have - sometimes my mouse slips and I click the wrong icon locked on my Windows 7 taskbar, or I'm rushing and mix up the Outlook and PowerPoint icons. The good news is that, if this happens, Office 2010 users don't have to wait...

You might remember how Ribbon Hero , introduced last year, made learning about Office features as you work seamless and enjoyable. But it wasn't really a game, even though it did track your score and progress. Now Ribbon Hero 2 is here, and it really is more of a game - but one that teaches you Office...

When you're presenting, the last thing you want to do is lose the flow of your presentation when moving around your PowerPoint deck to answer a question or activating a presentation feature. Here are some handy keyboard shortcuts that will help make your talks go smoother: Launch from the beginning:...

Simply because I can, I herewith expose little-known but potentially powerful forces at work—in this case, five keyboard shortcuts that could simplify or enrich all our lives. I leave it to the world to decide what to do with this declassified intelligence. + Tab: Desktop Cirque de Soleil . Hold down...

The cloud-based version of Microsoft Office and related services, called Office 365, is now in public beta. This means you can sign up to try the subscription service, which offers your favorite Office applications plus SharePoint, Exchange, and Lync services via the Web using most devices. This delivers...

How many times have you started a PowerPoint presentation and then realized you needed to use a different template? Fortunately, there's an easy way to copy over the theme from one presentation to another. This works in both PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010. First, open both your source and destination...

If you and your team are reviewing a slide presentation, one way to speed up the process is to temporarily disable animations. In PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010, go to the Slide Show tab and click Set Up Slide Show : Now check the Show without animation box and then click OK : While...

If you've ever wanted to pick a theme in PowerPoint but didn't care for its gaudy background, this tip is for you. There's a very quick way to turn off the background in both PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010. On the Design tab, select the theme that has the fonts and layout you want to start with...

Most people think of PowerPoint as just a presentation tool, but it makes a great picture library as well. You can paste images into it and include all sorts of notes about when and how the pictures were taken or created, add the names of the people in the photos, and document details about the event...

You know that awkward pause during team presentations when one team member hands off to another, and there is much squabbling to bring up the correct presentation? That's because most people don't realize you can easily link slide decks to each other - as long as they're locked down at least a little...

If you want to let remote team members watch your presentation, PowerPoint 2010 has a great feature for you. All they need to view your slideshow is Internet access, a Live ID (or account on another supported presentation service), and the latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari for Mac...

Do you spend a lot of time making your slides uniform in PowerPoint? If so, perhaps you’re not familiar with the Slide Master. No, that’s not what people call me. It’s a feature that lets you edit all of the master slides in your deck. Then all slides based on the different types will be updated to match...

It's 2011, and if you're like me, you know there are some things you should have mastered last year that you didn't get to - so you resolve to tackle them when the calendar rolls over. Here are 65 popular tasks we frequently hear that customers want to learn - and which Productivity Hub can help you...

Locking down Office documents isn't new, but Office 2010 offers a quicker, more informal method to discourage editing once a document is finished: You can mark it as final. This does away with the need to create and remember a password or set complicated permissions. It won't prevent editing or copying...

It's almost the New Year, which means shopping for a new calendar. Or does it? Did you know that Microsoft Office offers calendars you can download, customize, and print yourself! In PowerPoint 2010, simply go to File , New, and click Calendars under Office.com Templates : Now browse for a calendar:...

If you have an image that you want to imbue with new life or perhaps alter for a special event or time of year, the artistic effects built in to Office 2010 can be used to quickly add visual flair. Let's take the Productivity Hub icon we use for our Twitter and Facebook page : I'm thinking that since...

You've no doubt had AutoCorrect save you from typographical errors, letting you know with its helpful red squiggle when it believes a word is spelled incorrectly. It may have even replaced obvious mistakes such as "claer" for "clear" while you were typing. But if all that AutoCorrect...