Recent Discussions
Access Still Struggles on Data Import
More of a comment than anything else I have been a frequent flyer of Access since version 2.0. We used it almost daily for several years. I have since retired, and was away from it for a couple years now. However, due to a recent Office 365 account I started using again. One of the problems we had over the years with Access was on large data imports. This appears to be the same problem today as it was 30 years ago. Excel does not have this problem. Some of the same issues with Access "Does not recognize header name" Checking to insure header name was not a keyword and all rules were enforced, still did not allow the data to be imported. Since I needed to quickly turn around the information I had to link to an Excel file and run the queries. Pondering if MS has really done any improvments or serious upgrades with Access. I know programs cost resources to update. The other 3 Office apps have far more users than Access. I think Access is going to wither away within the next couple years. Was a great run when everything worked right. I have used a lot of different databases over the years. However, Access was the runt who was very user friendly and an awesome reports generator.
How to add 3 months to existing date mergefield in Word
I'm looking for a way to add 3 months on from an existing mergefield date («Calculation Date») in Word. Say the starting date is 16 September 2025 we'd want the new value to be shown as 16 December 2025. I cannot do this calculation in Excel as the mergefield data comes from a database and I have not used Macros etc before. Thanks
Unformatting Header/Tables on WORD after Updated Build 2508
Unformatting Header/Tables on WORD after Updated to Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2508 Build 16.0.19127.20192) 64-bit (Current Channel) with OS Windows 11 Pro Version 10.0.26100 Build 26100 Hi Community, I am writing to you today regarding a critical and widespread issue that is currently paralyzing our operations. Over the past two weeks, all of our Microsoft Word documents, including those created as far back as 2014, are displaying significant unformatting problems across every machine in our company. This issue affects our entire document repository and prevents us from reliably converting documents to PDF for our clients, since then we have been manually formatting the headers, tables, with the help of a feature called Gridlines. We have performed extensive internal troubleshooting and have been unable to resolve the issue. Our tests show that this problem is not present in previous versions of the software. We have isolated the issue to our current operating environment, as it affects all user profiles and machines uniformly.Advanced Excel Formulas for Business Analysis
Microsoft Excel remains one of the most powerful tools for business analysis. Beyond simple data entry and arithmetic, Excel’s advanced formulas help analysts uncover trends, automate reporting, and drive better decision-making. Mastering these formulas can save hours of work and unlock insights hidden within raw data. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the most impactful advanced Excel formulas for business analysis, complete with practical use cases. https://dellenny.com/advanced-excel-formulas-for-business-analysis/Automating Data Entry in Excel Using Power Query
Manually entering or cleaning data in Excel can be one of the most repetitive and error-prone tasks in any workflow. Whether you’re consolidating sales reports, transforming survey results, or pulling in system-generated exports, you often spend more time preparing the data than actually analyzing it. That’s where Power Query comes in. Built right into Excel (and also available in Power BI), Power Query allows you to automate data entry, transformation, and consolidation. Instead of repeating the same copy-paste and formatting tasks every week, you can set up a process once and reuse it whenever new data arrives. https://dellenny.com/automating-data-entry-in-excel-using-power-query/WinFix Toolkit (All Windows 10 & 11 Repair Tools in One Excel)
After I published this small information tool (Excel (365 & 2016) with network information), several people contacted me and asked if I had a tool with Excel for general service tasks that, while available in Windows, are a bit scattered and confusing. So, I've prepared this small tool for Service Level 1, with most of the service options included. Hardware Repair Tools Repair Action Label Description Reset Windows Update Components UpdateReset Stops related services, renames cache folders, restarts services. Check System File Integrity (sfc /scannow) SFC Scans and repairs corrupted system files. Check Disk for Errors (chkdsk /f /r) CHKDSK Scans hard drive sectors and attempts repair. DISM Health Restore (dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth) DISM Repairs Windows image and component store. Network Reset (netsh int ip reset, netsh winsock reset) NetReset Resets TCP/IP and Winsock catalog. Flush DNS Cache (ipconfig /flushdns) DNSFlush Clears DNS resolver cache. Device Manager (open) DevMgr Opens Device Manager for hardware inspection. Software Repair Tools (examples) Repair Action Label Description Microsoft Office Quick Repair OfficeRepair Launches Office repair tool (Quick or Online). Reset Microsoft Store StoreReset Runs wsreset.exe to reset Store cache. Repair OneDrive OneDriveReset Resets OneDrive client (onedrive.exe /reset). Windows Defender Full Scan DefenderScan Triggers Windows Defender antivirus scan. Reset Windows Firewall FirewallReset Restores default firewall rules. Reset Windows Search Index SearchReset Rebuilds Windows search index. Clear Temp Files TempClean Deletes temporary files and folders. Reinstall UWP Apps (if broken) AppsReinstall Re-registers all built-in Store apps. I hope it might be helpful to some people. The tool has been tested, but it could still use some improvements, so I'd like to ask everyone who has looked at or used this tool for feedback. I would appreciate any constructive feedback or additional suggestions. Happy Excel-ing! *My tool are voluntary and without guarantee! NikolinoDE I know I don't know anything (Socrates)Best Practices for Sharing Community Updates with Microsoft 365
Hello, I manage an online community and use Microsoft 365 to keep members informed by posting announcements in Teams, storing patch notes and FAQs on SharePoint, and automating alerts with Power Automate. This workflow worked well for our latest update (shared on [https://nullsbrawl.tech/](https://nullsbrawl.tech/)), but I’d appreciate suggestions on improving SharePoint design for better engagement, automating updates more efficiently, and tracking which members read the announcements.How to Create Reusable Templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Templates are time-savers. Instead of recreating the same document, spreadsheet, or presentation layout every time, you can design it once and reuse it whenever you need. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all support custom templates, helping you streamline your work and keep your materials consistent. In this post, we’ll walk through how to create and save reusable templates in each application. https://dellenny.com/how-to-create-reusable-templates-in-word-excel-and-powerpoint/Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Teams: Chat, Meetings, and Channels
If you’re new to Microsoft Teams, the platform might feel a little overwhelming at first. It’s packed with tools for messaging, video calls, collaboration, and file sharing—all in one place. But once you get the hang of the basics, it becomes an incredibly powerful tool for work, school, or personal projects. In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll cover the core features: chat, meetings, and channels. These three areas form the foundation of how Teams works. https://dellenny.com/beginners-guide-to-microsoft-teams-chat-meetings-and-channels/Mastering Keyboard Shortcuts Across the Microsoft 365 Suite
In today’s fast-paced digital workplace, efficiency is everything. Whether you’re crunching numbers in Excel, drafting a report in Word, analyzing emails in Outlook, or delivering a presentation in PowerPoint, every second counts. That’s where keyboard shortcuts come in. Instead of reaching for your mouse, memorizing a few key combinations can help you navigate Microsoft 365 with ease. Here’s a breakdown of the most useful keyboard shortcuts across the suite. https://dellenny.com/mastering-keyboard-shortcuts-across-the-microsoft-365-suite/Moving from Office 2016/2019 to Microsoft 365: What Changes?
Microsoft’s cloud-era strategy has made Microsoft 365 more than just “Office in the cloud” — it introduces a shift in licensing, update cadence, collaborative features, and more. Below are the key differences you’ll notice, the benefits, and also possible trade-offs to consider. https://dellenny.com/moving-from-office-2016-2019-to-microsoft-365-what-changes/Macros crashed Word, then disappeared, now back again but not working
My problem started with a few macros in Word (Office 365) crashing Word, then the list macros, while still showing up with Alt+F8, disappeared from VBA. I played around with templates and such, and now have the VBA showing the whole list of macro scripts. However, there is a red scroll icon on my macros list and I have had the message "Your organizations administrator turned off the service required to use this feature", which is odd because I am the administrator (this is a home Office 365 subscription). So I can see the macros in VBA but I can't run any of them, nor can I create any new macros. How do I get my macros up and running again? (I tried to 'repair' Office, and after the full repair ended up with a version of Word that isn't as customised as it used to be.) And what might be the cause of this problem?
Tab is not visible for single member in shared channel
Hello everyone, Another day, another M365 mystery. I have a client who added a website tab to a shared channel that is linked to a Planner plan. Technically, this “plan” isn’t a standard plan, as it was created via a Loop component in the channel conversation. Very confusing, I know. So far, so good—this tab is visible to all members of the shared channel except one person. I’ve checked, and everyone has the same licenses. Any ideas on how to solve this mystery? Best regards, HishamPractical Graph: Analyzing External Meeting Participants for Teams Meetings
A reader asked if it's possible to analyze the external meeting participants for Teams online events. The information is available through the Events Graph API, and some PowerShell code written using the Graph PowerShell SDK quickly extracts events to analyze and determine the set of external domains meeting participants come from. https://practical365.com/external-meeting-participants-analysis/
Captions for images, including sub-captions
Good morning, I’m using Office 365 (Office 2019 at home). I wanted to ask if it’s possible in Word to create captions for images, including sub-captions, with all the corresponding indexes reflecting the hierarchy. I mean something similar to the photo below.
Profile photo component adds unwanted overlay
Component https://myaccount.microsoft.com Run command: ms-settings:yourinfo Environment Profile picture uploaded through https://myaccount.microsoft.com Profile picture uploaded through Run command (WIN+R): ms-settings:yourinfo Retrieved via Microsoft Graph SDK / Graph REST API endpoint /v1.0/me/photos/$value Steps to Reproduce Go to https://myaccount.microsoft.com. Upload a new profile picture (no presence, badge, or branding requested). Retrieve the profile picture using Microsoft Graph endpoint: GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/photos/$value Render the image in the client application. Expected Result The raw profile photo is shown exactly as stored—no overlays, rings, badges, or branding. Actual Result The component renders an overlay (e.g., presence badge/ring/branding) on top of the photo, altering the image. Impact Users see altered profile photos, leading to inconsistencies with expectations. Breaks brand/UX design guidelines that rely on unmodified profile images. Severity Medium–High (affects identity consistency across apps using Graph). Notes This happens even though no overlay option was requested in either the upload or retrieval flow. Alternative: Steps to Reproduce and working as expected Run command (WIN+R): ms-settings:yourinfo Upload a new profile picture (no presence, badge, or branding requested). Retrieve the profile picture using Microsoft Graph endpoint: GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/photos/$value Render the image in the client application. Expected Result The raw profile photo is shown exactly as stored—no overlays, rings, badges, or branding. Actual Result The raw profile photo is shown exactly as stored—no overlays, rings, badges, or branding.
Best 360 feedback software for Microsoft Teams?
We've been looking for a 360-degree feedback software that will work inside Microsoft Teams for a while now. We have found some decent options like Teamflect, Zensai, and SurveyMonkey, but I would love some suggestions. Any experience with these tools or others?
Dibbling Microsoft AutoUpdate - macOS
I have a customer with a Mac mini M4 with multiple user accounts. Each user has an access to Office 365 apps, Outlook, Excel and Word. The issue I am having is with Microsoft AutoUpdate. I have turned off "Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date" on all of the users. This has not stopped update application from opening and showing on each of the users there are updates available. If one of the users tries to run the update while an application is open by another user, it cause all kinds of problems. My questions is, "Is there another way to prevent AutoUpdate from indicating there are updates available? Thanks Len Levin BSCUsing Microsoft 365 Effectively in Education Without Overloading Teachers
Technology has become a cornerstone of modern education. Platforms like Microsoft 365 (M365) offer powerful tools to enhance teaching, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration. But with so many apps and features, the risk is real: teachers can feel overwhelmed rather than supported. The key lies in using M365 intentionally—focusing on what makes teaching easier, not harder. https://dellenny.com/using-microsoft-365-effectively-in-education-without-overloading-teachers/Naming Conventions People Actually Use in Microsoft 365
If you’ve ever worked in a Microsoft 365 environment, you know how messy things can get: Teams called “Project”, SharePoint sites named after random acronyms, and files scattered across libraries with names like “Final_v3_Updated_ReallyFinal.docx”. The root problem? Naming conventions that look good in policy documents but fall apart in day-to-day use. The good news: you can design conventions that are practical, simple, and easy for people to actually follow. Here are some steps to make it work. https://dellenny.com/naming-conventions-people-actually-use-in-microsoft-365/
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