Recent Discussions
Practical Graph: Creating a Multi-Workload User Activity Report
Microsoft 365 comes will many usage report APIs covering different workloads. This article explains how to use PowerShell to extract usage data for multiple workloads to combine together to create a holistic view of user account activity within a Microsoft 365 tenant. https://practical365.com/holistic-usage-report/
Loop development has seemingly stopped
Our team adopted Loop since many of us prefer the personal knowledge management system style of Notion or Obsidian to other classic note-taking and sharing software. However, many core features are still not present that have been Day 1 features of these other tools, and a quick check of the Loop Roadmap leads me to believe that most features will be security/governance focused. That's disappointing if true, because right now Loop is clearly inspired by those tools, but incredibly far behind in a way that makes it hard to justify their continued use. For example: Cannot embed documents inside Loop-- in Notion you can just drag and drop a PDF to upload, and the /embed command lets you put an interactive document inside the page Cannot select multiple pages to re-arrange structure No Copilot to perform page cleanup-- Notion lets you use AI to fix formatting, and it works very well. No command palette-- this is a must for operating in a knowledge management system No Mac app No mind map a la Obsidian I could continue to produce these examples, but I am hoping to find out that once some core governance features are completed, Microsoft will be focusing some development efforts on improving this platform-- we hope it is not abandonware a few years into it's launch.
Excel font rendering blurry when zoomed out (Windows 11, Microsoft 365)
Hello Community, I’m experiencing an issue with Excel (Microsoft 365) on my new Windows 11 ASUS touchscreen laptop. The text in Excel becomes noticeably blurry when zooming out, but looks fine when zoomed in. This problem does not occur in other applications (like browsers) and did not happen on my older Windows 10 laptop running the same version of Excel. What I’ve tried so far (with Microsoft Support): • Tested in Safe Mode → still blurry • Checked ClearType text and confirmed scaling at 100% • Verified “Optimize for best appearance” is already set • Installed Office updates and restarted device • Disabled all add-ins • Disabled hardware acceleration in Excel • Updated graphics drivers and adjusted GPU scheduling • Removed second monitor → no change • Compared display settings and Excel files between devices • Checked Excel Options for missing settings (e.g., Hardware Graphics Acceleration toggle not visible) • Remote session with support agent confirmed the issue persists Observations: • Only affects Excel (not other apps) • Text looks fine when zoomed in, but blurry when zoomed out • Blurriness persists even after updates, safe mode, and driver changes • Same Excel version works fine on Windows 10 • Touchscreen and scaling differences were considered but ruled out Has anyone else experienced this issue with Excel on Windows 11 (especially on ASUS touchscreen devices)? Is this a known rendering limitation, or are there any reliable workarounds/fixes to improve text clarity when zooming out? Thanks in advance for any insights! See the attached below for your reference: with blurry: without blurry issue:
Python in Excel - not in toolbar
I have MS Excel (Current Channel) via an M365 - Business Premium license I have Python in Excel; I know this because if I type '=py' in a cell and hit tab I get a python cell with the green [py] box. However, I do not get the Python group in the Formula toolbar... why?? This grouping is supposed to have the 'Insert Python', 'Initialization', and 'Reset' controls in a grouping named Python. Subsequently, I have had to create a custom grouping with the relevant python controls added manually... What is the cause of the python controls missing from the Formula toolbar?
Account blocked
My account has been blocked and when I try to reset my password and do the verification with my phone number, it says it isnt available. I then put in a different email to send the code too and I have filled out the recovery form but it has rejected me, even though, I put all the correct information in. I have tried over and over. Everything comes in to that email so I really need access back for work purposes as well as private. Please can someone help me as I cant speak to a customer support agent!Understanding the Different Types of Cloud Services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses and individuals access and manage technology resources. Instead of owning and maintaining physical servers or software, cloud services allow users to rent computing power, storage, and applications over the internet. However, not all cloud services are the same. The cloud ecosystem is broadly divided into three main categories: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Understanding these models helps organizations choose the right cloud strategy based on their needs, scalability goals, and technical expertise. https://dellenny.com/understanding-the-different-types-of-cloud-services-iaas-paas-saas/Public vs Private vs Hybrid Cloud Models Explained
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses store, manage, and process data. But as organizations shift from traditional IT infrastructures to the cloud, one crucial question arises: which cloud deployment model is right for you? To answer that, let’s break down the three main types of cloud models — public, private, and hybrid — and explore their benefits, drawbacks, and ideal use cases. https://dellenny.com/public-vs-private-vs-hybrid-cloud-models-explained/Why Businesses Are Moving to the Cloud Top 5 Benefits Driving Digital Transformation
In the past decade, cloud computing has shifted from being a trendy tech term to an essential business strategy. From startups to global enterprises, organizations across industries are migrating to the cloud to enhance agility, reduce costs, and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world. But what exactly makes the cloud so transformative? Let’s explore the top five benefits driving this massive shift. https://dellenny.com/why-businesses-are-moving-to-the-cloud-top-5-benefits-driving-digital-transformation/What Is the Cloud? A Beginner’s Guide for Microsoft 365 Learners
If you’ve ever saved a document in OneDrive, joined a Teams meeting, or collaborated on a Word file in real time, you’ve already experienced the cloud. But what exactly is “the cloud,” and why does it matter for Microsoft 365 users? Let’s break it down in simple terms. https://dellenny.com/what-is-the-cloud-a-beginners-guide-for-microsoft-365/Exploring Microsoft Designer The Creative Tool for Everyone
In today’s digital-first world, creativity is no longer reserved for professional designers or those with extensive technical skills. Whether you’re a marketer, a small business owner, a student, or someone looking to create stunning visuals, having access to user-friendly tools can make a world of difference. Enter Microsoft Designer, a powerful AI-driven graphic design tool that makes creating professional-quality designs simple and accessible. https://dellenny.com/exploring-microsoft-designer-the-creative-tool-for-everyone/How to Sync Song Lyrics in Microsoft Word with Music in Clipchamp
Adding synced lyrics to a video enhances the viewing experience, making it easier for audiences to follow along. If you’re using Microsoft Word to format your lyrics and Clipchamp to edit your video, syncing them properly can elevate your content. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure your lyrics align perfectly with your music in Clipchamp. https://dellenny.com/how-to-sync-song-lyrics-in-microsoft-word-with-music-in-clipchamp/
Math Assistant in OneNote M365 no longer calculates results
I’m a mathematics professor in higher education, and I’ve relied heavily on OneNote for Windows 10 — especially its Math Assistant feature — to support my teaching. While we teach at the university level, the mathematics involved is foundational: from basic first-degree equations to partial derivatives of multivariable functions, limits, definite and indefinite integrals, 2D graphing, and inequality plots. This isn’t advanced research mathematics — it’s core material for management and accounting students. In the previous version of OneNote, I could write an equation, click “Math,” and immediately get the final result. That was extremely helpful for classroom demonstrations and student self-checking. In the current version (OneNote M365), the “Math” button still appears, and it does solve simple equations — but it fails to graph more complex functions and is significantly slower than the previous version. Is Microsoft working to restore the ability to calculate final results and draw 2D graphs reliably, as the previous version did? This feature is essential for teaching and productivity. I appreciate any clarification. Best regards, José Maria E. G. Salazar Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração de Lisboa (ISCAL)Using the Secret Management PowerShell Module with Azure Key Vault and Azure Automation
If you can't use managed identities, credential resources are a way to manage username and password credentials for Azure Automation runbooks. The Secret Management module is an alternative, and it’s a good option to manage credentials that are shared between interactive scripts and automation runbooks. This article describes how to use the Secret Management PowerShell module to fetch credentials stored in Azure Key Vault for use in an automation runbook. https://office365itpros.com/2025/10/16/secret-management-azure-automation/The My Sign-Ins Portal, Applications, and Conditional Access
A recent change has exposed the applications used by the My Sign-ins portal for use in conditional access policies. This article discusses the app-centric nature of Microsoft 365 and Entra ID and why it’s important that the newly-revealed set of applications are available for conditional access processing, just in case the Entra ID agents planned by Microsoft can’t optimize your policies. https://office365itpros.com/2025/10/15/my-sign-ins-portal/Outlook for Mac - Upload and Share is not working as access "Recipients of this message" is missing
New Outlook for Mac has since some versions back gotten the feature where the user can upload a file and share it to the recipients of the e-mail. The file will be per default be uploaded to DOWNLOAD folder in OneDrive. Now this is not working on Outlook for Mac as the whole access permission Recipients of this message" is missing. On Windows and Outlook on Web, this is available, but not for New Outlook for Mac. It seems that this feature is not yet fully developed on Outlook for Mac. Any others that see the same and can confirm?Changing the Offline Access Period for Sensitivity Labels
One of the settings for sensitivity labels governs how long items protected by a label remain accessible (including offline access) before reauthentication. The default is 30 days, which is a good balance between security and avoiding users having to constantly reauthenticate to open protected messages and files. If necessary, tenant administrators can change the validity period to be anything from 0 to 65535 days. https://office365itpros.com/2025/10/14/offline-access-validity-period/
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