Word/PowerPoint are not suitable replacements for Publisher
I’m writing following the guidance that Word and PowerPoint can be used as replacements for Publisher. This feedback is based on completing a real production document, not theoretical use Having just completed a fairly complex, layout-heavy technical document, I thought it only fair to share how that works in practice. In theory, I can see the logic: Word handles documents PowerPoint handles layouts Therefore, between the two, everything should be covered Unfortunately, in reality, this appears to be more of a theoretical exercise than a practical solution. Publisher was clearly designed for: Fixed, page-based layouts Precise positioning of objects Efficient alignment of mixed content (text, images, tables) Producing consistent, professional multi-page documents By comparison: Word is admirably committed to reminding you that it would prefer everything to flow freely, regardless of whether you want it to or not PowerPoint, while better behaved, does seem to assume every page is a standalone slide rather than part of a structured document Both tools can, with enough persistence, be persuaded into doing the job. However, this involves a level of manual intervention, workaround, and general negotiation with the software that feels somewhat at odds with modern productivity software. To put it simply: They are not replacements in any meaningful, real-world sense. The end result can be achieved, but the process is unnecessarily time-consuming, fragile, and prone to unexpected layout changes—particularly when precision actually matters. Replacing a purpose-built publishing tool with two applications that were never designed for that role gives the impression that this use case has been… optimistically simplified. I would strongly encourage Microsoft to either: Provide a genuine page-layout solution within the Office suite, or Enhance existing applications so they can support fixed-layout publishing without constant workarounds At present, the gap left by Publisher is very noticeable for anyone producing structured documents beyond basic text. I appreciate the direction of Microsoft 365 overall, but in this particular area, the experience feels less like an evolution and more like working around a missing tool. Regards AndyCan anyone help me with this SWITCH function
Hello Everyone, This SWITCH function is used to produce a number that then I can use to sort workers and their functions. =SWITCH(TRUE, IF(AND(ISNUMBER(J2)=TRUE,M2="Working")=TRUE,5,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(K2)=TRUE,M2="Working")=TRUE,500,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(J2)=TRUE,M2="Special Project")=TRUE,15,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(K2)=TRUE,M2="Special Project")=TRUE,515,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(J2)=TRUE,M2="Stand By")=TRUE,20,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(K2)=TRUE,M2="Stand By")=TRUE,520,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(J2)=TRUE,M2="Special Project UFN")=TRUE,25,0), IF(AND(ISNUMBER(K2)=TRUE,M2="Special Project UFN")=TRUE,525,0), 50 ) In Column J I have their Start Time, from the Kronos System, and in Column K I have their End Time. In Column M I have Tasks names that would indicate what each Team member is doing. Each component does evaluate correctly but the function always return 50? What am I missing here? Thanks in Advance! GiGi
Excel Macros Spreadsheets Not Loading
I've spent some time with Microsoft Support (almost 3 hours, including uninstalling my MS 365 and reinstalling it), but I'm having an issue with my Excel Macro spreadsheets not loading at all. This is what I get each time. Also having an issue with non-Macro spreadsheets that I'm unable to use the Bold, Italic, and Underline functions (get the spinning wheel and then Excel Not Responding), as well as not able to use the Format function (get the same spinning wheel and then Excel Not Responding). I've been using these same Excel Macro Spreadsheets for over 15 years. Please help!A Personal Note to the Access Community
Today is my last day at Microsoft. After many wonderful years, I have accepted Microsoft's Voluntary Retirement Program (VRP) and am beginning a new chapter. It feels a little surreal to write those words. For much of my career, I've had the privilege of working with products, communities, and people I deeply care about. In recent years, that has included serving as Program Manager for Microsoft Access, one of the most passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated communities in technology. Before I go, there is one message I want to leave you with: Access is alive, well, and continuing to evolve. One of the most common questions I hear is, "Is Access going away?" The answer remains the same as it has always been: No. Access continues to ship with Microsoft 365 and Office, continues to receive engineering investment, continues to receive bug fixes, security updates, accessibility improvements, and yes, new features. In fact, we've released multiple new capabilities recently, including improvements such as enhanced zooming support, larger form and report design capabilities, and new developer-focused functionality, with additional features already in various stages of development and rollout. Over the last few years, I've had the opportunity to work alongside an incredibly talented engineering team that genuinely cares about Access and the customers who depend on it every day. I've seen firsthand the discussions, the prioritization meetings, the customer feedback reviews, the accessibility work, the bug triage sessions, and the long hours spent making sure Access continues to serve businesses, governments, schools, non-profits, and developers around the world. Access remains an important part of Microsoft's productivity ecosystem, and the team remains committed to keeping it relevant, reliable, and useful for years to come. I know many of you closely follow the public roadmap and occasionally worry when it's quiet. What doesn't always make it into public announcements is the steady stream of work happening behind the scenes: security investments, compliance work, accessibility improvements, bug fixes, customer-requested enhancements, and the engineering work required to keep a 30-plus-year-old product healthy in a rapidly changing technology landscape. As for what comes next, I don't yet know who the next Access PM will be or when that transition will occur. What I do know is that Access deserves thoughtful stewardship, active engagement with the community, and a clear understanding of why this product continues to matter. I am hopeful that whoever steps into that role will bring fresh ideas, curiosity, and a commitment to listening to the customers, MVPs, partners, and developers who make this community so special. To our MVPs: thank you for your advocacy, your feedback, and your willingness to tell us what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong. Many of the features we've delivered started as customer requests, conference conversations, forum discussions, and MVP feedback. Your voices matter, and they have made the product better. To the Access developers around the world: thank you for continuing to build solutions that solve real problems. Every time someone says Access is only a relic of the past, I inevitably hear from another organization running a mission-critical application, supporting a small business, managing a research project, tracking inventory, or helping people get work done. The creativity and ingenuity of this community never cease to amaze me. And finally, thank you for letting me be part of your journey. It's been an honor to help tell the story of Access, share new features, write documentation, engage with the community, and occasionally fight to get your favorite feature request prioritized. While I'm retiring from Microsoft, I'll always be rooting for Access and the people who use it. The future of Access belongs to all of you, and I believe that future is bright. Thank you for your support, your passion, and your trust. See you around, Linda Cannon Former Program Manager, Microsoft AccessDoes CSPP Support Microsoft Copilot
We are working on an integration with Microsoft's Cloud Storage Partner Program and already started getting questions on Copilot support. Does CSPP support using copilot in the Microsoft for the web editors? I wasn't able to find anything mentioning it in the documentation for CSPP or CSPP+.
Access begins rollout of Big Forms for Modern Monitors feature
We're excited to announce that support for large-sized forms is now available in Beta for Microsoft Access. This long-requested feature removes the longstanding 22-inch form size limitation and lays the foundation for a more modern, scalable, and accessible form experience. It's one of the most highly requested enhancements from the Access community and a top-voted request on the Access feedback forum. This feature is in Beta now and expected to be in the Current Channel preview by July 21st, 2026. Why we're making this change When Access was originally designed, form dimensions were constrained by underlying technology that effectively limited forms to approximately 22 inches in width or height. As monitor resolutions increased and ultrawide displays became common, that limitation became increasingly restrictive. Developers were forced to design for the lowest common denominator screen size, even when their users had significantly more screen real estate available. The result? Complex business applications often required excessive scrolling, crowded interfaces, or compromises in design. With this Beta release, Access developers can now create forms that take full advantage of today's larger monitors and higher resolutions. What's changing The 22-inch limit is gone. The primary enhancement is simple but powerful: Forms can now exceed the previous 22-inch size limitation. Controls can be placed beyond the historical boundary. Form sections can be designed at much larger dimensions. Developers can create richer and more detailed business applications. For customers building dashboards, operational workspaces, inventory systems, CRM solutions, or other complex applications, this means more content can be displayed simultaneously without forcing users to navigate between multiple forms. Designed for modern workspaces Large monitors have transformed the way people work. Many customers now use: Dual-monitor setups Ultrawide displays High-resolution 4K monitors Vertical monitors for specialized workflows This feature allows Access applications to better leverage those environments. Developers are no longer forced to design around constraints that originated more than 20 years ago. As a result, users can: View more information at once Reduce unnecessary scrolling Create more sophisticated layouts Improve efficiency during data entry and review tasks Accessibility benefits Although the primary audience for this feature is Access developers and users working with larger displays, removing the size limitation also delivers important accessibility benefits. Larger form designs allow more flexibility in presenting information, increasing spacing between controls, displaying larger text, and reducing visual clutter. These improvements can make applications easier to use for customers with low vision and others who benefit from magnified content. We hope you enjoy this improvement and as always, look forward to your comments. (Thank you to MVP Colin Riddington for the thumbnail image.)Access VBA performance dramatically slowed since June Update
We are running an access based application with a large vba project. One customer with four different instances of this project experience extreme slow down in performance on all instances during the last week. We made no changes. The Microsoft Office Update was applied automatically. We believe the problem happened then. We have tried reverting to several different previous versions of Office but symptoms still remain.
