Tips & tricks

Presenter view: notes only you can see

The projector shows slides; on your laptop you see notes, a timer, and a preview of the next slide.

PowerPoint: Shift+F5 starts the show from the current slide

Shift+F5

F5 runs from the beginning, Shift+F5 from wherever you are. Priceless when you're fine-tuning a single slide.

The B key while presenting: black out the screen, get attention

B

Pressing B during a slideshow blacks out the screen — the audience turns to you. W does the same with white.

Ctrl+Shift+V: paste without formatting works everywhere

Ctrl+Shift+V

In Docs, Gmail, and most web apps, it pastes plain text without foreign fonts and colors.

Shift+F3: change letter case without retyping

Shift+F3

Caps Lock stuck on by accident? Select the text and Shift+F3 cycles between lowercase, Title Case, and UPPERCASE.

Text to Columns: Split a CSV Export Apart

Data separated by commas or semicolons crammed into one column? The Text to Columns wizard splits it correctly.

Paste Values Only: Formulas Out, Numbers Stay

Ctrl+Alt+V

Ctrl+Alt+V opens Paste Special — paste results without formulas, formats without content, or transpose a table.

Sum and Average Without a Formula: Just Select

Select the cells and look down at the status bar — the sum, average, and count are always right there.

Switching Sheets: Ctrl+PageUp and PageDown

Ctrl+PageDown

Move between the sheets of a workbook from the keyboard — no clicking the tabs at the bottom.

A PivotTable in Two Minutes

A revenue summary by month and category out of thousands of rows? Insert → PivotTable, then drag three fields.

Alt+= : Auto-Sum Below a Column

Alt+=

Cursor below a column of numbers, Alt+equals — and SUM is done, range and all.

Double-Click the Fill Handle to Copy a Formula All the Way Down

You don't have to drag a formula across a thousand rows — double-clicking the little black square copies it down to the end of the adjacent data.

A Drop-Down List in a Cell: No More Typos

Data validation turns a cell into a menu of allowed values. Task statuses or categories can no longer be typed wrong.

Removing Duplicates in Three Clicks

Data → Remove Duplicates cleans up a list of contacts or line items — and tells you how many it deleted.

Today's Date in One Shortcut: Ctrl+;

Ctrl+;

Ctrl+semicolon inserts today's date as a fixed value — unlike the TODAY() function, it doesn't change.

A New Line Inside a Cell: Alt+Enter

Alt+Enter

Enter jumps to the next cell — Alt+Enter creates a line break inside the same one. No more broken layouts.

Freeze Panes: Keep Headers Visible Even at Row 500

View → Freeze Panes keeps the table header locked at the top no matter how far you scroll.

XLOOKUP: Lookups Without VLOOKUP's Weaknesses

The newer replacement for VLOOKUP searches in either direction, doesn't break when a column gets inserted, and has a built-in “not found” fallback.

Conditional Formatting: Let Colors Do the Talking

Duplicate values, overdue deadlines, or below-average results highlight themselves — you just define the rule.

Flash Fill: Excel Finishes the Pattern for You

Ctrl+E

Type one example into the next column (say, a name pulled from an email address) and Ctrl+E fills in the rest to match. No formulas.

Format as a Table: Filters, Banding, and Formulas for Free

Ctrl+T

Ctrl+T turns a range into a “smart” table — automatic filters, formatting for new rows, and readable formulas.

Set your Teams status with a duration, not just a toggle

“Do not disturb until 12:00” tells coworkers more than a permanent red dot — and it turns itself off.

Paragraphs in Teams: Shift+Enter and the expanded editor

Shift+Enter

Enter sends a Teams message right away. Shift+Enter starts a new line, and the formatting button opens the full editor.

Block off calendar time for focused work

An empty calendar is an invitation to meetings. Block off your mornings for deep work before someone else does it for you.

F4 in Excel: Repeats Your Last Action and Locks a Reference

F4

One key, two superpowers — repeating your last action and toggling dollar signs in a formula.

Excel: Ctrl+Arrow Keys Jump to the Edge of Your Data

Ctrl+↓

Don't scroll through a sheet with thousands of rows. Ctrl+arrow jumps to the end of the block, and with Shift it selects as it goes.

Filter your Teams activity down to just @mentions

The Activity feed can show only messages where someone mentioned you. Everything else is mostly noise.

Teams in meetings: mute and camera from the keyboard

Ctrl+Shift+M

Ctrl+Shift+M toggles your mic, Ctrl+Shift+O toggles your camera. When it's suddenly your turn to talk, you're not hunting for a button.

Teams: Ctrl+E to search, and jump anywhere from there

Ctrl+E

The search bar at the top finds people, messages, and files — and a slash launches commands.

The up arrow fixes your last message

↑

Typo in a message you just sent? Press the up arrow and you're editing right away — no hunting through menus.