Tips & tricks

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.

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.

The two-minute rule for your inbox

Anything that takes less than two minutes, do right when you read it. Longer things go to your task list — and archive the email.

Search Gmail like a pro: from:, has:attachment, older_than:

Search operators find in seconds an email you'd otherwise spend fifteen minutes hunting for by hand.

Filters: keep newsletters out of your inbox for good

An automatic rule moves newsletters under a label and marks them as read. You read them when you want to.

Templates in Gmail: never write the same reply twice

Answering similar questions over and over? Save the reply as a template and drop it in with two clicks.

Snooze an email until you can actually do something about it

The Snooze feature hides an email from your inbox and brings it back at a time you choose. Your inbox stays clean and nothing gets lost.

Schedule your email to send at the right time

An email written Saturday evening can go out Monday at 8 AM. Scheduled sending respects the recipient's time — and your reputation.

Browser profiles: work and personal, kept apart

Two profiles means two sets of bookmarks, logins, history, and extensions. No more signing out and mixing work with personal.

Windows Search: extend the index to your working folders

Win+S

When Windows can't “find” your files, it's probably not indexing the right folders. One search setting fixes it all.

Automatically restoring apps after a restart

Windows can reopen the apps that were running before a restart. An overnight update doesn't have to mean rebuilding your workspace in the morning.

Print to PDF: turn anything into a PDF

Ctrl+P

The virtual printer “Microsoft Print to PDF” makes a PDF out of any app that can print — a webpage, an email, even an invoice from your accounting software.

Clipboard sync across computers

Win+V

Clipboard history (Win+V) can sync through your Microsoft account — copy something on your work PC, paste it on your laptop.

Night light: warmer colors after sunset

Blue light in the evening delays falling asleep. Windows can automatically warm up the screen after sunset.

Snap Layouts: window arrangements from the maximize preview

Win+Z

Hover over the maximize button (or press Win+Z) and pick where the window belongs — halves, thirds, a grid.

Win+H: dictate instead of typing

Win+H

Voice typing in Windows works in your language and starts wherever the cursor is blinking. Dictate a first draft of an email in a third of the time.

Virtual desktops: keep work and communication apart

Win+Ctrl+→

Win+Ctrl+D creates a new desktop, Win+Ctrl+arrows switch between them. Slack on one, focused work on the other.

Win+E: File Explorer instantly

Win+E

A new folder, finding a file, copying — it all starts with File Explorer. Open it with a shortcut, not by hunting for an icon.

Stage Manager: one window on stage, the rest wait in the wings

An alternative to window-switching — the active window sits center stage, the rest lined up at the edge. Helps you keep one thing in focus.

Smart folders: a search that updates itself

Save a search as a smart folder — say, “PDFs from the last week.” The contents keep themselves up to date by the rules you set.

Quick edits to PDFs and images without Photoshop

Preview handles arrows, boxes, text, and blurring sensitive info. For 90% of everyday edits, you don't need anything else.

Focus modes: every activity gets its own rules

Set up a Work mode that lets through only colleagues and family — synced to your iPhone and Apple Watch too.