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Recent articles

Published 
2 min read

A Modern, People-First Inbox in Outlook 2013 

<p>You’ve probably realized that the person at the desk next to you uses Outlook differently than you. Some folks view Outlook as a task system, others use it to collaborate on documents with public folders, and still others use it to manage other peoples’ calendars. But almost every Outlook user reads their email in Outlook. And to do it, they use the message list. Sure, we aren’t getting any points for creativity on that name, but the message list, put simply, is the list of emails you read in Outlook. Like other parts of Outlook, it’s highly customizable, and yours might look different than your manager’s. In Outlook 2013, we overhauled the message list, focusing on the way most people use it.</p>
Published 
5 min read

Working with images gets simpler in the new Word 

How many times have you tried to move an image or a chart in Word and gotten frustrated when it unexpectedly landed somewhere other than where it was dropped?  Working with images is one of the top pain points that we hear about from customers, so in the new Word, we’ve simplified the experience with 3 great new features: The Layout Options button gives you quick access to change how your image interacts with the rest of your document. Live layout lets you see your document’s new layout in real time as you reposition, resize or rotate images Alignment guides help you visually align your images with important areas of the document.
Published 
2 min read

Tasks Integration with Exchange 

If you live in Outlook, or when connecting to your Project Site is impossible, it is good to have your assignments and tasks in Exchange so you can see and edit them via your favorite Exchange client – Outlook, Outlook Web App, or your mobile phone, even when you are offline. SharePoint 2013 introduces a
Published 
4 min read

Starting off right: Templates and built-in content in the new Word 

We know you put a lot of effort into making a document look great. At the end of the day, you want a polished document that invites people in. One that is professional looking, with obvious attention to the details, and that you can be proud to share with your friends, family, colleagues, coworkers, or the world. In this release, we wanted to make it easier than ever for you to create those documents. In this post, I’ll talk about how new starting options, templates, and built-in content can make it easier to go from start to finish using the new Word in the Office Customer Preview.
Published 
6 min read

Introducing spreadsheet controls in the new Office 

<p>We have 5 brand new Excel, Web Excel and SharePoint features to introduce to you in Office 2013, all designed to help you manage the use of spreadsheets and Access databases. I'll tell you about each of them in more detail, but the names really speak for themselves: · Audit and Control Management Server · Discovery and Risk Assessment · Spreadsheet Inquire · Spreadsheet Compare · Database Compare</p>
Published 
5 min read

API in the new Visio 

<p>Our previous posts have discussed some of the great end user features we’ve added to the new Visio. For developers, the new Visio supports programmatic access for many of its new features. The new Visio API contains methods that let developers change shapes and pictures, add comments, duplicate pages, and apply themes. In this blog post, we will introduce some of the new API by providing brief descriptions about the methods, properties, and objects. We will also see some of them in action using examples.</p>
Published 
3 min read

Present a Word document online 

<p>You want to meet real time to write or refine a Word document but often times the people you need to meet with cannot be at the same place at the same time. With the growing usage of messaging and audio/video conferencing software, people are collaborating from multiple locations. Whether you’re a student who needs to finish a class project with your peers, a small business owner who wants to share a contract with clients, or a family member writing a holiday letter with someone in another location, we know it’s important for any Word user to be able to easily share and work together on their documents. We set out to create a simple, rich sharing experience that gives the presenter confidence their attendees are able to follow along, wherever they are in the document. By adding an interactive communication channel, such as IM or voice/video applications, you can create a complete real time collaboration experience. The Office Presentation Service is free for all Office 2013 customers to use; all you need is a Microsoft account and Microsoft Office 2013.</p>
Published 
5 min read

VSDX: the new Visio file format 

<p>Visio 2003, 2007 and 2010 all had the same primary Visio Drawing (VSD) file format. For most users, this was great: files could be shared easily between these three versions of Visio. There were, however, some drawbacks. Most notably, the primary format was binary, which limited both the information stored in the file and how easily IT professionals and developers could work with it. For the new Visio, we introduced an XML-based file format to provide new capabilities in Visio and improve interoperability with other applications. Other benefits of the new file format include a single unified format for end users and developers, smaller file sizes and reduced security concerns. This post provides an overview of our new file format.</p>
Published 
6 min read

Changing your style in the new Word 

<p>There are lots of reasons to spend time styling your document – you may be trying to follow a publishing requirement, to make your document stand out, or just make it easier to read. In Word 2013, we’ve made it easier than ever for you to quickly change the look of your entire document until you have it just right.  While the styles gallery has been available on the Word home tab since Word 2007, some people just assume styles are meant for people who want big blue text.  As it turns out, that’s not true. I’m here to tell you that Styles are handy, and if you use them to format your text as your write your document, you’ll be able to take full advantage of the improvements in Word 2013.</p>