Microsoft Office 2013 Tips

Are new 2013 features driving you Crazy?

By Linda Pearson, President of Summit Training

I’ve been working with Windows 8 and Office 2013 for the last couple of months. First let me say, that the more I work with it the more things I discover that I like. For example, when you open a long document in Word, you are given the option “to pick up where you left off.” I find this really handy. However, both Windows 8 and Office 2013 have been causing me some grief. So, I will try to provide some tips that have helped me. I hope they will make “Office” life a little easier for you, too.

Since Outlook is probably one of the most used applications, I will start there. Please let me know if any of these hints help you or if you have a particular problem you’d like to have solved. Email me at LPearson@summit-train.com.

Outlook 2013

Issue 1 – Replying to a Message

• MY ISSUE: When replying to a message, Outlook 2013 now opens it in the Preview pane. The word “[Draft]” appears in red in front of the message you are replying to in the message list.
• MY PROBLEM. I am frequently interrupted while replying to a message and during that interruption that message gets pushed out of view by incoming messages. Sometimes hours pass before I discover the uncompleted message.
• THE FIX: Click on the Pop Out option at the top of the message you are replying to place the message it in its own Window making it easier to detect uncompleted replies.

Issue 2 – The Task List and Calendar

• MY ISSUE: The Task List and the Calendar are no longer displayed at the right edge of the Mail pane.
• MY PROBLEM: Not having a calendar open when in the Mail pane.
• THE FIX: Click on the View tab and then, within the Layout group click on the To Do Bar button to display a menu. From the menu, select Calendar and then Tasks. This will open a pane at the left of the Mail Window with the Calendar at the top and the Task list at the bottom.

Issue 3 – How Contacts are Displayed

• MY ISSUE: The way contacts are displayed in the People Pane.
• MY PROBLEM: Although I understand the Contact List is now the People Pane which allow us to include social media contacts in our list, I frequently prefer to view the list in the Business Card format.
• THE FIX: With My Contacts displayed, click on the Home tab and within the Current View group, click on the Business Card button. To return to the People view, within the Current View group, click on the People button.