We all know that new iterations of spreadsheet programs are the norm. However, the latest version of Microsoft Office 365 Excel program shouldn’t be overlooked. Replete with a myriad of new features making it better than the 2016 Excel design, is the recent version of Microsoft Office 365 Excel.
By simple definition, Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based tool with more applications and advantages than Office 2019. Why? Because with Office 2019, you are limited by what the product comes with until a new version is released. With Office 365 Excel your applications are regularly updated. It’s truly a one and done
purchase for your business.
The Latest Updates for Excel for Microsoft Office 365
To help you get the most out of the latest version of Microsoft Office Excel 365, we want to point out some of its features and updates.
Microsoft Office 365 Excel Shortcuts
Working with columns and rows can get tiring, so having some shortcuts helps. Check out these Microsoft
Office 365 Excel codes:
- CTRL + Enter – Repeats text. Just click on a set of cells where you want information to go, then select what you want repeated on the last cell, then type in the command.
- ALT + F1 – Create charts on the same sheet as your data.
- Shift + F3 – Insets a function.
- Alt+ H+B – Adds a border to a cell
- Ctrl + Shift + $ – Changes the currency format
- Ctrl + Shift + % – Applies the percentage
- Ctrl + Shift + & – Adds the outline borders
The Excel for Microsoft Office 365 Ribbon
While the Ribbon is not new to Excel 365, there have been some updates to its appearance. The new look is flatter and has high-contrasting colors which make it easier to see/read. The only significant addition is Microsoft Office Excel 365 has a Help tab located to the right of the View tab. Also, Microsoft Office 365 Excel lets you change how the Ribbon is positioned. Simply go to Ribbon Display Options and choose from the following:
- Auto-hide Ribbon to completely conceal the ribbon
- Show Tabs (same as Ctrl+F1) to show tabs but hides the commands
- Show Tabs and Commands which displays both commands and tabs.
You can change the color of the Microsoft Office 365 Ribbon from green to black, white or grey using these steps: File >Options > General > Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office >Office theme then select the color of your choice.
Microsoft Office Excel 365 Tell Me Feature
Excel 2016 introduced the Tell Me feature as a way to make it easier to search. Microsoft Excel 365, renamed it Search and it works much the same way. Just click Search in the Ribbon (or Alt+Q) and type in a task to get a pop-up menu of the possible
matches for your command, then make your selection.
This Excel for Microsoft Office 365 feature will help you save a great deal of time – especially since it is now designed to remember previous queries so you can find them even quicker.
Better yet, the Search feature isn’t limited to Excel but can also
work with Microsoft Office 365 business accounts for locating contacts or files on OneDrive or SharePoint or with Bing to locate definitions. The Bing page will also have tabs for Knowledge (provides a definition), Web (Provides search results), Files (will search your organization’s files for the term you searched for) and Pictures (Bing image search for the term).
Data Bars in Microsoft Office 365 Excel
With the Data Bars feature in Excel for Office 365, you can quickly add bars to your tables without having to add a graph. Go to the Ribbon, then Home > Conditional Formatting > Data Bars. You can then opt for a gradient fill or a color fill.
Version History in Excel for Microsoft Office 365
Want to compare an older spreadsheet with a new one? Maybe, you need to copy and paste data from an old file to a current one. Microsoft Office 365 for Excel Version History option, lets you do this with ease. Here’s how:
- Click the file name at the top of the screen in an open file
- On the drop-down menu, choose Version History
- From the pane, “Open version” under any of the older versions listed.
- This will open a “read-only” version. To restore the version and overwrite the current one, click
Restore.
Excel for Office 365 Calculations Functions
There are several new calculations function in Office 365 Excel. Some of these new Excel for Office 365 functions are –
- TEXTJOIN – Combines text strings from ranges of cells without using a delimiter
- IFS – allows you to specify a series of conditions in a single function
- SWITCH – Used for multiple conditions
- MAXIFS and MINIFS – Lets you state one or more minimum/maximum conditions
Forecasting with Microsoft Office 365 Excel
Generate forecast based on historical data with the Microsoft 365 Excel Forecast Sheet. How? Open the worksheet then put your cursor in a data cell. On the Ribbon select Data >Forecast Sheet > Set the options you need >Create. A new worksheet will be shown with both historical and predicted data.
There are many other features in Microsoft Office 365 Excel, but these are a few to get you started. Be sure to check out our site for more information on Excel for Office 365. We have many tutorials on Excel and other Microsoft 365 tools and are always adding new information to make your usage of Microsoft Office 365 even
better.
Additional Resources:
Our Top 5 Tips and Tricks for Microsoft Excel in Office 365
What is Microsoft Office 365? Benefits of Excel on Cloud
8 Simple Ways to Clean Data with Excel
6 New Excel Functions That Simplify Your Formula Editing Experience