12 Microsoft 365 Tips for PowerPoint, Teams & Excel

Microsoft has three core applications, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams, which you’ll most likely use every single day. We know our team definitely does!

Microsoft 365 is packed with lots of small features that can make day-to-day work quicker, clearer and more importantly, less frustrating. These Microsoft 365 tips are designed to help you save time, tidy up your work and make collaboration easier, without needing to learn a whole new app.

 

PowerPoint

1. Rehearse with Coach

If you have built your slides and written your speaker notes, the next challenge is practising your delivery.

Rehearse with Coach gives you private feedback on things such as pace, filler words and whether you are reading too much from the slide, making it ideal before team updates, webinars or client presentations.

1. In PowerPoint, open your presentation.
2. Go to the Slide Show
3. Select Rehearse with Coach and start practising.

Watch how the coach responds in real time, giving you useful praise and those all-important areas to improve before it really matters.

 

2. Start a screen recording in PowerPoint

Need to show a process, demo a system or explain something more visual? PowerPoint lets you record your screen from inside the presentation, then drops the video straight onto the slide. It is great for step-by-step demos when switching screens live would feel clunky.

1. In PowerPoint, open the slide where you want the recording to appear.
2. Go to Insert.
3. Select Screen Recording and choose the area you want to record.
4. Choose the area of the screen to record, decide whether to include your pointer and click

Record it once, place it neatly on the slide, and let the video do the explaining while you focus on the conversation.

 

 

3. Save a chart as a template

Consistent charts make your slides look more polished and easier to understand.

If you have built a chart with the right colours, labels and formatting, save it as a template so you can reuse the same style again without rebuilding it from scratch.

1. Create and format your chart in PowerPoint.
2. Right-click the chart.
3. Select Save as Template.

Next time you need to present data, your chart can look on-brand and presentation-ready in a few clicks.

 

4. Distribute objects evenly

If you have ever nudged icons, images or text boxes around a slide trying to line them up by eye, this one is for you.

The distribute option spaces selected objects evenly, helping your slides look cleaner and more intentional.

1. Select the objects you want to line up.
2. Go to Arrange.
3. Choose Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.

No more squinting at the screen – let PowerPoint handle the spacing while you enjoy the beautifully tidy slide.

 

Teams

5. Live captions in Teams meetings

Live captions can make meetings easier to follow, especially if audio drops, someone speaks quickly or you are joining from a busy space. They show what is being said in real time, helping you catch key points and stay engaged.

1. In a Teams meeting, select More.
2. Go to Language and speech.
3. Select Show live captions.

If transcription is already on, you can also switch to live captions from there.

Turn them on when you need an extra support layer and let the captions help you keep track without interrupting the flow of the meeting.

 

 

6. Use the Teams Meeting Timer

The next Microsoft 365 tip is to create a visible timer is brilliant for workshops, breakouts and busy meetings with lots to cover.

It helps everyone see how much time is left, keeps activities moving and makes it easier to bring people back on track.

1. In your Teams meeting, select More.
2. Choose Timer.
3. Pick the time you need and select Start.

Set the timer, share the focus, and give the group a gentle nudge to keep the conversation moving.

 

 

7. Check Teams Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are one of those easy Microsoft 365 tips that save a few seconds again and again.

Teams has a shortcut menu built-in, so you can quickly find the shortcuts that match how you work, from muting yourself to searching chats.

1. Open Microsoft Teams.
2. Press Ctrl + . on your keyboard.
3. Scroll through the shortcuts and pick one or two to try first.

Start with the actions you use most, and those tiny time-savers will soon become second nature.

 

8. Schedule Messages

Scheduling messages is handy when colleagues work different hours, are in another time zone or are returning from annual leave. Instead of sending something that gets buried, you can time your message to land when it is most useful.

1. In a Teams chat, write your message.
2. Right-click the Send
3. Choose the date and time you want the message to send.

Write it while it is fresh in your mind, then let Teams deliver it at the right moment. Bonus tip: To schedule posts in channels, simply click Actions and apps (+), and Schedule message.

 

Excel

9. Highlight Duplicate Values to Cross-reference Lists

When you have two lists and need to spot who or what appears in both, highlighting duplicates can save a lot of manual checking. It is useful for comparing attendance lists, registration forms, task owners or customer records.

1. Select the cells you want to compare.
2. Go to Home, then Conditional Formatting.
3. Select Highlight Cells Rules, then Duplicate Values.

Let Excel do the spotting for you, so the matches jump out before you spend ages scanning rows.

Bonus Tip: To see only the duplicate names, right click the cell selection and select Filter by Selected cell’s colour

 

10. Freeze a Column while you Scroll

Large spreadsheets can quickly become hard to read when the important column disappears off screen. Freezing a column keeps key information, such as names, departments or project titles, visible while you scroll across the rest of the data.

1. Select the column to the right of the column you want to keep visible.
2. Go to View.
3. Select Freeze Panes.

Keep your key labels in sight, and make big spreadsheets much easier to navigate.

 

11. Add Commands to the Quick Access Toolbar

Everyone works differently in Excel, but most of us have a few commands we use constantly. Adding them to the Quick Access Toolbar means your favourite tools are always within reach, whether you are formatting, filtering or reviewing data.

1. Find the command you use regularly and right-click it.
2. Select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

You can also move the toolbar above or below the ribbon, so your go-to commands sit exactly where you expect them.

Set it up once, and your most-used Excel actions are only one click away.

 

12. Use Slicers to Filter Your Data

Slicers make filtering data much more visual. Instead of opening filter menus again and again, you can add clickable buttons that let you explore your data quickly, which is especially useful in tables, dashboards and reports.

1. Click inside your table or PivotTable.
2. Go to Insert.
3. Select Slicer, then choose the fields you want to filter by.

Click a slicer button and watch your data change instantly, making reports easier to explore and easier to explain.

 

Final Reflections on Our Top Microsoft 365 Tips…

The best Microsoft 365 tips are often the small ones that remove a bit of friction from your day. You do not need to try them all at once – pick one that matches something you do regularly, give it a go, and see how much smoother that task feels next time!