10 features of Microsoft Office 2016 that you will love

For the casual user, the Office 2016 applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher – will not look very different from their predecessors. But make no mistake; The re-launch of Microsoft’s flagship software suite is an important update, offering a host of collaborative features that integrate more closely with SharePoint and OneDrive than before.

Co-authorship in real time

Enlarge The ability to work on the same document simultaneously with your colleagues arrives at the desktop version of the Office 2016 series. You and your colleagues can write and edit Word documents and PowerPoint presentations that are saved in SharePoint or OneDrive without overwriting the changes of others. The writing in real time, a feature that lets you see what others write, for now, is only available in Word. PowerPoint has the co-authoring tool, but not the writing in real time.

Sharing documents is now easier Enlarge

Now you can share your documents in Office 20016 thanks to the ‘Share’ button in the options menu. This tool is available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The button allows to share the access to the document with other people and it serves to make a management of the permissions as well as to see who is editing the work. As with co-authorship, documents must be saved in SharePoint or OneDrive.

Sending large files using OneDrive

Enlarge While the ability to send files larger to others through a private URL is not new, the fact that this option is integrated into Office 365 is relevant from the point of view of productivity. The attachments that are added to emails in Outlook are automatically converted into links where the recipients of the message can download the information – assuming they have an account in OneDrive or SharePoint. You can also review the settings to give editing permissions or simply attach the file as a copy.

History of old versions of documents

Enlarge Did you make an error while editing a document, or accidentally deleted content and you barely notice? For files saved in SharePoint and OneDrive Business (this does not work for OneDrive at the moment), Office 2016 allows you to access past versions of Office files directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Just go to File> History to see a list of all previous versions. Click on the one you want and load it in a separate window. The function is also useful for reviewing the first drafts of documents when editing a file or using the co-authorship function.

Smart search

Enlarge Smart Search is a new feature that allows you to highlight a word and, by selecting the option in the right-click menu, access related information without having to leave Office. It can be used to look up the meaning of a new word or to gain a bit of context with an unknown term. The results are shown by Bing and loaded into a side panel within your work window.

Backup for Office Groups 365 in Outlook

Enlarge The Groups tool in Outlook 2016 was added quietly with the release of Office 2016. Although little mention was made of it, the new feature essentially offers a way to remove traditional distribution lists or email chains within teams of work – both in the office or at home. You can create a group for your friends or friends to join. Each group has its own inbox, calendar, repository of shared files and integrated OneNote notes.

New graphics

Enlarge For those who felt that the selection of graphics in Office is boring, Microsoft has added a lot of new tables to Excel that will help users do a better job when viewing financial or hierarchical data. The new graphics that will work in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are Treemap, Cascade, Pareto, Histogram, Box and Whisker and Sunburst. Click on the links to see how they look and how to use them.

Predictions in Excel

Enlarge Excel ninjas will be able to create a forecast based on the available data. This new option is embedded within the Excel Tables feature, making it easy to generate quick projections with a single click. Microsoft says that the function uses the exponential industry standard algorithm (ETS) to give reliable data.

Skype integration

Enlarge One of the new features that Office 2016 offers its users is that now some desktop applications allow users to jump to a Skype call from Word or Excel. You can access different Skype features, such as instant messaging (IM), voice or video calls, and share the screen without having to leave your current working window.

Better integration between devices

Enlarge Finally, there is no doubt that Office 2016 represents a key step forward in a world of cross-platform support with a closer integration between platforms and applications.

Of course, many of the features highlighted here require a subscription to Office 365 either to use or exploit all the benefits of the ‘suite’ of applications. Anyway, there is no doubt that improvements in productivity and collaboration are as good as any argument to consider the use of Office 365.

If you are interested in getting Office 2019 for your home, study, or work use, be sure to purchase it at SoftwareKeep  as soon as it is released.