If you need to enter the same data into multiple cells in Excel, it’s easy with this simple trick.

1. Select the cells where you need to enter the data.  If the cells are not contiguous, use the CTRL key to select.
2. Type the data you want into the last cell you select.
3. Press CTRL + ENTER.
4. Excel will enter the same data into every selected cell.

Selecting a large range in Excel by dragging the mouse can be difficult.

Try using the SHIFT key when you select a range that extends beyond what is displayed on your screen.  You can do this two ways:

1. Click into the cell in the upper left corner of the range.
2. Click into the Name Box and type the cell in the lower right corner of the range.
   
3. Press SHIFT + Enter.
4. Excel will select the entire range.

As an alternative, you can start by clicking into the upper left corner of the range, then hold down the SHIFT key, while clicking into the cell in the low

er right corner of the range.

The location of the Templates folder varies in different versions of Windows, so here is a quick way to access it even if you don’t know where it is:

1. Click the Start button or open the Run… box:
2. Type:  %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates
3. Your Templates folder will open in Windows Explorer.

The folder contains the normal template used in Word, any custom or downloaded PowerPoint templates, and custom Excel, Outlook, and Publisher templates.

Protected View is a new safety feature in Office 2010 that lets you view a document, but prevents it from running macros that might contain malware.  By default, it opens any document downloaded from the Internet in Protected View.  The same is true for any document attached to an email message, or any document in your browser cache.

You can turn off Protected View for any of these options by clicking File / Options / Trust Center / Trust Center Settings… / Protected View.

Experienced users of Microsoft Office already know about the Format Painter, which lets you “paint” formatting from one block of text to another.

PowerPoint 2010 has added an Animation Painter that basically works the same way:

1. Click the object that has the animation you want to copy.
2. Click the Animation Painter tool:
   
3. Click the object to which you want to apply the animation.

NOTE:  Click the Animation Painter once to paint once, and the Animation Painter will turn itself off.  Double-click the Animation Painter to paint multiple objects, and click the tool again to turn it off when you are finished painting.

To crop a picture to a shape in PowerPoint 2010:

1. Select the picture.
2. Click the Format tab on the Picture Tools ribbon.
3. Select Crop to Shape from the Crop drop-down list.
4. Select the shape you want.

Example:

To view a how-to video on this topic from Microsoft:

Crop a Picture to a Shape in PowerPoint 2010

To create a slide from a bullet in PowerPoint:

1. Go to Outline View and select the bulleted item.
2. Press SHIFT + TAB to promote the bullet to a slide title.
3. PowerPoint will create a new slide with the bulleted item as the title.

To view a how-to video on this topic from Microsoft:

Creating a Slide from a Bullet in PowerPoint

Ctrl + ; – Puts the current date into the active cell; does not update automatically.

Ctrl + Shift + ; – Puts the current time into the active cell; does not update automatically.

Ctrl + A – Selects all the cells in the worksheet.

Ctrl + Page Up – Makes the previous sheet in the workbook the active worksheet.

Ctrl + Page Down – Makes the next sheet in the workbook the active worksheet.

F2 – Lets you edit the cell without double-clicking on it.

F11 – Creates a chart on a separate sheet from the selected data.

To highlight the cells referenced by an Excel formula, click into the cell with the formula, and press Ctrl-[ (Ctrl and the open square bracket key).

Excel highlights all the cells referenced by the formula, and selects the first referenced cell. Press ENTER to move the cell pointer to the next referenced cell.

How many people are visiting your website as you are reading this?  Are they new or returning customers?  Where are they located geographically?  Were they referred from another site?  Did they use a bookmark or favorite?  If they found you through a search engine, what key words did they type?

You can answer these questions with Google Analytics’ new Real-Time feature!

To view Real-time data:

1. Click the Home tab at the top of the Google Analytics screen.
2. Click the Real-Time (Beta) category in the navigation panel on the left.
3. Click Overview.

Google will display the following screen: