Best practices for Outlook.Microsoft Office In Practice

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jan 17,  · 4. Expand Office Tools by clicking the plus sign, click the drop-down arrow of Microsoft Office Picture Manager and select Run from My Computer: 5. Click the Continue button then follow the instructions to complete the installation. The Picture Manager will then show in the start menu: Hope my clarification is clear and helpful:) Best regards. Aug 09,  · Download multi-purpose database examples of Microsoft access templates here. Get free MS Access templates for small business company and inventory database, Here are some similarity and differences between Microsoft Office Access and Microsoft Office Excel: 1. Both Excel and Access can be used to process data automatically, but Access is. Add alt text to visuals in Microsoft Add alt text to visuals in Office Add alt text to visuals in Office Make sure slide contents can be read in the order that you intend. Use the Accessibility Checker to find slides that have possible problems with reading order.
 
 

 

Free Office Tutorials at GCFGlobal

 
With full versions installed on your PC or Mac, there’s no need for an internet connection to access documents. Microsoft Office In Practice Access Complete by Annette Easton; Randy Nordell. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Paperback. Good. Access for Microsoft Access Access Access Access Access More Less. A stopwatch symbol.

 
 

Microsoft office 2016 in practice access complete free. Microsoft 365 Training

 
 

Write great email messages. Calendar and meetings. Frequently asked questions. About the author. Outlook is a tool to help you manage your email messages, calendar, contacts, and tasks. To get the most out of Outlook, we suggest a few basic principles:. Reduce the number of places where you read messages. If you’re using a new version of Microsoft , you can use Focused Inbox for Outlook to automatically separate the types of messages you’re most likely to read right away from other messages.

Let some messages pass by. Use rules to send the messages that you don’t need to read right away into their own folders. Such as folders for projects or Contact Group folders. Reduce the number of places where you manually file messages. Reduce the mental tax of filing by relying on search to locate messages.

Reduce your to-do list to one list. Use a single to-do list and a single calendar to manage what you need to do. Even if you don’t use all of the best practices described here, following only a few will improve your experience with Outlook.

The first step in following these best practices is to set up a system to optimize how you use Outlook. The Navigation Pane open on the left.

Your messages in Conversations view , with messages sent directly to you automatically formatted in blue. The Reading Pane on the right. The To-Do Bar open on the far right.

If your screen resolution is less than by pixels, the To-Do Bar can be minimized. Cached Exchange Mode turned on. For details on how to set up the recommended layout, see the FAQ section. An Inbox for messages that you need to process deal with. Your Inbox is for messages sent directly to you or that could be important for you to read. If you receive many messages that go back and forth among several different people, change to Conversations view.

Otherwise, use the date arrangement the default arrangement. Use automatic formatting rules to make all messages sent only to you blue. A single reference folder, under the Inbox, for all reference material that you might want to refer back to later. Nothing is automatically filed that is, with a rule into this folder. Name this folder 1-Reference. Adding the 1- will cause it to be the first item under the Inbox. This folder is created under the Inbox so that you can collapse the Inbox and remove it from view.

Set this folder to auto archive annually. Note: If this folder becomes too large 10, items or more , Outlook might become slow when switching to this folder. A folder for career-related, private, and personal messages. Having a separate folder for personal and career-related information gives you the freedom to search for a message while someone is standing over your shoulder without worrying that a personally sensitive message will appear.

Name this folder 2-Personal. Managers might have a single folder for feedback on their employees called 3-Management. Set these folders to auto archive annually. A set of folders for Contact Group messages. Create a single, top-level folder under your Inbox called Contact Groups , and then create a subfolder for each topic of Contact Groups. Usually, one folder per Contact Group is enough, but if you are on several related Contact Groups, consider having all of the messages delivered to the same folder.

These messages should go directly to your Inbox. Set your Contact Group folders to auto archive every six months or more frequently if they are time sensitive — for example, a Contact Group for finding carpool rides should be archived daily. A set of folders for RSS Feeds.

Outlook creates these folders automatically. Search folders are useful for gathering information from across different mail and RSS folders. Search folders can be especially useful when you need to gather information that is saved in different folders — for example, when preparing for a quarterly meeting. If you receive a large volume of messages more than messages a day , search folders might be a good way for you to parse mail from different senders.

Favorites give visibility to folders that are otherwise buried in your mail folder list. Favorites , a subset of your mail folders, appear at the top of the navigation pane. The goal of organizing your Outlook is to reduce the amount of unnecessary “noise” in your Inbox and to make the most important items bubble to the top.

Rules help this process by moving messages into folders based on criteria that you set. Rules filter the messages coming into your Inbox for must-read items only. You can see who has accepted by checking the tracking tab inside the meeting window.

Defer Sent Items This rule delays sending messages by one minute or longer. When using this rule, make sure that your messages have been sent before you shut down your computer. Multiple Contact Groups that are similar should use the same rule and be filed in the same folder.

Any messages that you must read should go directly into your Inbox. The To-Do Bar is the panel on the right side of Outlook. It shows you a calendar, your upcoming appointments, and your unified task list, which contains:. Show favorite contacts. The default arrangement for tasks is by Due Date, but you might consider changing the arrangement to Start Date, depending upon how you use flags. If you want to see the tasks that you have pushed out for next week on Monday, arrange by Start Date.

If you want to see tasks on the day that they are due, arrange by Due Date. If you receive a lot of messages or are easily distracted by the notification sound that plays for incoming messages, we recommend turning off the following options:. The new mail pop-up alerts. To change these settings, select the File button, select Options , and then select Mail. Categories in Outlook allow you to manage items in many different ways.

There are three main types of categories that we recommend creating:. For example, they can help you more easily identify what you can do now and help you group similar tasks so that you can do them all at once. Each of your direct reports and your manager for items that you want to review the next time you meet for example, a category named Manager. Each of the major locations or types of activities that you do, so that you can perform bulk actions a useful part of managing your tasks , for example:.

Commute for tasks that you can do on the way home from work. Email for tasks that involve email messages, meetings, or any other aspect of Outlook. Meeting for items that you need in order to prepare for a meeting. Offline for tasks that take you away from the computer, such as making a copy of a document.

Online for tasks that you can accomplish only online or through a Web browser. Read for tasks that involve just reading — not responding. Waiting for messages or tasks for which you are awaiting a response, but there is no explicit next action for you.

Note: Using the symbol makes the categories stand out in your category list. Marking before certain categories helps to keep these categories at the top of your category list and reminds you of where you should be when you are performing this task for example, Phone is “at the phone”. Each important topic or project so that you can easily find messages on a given topic — especially if there is no word in the body or subject of the message that would make it appear in a search.

You can apply multiple categories to a single item — as opposed to filing, where items can live in only one folder at a time. For example, an important message that you want to discuss with your manager before you respond might be categorized with both the Email category and the Manager category. As you will see, categories help messages and tasks stand out in your To-Do Bar, make searching more efficient, and help you get ready for meetings.

Note: Be very careful about categorizing your outgoing messages — your recipients might be able to see your categories. Quick Steps give you the ability to perform multiple actions in one click. They are a useful tool to help you keep a clean inbox and to generally be more efficient at using Outlook. Any time you find yourself repeatedly doing the same steps in Outlook, try creating a Quick Step.

For more information, see Automate common or repetitive tasks with Quick Steps :. In addition to Quick Steps listed above, depending upon your job and your general day to day activities, you might want to create the following types of Quick Steps:.

You categorize many of your messages before you file them to help you find them later. Create one per category you use often. You are flagging things for different dates, such as Tomorrow, This Week, etc.

Create one per flag you use often. You use a few categories to help you understand what context your tasks are. Example: Read: Flags for tomorrow, categorizes with Read category. You receive some messages from Contact Groups in your Inbox due to rules, inadvertently. Example: You have a rule to file all messages from Contact Group foo into a folder, unless it has the word bar anywhere in the body.

After you start creating Quick Steps, you will find that there might be other ways that you can optimize the number of clicks required to get something done. Whenever you find yourself doing the same thing repeatedly, try creating a Quick Step. And as projects change, update your Quick Steps so that they are only the things you really do. Once you set up your system, you are ready to begin managing incoming messages.

By making your Inbox the central place for receiving important messages, you can go through it with the confidence that each item is something you need to deal with.

If you need to do it, but it takes longer than two minutes including reading , defer hold off on it. If you need it as reference even if you have decided to defer it , move it into your reference folder. The goal is to reduce the number of times you touch each message. If you never want to receive another message as part of this conversation, ignore it. For example, many messages can be responded to in two minutes or less.

But if a message takes longer than two minutes to deal with, defer it. To get a sense of what two minutes feels like, try timing yourself. File it in one of your reference folders for example, 1-Reference using a Quick Step. To keep a record of the things that you have done, especially for the purposes of reflection around the time of annual reviews or for preparing reports, use the Done Quick Step, which also marks messages as completed.

Sometimes you receive a message that is really meant for someone else to deal with. In these cases, reply and include the person you’re delegating the message to on the To line. If you find you’re doing this often, consider creating a Quick Step that replies and adds the delegated person to the To line.

If you want to follow up later, flag it for yourself before sending. In your To-Do Bar, mark the task with the Waiting category. If you will need to refer to the message more than once and you want easy access to it, drag it to the Later group in the To-Do Bar. If you find that you are repeatedly applying the same categories and flags, create a new Quick Step that flags, categorizes, and files.

Once an item has been flagged, it will appear in the To-Do Bar. By flagging it and filing it into your reference folder, you have processed it, and now you can move it out of your view. Change the name of the task by selecting it in the To-Do Bar or right clicking on it and selecting Rename Task. You can also add a category to help you see at a glance where your next action is. A quick glance at your To-Do Bar with categorized tasks lets you know what is immediately actionable Office , which tasks you are waiting on other people for Waiting , and what you will be meeting about Meeting.

After you process your messages, you can tackle your task list. This is when you respond to those messages that you have deferred. A good example is a message with instructions.

File these messages in your reference folder 1-Reference by selecting your Reference Quick Step. Adding a category will make the message easier to find later if you need it for example, Project. Do this before filing with your Quick Step.

After you finish processing your messages, you should have a clean Inbox and can switch your focus to your calendar and tasks. This includes:. As you review your calendar and your task list, be realistic about what you can accomplish. Sometimes that means saying no. Here are some ways to gain back time by saying no:. Send messages to let people know that you are working on a response and make sure to flag it for yourself on send.

The reality is that if you have a day filled with meetings, you have less time to complete tasks and write messages, so move tasks to other days. The Skype team has worked hard and we have added the possibility to Custom your reactions , with 8. Learn how to add your favourite emojis and customise your reactions. To elevate your experience we’ve added the ability to replace your background. This way you can keep doing what you love but with that extra bit of privacy you might need.

We are proud to bring you Meet Now experience on Skype! Set up your call and invite both Skype and external users in as little as 2 clicks. A few months back, we announced the launch of split window for Windows 10, which lets you put your contact list in one window, and each conversation you open in separate windows. You can now call and have up to 50 people in a call, all at once.

Enjoy our latest features on the new Skype for Web using the most current versions of Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. Take the stress out of turning on your video and put the focus where it belongs – on you! Background blur in Skype uses artificial intelligence AI ….

With call recording you can capture special moments in a Skype call with your loved ones or record important meetings with colleagues. Limited emergency calling Skype is not a replacement for your telephone and has limited emergency calling capabilities depending on your country.

Learn more. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, avoid using link texts such as “Click here,” “See this page,” Go here,” or “Learn more. You can also add ScreenTips that appear when your cursor hovers over text or images that include a hyperlink. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page: Create more with Microsoft templates. For the step-by-step instructions on how to create hyperlinks and ScreenTips, go to Add a hyperlink to a slide.

An accessible font doesn’t exclude or slow down the reading speed of anyone reading a slide, including people with low vision or reading disability or people who are blind. The right font improves the legibility and readability of the text in the presentation. For the step-by-step instructions on how to change fonts in PowerPoint go to Change the fonts in a presentation or Change the default font in PowerPoint. To reduce the reading load, select familiar sans serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri.

Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics or underlines. A person with a vision disability might miss out on the meaning conveyed by particular colors.

For headings, consider adding bold or using a larger font. The text in your presentation should be readable in a high contrast mode. For example, use bright colors or high-contrast color schemes on opposite ends of the color spectrum.

White and black schemes make it easier for people who are colorblind to distinguish text and shapes. Use the pre-designed Office Themes to make sure that your slide design is accessible. For instructions, go to Use an accessible presentation template or Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order, colors, and more.

Use the Accessibility Checker to analyze the presentation and find insufficient color contrast. It finds insufficient color contrast in text with or without highlights or hyperlinks in shapes, tables, or SmartArt with solid opaque colors. It does not find insufficient color contrast in other cases such as text in a transparent text box or placeholder on top of the slide background, or color contrast issues in non-textual content.

PowerPoint supports the playback of video with multiple audio tracks. It also supports closed captions and subtitles that are embedded in video files.

Currently, only PowerPoint for Windows supports insertion and playback of closed captions or subtitles that are stored in files separate from the video. For all other editions of PowerPoint such as PowerPoint for macOS or the mobile editions , closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into the video before they are inserted into PowerPoint.

Supported video formats for captions and subtitles vary depending on the operating system that you’re using. Each operating system has settings to adjust how the closed captions or subtitles are displayed. For more information, see Closed Caption file types supported by PowerPoint.

Closed captions, subtitles, and alternative audio tracks are not preserved when you use the Compress Media or Optimize Media Compatibility features. Also, when turning your presentation into a video , closed captions, subtitles, or alternative audio tracks in the embedded videos are not included in the video that is saved. When you use the Save Media as command on a selected video, closed captions, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks embedded in the video are preserved in the video file that is saved.

Videos include an audio track with video descriptions, if needed, for users who are blind or have low vision. Videos that include dialogue also include closed captions, in-band closed captions, open captions, or subtitles in a supported format for users that are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

For more information, refer to Add closed captions or subtitles to media in PowerPoint. You can save your presentation in a format that can be easily read by a screen reader or be ported to a Braille reader. Before converting a presentation into another format, make sure you run the Accessibility Checker and fix all reported issues. When your presentation is ready and you’ve run the Accessibility Checker to make sure it is inclusive, you can try navigating the slides using a screen reader, for example, Narrator.

Narrator comes with Windows, so there’s no need to install anything. This is one additional way to spot issues in the navigation order, for example. Press the Tab key to navigate the elements within the slide and fix the navigation order if needed. To move the focus away from the slide content, press Esc or F6.

Rules for the Accessibility Checker. Everything you need to know to write effective alt text. Use the Accessibility Reminder to notify authors of accessibility issues. Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities. Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities.

Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities. Closed Caption file types supported by PowerPoint. If you must use an image with text in it, repeat that text in the presentation. In the alternative text, briefly describe the image and mention the existence of the text and its intent.

Add alt text to visuals in Microsoft Add alt text to visuals in Office When someone who can see reads a slide, they usually read things, such as text or a picture, in the order the elements appear on the slide.

In contrast, a screen reader reads the elements of a slide in the order they were added to the slide, which might be very different from the order in which things appear. To make sure everyone reads the contents in the order you intend, it’s important to check the reading order.

PowerPoint contains built-in slide layouts that you can apply to any slide. When you use them with a new slide, these layouts automatically make sure that the reading order works for everyone. Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order. To determine whether hyperlink text makes sense as standalone information and whether it gives readers accurate information about the destination target, visually scan the slides in your presentation.

For example, instead of linking to the text Click here , include the full title of the destination page. You can even use the URL of the page if it’s short and descriptive, for example, www. Add hyperlink text and ScreenTips. Visually scan the slides in your presentation. Use an accessible slide design. Use strong contrast between text and background, so people with low vision can see and use the content. Use dark text on a white or off-white background, or reverse it and use white text on a dark background.

White and black schemes also make it easier for people who are colorblind to distinguish text and shapes. Use unique slide titles. They often see text merge or distort. For people who have dyslexia or have low vision, reduce the reading load.

For example, they might benefit from familiar sans serif fonts, such as Arial or Calibri. Include ample white space between sentences and paragraphs. Format text for accessibility. Video description makes video more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The following procedures describe how to add alt text to visuals in your PowerPoint presentations in Microsoft Add alt text to images.

Add alt text to shapes. Add alt text to SmartArt graphics. Add alt text to charts. Make visuals decorative. For audio and video content, in addition to alt text, include closed captioning for people who are deaf or have limited hearing. To enable right-click on your Mac, make sure that the Secondary click option is selected in System Preferences. PowerPoint does not automatically generate alt texts for images.

If you want to add an image that is an icon, screenshot, or other image that is not a photograph, you need to add the alt texts manually. Tip: To spell check and correct a word you typed, just right-click the word and select from the suggested alternatives.

Tip: You have to right-click somewhere inside the frame that surrounds the entire shape, not inside one of its parts.

Tip: You have to right-click somewhere inside the frame that surrounds the entire SmartArt graphic, not inside one of its parts. Select a SmartArt graphic. Type sentences to describe the SmartArt graphic and its context to someone who cannot see it. Tip: You have to right-click somewhere inside the frame that surrounds the entire chart, not inside one of its parts.

Select Edit Alt Text The Alt Text pane opens on the right side of the slide. If your presentation has visuals that are purely decorative, you can mark them as such without needing to write any alt text. When a screen reader finds such an image, it simply announces they are decorative, so the user knows they are not missing any information. Select a visual. Select the Mark as decorative check box.

The text entry field becomes grayed out. The following procedures describe how to add alt text to visuals in your PowerPoint presentations in Office To make your presentations accessible to wider audiences, add alt texts to the images in your slides. PowerPoint does not automatically generate alt texts. Tip: You can also select Generate a description for me to have Microsoft’s cloud-powered intelligent services create a description for you.

This takes a moment, after which you see the result in the text entry field. Remember to delete any comments PowerPoint added there, for example, “Description generated with high confidence.

Tip: Include the most important information in the first line, and be as concise as possible. Use the following procedure to add alt text to shapes, including shapes within a SmartArt graphic.

The following procedures describe how to make the hyperlinks, text, and tables in your PowerPoint presentations accessible. Select Hyperlink. The text you selected displays in the Text to Display box. This is the hyperlink text. For example, this hyperlink text matches the title on the destination page: Templates and Themes for Office Online. Use one of the included accessible templates to make sure that your slide design, colors, contrast, and fonts are accessible for all audiences.

In the Search all templates text field, type accessible templates and press Return. On the Table Design tab, select the Header Row check box.

See Title a slide for related information. To restore all placeholders for the selected slide, on the Home tab, select Reset. Point the mouse at the border of the Title placeholder box so that the pointer becomes a four-headed move pointer.

Use the Selection Pane to set the order in which the screen readers read the slide contents. When the screen reader reads this slide, it reads the objects in the reverse of the order they are listed in the Selection Pane. In the Selection Pane , to change the reading order, drag and drop items to the new location.

PowerPoint has built-in slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who see and people who use technology such as screen readers.

In the thumbnail pane, locate the place where you want to add the new slide, and then right-click. On the Design tab, expand the themes gallery, and select the slide layout that you want. PowerPoint automatically applies this layout to the new slide.

Closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into the video before it is inserted into PowerPoint. PowerPoint does not support closed captions or subtitles that are stored in a separate file from the video file. Videos include an audio track with video descriptions, if needed, for users that are blind or visually impaired. Videos that include dialogue also include closed captions, in-band closed captions, open captions, or subtitles in a supported format for users that are deaf or hard of hearing.

In the alt text, briefly describe the image and mention the existence of the text and its intent. Add alt text to images, tables, and shapes. The text in your presentations should be readable in High Contrast mode so that everyone, including people with visual disabilities, can see it well. Avoid using all capital letters, and excessive italics or underlines.