20 Microsoft 365 Productivity Tips

April, 26. – 28. 2021
MICROSOFT 365 VIRTUAL MARATHON 2021
m365virtualmarathon.com #M365VM
20 M365 Productivity Tips
That You’ve Probably Never Used (But Should)
Christian Buckley
@buckleyplanet
@AvePoint

▪ Brand Alliance Director @AvePoint
▪ christian.buckley@avepoint.com
▪ www.buckleyplanet.com
▪ @buckleyplanet
▪ Monthly tweetjams via Twitter
and the #CollabTalk hashtag
▪ youtube.com/c/CollabTalk
▪ IN/christianbuckley
Christian Buckley, Office Apps & Services MVP + RD

@buckleyplanet
Capture and share web content in Microsoft Edge
Has Microsoft Edge replaced your other
browsers yet? If not, there are some new
features that make the latest Chromium-
based version a must-have.
One of these latest features is the ability to
easily capture and mark up web content, and
then save or share it.

@buckleyplanet
To get started, select the
ellipsis (…) in the top right
corner of the browser

@buckleyplanet
…and select the Web
Capture option from the
menu.

@buckleyplanet
You can grab the entire
browser window, or choose
Free Select to grab a
specific area on the page.

@buckleyplanet
Once you’ve selected the
area to capture using drag-
and-drop, you can copy and
paste the image anywhere,
or add an annotation using
Add Notes

@buckleyplanet
Adding Notes opens up the
drawing interface, allowing
you to annotate in a variety
of colors and line thickness,
and to edit your work.

@buckleyplanet
Once your annotations are
complete, you can Copy
the image with your mark
up and paste it into another
document or email, Save it
as a file (image), or Share it
with someone.

@buckleyplanet
As with just about every other Microsoft
product, selecting Share opens up a new
dialog box that allows you to determine
who and how you share your screen
capture and annotations.

@buckleyplanet
Custom invitations!
Personalize invitations to include your
company logo, URL and other header and
footer details
It provides a more polished look and feel
to your invites, but also allows you to
promote your site and support contact
details with every invitations sent.
Within the Teams Admin Center, go
into Meetings > Meeting settings >
Email invitation and add the necessary
details.
Click ‘Preview invite’ to see your
meeting invitation and test your image
link. When done, click Save and wait for
the changes to propagate on your tenant.

Transferring a Microsoft Teams meeting to another device
I'm sure everyone's been on a Microsoft
Teams meeting that is running longer than
expected, and they need to leave for an
appointment or errand. Unfortunately,
hanging up on the call may not always be an
option. Now, you have the option to transfer
the meeting to another device, such as your
iPhone. Here's how it works…
You are in a meeting on the Teams client on
your laptop. Then, using the Teams app on
your iPhone, you pull up your calendar and
find the option to join the meeting in
progress.
Click on the blue Join button at the top of
the screen:
This tip courtesy of @duffbert

The Teams app asks if you want to join
the meeting using your iPhone (which
means you'd be in the meeting twice),
or if you want to transfer your
attendance in the meeting over to
your iPhone.
Choosing the Transfer to this device
option means you will join the call on
your iPhone, and will be removed from
the meeting on your laptop:

Before it joins you to the meeting, it
gives you the chance to set video and
microphone options. Once you set
everything the way you want it, click
Transfer now:
On your laptop, the Teams meeting
says you've transferred to a different
device and removes your connection
to the meeting on the laptop. This
provides excellent flexibility to being
able to stay connected, even when
you can't necessarily stay on the
device that you originally signed into
the meeting on.

@buckleyplanet
Restore previous versions in File Explorer
It is often the small, incremental
improvements that can add the
most productivity to your daily
activities.
You can now view and restore
versions of a document directly
within File Explorer – rather than
having to open the application to
view the history.

@buckleyplanet
Restore previous versions in File Explorer
Simply right click on the file name,
and from the menu dialog, select
Version History
The version history dialog opens, allowing
you to scan through your various versions
and open the right version.

Setting Status Duration in Microsoft Teams
One frustration I've had with Microsoft Teams is that it has a tendency to change my status from Busy (or
whatever I have it set to) to Away if I'm not interacting with Teams every five minutes. I would prefer that
Teams either leaves my status as I set it, or at least gave me the ability to set some time frame longer
than five minutes.
And now my wish came true!
Teams now allows you to set a duration
for your status. Here's how it works…
Click the Profile image in the upper-right
corner, and then click on the Status arrow
to see the Duration option:

Setting Status Duration in Microsoft Teams
You can set your duration to remain in place for 30
minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, all of today, all of this week,
or a custom time frame:
I am very happy to see the five-minute status duration
fade into the sunset… over five minutes time…

@buckleyplanet
Adding to OneNote Meeting Notes via Mobile
Within any new meeting, you have
the option to add OneNote
meeting notes to any outgoing
meeting invite.
From the Appointment menu,
simply select Meeting Notes.
Next, select either Share Notes
with the Meeting or Take Notes
on Your Own

@buckleyplanet
Adding to OneNote Meeting Notes via Mobile
From your mobile device, you
can now capture images, audio,
or even video and add directly
to the personal or teams notes,
giving you yet another way to
capture multi-media for your
collaborative efforts.

@buckleyplanet
Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint
While not brand new, Forms is an
underutilized resource that allows you to
quickly and easily publish surveys and snap
polls within your organization – or to
external users and partners.
Creating your surveys is easy, as is changing
the question types, adding or removing
answers, and rearranging the layout before or
after you push it live.
Additionally, as the survey author, you have
access to real-time stats, and can share the
results with your management team or
respondents.
https://forms.microsoft.com

@buckleyplanet
Microsoft Forms is now integrated
with PowerPoint for Office 365,
providing a seamless way for
speakers, trainers, and educators to
connect and interact with
participants.
As shown in a Microsoft Tech
Community blog post, presenters
can get real-time audience feedback
via forms and quizzes without asking
them to leave PowerPoint.
To get started, in PowerPoint under
Insert, click the Forms icon to create
a new form/quiz or insert one you’ve
already created.

@buckleyplanet
To see the responses to your form or quiz,
sign in to your Office 365 account at
https://forms.office.com/
Open the appropriate form from your
My Forms page, and then select the
Responses tab at the top of the page.

@buckleyplanet
Add your Personal Calendar to your Outlook work account
Managing multiple calendars can be tricky. Add
to that complexity the need to balance time
between work and personal calendars.
Outlook on the web has made that process easier.
Now when you add a personal calendar to
Outlook on the web, the times for those events
will be shown as busy (with no details or
information) when someone wants to schedule a
meeting with you using the Scheduling Assistant
in Outlook.
Additionally, this new feature allows you to see
your personal calendar side by side to your work
calendar – in one single view.
Read more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-
365/blog/2020/07/14/get-control-microsoft-365/

@buckleyplanet
To add your personal
calendar within Outlook for
the web, you start by clicking
on the calendar icon.
Then select the option to
Add Calendar

@buckleyplanet
The Add Calendar menu
appears, with the option to
add personal calendars.

@buckleyplanet
In this example, I am going
to add my Gmail calendar.
Selecting that option…
opens a sign in prompt for
Google. Select your
account
and approve the access
privileges.

@buckleyplanet
Once added, you should
receive a security
notification to your personal
email account notifying you
of the change. From the Add
Calendar dialog you can
also verify all connected
accounts.
Back within your calendar
view, you can now see your
newly added and color-
coded personal calendar
(which you can toggle on
and off)

@buckleyplanet
Add shortcuts to shared folders in OneDrive
OneDrive is quickly becoming a primary
navigation point for my desktop, and now – just
like we do on the desktop – you can add quick
shortcuts to local, online, and shared folders to
make accessing your essential content easier!

@buckleyplanet
Add shortcuts to shared folders in OneDrive
OneDrive is quickly becoming a primary
navigation point for my desktop, and now –
just like we do on the desktop – you can add
quick shortcuts to local, online, and shared
folders to make accessing your essential
content easier!
Within the OneDrive client, simply select
(or create) the folder, and click
‘Add shortcut to My Files’
Once added, you can access your list of
important location from wherever you log
into Microsoft Office!
Read more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/07/01/introducing-new-
onedrive-features-to-share-and-collaborate-across-
work-and-life/

@buckleyplanet
Highlight part of an email and add it as a task in Outlook
As part of the greater Tasks strategy across
Microsoft 365, you can now highlight text
in Outlook for the web and convert it to a
task in Outlook – and in Microsoft ToDo.
We have all received emails that contain
next steps or instructions, but unless we
convert that text into actionable tasks,
things may get lost.
You can now generate tasks from these
emails while working in context in Outlook.
Read more at
https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/07/14/get-
control-microsoft-365/

@buckleyplanet
In this example, I have sent myself
an email with a list of reminders
from my mobile device.

@buckleyplanet
By highlighting the text on the page,
two options appear just above my
selected text:
1. Send an email regarding the
highlighted text
2. Create a task from the selected text
To create a task, simply click on the
task icon.

@buckleyplanet
The AI in Outlook for the web
selects anything that appears to
be a task, and automatically adds
them to a list of tasks.
From this view you can forward an
individual item via email, highlight
it (star), or mark it as completed.
Additionally, you can create
additional tasks from this view if
other steps are required to
completed these tasks.

@buckleyplanet
By clicking on the Tasks icon at the
bottom left, you will find the new
ToDo integration within Outlook for
the web, and can open your Tasks list
to see all of these items.
And if you’re a fan of ToDo in the
mobile app, these new tasks are
instantly available within ToDo.

Create screen capture videos in Microsoft Stream
▪ You can now use Microsoft Stream to record screen capture videos up to 15 minutes in length. Think of creating your own
short training videos where you show something on your screen with narration and everything. Here's how that works…
▪ When you're in Microsoft Stream, you can start your screen capture session by selecting Create > Record Screen:

▪ To start your recording, click the Record button:

▪ Before the recording starts, you get to choose exactly what you want to be capturing. This could be everything on your
screen, a specific application, or a specific tab in Edge. Once you pick what you want to focus on, click Share:

▪ Your screen capture then starts to record. You have 15 minutes to record your video. You can pause temporarily if you need
to by clicking the Pause button. Once done with your recording, click Next:

▪ At this point, you can either choose to re-record your video (Record Again), or you can Upload To Stream:

▪ Now you can name the video, add a description, and set other information. Once the item is published, you can go out and
change things such as what channels the video should appear in:

@buckleyplanet
Create Tabs in Teams Chats
We’re all familiar with creating Tabs
in Teams, but did you know that you
can also create a Tab in a Chat? It is
a great way to expand your
collaborations with individuals or
small groups without having to
create the more “permanent” Teams
or Channels.
Tabs in channels can be seen by
everyone in the Team, but Tabs in
chats can only be seen by members
of the chat.
The same is true for bots used
within private or group chats, which
you can read more about at
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-
us/microsoftteams/platform/bots/w
hat-are-bots

@buckleyplanet
Create Tabs in Teams Chats
To get started, go into the target
chat in Teams and select the + from
the top nav to add a tab.
The Add a Tab dialog will open,
allowing you to select from all of
the apps available to your
organization.
In this example, I want to post a
blog post to our chat that we can
reference in our ongoing
conversations.
Once saved, the new tab appears in
our chat, and only members of the
chat can view this information.

@buckleyplanet
Use Alt-Tab & Windows Key to Organize your Desktop
The reality is that multi-tasking (i.e. context-switching) is a productivity-sapping dream of the ADHD and OCD crowd (I am
one of them). Having said that….we all do it. So why not make it easier to organize our already overly complex desktops?
The two tools that I rely on are switching between applications using Alt+Tab, and the screen-splitting bliss of the Windows
Key and arrows. When you add in the Windows Timeline feature, you will become the Master of your screen domain!
First, we’re probably all familiar with the Alt+Tab capability, which allows you to see and move between any and all open
applications on your desktop. This is an essential tool when you have one screen or many screens.

@buckleyplanet
Next up in screen splitting. Let’s say you’re taking notes in OneNote while reviewing several sites in the Edge browser, or
documentation hosted on Teams. Select the first app, in this case OneNote, and while holding down the Windows Key on
your keyboard, hit the right arrow (→)

@buckleyplanet
The primary application will lock into place on the right, and as with the Alt+Tab process, you can then select from the
available open apps.

@buckleyplanet
The second app will lock into place. You can then grab the divider between them, and slide left and right to adjust how much
screen real estate to give each as you work.

@buckleyplanet
Meetings are documents!
By default, all Teams Meetings should be
recorded and transcribed, with appropriate
compliance and security measures to ensure
that these important information assets are
treated as any other intellectual property.
Meetings are essentially documents/artifacts
that include valuable contextual information
that, if they are not recorded and transcribed,
could be lost.
The same can be said about chats.
Your governance team and/or Admins should
establish policies around all Teams Meetings
within the Admin Center, recording and
transcribing them by default – but also setting
appropriate permissions and restrictions about
who can view, download, or delete them.

@buckleyplanet
Send attachments as links in Outlook
Send links, not files!
When working with cloud files
(SharePoint, OneDrive) you can set the
default attachment state to a link rather
than always attaching a copy of a file.
To get started, in your Outlook desktop
app go into Files, and then Options, and
look within the General section for
Attachment Options.
Select Always share them as links and
click Ok.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-
in/help/4011261/how-to-set-attachment-
preference-for-attaching-a-cloud-file-in-outlook

@buckleyplanet
Next, open a new email message
and select Attach File. Navigate to
the relevant cloud-based file and
attach.
The file will attach with the cloud
icon, and by default, will say Anyone
can edit. As your recipients open
this file, they will be viewing and/or
editing the document from within
your cloud environment.

@buckleyplanet
Click on the right arrow on your
file to see additional options, such
as removing the attachment, or
changing the permissions.
For local files that are not in the
cloud, you can attach them to
your email per normal steps, then
select the right arrow on the file to
save it to the cloud (you’ll see all
of your available options),
allowing you to manually change
an attachment to a link.

@buckleyplanet
Transcribe your videos in Word for the web
For those of us who are increasingly capturing
interviews and meetings on the web, you can now
generate transcripts directly in Word for the web.
Transcribe detects different speakers so after you
finish recording, you can easily follow the flow of
the transcript. After your conversation, you can
revisit parts of the recording by playing back the
time-stamped audio and you can even edit the
transcript if you see something amiss.
us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/08/25/microsoft-
365-transcription-voice-commands-word/

@buckleyplanet
Transcribe your videos in Word for the web
For those of us who are increasingly capturing
interviews and meetings on the web, you can now
generate transcripts directly in Word for the web.
Transcribe detects different speakers so after you
finish recording, you can easily follow the flow of the
transcript. After your conversation, you can revisit
parts of the recording by playing back the time-
stamped audio and you can even edit the transcript if
you see something amiss.
Simply open Word online, select Dictate, and upload
your audio or video file to begin processing.
Once transcribed, you can search for specific quotes
and easily add them to your Word document, or add
the entire transcript in one click!
us/microsoft-365/blog/2020/08/25/microsoft-
365-transcription-voice-commands-word/

@buckleyplanet
Triage Message Center!
The pace of new features and changes
within Microsoft 365 can be a challenge
to keep up with, but you can sync your
Message Center updates with
Planner/Tasks in Teams, giving a
broader audience a heads up on
changes to your tenant.
A Message Center sync allows your
team to more readily review and triage
announcements as they appear, more
quickly identifying and mitigating
changes that will impact your
employees.

@buckleyplanet
Triage Message Center!
The Teams Admin needs to enable the
sync, and point the updates to a new or
existing Planner plan. There are a few
basic options for how the updates will
be organized.
You can find more info at
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-
us/office365/planner/track-message-
center-tasks-planner

@buckleyplanet
Improve brainstorming with Whiteboard templates
If you’re looking for ways to improve your team
collaboration, it’s always helpful to start with a
template — whether you’re trying to
brainstorm your next big idea or get everyone
on the same page.
Within the Whiteboard app, there are now
templates (in preview) to help you run more
effective meetings with Kanban sprint
planning, SWOT analysis, project planning,
learning, & more.
Pre-created layouts provide an immediate
structure—with helpful tips for running
activities—and expand to fit all your content.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-
365/blog/2019/09/25/microsoft-365-web-desktop-
productivity-new-features-office/

@buckleyplanet
Getting started in easy. Go to
Office.com and search for the
Whiteboard app for your device or
desktop (Windows 10).
The website will push you to the
relevant store, from which you can
download and install the app.

@buckleyplanet
Getting started in easy. Go
to Office.com and search
for the Whiteboard app for
your device or desktop
(Windows 10).
The website will push you
to the relevant store, from
which you can download
and install the app.

@buckleyplanet
Once installed, select the + option
from the bottom navigation to see
your menu of options.

@buckleyplanet
From here you can add the pre-built
(preview) templates.

@buckleyplanet
In this case, I’ve added a Kanban list
which I’ll use with my team to
organize our planning for an
upcoming event, leveraging my
Surface Pro to quick add and edit,
and drag-and-drop tasks as I
project onto a screen for the entire
team.
This is a great free tool that anyone
with Windows (or iOS) can get
started using quickly and easily.

@buckleyplanet
Are you a serious note taker? If you’re like
me, you may take notes on a yellow tablet
next to your computer, or on paper sticky
notes, within OneNote, using Planner and
ToDo, and whatever other tools are
available within your organization.
For me – it’s all of the above.
Sticky Notes allows you to capture ideas,
notes, and important info across the apps
you already use. Now you can
conveniently view, edit, and create notes
directly in Outlook for the web, making it
easier than ever to keep track of your
notes as you go through email.
us/microsoft-365/blog/2019/11/26/customize-
excel-track-notes-outlook-whats-new-to-
microsoft-365-november
Keep track of Sticky Notes in Outlook on the Web

@buckleyplanet
Without Outlook on the
Web, you’ll find the
Notes on the left Nav
bar, above your Groups.
The New Note button
appears on the top left
of your screen.

@buckleyplanet
What’s great about this
feature is that you can
create them on the fly,
with links and images to
whatever you’re working
on, and keep them all in
one place.

@buckleyplanet
Additionally, you can
leverage the new OneNote
feed to conveniently
combine your notes across
Sticky Notes, recent OneNote
pages, and even some
mobile apps (Samsung
notes) so that you can easily
reference them while you’re
composing an email in
Outlook.com or Outlook on
the web.
You can use the search to
find the note you are looking
for and even copy and paste
a note right into an email.
You can also create a new
Sticky Note right from the
OneNote feed to capture any
ideas or thoughts you have
while working in Outlook

@buckleyplanet
Use MyHub!
MyHub streamlines your navigation within
Teams, allowing you to create “hubs” that act as
favorites, allowing you to quick locate and jump
to the relevant location. It provides a one-stop-
shop for your sites, teams, and communities.
“Save time. Be more productive. Quit searching.
MyHub eliminates chaos and brings order to
your workspaces across Microsoft Teams,
Groups, SharePoint, and Yammer.”
Once approved by your admin, simply search for
and add the app, then pin to your left nav for
easy access. Then create hubs that fit the way
that you work.
More info at
https://www.avepoint.com/products/cloud/myhub
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-
us/product/office/WA200000726

April, 26. – 28. 2021
MICROSOFT 365 VIRTUAL MARATHON 2021
Thank you!

Follow me @buckleyplanet
Connect with me /IN/christianbuckley
Check out my blog www.buckleyplanet.com
Subscribe to youtube/c/collabtalk
Email me christian.buckley@avepoint.com

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