Microsoft Office 2010: Ultimate Tips & Tricks Guide

Introduction
There are few names in PC software more iconic than Office. The word itself is generic, but the popularity of Microsoft’s productivity suite has made it instantly recognizable in the context of computers. It reaches beyond the boundaries of geekdom and into the lexicon of everyday cubicle warriors, who use the software constantly for everything from email composition to corporate presentations.

Microsoft’s last version of Office, Office 2007, was a big deal. It was nearly as large an overhaul as Windows Vista was compared to Windows XP. While Office 2007 has many detractors – any major change to a popular and entrenched program is bound to result in some agony – the revision was mostly successful. Microsoft rolled out a major new user interface, known as Ribbon, without excessive growing pains.
Office 2010 is, by comparison, a minor update. That’s not to say it doesn’t include new features, some of which are incredibly useful, but the interface is largely the same. Users of Office prior to Office 2007 had a bit of a learning curve associated with becoming re-acquainted with the software, but anyone comfortable with Office 2007 should have no problem with 2010.
Tips
Since Office 2010 doesn’t change as much as Office 2007, there isn’t as much to instruct users on how to use the new software. Users who are coming from 2003 will still have to become acquainted with the Ribbon interface, but frankly, most general tips related to the 2007 version will still help you there (but specifics, of course, have changed).
Instead, Office 2010 has many improvements. This guide will focus on teaching users coming to Office 2010 how to take the most from the program and use every feature offered. In most programs, it’s not hard to find every single feature, but Office 2010 is so expansive that even veteran users will often find that they aren’t expert in even half of the capabilities the software offers.
The tips you find here should be of use to most people who use Office 2010 regularly. My goal was not to go for obscure hacks, but rather to present useful information that isn’t commonly known. Hopefully this will make you more productive, or at least give you the tools needed to handle your work with more speed and less stress.
Backward Compatibility
The tips that I’m presenting in this guide are purely from the perspective of Office 2010. That is not to say some of them won’t be partially or fully applicable to Office 2007, but a lot of the tips focus on new features that were added in Office 2010.
Mac fans who are using Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 – which likely includes most people reading this on an Apple computer - will find very little information in this guide useful. Microsoft Office for Mac 2008 didn’t even use the ribbon interface, so there are many differences. You’re more likely to find similar features in the recently released Microsoft Office for Mac 2011; however, keyboard shortcuts and menu layouts may be different in many situations.

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