Quick, practical tips to improve your digital know-how, this series helps you work smarter, not harder.
Enhance communication with Viva Engage
Viva Engage is a networking tool that helps you communicate with people across the University. Access in Teams – click the 3-dot menu on the left-hand side and start typing Engage. Join communities or follow people. Start a discussion or ask a question from your own storyline, or within a community.
Personalise your Windows Start Menu
Did you know you can personalise your Windows Start Menu to find apps and files more quickly? Pin apps you use regularly, change the layout or adjust what is shown in the Recommended section. Right-click on the bottom of the Start menu to get Start settings.
Use Immersive Reader in Edge to have documents read aloud to you. Listen to articles while you do the dishes or walk the dog! You can also use Reader Mode to reduce clutter in webpages. Press F9 or click the Read Aloud icon in the address bar to get started.
You can now create hyperlinks in Teams messages very quickly. Simply copy the web address, select the hyperlink text in your message and press Ctrl + V. If you want to use the traditional Insert link dialog box, press Ctrl + K at any point while typing your Teams message.
Declutter your email automatically
You can set emails to delete automatically after a set period using retention policies in Outlook. Pick how long to keep emails using the retention labels menu. Apply retention labels to individual emails or folders. This makes saved emails easier to search and you aren’t storing data longer than necessary.
Annotate documents with OneNote
Did you know you can insert PDFs, Word and PowerPoint documents into OneNote? Then annotate directly on them. All text from your documents and annotations is searchable with Ctrl+F. Click Insert > File Printout to get started. Then right-click on the printout and select Set Picture as Background.
Check document accessibility in seconds
Many Microsoft apps have a built-in accessibility checker that gives you a quick and easy way to identify and fix accessibility issues in your document. It's included in apps such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. Find the 'Check Accessibility' tool under the 'Review' option in the top menu bar.
Click the OneDrive icon in Teams to explore all files that have been shared with you, whether they're from emails or Teams chats. You can filter by file type (such as documents, PDFs, presentations), or by the person who's shared them. No more searching through Teams chats!
Sharing files
Attaching a file to a Teams chat means that it will disappear after one year. To make sure things are still there when you need them, either share a link to a file from your own OneDrive account, or upload a file to a Teams channel and share this link.
Combining text from files in Word
Do you need to combine chapters for a thesis or content from different Word documents? If so, don't just copy and paste! Use the Insert > Object > Text from file option - to help ensure your formatting is consistent, as well as making sure your file size isn't too large.
Get better screenshots with Snipping Tool
To capture content on your screen, use Snipping Tool in Windows. Start a snip with the shortcut Windows key + Shift + S. It does so much more than just capturing the screen - for example you can capture a specific window, do a screen recording or annotate your image.