Windows 11 for Microsoft Office users

The Windows 11 practical guide to what's new, changed and unfamiliar.  Windows 11 for Microsoft Office users - Late 2024 - 24H2 and Copilot update is a focused and unvarnished look at Windows 11 (including the new Copilot for Windows) especially written for the many people who use Microsoft Office.

• Windows 11 
  
• and Copilot for Windows
  
• including late 2024 changes (24H2)
  
• and 2023 changes (Moment 3)
  
• Full Color
  
• over 1,200 pages, 43 chapters
  
• Fast find, table of contents with links
  
• PDF format compatible with Windows, Mac, Apple and Android tablets and pretty much anything else including, of course, iPads!
  

Fully up-to-date with coverage of Windows 11 including the latest Copilot for Windows, new Start Menu, enhanced Clipboard, Emoji Panel and new free fonts. 

Copilot for Windows

The latest addition is a whole chapter on Copilot for Windows which lets you do all manner of AI tricks, like making images and clever searches from within Windows.  Copilot can also change some Windows settings and features, we have a list of what’s currently possible. And there’s more … AI technology is being added to some Windows apps like Paint (which gets a long overdue upgrade), Photos (smart erase and changing backgrounds) and even humble old Notepad is getting an AI boost. 

2024 and 2023 updates

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 changes gradually instead of one single update. The new and changed features have appeared gradually in late 2024 (called 24H2) and the 'Moment 3' update in mid-2023.  Windows 11 for Microsoft Office users has already been updated so you'll be ready when the changes reach your computer.  

Updates include: 

• Text Labels for cut/copy/paste icon
  
• 7Zip and TAR full support
  
• Photos app improvements
  
• Paint has layers and image creator
  
• Voice Focus for better audio on calls
  
• Auto Hibernation
  
• Seconds on the taskbar clock
  
• Improvements to Task Manager
  
• Widgets expansion
  
• Snipping Tool via PrintScreen button
  
• Voice Access improvements for text editing \n
  
• Tabbed File Explorer
  
• OneDrive changes
  
• Start Menu
  
• Voice Access
  
• Live Captions
  
• Suggested Actions
  
• Taskbar Overflow
  
• Task Manager access
  
• Open With …
  
• Snipping Tool auto-save
  
• Task Manager
  
• PowerToys changes
  

Update Windows 11 safely

Pause or Defer Windows updates until you are ready ... not when Microsoft pushes them out.  Microsoft's updates and patches aren't as reliable as the company pretends, better to wait a little while and see if there are bugs before installing the latest Windows fixes.

My Favorite Things - Peter's personal selection of tweaks that he makes to his own Windows 11 machines.

 There are many parts of Office that rely on Windows settings to control how they behave and many other Windows features that are essential for daily use of Office but often get overlooked. In Windows 11 there are great features like File History and Storage Spaces that can make a lot of difference to how Office users work and help you recover past versions of documents. There's also familiar parts of Windows like  Explorer, Libraries and Search  which deserve more attention because they have a lot more power than most of us realize. Windows 11 for Microsoft Office users looks into all these unappreciated parts of Windows 10 in detail. This book focuses on the parts of Windows 11 most relevant to daily use of Microsoft Office  Saving Money and Time. Hard-won practical advice on how best and safely make the change to Windows 10. Configure, we have suggestions for what settings to change from the Microsoft defaults as well as useful software to add. Start Menu has good and bad points.  We'll show you how to make the most of the new menu and how to 'fix' it to show what you want. A lot of Windows 11 is hidden away with invisible tricks and shortcut keys.  We'll show you all the neat stuff that Microsoft has hidden from view.

GREAT!  Clipboard - a new enhanced clipboard collects multiple items.  Optionally it'll share them with your Apple and Android devices. Photos app - is a powerful tool.  It's not just a quick image viewer but includes simple photo adjustment and even making a video from a collection of images and videos.   Make a quick video with the Photos app to share online or include in a PowerPoint presentation. Edge browser - how to use Microsoft's preferred browser or use your own instead. Sandbox - a simple way to test programs in a protected way that can't hurt your main computer. Think you know Explorer?   There are plenty of tricks and shortcuts in Explorer and the Office file dialogs that we'll cover in detail that's often overlooked.  We explain the new look ribbon and menus in Explorer. Libraries aren't new in Windows 11 but aren't used to their full potential so we've devoted an entire chapter to making best use of them. Searching is an important part of Windows so we look at it in considerable detail.  The new interface has made complex searches a lot easier. File History is the main backup and versioning system in Windows 11.  It's a great way for Office users to backup their files and recover previous versions of a document. Storage Spaces is a clever new way to manage hard drive space with more reliably and flexibility.  We'll take you through Storage Spaces in detail with advice on the hardware best suited to the new feature. BitLocker is a high quality disk encryption system that protects your computer and documents from theft.  It's important for anyone with sensitive or private documents or a portable computer so we've devoted a long chapter to BitLocker. Hyper-V is Microsoft's way to run a 'computer within a computer'.  It sounds scary and complicated but we'll show you step-by-step.  Hyper-V is the best way to run multiple versions of Office and avoid the conflicts you get when installing Office 'side-by-side' on the one computer.  We'll show you how to setup a Hyper-V machine with both Windows and Office installed." As with all the Office Watch ebooks and newsletters, we've tried to go beyond the standard software 'how-to' to give you practical advice and tips we've learnt from decades of computing experience." said author and co-founder of Office Watch, Peter Deegan. We've written a practical guide with plenty of 'step by step' instructions and full color images throughout. Windows 11 for Microsoft Office users is for all standard computer versions of Windows 11 Edition: the basic Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise. 

Table of Contents

• Preparing for the change
  
• Making the switch
  
• After the update
  

My Favorite Things

• Setup
  
• Settings
  
• Daily Use
  

2024 updates aka 24H2<- New!

2023 updates aka Moment 3

• Do you have Moment 3
  
• Get updates faster, if you dare
  
• Seconds on the taskbar clock
  
• Widgets
  
• Snipping tool via PrintScreen
  
• Quick Copy for two-factor authentication
  
• VPN Status Icon
  
• Live Captions - additional languages
  
• Voice Access - new text editing commands
  
• Content Adaptive Brightness Control
  
• Start Menu notifications
  
• USB 4 hubs and devices
  

 

• Tabbed File Explorer
  
• OneDrive changes
  
• Start Menu
  
• Voice Access
  
• Live Captions
  
• Suggested Actions
  
• Taskbar Overflow
  
• Task Manager access
  
• Open With …
  
• Snipping Tool auto-save
  
• Task Manager
  
• PowerToys changes
  

Copilot for Windows

• Getting Copilot
  
• Using Copilot for Windows
  
• Changing Windows settings with Copilot
  
• AI changes in Paint and Photos
  

Getting Windows 11

• Versions
  
• 32-bit or 64-bit
  
• Upgrading
  
• Catching up
  
• With a new computer
  

Hardware choices / Compatibility

• Memory
  
• USB 3
  
• Touch screen
  
• Hard Drive
  

Configure

• Two Settings menus
  
• Win + I = Settings Pane
  
• Fast Control Panel
  
• Date
  
• Time
  
• Measurement System
  
• Explorer Options
  
• Focus Assist
  
• Sign-in options including PIN and Dynamic Lock
  
• Default Printer
  
• Show all Control Panel items
  
• Delete confirmation
  
• Auto Login
  
• Display
  
• Changing Network MAC address
  
• Extras to install
  
• Printers
  

Repair / Recovery

• Recovery Drive
  
• System Repair Disk
  
• System Image
  
• Reinstall Windows
  

Setup for Microsoft Office

• Pin to Taskbar
  
• Pin to Start
  
• Set Default Apps
  

Microsoft Account security 

• Add user
  
• Guest Account
  
• Assigned Access / Kiosk Mode
  
• Working with multiple users
  

Start Menu and beyond

• Start menu in Windows 10
  
• Around the Start Menu
  
• Changing the Start Menu
  
• Arranging the Start Menu for Office
  
• Replacing the Start Menu
  

Fast access to programs <- New!

• Taskbar
  
• Start Menu
  
• Shortcut
  
• Shortcut Key
  

Around the Screen

• Switch List
  
• Task View
  
• Action Center
  
• Administration menu
  
• Search box
  
• Taskbar
  
• Bottom Right
  
• Insert / Snap
  

Explorer

• Shortcut
  
• Start Menu
  
• Navigation pane
  
• Ribbon
  
• Across the ribbon
  
• Office Dialogs
  
• Explorer tricks
  
• Fixing the Sent to menu
  
• Searching
  
• Simple search
  
• Meta-data
  
• Larger Search box
  
• Detailed searches
  
• Indexing
  
• RAW image support
  

Search

• Simple Search
  
• Meta-data
  
• Larger Search box
  
• Detailed Searches
  
• Indexing
  

OneDrive

• Capacity
  
• Files on Demand
  
• Setup
  
• Settings
  
• Sending / Sharing files with OneDrive
  
• File Recovery
  
• Camera Roll on other devices
  
• Other Cloud Services
  

Libraries

• Changes in Windows 10
  
• Show libraries
  
• Make a library
  
• Add a folder
  
• Remove a folder
  
• Properties
  
• What's in a Library
  
• Rename a Library
  
• Remove a Library
  
• Using Libraries
  
• Updating
  
• Indexing
  
• File History
  
• Libraries by topic
  
• Adding cloud storage
  

Multiple Monitors

• Split Settings
  
• Add a monitor
  
• Re-position
  
• Extend displays
  
• Orientation
  
• Auto Rotate
  
• Scaling
  
• Desktop Background
  
• Taskbar
  
• Moving apps
  
• PowerPoint presentations
  
• Add an iPad as a second screen
  

Power and Battery

• Quick and easy battery savings
  
• Sleep vs Hibernate
  
• Battery Saver
  
• Power Plans
  

Wireless Extra Screen

• Is your computer capable?
  
• What you need
  
• Connecting to a monitor
  
• Miracast receiving
  

Virtual Desktops

• Uses
  
• Your first virtual desktop
  
• Options
  
• Moving between desktops
  
• Moving programs between desktops
  
• Same document / different desktop
  
• Shortcuts
  
• Remote Desktop
  
• Full Screen Programs
  
• Limitations
  

Remote Desktop

• Remote Desktop Connection
  
• Firewalls
  
• First Timers
  
• Over the Internet
  
• Alternatives
  

Virtual Private Networking

• What is VPN?
  
• VPN Providers
  
• Setup
  
• OpenVPN
  

Wi-Fi

• Basics
  
• Get network settings
  
• Connecting to Public Wifi
  
• Changing MAC address
  

Mobile Hotspot

• Windows
  
• Connectify
  
• Beyond Windows
  

Metered Connections

• Why use Metered Connections?
  
• What works on a Metered Connection
  
• What doesn't work
  
• Enable a Metered Connection
  
• Disable metered connections
  
• Configuration
  
• Data use by application
  
• More Network Information
  

Backup

• File History
  
• System Image Backup
  
• Find my device
  

Screen Shots

• Why?
  
• Privacy
  
• Clipboard or File
  
• Windows
  
• Utilities
  

 

• Mac
  
• Apple devices
  
• Android
  

Edge browser

• Interface
  • Windows and tabs
• Search
  
• Favorites
  
• InPrivate
  
• Internet Explorer
  
• Hiding the Edge browser
  

Photos app

• Main features
  
• Viewing
  
• Editing
  
• Making a video
  

Fonts

• Regional font packs
  
• Microsoft Store
  
• New fonts via Microsoft Store
  
• Comic Sans
  
• Preview
  
• Add Font
  
• Remove Font
  
• How many?
  
• Windows and high DPI screens
  
• Ruble symbol
  
• Character Map
  

Virtual Hard Drives

• Basics
  
• Pros and Cons
  
• Make a VHD
  
• Actions
  
• Security
  

Storage Spaces

• Spaces vs. Drives
  
• Definitions
  
• Hardware
  
• Step by Step
  
• Using an existing drive in a pool
  
• Performance
  
• Out of space?
  
• Alerts
  
• More features for a Storage Space
  
• Still need backups
  
• Limitations
  

BitLocker

• What is BitLocker?
  
• Who has it?
  
• What's New?
  
• System Requirements
  
• BitLocker authentication options
  
• The recovery key
  
• The downside of BitLocker
  
• What it won't protect
  
• BitLocker step by step
  
• Adding a PIN to BitLocker
  
• Without TPM module
  
• Manage BitLocker
  
• Stopping BitLocker
  
• BitLocker ToGo
  
• Extras
  

Encrypting File System

• Enabling EFS
  
• Encryption Key
  
• Disabling EFS
  

Hyper-V

• How Hyper-V can help you
  
• Need to know
  
• Installing Hyper-V
  
• Windows 10 changes
  
• Windows 8.1 changes
  
• Make a new virtual machine
  
• Checkpoint or copy?
  
• Office on a virtual machine
  
• Running a virtual machine
  

Sandbox

• What is Sandbox
  
• Install
  
• Running a Sandbox
  
• Configuration
  

Changing Settings

• Registry
  
• Policies
  

Task Manager

• Opening
  
• How much memory is being used?
  
• Shutting down Outlook
  
• Performance
  
• Startup