The beginning of another year means that it’s out with the old and in with the new. Among our many hopes for 2021 is embracing change: including new technological innovation. In honor of the upcoming 12 months of the year (and in an effort to highlight the best features of the new Office), we’re counting up our 12 best tips for Microsoft 365.

1. Restore older versions of the document. 365 automatically saves previous versions so that you can compare your current document to your older work. When using PowerPoint, the restore option even allows for users to see editing history, which can help maximize collaborative efforts.
   
   
2. Smart Lookup is the game-changing feature that every teacher needs. Without opening a web browser and searching, you can fact check and confirm a definition. After highlighting the word or phrase, right click and select “Smart Lookup”.  Bing Features will pull up relevant links without needing to exit the document.
   
   
3. Remember that happy and helpful little paperclip, Clippy? He’s had a major upgrade. In Microsoft 365, there’s a ribbon at the top of the screen that reads, “Tell Me”. Clicking here will connect you with an intelligent services feature that can provide feedback and help.
   
   
4. Now you can collaborate online and watch updates occur in real time with co-authoring. It makes working together efficient and easy. Access necessary items at all times by using your OneNote notebook and moving it from your desktop to your own cloud folder. From here, you’ll be able to access the document from different devices, as well as share it.
   
   
5. Make the most of your time by managing your calendar with Outlook. Block unavailable “you time”, and set recurring commitments for regularly scheduled events.
   
   
6. An often-dreaded electronic task- converting a file into a PDF- is now made simple. Use the Save as PDF feature on your document, presentation, or spreadsheet.
   
   
7. Microsoft Teams in app integrations in 365 let you effortlessly chat with coworkers. You can also share screens and have a video or audio conversation. Perfect for small staff meetings, which need to be remote.Never again will you send an email without the needed attachment!
   
   
8. Keep things efficient by inserting links into stored files instead of having to send the whole file. First, upload your document to 365’s cloud storage. Compose an email with outlook, and then insert the link to the file on your cloud.
   
   
9. Turn your mouse into a laser pointer for PowerPoint presentations by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+P.
   
   
10. Make your data visual and interactive with Power Map in Excel. Power BI helps turn excel data into a visual meant for analysis. Power Map also includes three different data filters.
    
    
11. No Internet? No problem. OneDrive storage is synched to your device, so you can work while offline. When you reconnect to the Internet, the new version will be uploaded automatically.
    
    
12. Nothing sounds more magical than an inbox that helps to de-clutter itself. The Clutter feature uses your mailbox rules to automatically organize high-priority messages, and move the unimportant things to a clutter folder for later viewing.

So there you have it: a subscription to Microsoft 365 includes the latest office apps, and at least 12 superbly fun features.