Something that surprises a lot of people:

Your Windows login doesn't have to be a Microsoft account.

I get this question from time to time:

"Can I switch to a local Windows account, and still use Excel and the rest of Microsoft 365 like before?"

Yes. You can. Microsoft might show you a blue screen first before you continue (hmm the dreaded blue screen, although this time it's actually being helpful. Still, I wonder if they picked that color on purpose 😉)

If you want to understand your options and how to do it, here's the full walkthrough:

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🤓 Geeky News

📊 Gantt charts are now built into Power BI

Gantt charts have been one of the most requested visuals in Power BI. Until now, you had to download a custom visual to add one to your report. Now it’s built in, right there in the visuals gallery.

You get bars for each task, progress tracking, milestones for key dates, and extra columns for things like owner or status. Readers can also zoom into a specific time window and then jump back to the full view.

It’s still in preview, so you’ll need to turn it on first: File > Options and settings > Options > Preview features.

Project managers, this one’s for you.

🖼️ Windows 11 is getting a new Photos app (well, sort of two)

Microsoft is rebuilding the Photos experience in Windows 11. The new Photos app brings pictures from your PC, OneDrive, and iCloud into one gallery. You can search by describing a photo in plain words, like “sunset at the beach,” instead of hunting for a file name or date.

The editor got a refresh too. It opens faster, and you can remove unwanted objects from a photo by brushing over them. There’s also a tool called Relight that lets you fix the lighting after the shot. It used to be limited to Copilot+ PCs, but now it’s coming to all Windows 11 devices.

Good news for anyone on a local account (see above 😉): it works without signing in to OneDrive.

The old Photos app isn’t going away. It’s being renamed Photo Viewer and will open when you double-click an image. So you’ll have Photos for browsing, Photo Viewer for single images, plus the Gallery that’s already in File Explorer.

It’s rolling out to Windows Insiders now, and to everyone on Windows 11 later this year.

👏 Directly apply what you learn

John finished Excel Essentials for the Real World and left us this review:

John Armstrong Richards Flow Manager

What truly sets this course apart is its focus on usability. Each lesson is designed with real-world applications in mind, ensuring that you can directly apply what you learn to your work or projects. The hands-on approach and actionable examples keep you motivated throughout. Plus, the downloadable resources are incredibly helpful for continuing your learning. The added bonus is the printable ebook, which is a massive help.

Thanks, John. That “real world” part is in the course name for a reason. Learning a feature is one thing. Using it on your own files is where it starts to make sense.

And nice to see the printable ebook get some love. Some things are just better on paper, with a pen next to them. 😉

See you next week,

Leila

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