Excel turns 40 and it’s still full of surprises 🎂

Did you know one of Excel’s most powerful features is older than some of the people using it today?

The PivotTable was born in 1993. Back then, it was a game-changer. And guess what? You can still switch to its legacy editor and drag and drop fields directly into the grid, just like the good old days.

🎥 Watch it in action​

But don’t mistake “legacy” for “outdated.” Pivot Tables keep getting better:

• They now carry over number formats from the source
• They finally support automatic updates (no more manual refresh 🎉)

So while Excel has grown up a lot, it hasn’t forgotten its roots.

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🤓 Geeky News

✈️ Copilot now explains formulas right on the grid

No more jumping to the chat pane. The new Explain Formula feature in Excel lets Copilot break down formulas directly next to your data.

Just click the Copilot icon next to a formula cell and choose “Explain this formula.”

You’ll get a step‑by‑step breakdown, grounded in your actual workbook and not some generic help doc.

Rolling out now in Excel for Windows and Excel for the web.

🎞️ Clipchamp takes over Stream

Stream was the go‑to in Microsoft 365 for meeting recordings and video sharing. It’s now been merged with Clipchamp, Microsoft’s browser-based video editor.

We're getting a single, unified video hub under the Clipchamp name, where you can store, share, and edit all in one place.

The rollout wraps up by the end of August.

🎙️ Teams adds live mic volume indicator

No more “Can you hear me?” at the start of every call. Teams now shows a real-time microphone level when you speak, so you can instantly tell if your audio’s working.

Available for users in the Public Preview or Targeted Release using the new Teams client.

But let's not kid ourselves. This won't stop the inevitable "you're on mute". 😅

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🪷 Did You Know...

How to recognize a Lotus 1-2-3 user?

They'll start formulas with a + instead of =

It still works in Excel today. A little legacy Easter egg. 🪺

But what’s Lotus 1-2-3?

Think of it as the granddaddy of spreadsheets. Before Excel took the crown, Lotus ruled the grid - way back in 1983.

(No, I’m not that old 😉. I never had the pleasure of directly working in Lotus. Although I did consult a company in South Africa that used Lotus alongside Excel two decades ago. Okay. This does make me sound old).

Anyhow, it was the spreadsheet app of its time… until Excel came along and never looked back. And here we are, 40 years later still going strong.

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👏 When your Pivot Tables stop needing subtitles

Don used to spend as much time explaining his Pivot Tables as he did building them.

Then he took Pivot Table Essentials. Here’s what changed:

Don Francis Accounting Coordinator

I use Pivot Tables extensively, but I wasn’t efficient at designing them for easy use. I often spent as much time explaining my reports as I did creating them—not a good use of my time. This course has been a game changer. It’s already saving me hours in creating and updating reports, and I've improved my efficiency significantly just from the first few sections. I feel much more confident in creating reports that analyze data effectively. Even the end users are noticing—they've mentioned how much more user-friendly my reports have become.

Now his reports speak for themselves. And get noticed.

That’s the real power of thoughtful design.

See you next week with more Excel tips & news,

Leila

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