Remember this?

=RIGHT(A2, LEN(A2) - SEARCH(" ",A2))

You just wanted the last name. Now you're doing math.

Or this one:

=OFFSET(A4, COUNTA(A5:$A$29) -12 +ROW(A1),0,1,1)

All that... just to get the last 12 months of data?

Well… not anymore.

Compare that to:

=TEXTAFTER(A2," ")

Or

=TAKE(A5:.B29,-12)

These newer functions are easier to read, easier to write, and do exactly what you need.

No nesting. No helper columns.

A tiny part of me misses the struggle. Plus they were a good workout. 😅

But yeah. It’s nice to keep things simple.

In case you haven't been keeping up...

➡️ Here's an overview plus a file to practice.

🤓 Geeky News

The big news in the Excel world last week was pivot tables finally getting Auto-Refresh. 🤯 But I haven't been in the lucky 50% of Insiders this time (Beta features drop in stages), so I haven't been able to test it yet.

Once I do get it, I'll let you know what I think.

In other news...

👓 Copilot has better Vision

​Copilot Vision now sees your whole screen.

The feature that lets the AI understand what you’re looking at on your screen used to only view two apps at a time.

Now it can scan your entire desktop or any window you choose.

This is not like Recall - the other AI feature that takes screenshots of all your digital activity. Copilot Vision only sees what you explicitly share, like screen sharing in a video call.

Turn it on, point it at what you're working on, and get real-time help, whether it's your resume, a design, or a tricky UI.

Now rolling out to Windows Insiders.

💻 Windows 11 finally pulls ahead

It took almost four years, but Windows 11 has finally passed Windows 10 in desktop market share.

It now sits at 52%.

Adoption was slow, mostly due to strict hardware requirements that left older PCs behind.

Meanwhile, support for Windows 10 ends this October. Microsoft's offering a year of free security updates if you turn on Windows Backup and sync your Documents to OneDrive.

This also affects Microsoft 365 subscribers who'll stop receiving non-security updates on Windows 10 after certain cut-off points.

💚 My Favorite Things - Pasting Multiple Items

People are still just discovering this one:

Win + V to open your clipboard history.

Yes, it remembers everything you copied: text, images, even emojis.

🎥 Watch it in action​

👏 Data Engineering & Poetry

Two worlds that weren’t meant to meet.

That’s how David described learning Python in Excel.

And yes. It feels strange at first.

But then, slowly, as you work through the examples something shifts.

Yes, you now know Python. But you also get a different way of approaching problems.

That's the real milestone.

And when it clicks.

You'll know.

The first certificates (and badges) in our Python in Excel for the Real World were issued. 🎊

Super proud of everyone who's already earned theirs 👏 as well as the students still making their way through the course. Keep going! 💪

See you next week,

Leila

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