365 Ninjas

Ultimate Guide to

Last updated: April 6th, 2015

365 Ninjas Ultimate Guide to Office 365

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Introduction
Welcome to our Ultimate Guide for Office 365!
The first thing you should keep in mind when viewing this guide is that it is a living document. This
means that it will continue to be updated as Office 365 evolves. We recommend that you save a
shortcut to the Ultimate Guides location, and only download or print when necessary. If you must, be
sure to check the last updated date on the title page to ensure youve got an up-to-date copy.
The second thing to note is that this guide will focus on Office 365 for Business and its accompanying
Office 2013 applications. It includes information for IT administrators, end users, and everything in
between. When its relevant, youll see information about the online/web app versions of Office
applications, as well as mobile apps. If youre and Office 365 user on a home or personal plan, youll still
find useful material here.
The Ultimate Guide for Office 365 is divided into several sections, by application and a few other useful
categories. In each section, youll find helpful links that direct you to external sites with information on
relevant topics. Some of these links lead to Ninja videos, some to Microsoft resources, and some to
other useful sites that weve assessed as reliable and educational.
Just as on [Link], we are always receptive to new ideas, questions, and anything else youd like
to share. If you have feedback related to this document, dont hesitate to email ninja@[Link] or
reach out on social networks.
Thanks,
365 Ninja

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Contents
Getting started .............................................................................................................................................. 4
OneDrive for Business / SharePoint .............................................................................................................. 5
SharePoint tasks and features: ................................................................................................................. 5
Outlook ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Lync ............................................................................................................................................................... 8
Word ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Excel ............................................................................................................................................................ 10
PowerPoint.................................................................................................................................................. 12
OneNote ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
For IT pros ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Other apps and platforms ........................................................................................................................... 16
New & fun ................................................................................................................................................... 17
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 18

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Getting started
Welcome to the most powerful and valuable suite of cloud-based business productivity software! If
youre just getting started with Office 365, there are a lot of great resources out there to support you.
This section will give you a few resources for getting started on Office 365 for Business and the
accompanying Office 2013 applications.

The beginning

Get started with Office 365: video and guides cover the basics of reading email, sharing
documents, and more.
Whats the difference between Office 365 and Office 2013?
How to sign in and sign out of Office 365: the basic action of signing in and out, explained in a
quick video.
Download and install Office 2013 desktop apps: watch this video to install Office 2013 using
Windows 8.1, or take a look at Microsofts written instructions if you have a Mac.
Check the Office 365 system requirements
Do you have earlier Office versions? Set them up to work with Office 365 here.
Use Office 365 on your phone or tablet.
Whats new in Office 2013: if youre used to a previous version of Office, this page will help.
The basics of Office Online: AKA Office Web Apps, this page from Microsoft provides some
useful overview information.
Use Office Online to work together: this page offers some written tips for getting started with
sharing in Office Online.
Office Touch Guide: using a touchscreen? Check out this guide.
Change your account settings in Office 365 like your password or language: written instructions
on changing your personal and admin settings in Office 365.

Basic tasks and features:

Here are a few things you can do in Office 365 as you are getting started
in order to customize your experience and make everything run a little more smoothly.

Personalize your online experience by changing your theme

Change the default home/landing page
Customize the theme and colors of Office 2013 apps
Learn about the Office Ribbon
Disable or remove the start screen of Office 2013 apps
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Change the authors of a document
Clear the recent document list
Change color palettes

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OneDrive for Business / SharePoint

OneDrive for Business is the work version of Microsofts OneDrive storage solution, built on top of
SharePoint architecture. The difference between OneDrive and SharePoint can be a little difficult to pin
down, mostly based on the name and the way we talk about the two components, but we worked to demystify it for you with this Ninja post.

Save to OneDrive for Business

Sync and find OneDrive for Business files
Quick reference card for syncing libraries to your computer
Technical overview of OneDrive for Business in SharePoint Server 2013

SharePoint tasks and features:

If youre using SharePoint with your Office 365

tenant, theres a lot you can do, both on the end user side and the administrator side.
These links will help you get started.

Introduction to document libraries

Update profile and privacy settings
Follow content
Start using a list
Create and set up a list (note that youll need permission to add an app to the site in order to
create a list)
Create and manage a blog
Organize and configure a library
Post to a newsfeed within your organization
Post to a team site feed

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Outlook
Many of us think of Outlook as simply email, but it also includes a calendar, task manager, contacts
manager, and more. Its been around since the early 90s, and now its part of Office 365 as both Outlook
Online (also known as Outlook Web App) and Outlook 2013.

Quick-start guide
Overview of supported email programs and features
Set up your email account in Outlook 2013
Webinar on the Outlook Web App

Tasks and features:

Outlook includes the actual mailbox, as well as your contacts

and calendar. Weve got links on these three areas of Outlook, plus some tips on
search and mail management, and a few links specific to Outlook Online (AKA the
Outlook Web App).

Mail

Change the view (layout) of your inbox, calendar, or other folder

Change the layout of the preview pane
Change your message preview settings
Change what your unread messages look like
Create a folder
Fonts and spell check in email messages
Add hyperlinks to email messages
Send and open attachments
Send or delete mail stuck in your mailbox
Recall and replace sent messages
Restore deleted emails
Send automatic replies when youre out
Enable the Bcc and From fields
Use rules
Track email with read receipts
Password protect your mailbox
Turn off your email notification sounds
Disable incoming desktop notifications
Attach an email to another email or meeting invite
Create a signature
Open replies in a new window
Set replies to always open in a new window
Customize your spam filter with the safe senders list

Contacts

Add and use contacts

Import and export vCards (virtual business cards)
Create contact groups

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Calendar

Calendar basics
Create meetings
Add holidays to your calendar
Share your calendar with others

General search and management

Tips for Outlook search webinar

Use Instant Search to find messages
Use Instant Search to find contacts
Use Instant Search to find calendar items
Create or delete a search folder
Archiving items webinar

Online/Web App-specific

Built-in Outlook filters: all, unread, to me, flagged

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Lync
Microsofts instant messaging client is Lync, which will be replaced by Skype for Business in 2015. Lync is
used for basic instant messaging as well as group chat, voice calls, and video conferencing.

Set up Lync
Install Lync
Open Lync
Sign in to and out of Lync

Quick reference guides:

Quick Reference about audio

Quick Reference about instant messaging, presence, and contacts
Quick Reference about Lync Meetings
Quick Reference about sharing and collaboration
Quick Reference about video

Tasks and features:

Get a good grasp on Lync with these topics, covering the

basics of conversations, calls, and meetings.

Set your conversation history

Set up your audio and set up your video
Add a contact in Lync
Send an instant message
Use the contact card
Check someones availability
Change your presence status in Lync
Add your mobile number
Change your password
Change your picture in Lync
Make and receive a Lync audio call
Make or receive a video call
Find a previous Lync conversation
Disable Lync conversation history
Set up a Lync Meeting
Join a Lync Meeting
Share your desktop or a program in Lync

Online/Web App-specific

What is Lync Web App?

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Word
With dozens of releases on multiple platforms dating back to the 80s, Microsoft Word has extensive
reach and history. Used across cultures and demographics, the word processing app is both simple and
powerful. In Office 365, it lives purely on the cloud as Word Online, as well as in a familiar (cloudconnected) desktop version as Word 2013.

Word 2013 Quick Start Guide

Tasks and features:

Go from starting a basic document to adding advanced

features like styles and taking actions like mail merge.

Create a document
Landscape vs. portrait orientation
Custom margins
Basic Table of Contents overview
Track changes
Work with word counts
Create labels
Footnotes
Mirror margins
Create a resume
Intermediate Table of Contents
Using Styles
Watermarks
Basic mail merge + advanced mail merge + next level mail merge
Advanced Table of Contents
Collapsible headings
How to use Word 2013 to open up a Google Doc

Online/Web App-specific

Introduction to Word Web App

Top tips for working in Word Online
Basic tasks in Word Online
Web App training on [Link] (note: there is a cost associated)

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Excel
Excel and spreadsheets are practically synonymous. At its most basic, it is a data tool comprised of a grid
of cells arranged into rows and columns, but quickly gets more complicated with features including
calculation, graphing, pivot tables, and Visual Basic. (Note: VBA is not covered in this guide.) Excel serves
the needs of many different users and industries.

Excel 2013 Quick Start Guide

Tasks and features:

The possibilities are endless with Excel, but well get you
started with some of the most useful things you can with this tool. Check out the Web
App-specific links for some advice if youre not using Excel 2013 (though we
recommend that you do in order to take advantage of all of Excels features).

Create a workbook
Freeze or lock panes
Insert a line break
Add hyperlinks
Make text appear on multiple lines (wrap text) in a cell
Create a chart
Understand and use cell references
Insert headers and footers
Sort and filter data
Print worksheets and workbooks
Add numbers
Basic math
Password protect workbooks and worksheets
Use Auto Fill and Flash Fill
Add or subtract time
Average a group of numbers
Simplifying your Excel data webinar
Use conditional formatting
Advanced conditional formatting
VLOOKUP
Advanced IF functions
Array formulas
Create and manage drop-down lists
Create a PivotTable and analyze data
Understanding the Excel Data Model webinar
Understanding Power Pivot webinar
Work with macros

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Online/Web App-specific

Top tips for working in Excel Online

Basic tasks in Excel Online

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PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint has long been the go-to application for presentations and slideshows, with a final
product that can be printed, displayed on a computer or video projector, and/or navigated through by a
presenter. Slides can include text, graphics, sound, movies, and other objects, and movement is included
via transition of elements and slides as well as custom animation.

PowerPoint 2013 Quick Start Guide

5 steps to a better PPT

Tasks and features:

Learn to love PowerPoint! With these tips, you can go

beyond simple slides with text and images (though you can learn to do that, too) and
create beautiful, dynamic presentations.

Create a presentation
Apply and change a theme
Duplicate, hide, or delete slides
Apply transitions between slides
Add sound effects to a transition
Highlight text and change fonts
Print slides, notes, or handouts
Use Presenter view
Backgrounds
Crop a picture to fit a shape
Working with watermarks
Paper handouts webinar
Working with handout masters
Video in PowerPoint webinar
Juggling multiple PowerPoints webinar
Add bullets to text
Add headers and footers
Animate pictures, art, text, and other objects
Using animation webinar
Design motion paths
Add sound effects to an animation
Create a flow chart
Create an org chart
Create a template from a presentation
Insert a bar chart, line chart, or pie chart
Rehearse timings for a slide show
Trigger an animation effect
Use slide masters to customize a presentation

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Online/Web App-specific

Introduction to PowerPoint Online

Basic tasks in PowerPoint Online

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OneNote
OneNote is a free-form note-taking application that has awesome capabilities. You can take basic notes,
but you can also take your notes to the next level with drawings, screen clippings, images, links, and
embedded files. OneNote will help you stay organized.

OneNote 2013 Quick Start Guide

Intro webinar
Basic tasks in OneNote Online

Basic tasks and features:

Once you master the common actions you can take

with OneNote, you can really personalize your experience and make OneNote work
for you. Take the first steps with these links, and then explore your possibilities.

Create a notebook
Using tables
Save and sync notebooks to OneDrive
Sharing with OneNote webinar
Add links
Take screenshots
Pull text out of images
How to password-protect OneNote
Email your OneNote notes pages
Use OneNote to take awesome meeting notes
Embed an Excel spreadsheet
Create to-do lists
Make and share shopping lists
Capture audio and video
OneNote for students webinar
OneNote for holiday planning webinar
Onetastic for OneNote webinar

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For IT pros
IT administrators have a wide variety of responsibilities when it comes to managing Office 365. While
this guide doesnt cover every single task an IT pro might deal with, were providing some links that
should cover the breadth of your work.

Resources and training

Check the system requirements for Office 365 ProPlus and Office 2013.
Get started with O365 using FastTrack.
Ignite Guides for Office 365 provide great introductions.
Check out Office 365 training from Microsoft Learning.
Browse the Office 365 courses on Microsoft Virtual Academy.
Follow the Garage Series for Office 365 for a fun take on technical topics.
Office 365 on TechNet is a great resource for articles and information.
Scroll through Technets library of articles on Office 365.
The Office 365 community has many valuable resources, including this Manage Office 365 wiki.
Stay security-minded with the Office 365 Trust Center.
Get some FREE eBooks from Microsoft.
Training from Pluralsight on Office 365 administration. (Note: this training has a fee.)
Training from [Link] on Office 365 administration. (Note: this training has a fee.)
Learn about using PowerShell to manage O365 and advanced to some scripts for managing
users.

Staying ahead of the curve

Watch out for known issues.

Get early updates for your users.
Keep an eye on the Office 365 roadmap from Microsoft.

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Other apps and platforms

Access
Access is a database management system that Office 365 users may use in a few different ways. Access
Web App allows users to build a database in Access, then use and share with others as a SharePoint app
in a web browser.
Access 2013 Quick Start Guide
Access training courses
Basic tasks for an Access app
Basic tasks for an Access 2013 desktop database

Project
Project is a project management program that assists PMs in planning, assigning tasks, tracking progress,
budgeting, and analysis. Project Pro for Office 365 is available as a subscription through Office 365.
Project 2013 Quick Start Guide

Publisher
Publisher is a desktop publishing application that emphasizes page layout and design. 2013 provides
new ways picture and text effects.
Publisher 2013 Quick Start Guide

Visio
Visio is Microsofts diagramming and flow chart application. Visio 2013 has updated diagram templates,
new styles and themes, and other useful tools.
Visio 2013 Quick Start Guide

Office for Mac

Word 2011
PowerPoint 2011
Excel 2011
Outlook 2011

Office for mobile

Overview of Office on mobile devices

Use Office 365 on any device

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New & fun

Check back here for information and links to new Office 365 products and features, interesting news,
and some fun odds & ends that will keep you busy.

Office Sway is a new presentation tool that looks like a sophisticated big sister of PowerPoint.
Microsoft announced Sway in October 2014 and the preview became generally available in
December.
You may have noticed Delve in your Office 365 tenant. Its been described as a new way to
discover relevant information and connections from across your work life. Basically, its an app
that uses Office Graph to surface the most useful and relevant information youve been working
on in a card-like interface. And whats Office Graph? Its the machine-learning component that
actually powers Delve. You can learn more on the Office Blogs.

Just for fun

Add Clippy and friends to any website.

Discover past Easter eggs in Microsoft products.
Rob Schneider in Microsoft ads, playing Google docs? Its true.
Check your humor proficiency level with Microsoft.
See beautiful art created in Excel.
Read a passionate defense of PowerPoint.
Outlook calendar trivia

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Conclusion
Office 365 is a powerful and trustworthy full-service productivity suite with a wide variety of capabilities
for IT pros, power users, and true beginners. At Office 365 Ninja, we love the opportunities and
challenges that Office 365 brings to businesses. We hope youve found our Ultimate Guide to Office 365
useful, relevant, and comprehensive.
For more information on 365 Ninja, please visit [Link] or email ninja@[Link].

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