How to avoid mistakes: in Excel 365 and 2019

By Ina Koys

Nobody intends to make mistakes. Still, they happen. Sometimes users may not be aware of requirements or make typos. What begins as a small error, later leads to unnecessary work that costs time, money, and nerves. Here, you'll learn how to guide users in a way that makes errors less likely or even impossible. Or to inform them on input what's r

• Language: English
• Publisher: Computertrainerin.de
• Release date: May 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9783947536719

Ina Koys

Ina Koys is an experienced instructor for Microsoft Office. Many questions are frequently asked in trainings, but seldom covered in books. Now she answers some of them in her originally German "short & spicy" series. A little accent will add to the fun :-)

Book preview

In offices and in private, Excel files are the midpoint of important facts and figures. Incorrect input is not only annoying, but it also costs time, money, and nerves. And it’s not necessary, either. You can make sure that people only can enter what makes sense and then spend your time with more pleasant things.

Here, you’ll learn several ways to make sure everything runs smoothly.

All screenshots are done using Excel 365. Excel 2019 is rather rare and mostly is only optically different.

Chances are you don’t need example data. But if, you can download them at

www.shortandspicy.online/

And now have fun securing your Excel files!

For a while lot was unclear about who uses which version. That problem should be solved now with the start screens displaying the installed version.

The functional difference between Office 365 and 2019 is the cloud connection, that is inextricable part of 365 and almost non-existent in 2019. Also, Excel 2019 looks somewhat different. Still, the differences are so small, you seldom will notice. Most of the features we’re going to cover are the same in both versions and most of the former versions, too.

Only the last chapter is entirely meant for users of Excel 365. Its features won’t work in any other office version.

This would clearly be the hardest way to lock out any other user. Attempting to open the file, a password is asked and if one doesn’t know it, it won’t open. Not at all. Neither for the creator of the file if the password is forgotten. Important company data could be inaccessible forever. Therefore, password protection is sometimes forbidden in companies. It would be better to think twice and maybe better take a protected folder in the company network, where the administrator can get access and rescue your files.

If you still decide it was a good idea to block the access that strictly, it works this way: Click File to open the Backstage Area.