Chris Menard is a Microsoft MVP. He is certified in Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. His YouTube videos have over 25 million views.
Microsoft Excel
⚠️ Note: Microsoft has announced that the Excel COPILOT() function will be retired on September 14, 2026. This article is being retained for reference purposes. Excel now has a built-in COPILOT function that accepts natural language prompts directly in cells. Instead of writing complex formulas, you type a plain English
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive Request Files feature allows you to collect files from people inside or outside your organization, without letting those people see anyone else’s uploads.
Microsoft Excel
Excel now includes a built-in AutoRefresh option for PivotTables. When enabled, the PivotTable updates automatically any time the underlying data changes — no manual refresh needed. The Source Data Start with a table of customer data that includes columns for customer number, last name, first name, city, state, and purchase
Microsoft Excel
Merge and Center is one of Excel's most misused features. It looks great for formatting headers, but it breaks sorting, filtering, copying, and pasting. In this tutorial, Chris Menard explains exactly why Merge and Center causes problems and shows you the better alternative: Center Across Selection. Watch the
Microsoft Teams
As a Microsoft MVP and certified trainer, I’m always excited to share the latest productivity tools that help you work smarter. If you’re a frequent Microsoft Teams user, you’ll be thrilled to hear about the new Teams Follow Threads feature rolling out in public preview as of
Microsoft Excel
When your Excel data has multiple values crammed into a single cell — like office locations separated by commas — sorting and filtering become impossible. Power Query can split those values into separate rows, giving you clean, usable data. The Problem: Comma-Separated Values in One Cell Consider a table with employee
Microsoft Excel
Not sure which Excel function to use? Copilot Chat can figure it out for you. Instead of searching through documentation, describe what you want to do in plain English and Copilot will suggest the right function — complete with the formula and an explanation of how it works. This works in
Microsoft Copilot
If you have a Microsoft 365 business or enterprise license, you already have access to a powerful file comparison tool — and it's completely free. Copilot Chat can upload, summarize, and compare documents side by side, whether they're PDFs, Word files, or PowerPoint presentations. Accessing Copilot Chat
Microsoft Outlook
Managing emails efficiently is crucial, especially when it comes to handling attachments. I demonstrate an exciting new feature that has rolled out in Microsoft Outlook’s Copilot — the ability to summarize Outlook attachments with Copilot. While Copilot has long been capable of summarizing email bodies, this new enhancement now extends
Microsoft Excel
When multiple people work on the same Excel file, filtering and sorting can cause conflicts — one person's filter changes what everyone else sees. Sheet View solves this by allowing each person to create a personalized view of the data without affecting anyone else. What Is Sheet View? Sheet
Microsoft
Microsoft Teams now has a built-in countdown timer for meetings. Available starting July 2025, it lets you set a visible countdown that all participants can see — useful for keeping presentations, breakout discussions, and Q&A sessions on schedule. How to Access the Timer During a Teams meeting, click
Microsoft Copilot
If you're a Microsoft 365 Copilot user, you're in for a treat. This tool offers a feature that can significantly streamline your workflow by turning a simple list of names into a comprehensive list of email addresses. In this article, we'll explore how to