While the online version of Excel (available via Office 365) isn’t nearly as feature-rich as the desktop version, Microsoft is slowly adding more features (and improving performance) to the online versions of their apps, including features you can only find in the browser-based version. In this article we’ll be touching on some new features that are available in recent versions of Excel Online, including some features that are exclusive to the Web.

All Sheets

Excel Online now has a “All Sheets” button that you’ll find to the left of the first tab. It will show all the work sheet tabs in a scrolling list, which is handy if you have a bunch of tabs in your worksheet.

Better Keyboard Shortcuts

Excel Online now supports many of the keyboard shortcuts you’re familiar with from the desktop app. To see the list of Excel keyboard shortcuts, click on the Help tab and select Keyboard Shortcuts. Override browser shortcuts is checked by default (but uncheck it if you still want browser shortcuts to be available). You can also press the “Alt” key to show ribbon shortcut tips, just like in the desktop app.

Easier Zooming

Excel Online now supports many different ways to zoom in and out on a spreadsheet:

• Pinch/stretch to zoom on touch screen or trackpad
• Ctrl + mouse wheel
• Ctrl Alt +/- key
• Click the +/- button
• Zoom button on the “View” menu tab
• Select a predefined zoom level from 25% to 200% in the bottom right corner

Version History and Show Changes

You can now view and restore versions of your Excel document using the built-in version history. Select File > Info > Version History to see what is available:

This ties into the new “Show Changes” features in Excel:

You can read more about that particular feature (and known issues) in Microsoft’s detailed article on the Show Changes feature (Images courtesy Microsoft).

Regional Settings

If you create Excel spreadsheets that require you to change the date, time, number, or currency formats for other regions, Excel online now makes that a bit easier:

• Select File > Options > Regional Format Settings, or
• Select the Number Format drop down list > More Number Formats

If you haven’t moved to Office 365, contact us today to learn more about how it can help your organization.