Although the Office 2021 Professional Plus version was released some time ago, many users are still unaware of its numerous improvements and capabilities to make working with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email even more convenient and efficient. In this article, we will examine in detail the main features of Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus and demonstrate how they can assist you in solving various tasks.
Excel Functions
Excel has always been one of the most powerful and flexible Office applications, indispensable for working with data and calculations. The 2021 version introduced a range of new and improved functions designed to expand user capabilities and simplify many tasks. Let’s consider the most interesting of these innovations.
XLOOKUP — Replacement for the VLOOKUP Function
XLOOKUP is intended to be a full-fledged replacement for VLOOKUP, eliminating its drawbacks:
- Unlike VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP can search for values both left to right and right to left. There is no need to ensure that the data being searched is in the leftmost column of the table.
- XLOOKUP does not require data to be sorted in a specific way. The searched value can be in any location within the range, significantly expanding data organization possibilities.
- One of VLOOKUP’s problems is handling situations where the searched value is not found in the table. In XLOOKUP, you can specify text or a value to be returned in such cases. This allows formulas to be more informative and avoids errors.
- XLOOKUP provides a choice between exact and approximate matching modes for the searched value. This enables finding not only exact matches but also the closest suitable values in the table.
SORT Function
Sorting data is one of the basic operations when working with tables. Typically, the corresponding commands on the Excel ribbon are used for this, but with the SORT function, sorting can be performed directly in formulas:
- The function passes a range of cells to be sorted. This can be either a single column or an entire table with multiple columns.
- The column number by which sorting will be performed is specified using a special index argument. Thus, you can easily indicate which table field will be used as the sorting key.
- The sorting order (ascending or descending) is determined by the corresponding function argument. If necessary, the sorting direction can be easily changed without modifying the data itself.
- SORT allows sorting data both by rows and by columns. The sorting direction is set using a special switch argument.
Using the SORT function in formulas provides more flexible options for managing data order than traditional sorting methods. Additionally, sorting results are automatically updated when the source data changes, which is convenient when working with constantly changing tables.
UNIQUE Function
The UNIQUE function creates a list of unique values from the past cell range:
- You can pass one or more columns — in the latter case, unique combinations of values will be found.
- Using a special argument, you can obtain a list of values that occur in the range exactly once.
SEQUENCE Function
The SEQUENCE function generates a sequence of numbers with specified parameters:
- The number of rows and columns that the generated sequence will contain.
- The starting value of the sequence.
- The increment step between adjacent numbers in the sequence.
FILTER Function
FILTER allows filtering a cell range based on a specified condition and outputting only the matching values:
- The source range from which data will be selected.
- The condition that the selected values must meet.
- The function is convenient to combine with the SEQUENCE function for automatic numbering of filtered rows.
LET Function
The LET function allows assigning names to intermediate calculations and then using them in formulas:
- Names can be assigned to both individual values and entire cell ranges.
- When used in formulas, names are substituted instead of cell references.
- This makes complex formulas more understandable and eliminates duplication of expression parts.
Handwriting Input Capabilities in PowerPoint
PowerPoint 2021 offers several tools for working with handwriting input:
- Playback of hand-drawn elements with a gradual line appearance effect.
- Adjusting playback speed and adding pauses at desired points.
- Converting drawn shapes into standard PowerPoint shapes using the Ink to Shape command.
- Recognizing handwritten text and converting it to typed text using the Ink to Text command.
- Recognizing handwritten mathematical expressions and automatically formatting them using the Ink to Math command.
Built-in Translator in Outlook
Outlook 2021 can quickly translate email text into another language directly in the reading window:
- To translate, simply click the Translate button and select the target language.
- The option to view the original text of the email is provided.
- The default translation language can be set in Outlook settings.
The updates in Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus are primarily aimed at improving user convenience and efficiency. The enhanced interface, new Excel functions, handwriting input tools, and built-in translator are designed to make working with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email more comfortable and productive.
We have covered only some capabilities of Office 2021. Please don’t hesitate to explore the suite’s programs on your own — you are likely to find many other useful functions and improvements.