Good old Microsoft Excel, a decades old spreadsheeting software that has never really been bettered. We have never really moved on from the basic elements of spreadsheets, which is why Excel is still used by millions of organizations. Of course, part of the ongoing appeal is Microsoft consistently updating the app to work in modern situations.
And that leads us to the batch of updates coming to Microsoft Excel during this month. It seems these updates focus exclusively on Excel for the web.
First up is a more efficient way of handling calculations. Under the current method, in the formular bar calculations come with a helper that lists arguments for each function. Users can click the arguments to jump directly to the “helper” for this specific topic.
Microsoft is making this less confusing in an effort to decrease errors. Specifically, there is now an Argument Assistance card the shows up automatically when you write a formula. Microsoft points out the feature provides a description of the formula and arguments that are within it, as well as examples.
Coming Soon
So, this means it is possible to view help tools directly without needing to open other resources. Microsoft has not yet shown what the feature will look like, so we’ll need to wait until later this month to find out. The company does say it is possible to collapse the UI card if you do not need it.
Elsewhere in Excel for the web, Microsoft is changing the formula bar. The company says it will become a multi-line tool that users can manually resize.
Microsoft doesn’t say when both will arrive, but according to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, it should be this month.
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