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OneCoolTip is for people who use technology every day and want it to work better, faster, and with less frustration.

One practical tech improvement. Every day. In under two minutes.

One Cool Tip shows you small changes that make a real difference; new features, smarter settings, and overlooked tools that save time and reduce friction across the tech you already use.

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Make Excel Copilot Work Your Way Every Time

Make Excel Copilot Work Your Way Every Time

Stop repeating the same formatting instructions in Excel. Copilot personalization lets you define your preferences once and get consistent results every time.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 22, 2026

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If you use Copilot in Excel often, you have likely run into this. 

You ask for a report, then spend time correcting formatting, adjusting formulas, or rewriting outputs to match your usual style. 

The work still gets done, but it rarely looks the same twice.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Teach Copilot Your Style Once and Reuse It Automatically.

Microsoft is starting to close that gap with personalization. 

Instead of retyping the same instructions, you can define how you want results to look and let Copilot follow those preferences automatically.

Feature Explanation

Personalization in Copilot in Excel allows you to define preferred formats, structures, and output styles. 

Once saved, those preferences apply across your Copilot sessions and workbooks. 

The goal is simple. 

You replace repeated prompt instructions with reusable defaults.

You can control details such as:

• Currency and number formatting.
• Date formats and measurement units.
• Table styles and layout options.
• Formula preferences.
• Chart types and color choices.
• PivotTable labeling.
• Level of detail in explanations.
• Tone and wording of responses.

Preferences are entered in plain language. Once saved, they are applied to future Copilot prompts without additional effort.

This feature addresses a common problem with AI tools. Without consistency, results vary from one prompt to the next. 

Personalization adds structure and predictability, especially for users who rely on repeatable reporting or analysis.

What You’ll Gain

• Save time by avoiding repeated instructions.
• Get consistent formatting across reports.
• Reduce cleanup work after Copilot responses.
• Make outputs match your workflow automatically.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's how to do it.

Web/Desktop (Excel with Copilot):

1. Open Excel and launch Copilot.
2. In the Copilot pane, select Settings. 
3. Choose Personalization.
4. Enter your preferences in short, clear statements.
5. Example: “Always format currency with two decimal places.”
6. Select Save.
7. Run a new Copilot prompt. Your preferences apply automatically. 
8. What you should see: Copilot outputs that reflect your saved formatting, layout, and explanation preferences.

fig. 1 - Personalize Microsoft Excel Copilot example

Examples:

Try adding these to your Excel Copilot personalization:

• Currency formatting:

“Always format currency with a dollar sign, two decimal places, and show negative numbers in red with parentheses.”

• Date format:

“Use the date format MM/DD/YYYY across all tables and charts.”

• Report structure:

“Start every analysis with a short summary, followed by detailed tables.”

• Chart preferences:

“Use clustered column charts by default and apply a blue, gray, and orange color palette.”

• Formula style:

“Use structured references and named ranges whenever possible, and keep formulas easy to read.”

• Table layout standard:

“Apply banded rows, bold headers, and include a totals row at the bottom of every table.”

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Reduces repeated prompts for frequent users.
• Creates consistent outputs across workbooks.
• Saves time on formatting and cleanup.
• Helps teams standardize reporting styles.

Cons:

1. Requires initial setup.
2. Results may still vary for complex tasks.
3. Depends on Copilot licensing and availability.
4. Mobile support is currently limited.

Feature Access

• Availability: Available with Copilot in Excel and still rolling out across environments.
• Platforms: Web, Windows, and macOS versions of Excel support the feature.
• Requirements:
• Microsoft 365 subscription with Copilot.
• Supported version of Excel.
• Proper licensing and account setup.

Score

Criterion  |  Score (0–10)  |  Justification 

Value  |  9

Eliminates repetitive steps and improves consistency for regular Excel users.

Usability  |  8

Simple to configure, though the setting may not be obvious at first.

Wow Factor  |  7

Subtle feature with meaningful everyday impact rather than visual novelty.

Total: 24/30 👍 Good

A practical improvement that makes Copilot more useful in real workflows by reducing repetition.

Comparable to custom instruction features in Copilot Chat, but better suited for structured data.

Key Takeaways

• Personalization makes Copilot more predictable and more aligned with how you work. Instead of repeating instructions, you define them once and move faster.
• For frequent Excel users, the time savings build quickly.

Cool Tip Snapshot

• Feature Name: Copilot Personalization in Excel.
• Platform(s): Windows, macOS, Web.
• Quick Benefit: Applies consistent formatting and style automatically.
• Best For: Business users, analysts, frequent Excel users.
• Access Type: Subscription / Rolling Out.
• Difficulty: Easy.

Try It Yourself

Open Copilot in Excel, add a few short preferences, and test your next report. 

Share your results in the comments, and subscribe to the One Cool Tip newsletter for more practical tips you can use every day.

READ MORE

• Let ChatGPT Do the Spreadsheet Heavy Lifting
  
• Excel’s GROUPBY Function: Pivot Table Power In A Single Formula
  
• Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat
  
• MORE Microsoft Excel Cool Tips

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Talk to the World With Gemini 3.5 Live Translate

Talk to the World With Gemini 3.5 Live Translate

Google just upgraded real-time translation with Gemini 3.5 Live Translate, allowing you to have natural conversations across 70 languages without waiting for your turn to speak. This new model preserves your tone and pace for smoother communication.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 21, 2026

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Ever tried having a conversation using a traditional translation app? 

You speak your sentence, tap a button, wait for the app to translate the text, wait for the artificial voice to read it aloud, and then wait for the other person to respond. 

It feels more like using a walkie-talkie than having a real conversation. The natural rhythm of human interaction is completely lost in the process. 

Here's a Cool Tip:  Google Gemini Live Translate.

This new Gemini 3.5 Live speech-to-speech audio model listens and speaks continuously. 

It stays just a few seconds behind the speaker and keeps their original tone, pacing, and pitch. You can speak naturally, and the model automatically detects the language and translates it on the fly. 

Because it processes audio natively rather than converting it to text first, it doesn't sound like a robotic voice reading from a script. 

It sounds like you. 

This feature is currently rolling out globally to the Google Translate app on Android and iOS, and to Google Meet for select business users.

Make ChatGPT Remind You Before You Forget

Make ChatGPT Remind You Before You Forget

ChatGPT Scheduled Tasks lets you turn useful prompts into reminders, recurring updates, and monitoring alerts. Instead of remembering to ask ChatGPT later, you can tell it what to do, when to do it, and when to notify you.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 20, 2026

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You probably already use ChatGPT for quick answers, writing help, research, planning, and brainstorming. The problem is timing.

A good prompt is only useful if you remember to run it when it matters. 

That weekly planning checklist, daily language practice, travel reminder, or afternoon briefing can easily slip through the cracks.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Schedule ChatGPT to Help Later.

ChatGPT Scheduled Tasks lets you schedule ChatGPT to run a prompt later, repeat a useful prompt on a schedule, or watch for a change and notify you when there is something meaningful to report.

This is not just a calendar reminder with a smarter label. 

It is a way to turn ChatGPT prompts into lightweight routines.

Take Flight From Your Browser with Google Earth’s Free Web Simulator

Take Flight From Your Browser with Google Earth’s Free Web Simulator

Google Earth brought its popular flight simulator out of the desktop app and straight into your web browser. In just a few clicks, you can pilot a plane over any landmark in the world without installing a single program.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 19, 2026

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Dropping a yellow pegman into a random street view is a popular way to explore cities. 

Exploring from the cockpit of an airplane offers a completely different perspective.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Fly Over Any City in the World Directly from Your Web Browser with Google.

For years, the Google Earth desktop app harbored a hidden feature: a built-in flight simulator. 

It offered a stunning way to view the world’s topography, but accessing it meant downloading heavy software. 

Google brought this feature directly to the web. 

Exploring the planet’s dynamic 3D terrain from thousands of feet in the air requires nothing more than a modern web browser and a little curiosity.

Turn On iPhone’s Enhanced Safety Alerts

Turn On iPhone’s Enhanced Safety Alerts

iOS 26 adds Enhanced Safety Alerts to help iPhone users in supported regions receive supplemental emergency information for events like earthquakes, floods, and imminent threats. The setting is worth checking because some alerts are on by default, while one optional delivery improvement is off unless you enable it.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 17, 2026

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Emergency alerts are one of those iPhone features you hope you never need.

But when weather turns dangerous, an earthquake hits, or local officials issue a serious warning, your phone can become one of the fastest ways to get information.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Check Your Enhanced Safety Alerts.

Apple has added another safety layer with Enhanced Safety Alerts, a feature available on iPhone in supported regions with iOS 26.2 or later. 

It does not replace government emergency alerts. 

Instead, it can provide supplemental safety alerts delivered by Apple over Wi-Fi and cellular data when available.

That makes this a smart setting to review, especially if you live in an earthquake-prone region, travel often, or help manage phones for family members.

3 Smart Windows 11 Printer Tricks That Save Time and Ink

3 Smart Windows 11 Printer Tricks That Save Time and Ink

Printing mistakes and repetitive settings can quietly waste time, ink, and paper. These three Windows 11 printer tips help you take control and keep things running smoothly.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 17, 2026

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You only meant to print one page, but the printer starts churning through an entire document in full color.

That’s a quick way to burn through ink and patience.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Take Control of Printing Before It Wastes Your Time and Money.

Windows 11 includes useful printer tools most people never touch.

Once you know where they are, you can stop mistakes instantly, automate your settings, and manage printers with far more control.

Find Your Place Faster in Long ChatGPT Chats

Find Your Place Faster in Long ChatGPT Chats

ChatGPT can now show a Table of Contents in longer conversations on the web, making big chats easier to scan and reuse. It is a small interface improvement with a real productivity payoff for anyone who uses ChatGPT for research, planning, writing, troubleshooting, or work notes.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 16, 2026

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Long ChatGPT conversations can get messy fast.

You start with one simple question. Then you ask for a rewrite, a comparison, a checklist, a troubleshooting step, a social post, and maybe one more “make it shorter” request.

Before long, the useful answer is buried somewhere above, and scrolling becomes the new search.

Here's a Cool Tip:  ChatGPT Table of Contents.

OpenAI has added a practical fix for that problem: a Table of Contents for longer ChatGPT conversations on the web. 

Conversations longer than five responses can now include a table of contents so users can scan sections and jump to the part they need.

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Rodger Mansfield, a seasoned tech expert, is the mastermind behind www.OneCoolTip.com where he serves as both writer and editor. With a keen eye for simplifying complex tech, Rodger delivers practical advice that empowers readers to navigate the digital world with confidence. Dive into www.OneCoolTip.com for a treasure trove of savvy tips and tricks that keep you one step ahead in tech.

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Turn Copilot Notebooks into Your Smart Workweek Engine

Turn Copilot Notebooks into Your Smart Workweek Engine

Copilot Notebooks help you organize your work and turn scattered information into real deliverables. This Cool Tip shows how to use it to manage projects and create Word, Excel, and more.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

June 15, 2026

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Monday morning usually starts the same way. 

You’ve got meeting notes, half-finished drafts, and scattered documents that need to become something usable.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Build Your Week Around an AI-powered Notebook

Copilot Notebooks is built for that exact moment. 

It doesn’t just organize your content. 

It helps you turn it into finished work.