Clean Up Messy Excel Data With One Copilot Prompt

Clean Up Messy Excel Data With One Copilot Prompt

Messy spreadsheet data can quietly interfere with formulas, lookups, PivotTables, reports and AI-generated insights. Microsoft's new Clean Data skill for Copilot in Excel can inspect your data, explain potential problems and propose corrections for you to review.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

Nov. 9, 2026

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A date entered differently in a few rows or a customer name with an extra space may look harmless. 

In Excel, those little inconsistencies can cause much bigger headaches when you build formulas, PivotTables, lookups or reports.

Microsoft is giving Copilot a more direct way to help.

The new Clean Data skill examines relevant spreadsheet data for problems including extra spaces, inconsistent text and number formats, inconsistent dates, duplicate values and values stored as the wrong data type. 

It explains what it finds and proposes corrections in the workbook. 

You review those recommendations and decide which changes to apply.

That last part matters. 

Cleaning a spreadsheet isn't simply about making everything look uniform. 

A duplicate customer name, for example, might indicate a mistake, or it might represent perfectly legitimate data. Context still counts.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Type @clean-data and let Copilot spot the spreadsheet mess, then review the fixes yourself.

Gemini Notebook Adds Hundreds of Free Textbooks for AI-Powered Studying

Gemini Notebook Adds Hundreds of Free Textbooks for AI-Powered Studying

Google recently added hundreds of free textbooks directly into the Gemini Notebook workspace. Students and educators can now instantly transform massive volumes of academic material into tailored study guides and practice quizzes.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

Nov. 8, 2026

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Every student knows the feeling of staring at a massive textbook and wondering how to extract the most important information before an exam. 

Google just offered a highly practical solution to that exact problem. 

The company recently announced that Gemini Notebook now includes hundreds of free textbooks from major educational publishers. 

This update transforms static reading assignments into interactive study sessions.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Add free textbooks to Gemini Notebook to instantly generate personalized study materials.

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Make Animated GIFs With ChatGPT Images 2.6

Make Animated GIFs With ChatGPT Images 2.6

ChatGPT Images 2.6 lets you create animated GIFs using simple text prompts or existing pictures. Learn how to bring characters, photos and creative ideas to life without complicated animation software.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

November 7, 2026

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Ever wish you could make a funny animated reaction, a waving company mascot or an eye-catching graphic for social media without learning animation software?

Now ChatGPT can help.

OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Images 2.6 on Nov. 4, 2026, bringing faster image generation, improved editing capabilities and a new way to create animated GIFs.

Instead of drawing individual frames or mastering complicated editing tools, you can describe the animation you want and let ChatGPT handle much of the creative work.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn your ideas and pictures into animated GIFs with ChatGPT Images 2.6.

Experience Interactive Learning With Gemini Immersive Explorations

Experience Interactive Learning With Gemini Immersive Explorations

Learning complex subjects often requires more than just reading plain text on a screen. Google recently introduced Gemini Immersive Explorations to give students and curious minds an interactive, visual way to understand difficult concepts.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

November 3, 2026

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Many students struggle to visualize abstract concepts like the molecular structure of life or the immense scale of deep space. 

Textbooks and standard search results provide facts, but they often fail to connect the dots in a way that truly clicks for visual learners. 

Google has recognized this gap and is introducing a new educational feature within its AI assistant to bridge it.

In late October 2026, Google rolled out Immersive Explorations inside the Gemini app. 

This tool moves beyond standard text responses to offer an interactive encyclopedia experience. 

Users can click through 20 curated subjects, seeing high-quality visuals and peeling back layers of information to see how things work. 

Whether you are helping a child with a science project or just expanding your own knowledge, this feature turns passive reading into active discovery.

Here's a Cool Tip: Visually explore complex topics layer by layer using Gemini Immersive Explorations.

How to Lock Your ChatGPT Chats and Keep Them Private

How to Lock Your ChatGPT Chats and Keep Them Private

Got a ChatGPT conversation you'd rather keep private? The new Locked Chats feature hides selected conversations from regular history and search while protecting access with a PIN or supported device authentication.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 27, 2026

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Keep Your Private ChatGPT Conversations Out of Sight

Picture this: You're sharing your screen during a work meeting when someone notices a personal ChatGPT conversation in your sidebar.

Maybe it's about your finances, a confidential project, a family surprise, or something you'd simply prefer to keep private.

Until recently, keeping those conversations out of sight often meant archiving or deleting them, or using Temporary Chat when you didn't need to save the discussion.

Now there's another option.

OpenAI recently introduced Locked Chats, allowing users to protect selected conversations with a four-digit PIN while keeping them out of regular chat history and search.

Unlike deleting a conversation, locking it preserves the discussion so you can return to it later.

Here's a Cool Tip: Lock sensitive ChatGPT conversations to keep them out of sight without losing them.

Make Your PowerPoint Slides Interactive

Make Your PowerPoint Slides Interactive

PowerPoint presentations don't have to be a parade of static slides anymore. Interactive Slides uses Copilot to create visual experiences that you and your audience can explore during a presentation.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 26, 2026

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You have probably sat through a presentation where a complicated chart or crowded timeline appeared on screen and everyone was expected to understand it instantly.

Microsoft is giving PowerPoint presenters another option.

Interactive Slides uses Copilot to create slides with visual elements you can explore during a presentation. 

Depending on what Copilot creates, you might expand a step, filter a chart, or move through a timeline instead of simply looking at a finished graphic.

The feature is particularly interesting for dashboards, project timelines, comparisons, business processes, and other subjects where revealing information progressively can help an audience follow the story.

There is one important catch. Interactive Slides are still rolling out. 

The rollout for PowerPoint on Windows and Mac in Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel began in mid-October 2026 and is expected to finish by the end of October. 

The web rollout follows the same schedule.

Here's a Cool Tip: Ask Copilot to turn complicated information into a slide your audience can explore.

Feature Explanation

Talk Directly to Your Inbox with Gmail Live on Mobile

Talk Directly to Your Inbox with Gmail Live on Mobile

Finding specific details buried inside sprawling email threads usually requires tedious scrolling and pinching on small mobile screens. Gmail Live introduces a conversational voice interface that reads your inbox context and delivers spoken answers alongside direct source citations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 25, 2026

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You are walking through an airport terminal carrying luggage, or standing in line grabbing morning coffee, when an urgent question pops into your head: 

Which gate did that connecting flight move to, or what time is that vendor proposal due? 

Opening your mobile email client and typing keywords into a tiny search bar is slow, awkward, and frustrating when you only have one free hand.

Google is addressing that friction directly by rolling out Gmail Live to mobile devices. 

Instead of forcing you to hunt through dozens of multi-threaded conversations, the mobile app now lets you talk back and forth with an AI voice agent that understands your actual inbox contents.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Tap the Live icon in the Gmail search bar to ask spoken questions and hear instant answers drawn directly from your email threads.

Google Chrome's New AI Protection Helps Stop Online Scams

Google Chrome's New AI Protection Helps Stop Online Scams

Google Chrome is getting smarter about detecting online scams, including fake virus warnings and dangerous instructions hidden on websites. Learn how its improved AI-powered protection works and the simple setting that can help you browse more safely.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 24, 2026

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You're browsing the web when a frightening warning appears. 

Your computer is infected, your browser needs an urgent update, or you must run a special command to fix a problem.

It looks convincing. 

But is it real?

Google Chrome is strengthening its defenses against these increasingly sophisticated online scams, and artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role.

Google made several improvements to Chrome's scam detection, including suspicious website warnings, expanded Gemini AI analysis, and protection against a deceptive technique called ClickFix.

These improvements help Chrome recognize potential threats before you fall for a scam.

Here's a Cool Tip: Turn on Chrome's Enhanced Protection to help protect yourself against the latest online scams.

One Copilot to Rule Them All: Microsoft Combines Its Apps

One Copilot to Rule Them All: Microsoft Combines Its Apps

Confused by Microsoft's collection of similarly named Copilot apps? Microsoft is consolidating its Copilot experiences into one updated app that can handle personal, work, and school accounts and, for eligible users, create Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 19, 2026

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If you've ever looked at Microsoft's assortment of Copilot apps and wondered which one you were supposed to open, Microsoft has apparently heard you.

The company is consolidating existing Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot app installations into a single Microsoft Copilot application experience. 

The updated app can support personal, work, and school accounts while connecting Copilot with Microsoft 365 apps, files, and content.

One clarification is important. Microsoft isn't renaming the entire Microsoft 365 service. 

The Microsoft 365 (Office) app and the standalone Copilot app are now being brought together under the unified name Microsoft Copilot.

There's another benefit hiding behind that name change. 

Eligible users can use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents inside Microsoft Copilot to create actual documents, workbooks, and presentations simply by describing what they need.

For most existing users, the transition should not require much work. 

Most updates happen automatically, and web users are automatically redirected to the updated Copilot experience.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use the new unified Copilot as your starting point for chat, files, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Combine Carts Across Stores Using Google's New Universal Cart

Combine Carts Across Stores Using Google's New Universal Cart

Juggling dozens of browser tabs and forgotten online carts across different websites creates digital clutter and missed savings. Google's new Universal Cart unites your items from multiple retailers into a single shared shopping hub inside Google Search and the Gemini app.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 17, 2026

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Online shopping often turns into a messy browser session with twenty open tabs, three separate retail logins, and screenshots scattered across your phone gallery. 

You put a pair of running shoes in one store cart, household supplies in another, and completely lose track of discount codes before you finish buying.

Google is tackling that digital sprawl by adding cross-retailer checkout and tracking directly inside its ecosystem. 

Instead of visiting store sites individually, shoppers can now gather products across brands into one persistent cart.

Here's a Cool Tip: Combine products from competing retailers into Google's Universal Cart to track price drops, compare card perks, and check out without tab overload.

Give Your ChatGPT Creations a Home With Shareable Profiles

Give Your ChatGPT Creations a Home With Shareable Profiles

Give people a place to meet you and explore what you build with ChatGPT. Shareable Profiles combine a personal introduction with a showcase of your Sites, with controls over what you display.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 13, 2026

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You build a useful tool with ChatGPT, share it with a friend, and then build something else. 

Soon, your creations are scattered across messages and bookmarks. 

When someone asks what you have been making, you find yourself collecting links again.

A profile gives visitors a place to start. Introduce yourself, then point people toward your most useful creations.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create a ChatGPT Shareable Profile and feature your most useful Sites.

Ask Gemini in Chrome to Explain Videos and Audio You Just Played

Ask Gemini in Chrome to Explain Videos and Audio You Just Played

Gemini in Chrome can examine the video and audio content you play in your browser tabs to answer specific questions, pull quick summaries, and locate key information. Here is how to verify your settings, ensure page sharing is active, and query multimedia content without hunting through timestamps.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 11, 2026

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You sit through a 45-minute recorded presentation or a dense technical tutorial on the web, only to realize you forgot the exact step demonstrated halfway through. 

Scrubbing through a video timeline or replaying audio clips to find a 30-second explanation drains time and breaks concentration.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Ask Gemini directly about multimedia you have already played in Chrome to get instant answers from the recording.

Google Chrome tackles this friction directly on desktop computers through Gemini in Chrome. 

Rather than requiring third-party transcription extensions or manual note-taking, the browser can interpret the media streams running inside your active tabs.

Is This AI? Check Before You Share

Is This AI? Check Before You Share 

Google’s SynthID Detector checks images, videos, and audio for hidden AI watermarks. Learn how to interpret the results before sharing something that looks surprisingly real.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 10, 2026

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A remarkable photo lands in your group chat.

 A video shows something almost too incredible to believe. An audio clip sounds convincing enough to forward.

Before you share, you want an answer: Is this AI?

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use Google’s SynthID Detector to check for hidden AI watermarks before sharing questionable media.

Google’s SynthID Detector offers a useful starting point. 

But knowing what the detector checks is just as important as knowing how to use it.

Stop Searching Windows Settings. Let Copilot Find Them for You

Stop Searching Windows Settings. Let Copilot Find Them for You

Windows 11 has hundreds of settings, and finding the right one isn't always easy. Microsoft Copilot can help you locate, open, and understand settings using plain English, reducing frustration and saving time.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 7, 2026

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Windows 11 gives users an incredible amount of control over their PCs, but that flexibility comes with a challenge. 

Here's a Cool Tip: Use Copilot as your personal Windows 11 settings guide.

Important settings can be buried several menus deep, making even simple tasks frustrating when you cannot remember where Microsoft placed a particular option.

Need to change your microphone? 

Connect Bluetooth headphones? 

Adjust battery settings? 

Make text larger?

Instead of clicking through Settings and hunting for the right menu, try asking Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft includes Windows Settings support as part of the Copilot experience on Windows. 

The feature allows users to ask questions in natural language and receive guidance for locating settings, troubleshooting issues, and managing their PC.

The biggest benefit is simple: you no longer need to remember where Microsoft hid a setting.

Hand the Busywork to a Grok Bot

Hand the Busywork to a Grok Bot

A chatbot can draft the email. Grok Bot is built to open the tools, do the steps, and leave a finished draft for you to approve. If your week is full of follow-ups, reports, and browser chores, this is the version of Grok that keeps working after you close the laptop.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 6, 2026

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You already have a chatbot that can write a first draft. 

The slow part is everything after that: opening the spreadsheet, checking the inbox, pulling the numbers, and pasting the result where it belongs.

Grok Bot is SpaceXAI’s answer to that gap. 

It launched in August 2026 as a team of always-on agents that share a cloud computer, sign into the apps you already use, and come back when a step needs you. 

Here’s a Cool Tip: Create one focused Grok Bot, give it a single job, and make it stop before it sends or publishes anything.

It is available as desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus companion apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Create Studio-Quality Songs With Google Flow Music and Lyria 3.5

Create Studio-Quality Songs With Google Flow Music and Lyria 3.5

Google recently launched the Lyria 3.5 model inside Google Flow Music to give creators advanced control over their AI-generated tracks. This update brings improved vocal expression, complex melodies, and precise tempo adjustments to help you craft exactly the sound you want.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 4, 2026

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Producing a custom song usually requires specialized software and audio engineering skills. 

The launch of Lyria 3.5 in Google Flow Music changes this by placing advanced generation tools directly in your browser. 

This newest model from Google DeepMind upgrades melody structure and vocal emotion, making synthetic music sound remarkably natural. 

If you ever wanted to produce a custom track for a video project, write a song for a family event, or experiment with different genres, the tools are now significantly better and easier to command.

Here is a Cool Tip: Adjust tempo and duration directly in Flow Music for absolute creative control.

Try Before You Buy: ChatGPT’s Virtual Dressing Room

Try Before You Buy: ChatGPT’s Virtual Dressing Room

ChatGPT can now give you a personal preview of clothing and accessories using your photo. See how to try an item virtually, manage your saved selfie, and avoid mistaking an attractive image for a guaranteed fit.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

October 3, 2026

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That blazer looks terrific on the store’s model. 

Will it look just as good with your favorite shirt?

Online shopping gives you plenty of pictures, but usually none of you wearing the item. 

A personal preview can help you decide which styles deserve a closer look before you order.

Here’s a Cool Tip: Use ChatGPT’s virtual try-on to preview clothing with your own photo.

Improve Study Habits with Google Chrome AI Features

Improve Study Habits with Google Chrome AI Features

Google Chrome recently introduced powerful new features to organize coursework, test knowledge with AI, and sync progress across devices. These updates help students and professionals focus better and retain information longer.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

September 29, 2026

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Managing multiple classes, research papers, and study guides usually results in a messy browser with dozens of open tabs. 

It is easy to lose focus or forget exactly where you left off when switching between your laptop and your phone. 

Here is a Cool Tip: Use Chrome's new AI tools and tab management features to organize your research and test your knowledge.

Google Chrome recently updated its feature set for the 2026 academic year, adding specific tools designed to reduce digital clutter and improve information retention for heavy readers.

Stop Guessing What Changed in Excel

Stop Guessing What Changed in Excel

Shared spreadsheets can change quickly, especially when several people edit them throughout the day. Excel Copilot can help you understand what changed, who made the changes, and where to focus your attention without manually reviewing long change logs.

By Rodger Mansfield, Technology Editor

September 28, 2026

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You open an important spreadsheet on Monday morning and immediately notice that several numbers, formulas, or worksheets look different. 

The workbook was updated while you were away, but figuring out exactly what changed can take time.

Here's a Cool Tip: Ask Copilot to catch you up on Excel workbook changes.

Excel has long offered tools for reviewing changes, but those logs can become difficult to navigate in busy shared workbooks. 

Microsoft has added a Copilot capability that lets you ask questions about workbook changes in plain language and receive summaries of recent activity.

Instead of searching through long lists of edits, you can ask Copilot to explain what happened and highlight the most important updates.