Soluții

9 Microsoft Excel tools that make Google Sheets users jealous

There’s no doubt that Google Sheets has closed the gap on a ton of everyday spreadsheet tasks. However, Microsoft Excel still offers a handful of specialized power tools that set it apart. From automated data cleaning to heavy-duty optimization and brilliant layout tricks, these features are a big reason Excel still leads in many workflows.

Managing messy data imports from external sources usually turns into a nightmare of manual copying, scrubbing, and sorting. Excel handles this through Power Query, its built-in data transformation tool. You can plug it directly into PDFs, local folders, or massive corporate databases, slap a few filters on it, and watch it strip out errors and reformat the entire dataset automatically.

Google Sheets doesn’t have an equivalent integrated, low-code extract-transform-load (ETL) workflow for cleaning data before it hits your grid, leaving you stuck with tedious manual approaches, bloated formulas, or custom scripting just to keep your information uniform.

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Your Excel charts are hard to read

Excel’s default charts often make data harder to read, with distracting gridlines, awkward spacing, and attention-grabbing colors. That’s why I have a quick cleanup routine to transform basic charts into more professional-looking visuals in minutes.

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How to fix it when Windows, your router, and Chrome are all using different DNS servers

Changing your DNS server used to feel straightforward. Pick Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, or whatever else. Type in some IP addresses. Call it a day.

Unfortunately, modern PCs don’t always make it all that simple, and that can throw a big wrench into the state of your connection. Your router may be handing out one DNS server, all the while your OS uses another. Meanwhile, your browser may switch to encrypted DNS all on its own. How do you make sense of this mess? Put an end to all the fighting and streamline it all.

DNS is no longer just one setting

DNS is one of those things that sounds like it should only exist in one place, namely, the PC. You type in a DNS provider, your PC asks that provider where websites live, and you’re golden. Never have to think of it ever again. If only it were that simple …

Modern networks are different, and a DNS can sit at several different layers. Your router can hand out DNS servers to every device on your network through DHCP. Meanwhile, your PC can still ignore that (because why not) and use its own DNS settings. Your browser can step right in with private DNS and do its own thing. It’s a mess, and it creates contradictions.

This isn’t the end of the world, but it does make troubleshooting annoying. You may think you changed your DNS server for your whole network, but you only changed it for your router. Similarly, you might think your PC is using your router’s DNS server, but Windows may have a manual setting buried in the adapter options.

Your router’s DNS only works if devices listen to it

Changing DNS on your router is the cleanest option (in theory). It lets you manage the whole network from one place, so it does make sense.

To change DNS on your router, simply log into its admin page or app, and then dig for settings like Internet, WAN, DHCP, or LAN DNS. Enter your preferred primary and secondary DNS servers there, and you’re all sorted. Again, in theory.

The problem is that your router is usually making a recommendation rather than handing out orders here. If your PC, phone, browser, VPN, or anything else are already configured to use something else, well, tough luck, your router’s DNS preference may not stay.

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Windows DNS can override your router

Things get even more “fun” once your operating system enters the chat. Your router may be handing out the DNS server you carefully picked, only for Windows to say “no thanks” and keep using its own settings instead. This is especially true if you’ve changed those settings at some point in the past, so if you’re like me and you like to play around with random stuff on your PC, you never know what you’ll end up with.

This can also happen per adapter, which means your Ethernet connection and your Wi-Fi connection might not even be using the same DNS setup. Oh, joy.

To change DNS in Windows, head to Settings > Network & Internet, pick your active connection, open the DNS assignment settings, and switch from automatic to manual.

That’s useful when you only want one PC to use a different provider, but it’s also the exact reason router-level DNS changes don’t always do what you’d expect.

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And your browser may bypass both the router and the OS

As if all of this mess wasn’t enough, your browser can be the final boss in this whole setup, coming in with its very own DNS settings.

Chrome, Edge, and Firefox all have some version of secure DNS, which usually means DNS-over-HTTPS. That can be a great privacy feature, but it also means your browser may use a different DNS path than the one configured on your router/OS.

To fix this, open your browser’s settings and search for DNS or Secure DNS. In Chrome or Edge, this is usually tucked under privacy settings.

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How to improve your PC, using 5 hidden Windows features

Windows’s default clipboard has been a source of minor but constant annoyance: it holds exactly one thing. If you copy something new, the previous item is wiped out. It is enough of a problem that multiple third-party apps were created to address the shortcoming.

Now, Windows has Clipboard History built in, though it isn’t enabled by default. To turn it on, press Windows+i, then navigate to System > Clipboard, and click the toggle next to Clipboard history.

Once it is enabled, you can press Win+V to view up to 25 items in your clipboard history, including text, images, and links. If you have specific pieces of information you use daily—like an email signature, a common code snippet, or a home address—you should pin up some of those items. Pinned items persist between system reboots and clipboard history clears, which means you never have to hunt to find something when you need it.

You can even enable sync in the Clipboard settings, allowing your copied text to follow you between different PCs signed in to the same Microsoft account. Once you get into the habit of using Win+V, the standard copy-paste function will feel useless by comparison.

Voice typing actually works now

Windows dictation software has a reputation for being clunky and difficult to use, but that isn’t the case anymore. Thanks to the improvements in AI that we’ve seen since 2024, voice typing accuracy has improved significantly, especially for technical vocabulary. You don’t have to spend your time manually fixing formatting either. The tool supports punctuation commands like “period,” “new line,” and “question mark,” which prevents your text from turning into a rambling mess.

To use voice typing, press Windows+H anywhere there is a text field.

While it isn’t a full replacement for high-end professional software, it is free, built-in, and more than good enough for long-form writing, taking down a sudden idea, or writing quick messages when your hands are full.

Snap layouts make window management effortless

You can manually drag windows to the edges of your screen to split your display up, but you’re doing more work than is necessary in most cases. Windows’ Snap Layouts allow you to instantly arrange your Windows into predefined halves, thirds, or quarters. Just hover over the maximize button on any window or press Win+Z.

One of the most practical aspects of this system is the Snap Group. If you snap a browser and a document side-by-side, Windows remembers them as a pair. When you Alt+Tab, you can bring the entire group back together.

Live captions transcribe any audio on your device

You can enable real-time subtitles for any audio playing through your speakers by going to Settings > Accessibility > Captions, or by pressing Win+Ctrl+L. The audio is processed locally on your device; nothing is sent to the cloud, which is critical if you’re privacy conscious or if whatever you’re captioning demands confidentiality.

I’ve mostly taken to using it when it is too hot to wear my headphones. I can just toggle it on and keep watching without disrupting anyone around me.

There are some hardware requirements you need to meet. Basic same-language captioning works on any Windows 11 PC running 22H2 and up, but if you want real-time translation, you will need Copilot+ hardware with an NPU and at least Windows 11 24H2.

Dynamic Lock locks your PC when you walk away

Fortunately, Windows has an easy way to handle that automatically by pairing your phone with your PC. When your phone gets out of range (about 20 feet in my house, though your wall materials and layout will affect that), your computer will automatically lock after about 30 seconds. There is no need to install a separate app on your phone, the setup just uses the Bluetooth connection itself. While the 30-second delay means it isn’t a guarantee no one can access my PC, it does mean it won’t remain unlocked if I step away for a long time.

I especially like this feature when I’m working on my laptop in public.

You can enable Dynamic Lock by navigating to Settings > Bluetooth & devices and pairing your phone, then enabling Dynamic Lock in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

Microsoft includes tons of great tools if you dig for them

These tools aren’t alone either. There are tons of practical tools buried in Windows, unappreciated and underutilized.

Each of these tools takes less than a minute to enable, but they can make a significant difference in your day-to-day workflow. It is worth the small investment of time to find them and set them up. If you’re looking for even more advanced customization options, I’d recommend checking out Microsoft PowerToys. It gives you a huge range of fantastic tools that make Windows much more pleasant to use.

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