In 2023, many people started to report problems with the search function on their Microsoft Teams app. However, Microsoft has now fixed the issue so, if the search bar isn’t working, it shouldn’t indicate a problem with the service. It’s more than likely just a temporary glitch, which you can fix using one of the three methods below.

Method #1: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Restarting the Teams App

Step 1: In many cases, you can fix Microsoft Teams search not working by closing and reopening the application. Use the X symbol in the top right corner of the app to close it.

Step 2: To reopen Teams, use the Search bar at the bottom of Windows — just type in “Teams,” and you should see it appear as an app option in the right of the search window. Click Open.

Step 3: Type something into the Search bar at the top of the Teams window once the app has reopened.

Step 4: If restarting the app has worked, you should now start to see names appear that correlate to your search request. Note: Always test the feature by choosing a name you are certain is listed in your Teams contacts. If the problem only occurs with a single name or person, try reinviting them to Teams.

Method #2: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Trying a Different Platform

Step 1: If you are using the Team app as shown above, try switching to the web-based version to see if the problem continues. Open any web browser window on your laptop or desktop computer and head to https://teams.live.com/v2/.

Step 2: On the web-based version, try performing another search request. Handily, the layout is just about identical and the search bar is in the same place at the top of the window. Here you can see the search request was immediately successful, suggesting that there’s a problem with the app rather than the service itself or the contacts list.

Method #3: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Reinstalling the App

Step 1: To fix this type of application problem, uninstall and reinstall the Teams app. Click Start and then Settings (the gear icon) to begin this process.

Step 2: Click on Apps on the left-hand side, then Installed apps.

Step 3: Scroll until you find Microsoft Teams. Click the three dots next to the app, then click on Uninstall. Follow any onscreen prompts to finish uninstalling the app.

Step 4: To reinstall Teams, open Microsoft Store either from the Start menu or by using your Search bar, as shown.

Step 5: Once in the Microsoft Store, type Teams into the search bar and click on the option that says Microsoft Teams app.

Step 6: Click the big, blue Install button and follow any on-screen prompts.

Once re-installed, test the search function as shown at the end of Method #1.

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There are many nifty features tucked away in PowerPoint, and the more you learn about and master them, the easier and more enjoyable your presentation making will become. One of them is the group feature, which lets you bunch objects together into groups, so you can more easily move them about, resize them, or copy and paste them onto other slides.

This guide looks at how to group and ungroup objects in PowerPoint.

How to Group Objects in PowerPoint

We’ll start off with a look at how to make a group of objects in PowerPoint. It’s very easy to do and it works in all modern versions of PowerPoint, including PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2024, PowerPoint 2021, and even as far back as PowerPoint 2010.

Step 1. Open your presentation and go to the slide where you have multiple objects that you wish to join. In this example, we have four circles of different colors, which are all individual, separate objects to put in a group.

Step 2. Select the items you want to put in your group. You can either click and drag the mouse over all the other items, or click each one in turn while holding the “Ctrl” key.

Step 3. Right-click on any of the objects that you’ve selected to bring up the contextual menu.

Step 4. In the menu, go to “Group” and then select “Group.” You can also just press “Ctrl” and “G” together on your keyboard to make a group.

Step 5. Your objects should now appear as a group, with one single selection box around them all. You can click and drag the group around or use the buttons provided to resize and rotate it. You can also right-click on it and select functions like “Copy” to make duplicates of your group.

Note that even after you’ve made a group, you’re still able to edit individual items within that group without ungrouping them. To do this, you just click to select the group, then click again on the specific object within the group you want to edit.

How to Group and Ungroup Objects in PowerPoint

Next, let’s look at how to ungroup or separate an existing group back into its individual parts. This is very similar to the previous process and only takes a couple of seconds, once you know how.

Step 1. Click to select your group.

Step 2. Right-click anywhere within the group on any of the objects.

Step 3. Go to “Group” and then select “Ungroup.” Your objects should now separate and go back to being individual items you can move and resize independently of each other. Note that you can also use the “Ctrl + Shift + G” shortcut to ungroup.

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If you need to use Microsoft Outlook’s calendar feature to schedule meetings, you’ve come to the right place. Follow this step-by-step guide to creating an appointment, turning it into a meeting, and inviting the right people along.

How to Schedule Meetings Using Outlook — Step-by-Step

Step 1: Open Outlook and click the Calendar icon on the left-hand side.

Step 2: Decide a date and time for your meeting. Click on that date and then double-click the time slot you want to use. Note: You can also right-click the time slot and select New Meeting Request.

Step 3: You should now see a separate window in which you can enter all the relevant meeting information. Create a title for your meeting and use the drop-down menu next to End time to choose the length of the meeting.

Step 4: Optional — add additional information to the main text box if required.

Step 5: To invite people to this meeting, click on the Invite Attendees icon at the top of the appointment window. This creates a From section (your email) and Required and Optional attendee sections.

Step 6: Enter the email addresses of the people you want to come to the meeting in the relevant sections.

Step 7: Add a location to your meeting so attendees know where to come. If your organization has dedicated meeting rooms, your IT team may have implemented a Room Finder. However, if clicking this button doesn’t bring up any new information, you will have to manually type in your location, as shown.

Step 8: Decide whether you want to have this meeting as a one-off or on a recurring basis. If you need to have the same meeting weekly or monthly, click the blue Make Recurring icon. It has two curved arrows as its icon.

Step 9: Edit your recurring meeting options. You can choose how often you want the meeting and if you want it to recur indefinitely or end after a specific amount of time. In this instance, the user has chosen a series of eight monthly meetings, always on a Wednesday afternoon for half an hour.

Step 10: Click OK to confirm your meeting recurrence information. Double-check all the meeting information is correct and click Send. Helpfully, Outlook will notify you if you have created a meeting with attendees but forgotten to send it.

Using Outlook to schedule meetings in this way means your recipients receive the invite as an email. They accept or decline and, if they are also Outlook users, when they accept, the meeting is automatically added to their calendar. Your calendar will automatically show who has confirmed their attendance.

Top tip: If the meeting time or date becomes unsuitable, you can edit it at any time by opening the meeting in the calendar and manually adjusting it. Recipients may also suggest an alternative time in their response. Finally, you can always change the recurrences of a meeting by clicking the blue Edit Recurrence button, found at the end of the recurrence details on the meeting window.

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Whether you’re studying, working, or simply trying to organize your personal emails, distractions can take their toll. Stats show that interruptions while working can cause twice as many errors as usual — a good reason to try and cut out unnecessary distractions. Windows Focus is a new tool that does just that. You pick a timeframe and, during that time, Focus ensures you don’t get any alerts or notifications. Plus, there are three different ways to use Windows Focus so you can get started with ease.

Ways to Use Windows Focus #1: The Clock App

Step 1: Click the Start button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2: Click All in the top right corner of the Start window to show a list of all your apps.

Step 3: Scroll until you find the app called Clock.

Step 4: Double-click on Clock to open the app. The first option you’ll see is Focus sessions. Click the blue Get started button.

Step 5: Now you can choose your Focus session options. The methodology is based on the Pomodoro technique, which is 25 minutes of focused work followed by a short break. So, if you choose 25 minutes of focus, you won’t get a break scheduled. However, if you choose longer sessions, you can opt to include or skip breaks as needed.

Step 6: Once you’re happy with the length of your focus session and have included any tasks you want to complete, click the blue Start focus session button. You’ll see a timer and a note that reminds you how long your next break will be if you chose not to skip them.

Ways to Use Windows Focus #2: The Notification Center

Step 1: Look for the notification center in the bottom left of your Windows screen. You can access it by pressing once on the date/time.

Step 2: You’ll notice that under the calendar, you can see a time selector and a Focus button with an arrow. Choose how long you want to concentrate and press the Focus button. This method does not give you the detailed options you get when using the clock app, however, you will see that your notifications are muted.

Step 3: You can end your Focus session at any time by clicking the date/time again and clicking End session.

Ways to Use Windows Focus #3: Settings

Step 1: Click the Windows Start button then press Settings.

Step 2: Click on System then Focus.

Step 3: You now have several ways to customize your Focus session, including choosing which notifications are halted and whether you see a timer or not.

Once you are happy with your settings, click the blue Start focus session button to start your period of uninterrupted work.

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Not everyone can be a whiz with grammar and spelling. That’s why tools like Grammarly are so popular. They go beyond your basic spellcheck tools and help you correct grammar and even adjust the tone of your writing. If you’re using Grammarly in Microsoft Word, you might occasionally come up against some issues like the app stopping working or telling you something’s wrong when it isn’t. Don’t panic — we’ve got answers to all your Grammarly/Word-related problems below.

Fix #1: How to Fix “Grammarly isn’t Working in Word” By Reactivating the Assistant

The most pressing issue for anyone needing to pen a report or an email is when Grammarly appears to have shut itself down. The Grammarly app should automatically open when you create a Microsoft Word document. If it doesn’t, you may need to restart it manually.

Step 1: Load or create a Word document. Look for the pale green and white “G” icon in the lower right corner — this indicates that Grammarly is switched on and working. If there are errors in the writing, this icon may have a number in it, instead of the “G” icon.

Step 2: If you don’t see this icon, this usually indicates that Grammarly is either not installed or has been manually switched off. To check if the Grammarly add-in is installed, search for it using your Windows search bar, as shown.

Step 3: If the Grammarly app appears when you search for it, click Open, and you should see this screen.

Step 4: Head back to your Word document and press the following keys simultaneously: Alt, ctrl, shift, and G. This is the keyboard shortcut to reactivate Grammarly if someone has accidentally switched it off. The Grammarly Assistant will open and you will get an alert telling you where to access further keyboard shortcuts.

Fix #2: Installing or Reinstalling Grammarly

Step 1: If you didn’t see Grammarly when you searched using the Windows search bar, it means you haven’t installed the app or it’s been uninstalled in error. To install/reinstall Grammarly, use your preferred internet browser to navigate to the Grammarly website.

Step 2: Click the “Get Grammarly It’s Free” button and enter your details to create an account. If you already have an account, click “I have an account.” In either case, follow the on-screen prompts to download and install Grammarly for your device.

Fix #3: Ensure Your Settings are Correct

If Grammarly is telling you your writing is incorrect when you know that’s not the case, you might get very frustrated with this app. However, in most cases, it’s simply a matter of ensuring your settings are correct.

Step 1: Click the Grammarly icon then click the Settings icon which looks like a gear.

Step 2: Check your Customization options, starting with language. You will see an option that says, “I write in:” and a drop-down menu. Choose the correct language, for example, American English instead of British English.

Step 3: You can also decide if you want Grammarly to detect tone. Turning this off means Grammarly will no longer make tone suggestions. If you used to have these suggestions but now don’t, it’s probably because this option has been switched off. Click the toggle button to switch it back on if required. Note: The Writing Style option is currently unavailable within Microsoft Word and clicking this will open the web-based version of the Grammarly app.

Your Grammarly app should now work seamlessly and correctly within your Microsoft Word documents.

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Freezing panes in Excel can help you get a clearer overview of vast datasets. However, there are some limits to the feature. In some cases, you might not get the option to freeze panes, which can be frustrating if you’re working on huge tables and don’t see why it might be happening.

Here are some of the most common fixes for freeze panes not working in Excel.

Fix 1. Check If You Already Have Frozen Panes

The first, and perhaps most obvious fix, is to check if you’re already using the Freeze Panes or the Split feature. They work similar to one another, but are mutually exclusive. However, in newer Excel versions, using Freeze Panes overwrites the Split.

Step 1. Open the workbook you’re trying to freeze panes for.

Step 2. Go to the “View” tab and click on the “Freeze Panes” feature to open the menu.

Step 3. In this case, you can see that there’s an option to “Unfreeze Panes.” Clicking on it will remove the frozen panes and allow you to freeze new ones.

Step 4. You can now select a cell to start freezing from and use the Freeze Panes feature again.

Fix 2. Check for Hidden Rows

Let’s take a simple example. We have a dataset that is seemingly empty, but going to the Freeze Panes menu shows that there are already frozen rows.

What happened here? Well, as you might notice, there’s a hidden row 1 in the sheet, which is likely the frozen row as well.

Step 1. Bring the cursor between the row headers for the all cells and row 2. It will change to two lines with arrows going both up and down.

Step 2. Right-click and select “Unhide.”

Step 3. Go to the Freeze Panes menu and select “Unfreeze Panes.”

You’ll now be able to see the previously-frozen first row and can use the Freeze Panes command as usual.

Fix 3. Change the View from Page Layout to Default

If you’re using a view other than the Default one (Normal), then the Freeze Panes option is likely going to be disabled entirely.

Luckily, this has an easy fix.

Step 1. Go to the “View” tab and select “Normal” in the “Workbook Views” section.

Step 2. You can now freeze and unfreeze panes again.

Fix 4. Unprotect the Sheet

If you’ve been sent the sheet by someone else, they might’ve protected it from changing the view or freezing panes. If other features besides freeze panes are not working, sheet protection is likely the main culprit. You’ll need to unprotect the sheet to make it usable.

Step 1. Go to the Review tab. In newer versions of Excel, you’ll see that the sheet is protected if you get a direct “Unprotect Sheet” option in the “Protect” section.

Step 2. Click on “Unprotect Sheet.”

Step 3. Enter the password. You can ask the person who protected (or made) the sheet to provide it for you.

Step 4. Click on OK.

The Freeze Panes option should be working now. If you don’t know the password, you can use one of the few workarounds. You can use Google Sheets to import the sheet and then export it to a new file, which removes protection but leaves the data intact.

Fix 5. Remove Macros

In some cases, you may have inadvertently created a macro that unfreezes panes alongside whatever it was supposed to do. Whenever you run it, it will keep unfreezing your panes, making it seem like the feature doesn’t work. You’ll need to check and edit macros to fix this.

Step 1. Go to the View tab and select Macros. Note that you’ll need to enable the Developer tab to enable Macros in the first place.

Step 2. In the list of Macros, select the first macro and click on “Edit.”

Step 3. In the VBA window, you’ll get the entire code for the Macro. Check any lines that contain “ActiveWindow.FreezePanes = False” and remove them from the code.

Step 4. Click on the Save icon on the top left (or use “Ctrl + S”).

Step 5. Repeat the process for every macro to ensure you don’t have unnecessary code.

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Windows 11 voice typing is a valuable feature for many, especially those with disabilities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work as it should. You might run into issues like voice typing failing to respond, typing words incorrectly, or not recognizing your microphone.

This guide looks at what to do when Windows 11 voice typing is not working.

Fix 1. Enable Your Microphone

This is the first fix to try, as it’s quick and solves one of the most common reasons behind voice typing in Windows 11 not working: your mic isn’t properly configured and enabled.

Step 1. Open the Settings menu. You can press “Windows” and “I” together to get there. Or use the Start menu shortcut.

Step 2. Go to “Privacy & security.” Then scroll down and select “Microphone.”

Step 3. Make sure “Microphone access” is toggled on. Additionally, toggle mic access on for the apps you want to use it in, as well.

Fix 2. Select the Right Typing Language

Maybe your mic is working fine, but when you try to speak, Windows doesn’t understand what you are saying and mixes up words. That might be because your language isn’t properly set.

Step 1. Head to the Settings menu.

Step 2. Go to “Time & language.” Then select “Speech.”

Step 3. Use the drop-down menu under “Speech language” to select the language you wish to use. Then press “Get started” under the “Microphone” header. Follow the on-screen prompts to configure your mic.

Fix 3. Update the Mic Driver

Not having the latest drivers installed could also prevent your mic from working properly. Updating drivers may solve the issue.

Step 1. Open the Device Manager. You can access it by typing “Device manager” into the search bar and clicking the “Best Match.”

Step 2. Find your microphone in the list of devices. It should appear under the Audio inputs and outputs category.

Step 3. Right-click on the microphone and select “Update driver.” Then click “Search automatically for drivers” to let Windows try and find the latest driver. Or click “Browse my computer for drivers” and choose the new driver file if you’ve already downloaded one. You can usually find the latest drivers on the manufacturer’s website.

Fix 4. Update Windows

Many Windows issues get resolved in the regular updates rolled out to the platform each month. If you’re experiencing issues with a feature like voice typing, it’s always worth checking to see if any updates are available.

Step 1. Go to the Settings menu.

Step 2. Click on “Windows Update,” and then “Check for updates.” If any appear, you can download and install them. You may have to restart your machine to check if updating Windows fixed your voice typing issue.

Fix 5. Run the Troubleshooter

Lastly, another option to fix problems with Windows voice typing not working is by running the built-in troubleshooter, designed specifically to spot and fix issues with your audio recording. Here’s how to access it:

Step 1. Press “Windows” and “I” together to enter Settings.

Step 2. Go to “System,” then scroll down and click on “Troubleshoot.”

Step 3. Select “Other trouble-shooters.”

Step 4. Find the “Recording audio” troubleshooter and click the “Run” button to launch it.

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Microsoft Edge might have some benefits over Chrome and Mozilla. These include much lower resource requirements and a more integrated user interface with other Microsoft apps (and the operating system itself). But Edge has an annoying habit of trying to open Office documents (and some other files) instead of downloading them to your device for later viewing. If you’re not careful, you might be unable to view a file when you go offline because it was never downloaded.

Here’s how to turn off Office File Viewer in Edge.

Method 1. Turn Off Office File Viewer in Edge Through Browser Settings

While it might be annoying, the ability to view files without downloading them could come in handy. This is why Edge has a setting to specifically enable or disable the function relatively easily.

Step 1. Open Microsoft Edge.

Step 2. Click on the “More” icon on the top-right (three dots).

Step 3. Choose the “Settings” option near the bottom of the menu.

Step 4. Select the “Downloads” tab on the left-hand side.

Step 5. Toggle the “Open Office files in the browser” setting to “OFF.”

If you want even more control over your downloads, you can turn on the “Ask me what to do with each download” option. Once you do that, you’ll get notifications whenever you’re about to download a file, prompting you to pick between opening or saving. With both options turned on, the first will overwrite the second, asking you to save or download.

Method 2. Turn Off Office File Viewer in Edge for All Users as an Admin

If you have a corporate PC that multiple users access on separate accounts, each user will get the default Edge settings. This means it would be up to each user to perform Method 1 on their own. Even if you change the settings on an administrator account, they won’t “go through” to the rest. However, there’s a way to bypass that with the Registry Editor.

Step 1. Log onto your PC with an administrator account. Typically, this is the first account set up on the device.

Step 2. Open Windows search and type in “regedit” in the search bar.

Step 3. You’ll get the Registry Editor as the only available option. Choose “Run as administrator” and confirm your choice when prompted by the User Account Controls.

Step 4. Go to File and select “Export.”

Step 5. Give the file an appropriate name, select the folder where you want to save it, and press “Save.” This will be your backup file that you can import if something goes wrong during the process.

Step 6. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge or

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Edge

Step 7. Import the following registry: “QuickViewOfficeFilesEnabled”=dword:00000000

Step 8. Close the Registry Editor and restart Microsoft Edge.

This should disable the option to change the relevant setting inside the browser (from Method 1).

You can also download the following registry file, then double-click on it to open and merge it with your current registry. Make sure you’ve backed up your registry before that.

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Usually, not getting notifications while you’re hard at work is a good thing. That’s precisely what Focus Assist (or “Do not disturb” mode in Windows 11) aims to do. However, the tool is not perfect.

If you open your notifications bar and notice that Focus Assist has been turned on for seemingly no reason, you might not be getting vital messages from Slack, Teams, or other productivity tools. There are a few ways to fix the issue when Windows Focus Assist (Windows 11) keeps turning on.

Method 1. Disabling Do Not Disturb Automatic Rules in Windows 11

There are three main ways to turn on Focus Assist or “Do not disturb” mode on Windows 11: manually, via schedule, or through automatic rules. If the feature keeps turning on, then the latter two options might be the cause.

Step 1. Go to your system Settings (you can use the “Windows + I” shortcut or go through the search bar).

Step 2. Enter the “System” tab on the right and open “Notifications.”

Step 3. Choose “Turn on do not disturb automatically.”

Step 4. Uncheck all the options in the sub-menu.

Method 2. Disable Focus Assist Automatic Settings (Windows 10 and Older Windows 11 Builds)

If you haven’t updated your Windows 11 PC in a while, the Focus Assist option might be in a different section of the Settings menu, but the process is practically the same.

Step 1. Open Settings on your PC, either via the “Windows + I” keyboard shortcut or through the search bar.

Step 2. Go to the “Focus Assist” tab on the left. If you don’t see one, head to “Notifications.”

Step 3. In the “Automatic rules” section, turn all the options off.

You may need to restart your PC to get these options to “stick.”

Method 3. Adjust the Time and Date to Fix Windows Focus Assist (Windows 11) Keeps Turning On

In some cases, your time and date setting might be prompting Focus Assist (or “Do not disturb”) to turn on during work hours in a different time zone. This could happen if you’ve recently changed your time zones but set your PC to use manual time settings. You can use an automatic date-time setting to try and fix this.

Step 1. Go to Windows Settings (“Windows + I” shortcut).

Step 2. Go to the “Time & Language” tab on the left-hand side.

Step 3. Select the “Date & time” menu from the list of options.

Step 4. Turn at least the two top-most options to “ON” (Set time zone automatically and Set time automatically).

Step 5. Click on “Sync now” if your time doesn’t update properly.

Method 4. Use the Registry Editor to Turn Off Focus Assist Permanently

Windows notification settings are enabled through the registry database, and you can use the stock Registry Editor application to modify it. This way, you can permanently remove the option, regardless of what you put in “Settings.”

Step 1. Open the Windows search bar and type in “regedit.”

Step 2. You should get the “Registry Editor” selected as the default option. Choose “Run as administrator” on the right of the result.

Step 3. Click “Yes” when prompted by the User Account Control pop-up to open the app.

Step 4. In the Registry Editor, go to the “File” tab and select “Export.”

Step 5. Name the file as you wish (typically date and time and purpose will do), select the folder you want to place it in, and click “Save.”

Step 6. Using the navigational menu on the left, go to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications

Step 7. In the “Quiet Hours” and “Settings” subfolders, find any registries related to “Focus Assist,” “Do not disturb,” or “Quiet Hours,” and change them to 0.

Step 8. Exit the Registry Editor and the changes will be automatically applied.

Method 5. Using the Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy Editor is only available to Windows Pro and Enterprise users by default but there are a few ways to “jailbreak” the system to allow it on Windows Home devices. It’s by far one of the least likely methods to help, so consider it among the last resorts.

Step 1. Press “Windows + R” to open the Run app.

Step 2. Type in “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter to run the app. You might need to accept the User Account Control.

Step 3. Navigate to the following: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Notifications

Step 4. Check every policy related to Focus Assist or “Do not disturb,” then set it to “Disabled” or “Not configured.”

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