Are you a fan of productivity tools? There are plenty of apps and tools to help you boost your productivity, including to-do list apps, note-taking apps, and browser extensions for clipping and saving web pages.
We are all familiar with Microsoft Office 7 Microsoft Office Tricks You Can Learn From Teen Champions 7 Microsoft Office Tricks You Can Learn From Teen Champions Ready to learn from the best? This year's Microsoft Office champions share their tips and tricks for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Read more . Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote are familiar productivity. 10 New Features in Microsoft Office 2016 to Boost Productivity 10 New Features in Microsoft Office 2016 to Boost Productivity Microsoft Office 2016 gets new features all the time. They are available first to Office Insiders and Office 365 subscribers. We show you the best new features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook and how... Read More But there are other productivity tools from Microsoft that you may not know about.
Today, we'll cover 10 free productivity tools from Microsoft. You just might discover your new favorite productivity tool.
Microsoft To-Do lets you create simple yet smart to-do lists with reminders. You can also track your progress on different projects and create as many separate lists as you like to organize your projects. Use it to keep track of just about anything like work projects, shopping lists, errands, etc.
Focus on daily tasks using the My Day feature in the pending task. You can add items from your projects and to-do list to My Day , and see at a glance what you need to accomplish each day. Add due dates and reminders to your list and to-dos so you don't forget anything. Add detailed notes to your items, such as website URLs and addresses.
To-Do looks similar to Wunderlist, which is no coincidence because Microsoft bought Wunderlist in 2015. If you've been using Wunderlist, you can import your Wunderlist items directly into To-Do. Your lists will sync across your devices so you can manage your tasks on the go.
Download: To-Do for Windows | iOS | Android (Free)
You are browsing the web researching a project. You've found several web pages you want to read, but you're out of time right now. Bookmark them or add them to a service like Pocket The Pros and Cons of Pocket:Save for later vs. Markers. Pocket Pros and Cons:Save for later vs. Bookmarks Both Chrome and Pocket bookmarks are great in their own way. But why would you choose Pocket over a bookmarking service? And in what way does Pocket fall short? Read More o Instapaper Instapaper Premium Is Free:6 Features You Can Try Now Instapaper Premium Is Free:6 Features You Can Try Now Instapaper Premium is now free. Here are the six post-reading traits that could make you a better, more productive reader. Read More
If you use OneNote to store and organize your information, there's a better solution. You can save almost anything to OneNote How to save anything to OneNote from anywhere How to save anything to OneNote from anywhere Microsoft OneNote is a powerful tool for free note-taking. OneNote's unique structure helps you collect, organize, and share your notes. Here are the best ways to collect information from anywhere. Read more . The OneNote Web Clipper browser extension allows you to quickly and easily clip web pages, images, PDFs, and more. into notes that become part of your collection of OneNote notes and notebooks. Clipped content is stored in OneNote and is available on any device you use OneNote on, even when you're offline.
You can clip an entire web page, a region of a web page as a screenshot, just the main article of the page, or a visual bookmark of the page. You can save the clip to any section of any notebook. The URL is included at the top of the clipped element.
Download: OneNote Web Clipper for Web (Free)
Send to OneNote is like the OneNote Web Clipper, but it extends the capability to document types other than web pages. It allows you to "print" from any app to a page in OneNote. For example, instead of printing a Word file to a printer, you can select Send to OneNote when printing the document. A copy of the file, as it would be printed on paper, is captured and saved to OneNote.
Once your document is in OneNote, the only OneNote guide you'll ever need The only OneNote guide you'll ever need OneNote is a powerful note-taking app. It is cross-platform and well integrated with Microsoft Office. Read this guide to become a OneNote pro! Read More You can also access the document on any other device running OneNote, like your phone or tablet.
If you're running OneNote 2016, which is the desktop app installed with Office 2016, you'll see Send to OneNote 2016 in the list of printer options to print your document. In that case, you're all set.
If you're running the free OneNote for Windows app from the Microsoft Store, you'll need to install Send to OneNote from the store. You will then see Send to OneNote in the list of printer options.
Download: Send to OneNote for Windows (free)
Do you have Post-It notes taped to your monitor and sitting all over your desk? Get rid of all that extra paper and store your notes on your Windows desktop.
Sticky Notes originated in 2002 as part of Windows XP Tablet Edition. It was one of many devices included in Windows Vista and was a desktop notes app included in Windows 7, 8 and 10.
The app became a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. The Sticky Notes UWP app can be launched as a standalone app or as part of the Windows Ink workspace. When you run it from the Windows Ink workspace, the rest of the desktop appears blurry.
Sticky Notes accepts pen input and can recognize handwriting. It integrates with Cortana and can create reminders from notes that contain a date.
Download: Sticky Notes for Windows (Free)
Forgot which computers you've installed Office on from your Office 365 account, Office 365 vs. Office 2016:which is cheaper in the long run? Office 365 vs. Office 2016:Which is cheaper in the long run? Contrary to popular belief, Office 365 is not a greed-driven move to make more money. Office 2016 and Office 365 serve different audiences. We will show you which is the best value for you. Read more ? Want a quick way to access any type of Office document you've recently opened?
My Office is an app that provides access to all your Office 365 subscription benefits in one place. You can manage your account, open programs included in your subscription, and access recent Office documents of all kinds. You can also get help and training and provide feedback about Office 365.
Download: My office for Windows (free)
Need to use an Office app like Word or Excel, but don't have a license? Maybe you have a license, but you need to use Office on a computer with minimal disk space. Or maybe you've reached the maximum number of installations on your Office 365 account and need to use it on another computer.
You can sign in to Office Online in a browser, or you can easily access Office Online with an extension in Microsoft Edge. Office Online for Microsoft Edge lets you view, edit, and create Office files right in your browser. With the extension, you can open files from OneDrive and from your computer.
Office Online contains limited functionality compared to the Office desktop apps. However, it is sufficient to do basic document creation and editing and view Office files. All you need to use Office Online is a Microsoft account.
Download: Online Office for Microsoft Edge (Free)
Is Outlook overkill for your email needs? Microsoft's free Mail and Calendar app, also known as Windows 10 Mail, is an easy-to-use email client that also provides access to your calendars and contacts. It is compatible with Office 365, Outlook.com, Live.com, Exchange, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and other POP and IMAP accounts.
Download: Mail and Calendar for Windows (free, included with Windows 10)
Do you have a bunch of printed and written notes and documents laying around? Are you constantly losing important documents, such as receipts? Your smartphone is always with you, so why not use it to capture and store documents, receipts, notes, and other forms of information?
Office Lens is an app that lets you take photos of documents and whiteboards and make them legible. Office Lens converts images to PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files, and is the perfect companion to OneNote. The 7 best OneNote apps that you can have for free. The 7 best OneNote apps that you can have for free. OneNote takes care of your note-taking needs. You can take it further with just a few tweaks. We're looking at the best free OneNote apps that can help you stay organized and productive. Read more . Printed and handwritten text is automatically recognized using OCR technology, so you can create editable text from your scanned images.
You can use Office Lens on your Windows 10 computer, but it's more convenient to use it on a portable device like a smartphone or tablet. It's like having a portable scanner in your pocket. Scanned items are saved to the Documents folder in your OneDrive account, so you can access them on other devices.
Download: Office Lens for Windows | iOS | Android (Free)
Do you have an iPhone and use a Windows PC instead of a Mac? You hate iTunes 5 ways to sync music to your iPhone without iTunes 5 ways to sync music to your iPhone without iTunes Don't struggle with iTunes to get music on your iPhone, use one of these alternative methods and workarounds. Read more ? Windows 10 lets you connect your iPhone or Android phone to your Windows PC and get the things you want from your computer to your phone.
You can use the Photos app in Windows 10 to sync your photos between your computer and your phone and tablet, access your Office documents on the go, get your email and manage your calendar with Outlook on multiple devices, and access your notebooks. OneNote from anywhere you go. The Phone Companion app in Windows 10 will help you get set up so you never have to connect your phone or tablet to your PC again.
Download: Phone Companion for Windows (Free)
Do you spend a lot of time on Reddit? It might seem like a huge waste of time, but Reddit can be used productively. How to use Reddit productively. Yes, you have read that correctly. How to use Reddit productively. Yes, you have read that correctly. Is Reddit just one big time slot? Incorrect. It's an endless supply of relevant information, if you know where to look. Here's how to use Reddit more productively. Read more . It's a useful source for news, events, technology, games, humor, and more.
There are many alternatives to Reddit. 7 Awesome Reddit Alternatives You Should Check Out Today. 7 Awesome Alternatives to Reddit You Need to Check Out Today. Reddit is amazing for finding new content and discussing current topics with people from all over the world, but it also has its problems. Try these amazing Reddit alternatives. Read more . The highest rated Reddit client for Windows Phone has been rewritten and is now available for all Windows 10 devices. Baconit provides a clean and easy-to-use interface for navigating the wealth of information available on Reddit.
Navigate subreddits quickly and easily with the full subreddit sidebar, add your own posts, and add formatted comments to other posts. Baconit also provides a deep Reddit search that supports all search filters.
Check out these productivity subreddits:
For the curious, here are some things you may not know about Reddit 19+ Things Almost No One Knows About Reddit 19+ Things Almost No One Knows About Reddit In the Reddit community everyone is invited, but few understand the mysteries to be found inside The incredibly popular forum. Never tread blind again with this list of things most Reddit users don't know! Read more.
If you choose to use Reddit in your browser, there is also an extension available, called Reddit Enhancement Suite 10 Reasons Why You Need Reddit Enhancement Suite 10 Reasons Why You Need Reddit Enhancement Suite Reddit Enhancement Suite is available in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Do you think you can live without it? Here are some of the most innovative features that will convince you to install it soon. Read More (RES), which adds many new features and improvements to the Reddit site.
Download: Baconit for Windows (Free)
There are many tools out there that can help you improve or enhance your productivity, including browser extensions. 12 Productivity extensions that keep you focused on deep work. 12 Productivity extensions that keep you focused on deep work. It's hard to concentrate. You need extra help limiting your time online to get back to work or get out of the house for fun. We have the tools for you. Learn more, Google Productivity Tools How to Use Google Productivity Tools to Maximize Your Time How to Use Google Productivity Tools to Maximize Your Time Google Keep, Google Calendar, and Gmail are productivity tools that can help you manage your time . We demonstrate how you can use Google's free tools to optimize your workday. Learn more, and even productivity bots 10 Productivity Bots to Automate Tasks and Save Time 10 Productivity Bots to Automate Tasks and Save Time Whenever a repetitive task follows a pattern, consider automating it. Artificial intelligence (AI) robots can learn these patterns and save you time. Read More Find the Right Productivity Tools Find the Best Productivity Tools Inspired by These 3 Websites Find the Best Productivity Tools Inspired by These 3 Websites How do you find the right productivity tool for a particular task? Find the perfect tools that work for you with these tips and websites. Read More The Best Productivity Tools The Best Productivity Tool Is The One You Actually Use The Best Productivity Tool Is The One You Actually Use In a productivity-seeking world, every shiny new productivity app promises something new. But are we missing something when we change our productivity apps too often? Read More
Which Microsoft productivity tools do you use? Have you discovered other tools that we haven't listed? Share your ideas and recommendations with us in the comments below!
