How to use the new Microsoft Office app for iOS or Android

In addition to working with Microsoft Office on your PC, you can also use it on your mobile device when necessary. To help the mobile experience, Microsoft has a new application designed for iPhone and Android phones. Known as Microsoft Office, or simply Office, the application combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to make it easier to work with different documents and use less space than each application individually.

The new Office application offers several functions, including the integration of Office Lens to scan documents, an option to sign PDF files on your device, a function to convert images and documents to PDF and a way to extract text and tables from an image. You can even access and create sticky notes if you use that feature in Windows.

SEE: Office 365: A Guide for Technology and Business Leaders (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)

For Apple users, the Microsoft Office application is designed for the iPhone. There is no dedicated version for iPad. You can run the app on an iPad, but only in the smallest screen mode or zoom mode available for iPhone-optimized apps. Android users can run the app on an Android phone or tablet. You will find some differences between the versions of the iPhone and Android application, mainly in the availability and location of unique commands for each of the two operating systems. The basic functionality is the same on both platforms.

To get started, download the new Office app from the Apple App Store for an iPhone or from Google Play for an Android device. The first time you launch the application, you will be asked to connect your account. Click the Connect your account link, and then log in with your Microsoft account username and password.

After logging in, the application retrieves and displays the names of the most recently used Office files, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and sticky notes. Swipe down the screen to see the names of the oldest files. Touch the file you want to view. You can now slide your finger across the file to read it. To edit it, tap somewhere in the content; In some cases, you may need to first touch the pencil icon at the top to enter edit mode. Tap the left arrow at the top to return to the main screen (Figure a)

Figure a

To manage a specific file, tap its ellipsis icon on the right. On the next screen, you’ll find a few differences between the app’s iOS and Android flavors. On an iPhone, you can share the file through a link or an invitation to a specific contact, pin the file to the top, delete it from the recent list, open it in OneDrive, rename it, move it, delete it, and view its properties. Android device, you can share the file, delete it from the list and view its properties (Figure b)

Figure b

To search for files that do not appear in the recent list, touch the folder icon at the top of the screen. You can now search for files stored on your device or on OneDrive. You can also add a location. Tap the link for Add a place and then you can add locations for Box, Dropbox, SharePoint and a variety of other storage sites (Figure C)

Figure C

You can also search for files. Tap the Search icon at the top. Enter your keyword or term in the search field. The application shows you the most recent matches. Touch the link to see more results, to see all the files related to your search term (Figure D)

Figure D

To create a new document or file, tap the plus icon at the bottom. Then select the icon for Documents. On the next screen, tap the icon for the type of document you want to create, for example, Word document, Excel workbook, PowerPoint presentation.

You can choose to create a blank file or one based on a template. If you select the template option, touch the template you want to use. Create your document and then tap the left arrow to return to the main screen (Figure E)

Figure E

Then you can perform several different actions with the Office application. Touch the Actions icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Transfer files option and you can now send or receive files between your phone and your computer through the transfer.office.com website. With an Android device, you can also share files with other nearby devices (Figure F)

Figure F

Tap the Image to text option and you can extract text from a photo or other image on your phone. The Image to Table option can extract a table of numbers or other data from an image and import it into Excel (Figure g)

In both cases, select the image you want to use from your photo library and the app will try to extract the relevant data. Then you can copy or share the result. With the second option, you can also open the extracted table in Excel.

Figure g

In the PDF section, you can sign a PDF stored on your device, scan an image with your camera into PDF, convert an image file to PDF, or convert a document to PDF (Figure h)

Figure h

Finally, the last option allows you to scan a QR code with the camera of your device.

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