Microsoft 365 glossary: plain-English Microsoft 365 terms
Updated
12 Microsoft 365 terms explained in plain English: what each one means, why it matters, a worked example with real numbers and the terms it gets confused with. Each one links to the free microsoft 365 lessons where you use it.
A
- AutoSum
- AutoSum is a button in Excel (on the Home and Formulas tabs) that totals the numbers next to the selected cell in one click. It guesses the range, writes a SUM formula such as =SUM(B2:B9) for you, and has a drop-down for Average, Count, Max and Min.
C
- Cell reference (relative and absolute)
- A cell reference is the address of a cell in a formula, such as B2. A relative reference (B2) shifts when you copy the formula to another cell; an absolute reference ($B$2) stays fixed; a mixed reference ($B2 or B$2) fixes only the column or only the row.
- Co-authoring
- Co-authoring is when several people open and edit the same Word, Excel or PowerPoint file at the same time, each seeing the others’ changes within seconds. It works when the file is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint and AutoSave is on.
- Conditional formatting (Excel)
- Conditional formatting in Excel changes how a cell looks (fill color, font color, icons or data bars) automatically when its value meets a rule you set, such as greater than 0, a date before today or the top 10 values. Change the value and the formatting updates.
E
- Excel table
- An Excel table is a block of data you have turned into a structured list with Format as Table. It gets a header row with filter buttons, banded rows, an optional Total Row, formulas that fill down automatically and a name, and it expands when you add new rows or columns.
F
- Formula (Excel)
- An Excel formula is a calculation typed into a cell that starts with an equals sign, such as =C2-B2 or =SUM(B2:B6). It can use numbers, cell references, operators (+ − * /) and functions, and it recalculates automatically when the cells it uses change.
M
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s subscription bundle for work and home: the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook apps, OneDrive cloud storage and, on business plans, Teams, SharePoint and company email. The web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are free with a Microsoft account.
O
- OneDrive
- OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage for an individual’s files. Files saved there are private until you share them, sync across your devices, open in the Microsoft 365 apps and keep a version history. Free accounts get 5 GB; paid plans get much more.
S
- SharePoint
- SharePoint is the part of Microsoft 365 that stores a team’s or company’s shared files and builds internal sites. Every Microsoft Teams team has a SharePoint site behind it, so the files in a Teams channel are actually stored in a SharePoint document library.
T
- Teams channel
- A channel in Microsoft Teams is a space inside a team for one topic, project or group, with its own conversation thread, Files tab and meetings. Every team starts with a General channel, and owners can add standard, private or shared channels.
W
- Workbook (Excel)
- An Excel workbook is a single Excel file, usually saved as .xlsx. It holds one or more worksheets (the tabs along the bottom), and each worksheet is a grid of cells. "Workbook" means the file; "worksheet" or "sheet" means one tab inside it.
X
- XLOOKUP
- XLOOKUP is an Excel function that searches one column (or row) for a value and returns the matching item from another, for example the price for a product code. Its basic form is =XLOOKUP(what to find, where to look, what to return), with an optional message if nothing matches.
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