14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently released a new insider update for the Mac version of its Office productivity suite, with all the changes to become available to all users in the coming weeks.
The June 2018 update comes with lots of improvements and it bumps the version number to 16.14.180602 for insiders in the Slow ring.
First and foremost, Microsoft Word is being updated with improved readability for Learning Tools. This means that starting with this update, users can enable reading aloud and have the application read the document for you. Other tweaks like options to adjust text spacing, column width, and page color are also introduced as part of this update.
Microsoft Excel is getting further improvements to quickly fill a formula down into adjacent cells, all with the fill handle that shows up next to a cell. “When you fill formulas down, relative references will be put in place to ensure the formulas adjust for each row—unless you include absolute or mixed references before you fill the formula down,” Microsoft explains.
Outlook signature improvements
Together with PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel is getting support for Microsoft Translator, which makes it possible for users to easily translate words, phrases, and sentences in another language straight from within the document. Additionally, the presentation app is being updated with options to change hyperlink colors, as by default, they are automatically marked in blue.
And last but not least, Microsoft Outlook receives new options for enhancing signatures, including rich font styles, colors, images, and links.
While all these improvements are currently available for a limited set of users as part of the Insider program, they should be rolled out to users on production devices when the testing process comes to an end. This typically takes just a few weeks, so by the end of the month, the update could go live for everyone on an Apple device as well.