How to Use Microsoft Office Mobile on Android

Microsoft’s suite of Office applications is how millions of users do their work on a daily basis. Word is how they create documents and write and edit their presentations before a big meeting. Excel is how they organize the statistics and other information they need for this meeting. PowerPoint is how they add visual aids and clarity to their presentations during the same meeting. Microsoft Office Mobile Here’s how everyone does it in Google’s Android operating system.

Office Mobile for Android has been available for a while, allowing users to quickly create and edit documents without having to sit in front of their computer. For a while, it wasn’t something users could get for free. Instead, Google Android users had to sign up for Microsoft’s Office 365 subscription service. Fortunately, Microsoft eliminated this requirement when it released its Office apps for iPad.

Here’s how to use Microsoft Office Mobile on Android.

Searching for the Document You Have Already Created

First off, the Office Mobile app for Android isn’t exactly meant to enable document creation. Instead, a helpful guide means an easy way for Office 2013 or Office for Mac users to view their documents and gently edit files while away from their laptop or Desktop PC. That’s why Office Mobile puts documents you’ve already created at the forefront of your experience.

When you open the app right away, you’ll see a list of all the documents you’ve opened in chronological order. Scrolling down the list takes you back in time. This list shows documents stored locally, but to get the most out of Office Mobile for Android, you must be connected to Microsoft’s OneDrive service. Documents stored in OneDrive appear in every modern version of Office and sync over time, making this open document display much more useful. If you have a Microsoft Account you need to use the app, you already have 15GB of OneDrive storage.

Swipe left to open documents stored on OneDrive, Dropbox, or a SharePoint Server.

Creating a New Document

Just because it wasn’t designed for creation doesn’t mean it can’t be used in a pinch. Office Mobile for Android allows users to create new documents from Word and Excel templates. These templates include budget spreadsheets, mileage trackers, and outlines. Simply tap an empty type to create this document.

Working with Word in Office Mobile for Android

Working with the Word App in Office Mobile for Android is quite simple. You land on a blank page where you can immediately start creating your document using the default keyboard of your Android smartphone. Gesture keyboards like swiping work. You can also use the Google Keyboard to dictate entire sentences.

The Menu on the right allows you to choose a name for the document and change its formatting.

Double-tap a single word to select it, and drag the two circles opposite each other if you want to add words to your selections.

Pressing the button in the upper left corner takes you back to the Office Mobile for Android main area. When you tap this option, you will be asked if you want to save the document you are working on.

Working with Excel

Excel documents follow many of the same guidelines.

The menu on the right lets you change the sorting by whatever you’re looking at. At the top are buttons for switching between pages in an Excel book.

There is a magnifying glass that allows users to search all Excel distributions for numbers

Working on a cell in a spreadsheet is as simple as tapping on it. Working on multiple cells requires users to tap the cell they want to start with and then move their finger slowly in both directions.

After selecting a cell, you can add numeric values ​​or try creating a simple formula to do something with the numbers you’ve added to your spreadsheet.

While OneNote is included with the Office suite of productivity apps on Windows, it is not included with Office Mobile. Instead, there is a separate OneNote app for Android users.

It’s important to understand that Office Mobile is just one stop for Microsoft. Therefore, it is not a good idea to rely on it every day, except to create simple notes and new documents. Office Mobile has a really hard time with the formatting created by Office 2013. Other Office apps are automatically saved, but Office Mobile for Android does not, leaving you vulnerable to any crashes that may occur. Finally, PowerPoint creation is completely missing from the app. Test the app to make sure it has the features you need so there are no surprises waiting for you when you really need it.

Microsoft has another list of Office apps available on the Google Play Store, but these are specifically for Android Tablets.