Link Outlook, Word and Excel - this is how it works!

In this article we show you how to link Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. Whether for private or business use – the Office Suite on the PC facilitates many work processes and enables a clean presentation of a wide variety of documents. Microsoft Word can be used to create formatted texts, Microsoft Excel is the top programme for spreadsheets, calculations and data processing. And finally, Microsoft Outlook is used to manage all e-mails and organise appointments with the help of the integrated calendar.

Linking Word and Excel

In everyday office life, it is often necessary to integrate a table into a Microsoft Word document. This can either be created in the programme itself – or simply linked to a table in Microsoft Excel. To do this, first open the corresponding Excel file. Now mark the table or individual sections of the table and copy them with the keyboard command „CTRL+C“. Then open the Microsoft Word document into which the table or parts of it are to be inserted. Now direct the cursor to the place where the table is to appear. With the keyboard command „CTRL+V“ you can now place it exactly there. The disadvantage, however, is that changes to the table can now only be made with the functions of Microsoft Word. It is more convenient to be able to insert an Excel link into Word. How to link Word with Excel:

  • First, select the corresponding table in Microsoft Excel and copy it using the shortcut command.
  • In the Microsoft Word document, click on the arrow under „Insert“ in the „Start“ tab and select „Insert contents“ in the drop-down menu.
  • In the new window, click on „Insert link“.
  • Then select „Microsoft Excel Workbook Object“ in the menu window and confirm with „Ok“.
  • Changes that are now made to the table in Microsoft Excel automatically appear in the Microsoft Word document.

Linking Microsoft Outlook with Word and Excel

With a Microsoft account, it is easy to harmonise the functions of all three tools. So not only Excel links can be inserted into Word. But tasks, appointments and changes can also be viewed on different end devices by different employees. The first step is to prepare the toolbar for quick access.

  • To do this, right-click on a symbol in the toolbar.
  • Select the option „Customise the quick access toolbar“. A new dialogue box opens (depending on the selected programme in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel).
  • In the „Quick Access Toolbar“ entry in the navigation bar, in the „Select Commands“ list field, select the item „Commands not included in the ribbon“.
  • Click on „Create Microsoft Outlook task“ in the list and activate it.

One of the advantages of this option is that the document sent via Microsoft Outlook remains on the original PC. Before it is sent, it can be „released“ or „locked“ so that editing by others is prevented or made possible. In this way, tasks can be distributed quickly and without effort by switching programmes. It makes sense to distribute tasks, for example, when working on a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet. And the employee needs to be informed about a current change of deadline, for example. Then this new task does not have to be created in Microsoft Outlook first. Instead, it can be displayed directly in the document being worked on. If there are no other tasks associated with the document, it can be sent to all or individual contacts from the address book in Outlook – without having to change the programme. New recipients can also be added at any time using the table function.

Tip: Working with highlighters in Microsoft Word documents

If several people are working together on a Microsoft Word document, it makes sense to mark particularly important text passages with markers. Such bookmarks make it possible to find certain sections of the text quickly, especially in an extensive document or a shared directory that has been shared with Outlook. Previously uninvolved contacts can then continue to work on these as a task, for example, or make changes.

Header Image: © Prima91, stock.adobe.com