Tony Phillips-Senior Author

Tony Phillips

Senior Author

Contributor Since January, 2024
Qualifications BA (Hons) Linguistics & Hispanic Studies
Expertise
Microsoft 365, Astronomy
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How-To Geek logo Profile

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About Tony Phillips

Tony Phillips is an experienced Microsoft Office user with a dual-honors degree in Linguistics and Hispanic Studies. Prior to starting with How-to Geek in January 2024, he worked as a document producer, data manager, and content creator for over ten years, and loves making spreadsheets and documents in his spare time.

Tony is also an academic proofreader, experienced in reading, editing, and formatting over 2.8 million words of personal statements, resumes, reference letters, research proposals, and dissertations. Before joining How-To Geek, Tony formatted and wrote documents for legal firms, including contracts, Wills, and Powers of Attorney.

Tony is obsessed with Microsoft Office! He will find any reason to create a spreadsheet, exploring ways to add complex formulas and discover new ways to make data tick. He also takes pride in producing Word documents that look the part. He has worked as a data manager in a secondary school in the UK and has years of experience in the classroom with Microsoft PowerPoint. He loves to encounter problems in Microsoft Office and use his expertise and legal-level training to find solutions.

Outside of the Microsoft world, Tony is a keen dog owner and lover, football fan, astrophotographer, gardener, and golfer.

Latest

Spreadsheet filled with multiple #SPILL! errors and red exclamation icons, representing issues with Excel dynamic array formulas.-1
I Love Using Excel Tables, but I Wish Microsoft Fixed One Major Problem
Microsoft Excel

There are solutions, but they're not entirely ideal.

Illustration of Excel-themed function keys with the F1 key prominently raised at the center.
Don’t Ignore the Power of F1 in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

This function key can do more in Excel than you think.

1
Illustration of a Microsoft Excel interface showing a pop-up suggestion that offers to auto-fill cells using a generated formula.
Flash Fill in Excel Is Good, but This Tool Is So Much Better
Microsoft Excel

Stop writing complex formulas—let Excel do the work!

Illustration of a spreadsheet with a magnifying glass next to it, a chart in the background, and the Excel logo.
6 Game-Changing Microsoft Excel Tools
Microsoft Excel

Get one step closer to being an Excel power-user.

1
A mouse with the right-click button highlighted, set in front of the Excel logo.
6 Cool Right-Click Tricks in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Don't let your right mouse button go to waste!

2
Netflix logo with three crime documentary photos above it and yellow 'do not cross' crime scene tape layered in the background.
5 Gripping Crime Docs to Binge on Netflix This Week
Netflix

Feast your eyes on these serial chillers.

Excel logo with a spreadsheet in the background, some charts around it, and 'Power Query' written.
4 Excel Power Query Commands You Need to Know
Microsoft Excel

Become an expert data manipulator.

4
Illustration of Excel-themed function keys with the F9 key prominently raised at the center.
Don’t Ignore the Power of F9 in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Recalculate and fix your Excel formulas using only your keyboard.

Excel logo surrounded by parentheses, brackets, and braces.
How to Use Parentheses, Square Brackets, and Curly Braces in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Who knew that simple symbols could be so powerful?

1
Illustration of an Excel spreadsheet with the word 'skill' as a bar chart, a list of questions on the left, the HTG logo in the center and an advanced skill level indicator on the right.
Prove Your Real-World Microsoft Excel Skills With the How-To Geek Test (Advanced)
Microsoft Excel

Can you execute complex Excel tasks?

Illustration showing two Excel tables being combined using Power Query, with an office desk in the background.
Need to Stack Data from Multiple Excel Sheets? Use Power Query Append
Microsoft Excel

Don't combine Excel tables manually.

Excel logo in front of an empty spreadsheet.
4 Ways to Split Data Into Multiple Columns in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

You're spoiled for choice!

1
Google Search on a Dell XPS laptop.
8 Ways I Make Google Search Deliver Better Results
Google

Get the search results you want, faster!

2
Illustration of an Excel spreadsheet with the word 'skill' as a bar chart, a list of questions on the left, the HTG logo in the center and an intermediate skill level indicator on the right.
Prove Your Real-World Microsoft Excel Skills With the How-To Geek Test (Intermediate)
Microsoft Excel

Do you know more than the basics in Excel?

An Excel spreadsheet with rows selected for deletion, a trash can beside it, and an alert showing that Excel has crashed.
How to Delete Rows from a Filtered Range Without Crashing Excel
Microsoft Excel

Taking one extra step will make all the difference.

5
Excel in dark mode with a toggle switch turned on and the Excel logo in the center.
How to Switch to Dark Mode in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Turn off the lights in Microsoft Excel.

Illustration of an Excel spreadsheet with the word 'skill' as a bar chart, a list of questions on the left, the HTG logo in the center and a beginner skill level indicator on the right.
Prove Your Real-World Microsoft Excel Skills With the How-To Geek Test (Beginner)
Microsoft Excel

Do you know how to use Excel's fundamental tools?

A map with vertical bars representing geographical data and the Excel logo in the center.
How to Visualize Your Geographical Data in Excel With Interactive 3D Maps
Microsoft Excel

You could spend hours playing with this tool!

1
A drop-down list in Microsoft Excel with a column on the left containing the list items and a laptop on the right.
How to Create a Drop-Down List from a Column of Data in Excel
Microsoft Excel

Which method you use depends on how your data is formatted.

Excel logo with two interlaced zigzag charts and several alert icons around them.
3 Ways to Stop Volatile Functions Recalculating in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Fix the values generated by volatile functions.

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