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

Various Excel formatting tools with the logo at the center.
6 Microsoft Excel Formatting Habits You Need to Ditch
Microsoft Excel

Tweaking your spreadsheet routines could make life much easier.

4
Excel logo with some charts and icons around it and a table in the background.
Do You Need Math Skills to Be Good at Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel

Math skills can be useful in Excel—but are they essential?

Excel logo with a calendar on the left, a clock on the right, and some dates and serial numbers around.
What Are Date and Time Serial Numbers in Microsoft Excel, and Why Do They Exist?
Microsoft Excel

Date and time calculations would be impossible without them.

A laptop with the Microsoft Excel app.
My Favorite Shortcuts for Quickly Navigating Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Negotiate the Excel interface like a pro!

1
The Excel logo with the right side blurred behind the word 'Hidden.'
4 Hidden Microsoft Excel Tools You Probably Didn’t Know
Microsoft Excel

Excel is a treasure trove of data tricks.

1
Three light bulbs with Microsoft Word logo in the center.
6 Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts I Wish I Knew Earlier
Microsoft Word

I could have saved so much time!

1
Illustration of puzzle pieces connected, showing a problem linked to the =MOD function in Excel, with a connection leading to the solution and Excel icons around.
How to Use Excel's MOD Function to Solve Real-World Problems
Microsoft Excel

MOD is more versatile than you might think.

1
Excel logo with a cursor double-clicking on it.
11 Cool Double-Click Tricks in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

These hidden tools could save you hours.

Hands holding copy and paste icons with the Excel logo at the center and a blurred spreadsheet in the background.
4 Paste Special Tricks That Will Save You Time in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel

Paste Special in Excel can do more than paste values.

5
Excel logo at the center with the SUBTOTAL formula blurred on the left and AGGREGATE formula on the right, surrounded by several numbers.
Don’t Use SUBTOTAL in Excel: Use AGGREGATE Instead
Microsoft Excel

Generate subtotals with more flexibility.

An artist's impression of a non-descript asteroid.
Know the Differences Between Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites, Comets, and Asteroids
Space

Become a walking astronomy encyclopedia!

An Excel spreadsheet comparing the XMATCH and MATCH functions, with the Excel logo on the right.
Don’t Use MATCH in Microsoft Excel: Use XMATCH Instead
Microsoft Excel

Out with old, and in with the new!

Two happy young women listening to music with a phone beside them, the Amazon Music logo in the background, and share icons around.
How to Share Your Amazon Music Playlist
Streaming

Let others appreciate your taste in music!

Excel notes attached to cells of different sizes.
How to Make Notes Adapt to Your Excel Spreadsheet Layout
Microsoft Excel

Excel notes are more adaptable than you might think.

Illustration of an Excel file with a formula and some alerts around it.
Why You Should Avoid Hard-Coding Values in Microsoft Excel Formulas
Microsoft Excel

Referencing cells or named ranges is the way forward.

1
Excel Find and Replace dialog with some wildcards around it.
How You Can Use Wildcards in Microsoft Excel to Refine Your Search
Microsoft Excel

Find partial matches in an instant.

Some Excel screens open showing different types of spreadsheets.
Comments vs. Notes in Microsoft Excel: What's the Difference?
Microsoft Excel

Don't get overwhelmed by annotations in Excel.

2
An astronaut sitting on a waning moon while reading a dictionary, with some confusing words floating around.
11 Confusing Space Terms Explained
Space

Understand the nuts and bolts of astronomy.

1
A column in Excel with numbers in sequence and a formula next to it.
Don’t Create Numbered Lists Manually in Excel: Use SEQUENCE and COUNTA Instead
Microsoft Excel

This simple formula will save you lots of time.

6
A laptop with the Microsoft Excel app.
6 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts I Wish I Knew Earlier
Microsoft Excel

These shortcuts would have saved me so much time!

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