Apart from productivity apps like Teams, OneNote , and Office suite, Microsoft also offers a project management/database software called Microsoft Lists. Initially limited to Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Education users, the company is accepting general users for the app as well. If you want to give it a try, here are the top Microsoft Lists tips and tricks for different activities, like a checklist for an easy onboarding experience.
1. Use Templates
You get two options for creating lists in Microsoft Lists – start from the scratch or use one of the built-in templates. From the Microsoft Lists home, click on New list and choose one of the default templates.
Based on your usage or preference, you can select a template like issue tracker, Travel requests, Content schedule, etc. Unlike Notion , there is no way to go through community-made templates in Microsoft Lists.
Once you select a template, click on Use template, and you are ready to use it inside your account.
2. Personalize Your List
When dealing with dozens of lists in Microsoft Lists, it’s important to personalize them so that you don’t have a hard time finding a relevant list.
When you create a new list, you can give it a unique name, description, and choose a color and an icon. The options are limited, but it’s still better than rivals like Trello.
3. Add New Items Lists
Based on your selected template, you have several options to add an entry to Microsoft Lists.
Hit the Add new item button at the top and it will open a menu to add task/issue details like title, descriptions, status, due date, publish date, published URL, and more.
4. Create New View
You can view the added entries in the Calendar and Gallery format as well. Here’s how.
Step 1: Click on the + icon at the top, and it will open Create view menu.
Step 2: Select Calendar or Gallery in the Show as menu.
Hit the Create button at the bottom, and you can check the new view from the three-dot menu.
5. Directly Edit Entries
By default, Microsoft Lists disables editing in lists directly. You must select a list and click on the edit icon at the top to make changes. It can be time-consuming. Instead, you can click on ‘Exit grid view,’ and directly add new entries and edit the existing ones.
6. Add a New Column
Based on your selected template, the Lists will come with necessary columns. You can scroll horizontally and click on Add column option to select the type of column you want to add to Lists.
You can select a single line of text, Multiple lines of text, Number, Yes/No poll, Person, and more.
You can also select existing columns and click on the down arrow button to delete them.
7. Favorite a List
When working with multiple projects, issue trackers, and other databases, it can be difficult to search a list you are looking for.
From the Microsoft Lists home, click on the little star icon at the top of the list, and the software will add it as a favorite. You can now easily access it from the separate Favorites menu.
8. Edit a Column
Do you want to edit an existing column with more details? You can easily do so from the Edit Column menu.
Let’s take the Status column as an example and edit it in the list.
Step 1: Click on the down arrow icon beside the Status column.
Step 2: Go to Column settings and select Edit.
Step 3: You can add a new Name, Description, change column Type, and even make changes to the exiting Choices.
You can also expand the more options menu and allow multiple-choice selection for columns. Hit the Save button to apply all the changes.
9. Share a List
While Microsoft Lists is ideal for personal use and it is usable with Team members too. You can track issues, assets, routines, contacts, inventory, and more with collaboration from others.
From the Lists home, click on the three-dot menu and select Share. You can share a link to the project and even go into the Link settings menu to make changes.
From the Link settings menu, you can add edit items, set expiration dates, and even set a password to prevent unauthorized access to the list.
10. Export to CSV
If you want to edit the existing list in Microsoft Excel or share the entire list in CSV format, click on Export to CSV, and the browser will download the list in CSV file.
Create and Manage Database in Microsoft Lists
Microsoft Lists for consumers is still missing goodies like Rules to create automation in the list and the mobile app access. It’s only available for Education and Enterprise users.
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- Update or re-install the biometrics driver using the Device Manager tool on your PC.
- Delete your fingerprint, and register it again in Windows Hello settings.
- Open the Services program, and restart the Windows Biometric Service.
Basic Fixes
- Restart PC: Restart your PC to fix any temporary bugs and glitches.
- Clean your finger and the sensor: The biometrics sensor on your PC will not work if it is dirty, or if your finger isn’t clean.
- Update PC: Update your PC to the latest available version of Windows for a bug-free experience.
- Check for malware: Using Windows Defender , scan for malware that may be causing the problem.
Fix 1: Update or Reinstall the Biometrics (Fingerprint) Driver
The software drivers for the biometrics hardware on your Windows PC may be outdated and are due for an update. The update can fix bugs and problems that you are facing with the Windows Hello fingerprint service. Additionally, if the biometrics driver was installed through a corrupt package, it may cause issues with Windows Hello.
Therefore, updating or reinstalling these drivers will help.
Step 1: Open Device Manager from the start menu.
Step 2: Click to expand Biometric Devices .
Step 3: Right-click on the biometric device and click on Update driver .
Step 4: Choose whether you want to browse the update file locally or, let Windows search the internet for the same.
If you want to re-install the driver, click on Uninstall Device , confirm your action, and restart your PC to automatically install the driver.
Fix 2: Re-Register Your Fingerprints
If the saved fingerprint on your PC is corrupted, removing it and registering your fingerprint once again will help.
Step 1 : Open the Settings app on your PC.
Step 2: Select Accounts in the sidebar and click on Sign-In Options .
Step 3: Click on Fingerprint Recognition .
Step 4: Click on Remove to delete the registered fingerprint.
Step 5: Now, click on Set Up , and register your fingerprints once again.
Fix 3: Start Biometrics Service Automatically
If the Windows Biometric service – a process that is required to activate the fingerprint sensor on your device does not start up every time you boot up your PC, you may encounter problems with Windows Hello.
Step 1: Open the Services application from the Start menu.
Step 2: Scroll down to find, and right-click on Windows Biometric Service .
Step 3: Click on Properties .
Step 4: Open the dropdown menu for Startup type , and click on Automatic . Click on Apply and OK to confirm your changes.
Fix 4: Reset WinBio Database
Your Windows PC stores all the biometrics data in the WinBio database. If any entry is corrupted, it may be responsible for the error message.
Step 1: Open the Services application from the Start menu.
Step 2: Scroll down to find, and right-click on Windows Biometric Service .
Step 3: Click on Stop .
Step 4: Now, navigate to This PC -> Windows (C:) -> Windows -> System32 and open the WindBioDatabase folder.
Step 5: We will have to delete all the files present here.
But we recommend taking a backup . Select all files. Copy and paste them onto a different location.
Step 6: Once you have created a copy of all the files in a different destination – go ahead and delete the files .
Step 7: Now, go back to Windows Services , right-click on Windows Biometric Service , and click on Start .
Once you restart the biometric service, you must register your fingerprint again in the Settings app. Refer to the ‘Fix 2’ section to register your fingerprint.
Fix 5: Edit the Registry
If the biometric login is deactivated via the Registry on your Windows PC, you can enable it by using the registry editor.
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor from the Start menu.
Step 2: Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.
Step 3: Click on SOFTWARE .
Step 4: Click on Policies -> Windows -> and right-click on System .
Step 5: Click on New -> DWORD (32-Bit) Value .
Step 6: Right-click on the new entry and click on Rename .
Enter the new name as AllowDomainPINLogon .
Step 7: Double-click on the new entry.
Step 8: Enter 1 in the value data. Click on OK .
Fix 6: Troubleshoot Hardware Devices
Running the hardware troubleshooting service on your Windows PC can fix issues with the fingerprint scanner.
Step 1: Open the Run window on your PC.
Step 2: Enter the following command, and click on OK to open the hardware diagnostics service.
msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostics
Step 3: Click on Next , and the troubleshooting will begin. Once it is complete, follow the on-screen instructions to take the relevant actions.
