Clear ClearType to Soothe Sore Eyes

By default, Excel uses on fonts in Office applications. ClearType is an antialiasing technology that smooths out text on the screen by filling the curves and angled lines with lighter shades. Some people like this feature, but others find that not having a crisp image to focus their eyes on is actually more tiring to read. If you turn off ClearType, you'll get much crisper text on screen--especially at smaller font sizes.

Start by clicking the Excel Options button to open the Excel Options window. When the window opens, stay in the Popular tab (which should already be selected from the list on the left side of the window). In the third checkbox from the top in the right-hand section of the window, uncheck the box marked Always use ClearType. A message box will tell you that the change won't take effect until you close and restart all Office applications. Click OK in the message box, and then OK again for the Excel Options window to save your change. Close Excel and restart it, and you'll see how text looks without ClearType.

If you find that you prefer the ClearType to be enabled after all, repeat the preceding steps but recheck the box next to Always use ClearType in the Excel Options window.

Bonus Tip: To protect your business data from prying eyes, from PC World blogger Rick Broida.