Microsoft 365 Updates - June Edition

Explore June's Microsoft 365 updates featuring the new Banner web part, Copilot integration in SharePoint, plus enhancements in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. Let’s dive into the latest updates and upcoming features that are set to improve your digital workplace experience.

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SharePoint Online

New title area now the banner web part

SharePoint Online is introducing a new Banner web part, replacing the old Title area for Pages and News. You can now remove the title area or use new banner layouts. The first banner acts as the page title and synchronises with the command bar, while additional banners can be used as headings.

New Banner Layouts:

• Author: This layout lets you add a prominent author section at the top of the page, ideal for personalising content or highlighting who created the page.
• Fade: This layout allows for a smooth transition effect in the banner, making the page visually appealing and engaging.

These features make creating pages more flexible and visually appealing, as shown in the image. The Banner web part customisation options include alignment, text above the title, background gradient and more, offering a rich set of tools to enhance your SharePoint pages.

Availability
Late July 2024.

Copilot natively inside SharePoint

Copilot is finally coming to SharePoint, combining the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) right within your SharePoint interface. With Copilot, you'll receive assistance drafting your content when creating new pages, adjusting the tone, expanding meeting bullets into structured text, or making your content more concise.

When creating content and pages, Copilot will act as your design partner. It can take your presentations, documents, or content and turn them into pages, adjusting the tone to maintain consistency. Creating content and sites in SharePoint will be quicker and more efficient, eliminating the tedious manual work of building sites from scratch.  

Availability
August 2024.

Richer options coming to the Text web part

Fresh enhancements to the Text web part are on the way, making it easier to create polished content in SharePoint. You’ll soon enjoy improved styling and formatting options, along with better bullets, numbered lists, and table functionalities.  

These updates will help you make your content look professional and easy to read.

Availability
Late July 2024.

SharePoint’s start interface is getting a fresh update‍

SharePoint's start interface is getting a fresh update. Microsoft is introducing a new SharePoint Start experience to SharePoint Online. This user-friendly hub will simplify site and page creation, allowing creators to refine drafts, review past work, and monitor engagement metrics.  

If your SharePoint intranet isn’t your users' starting point, the update will also feature a preview from SharePoint Home and a reimagined Start page, providing more signals and guidance on where they can go.

Availability
Due June 2024.
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Microsoft Teams

Turn notifications on or off for a post in a Microsoft Teams channel

You’ll soon be able to manage notifications for specific posts in Microsoft Teams channels. By selecting the three-dot menu at the top right of a post, you can turn notifications on or off. Enable notifications to ensure you don't miss important updates or disable them to reduce irrelevant alerts.  This feature helps you stay focused by controlling the flow of information, making your Teams experience more efficient and less distracting.

‍Availability
Due early to mid-July 2024.

Draggable Presenter Toolbar while screensharing

Microsoft Teams is introducing a new draggable Presenter Toolbar, giving presenters more control over the shared screen space. You can move the toolbar from its default top position to anywhere on the screen.  

It collapses after 4 seconds of inactivity, minimising space while still displaying a red badge to indicate ongoing sharing. This feature gives presenters more flexibility and usability during presentations.

Availability
Late July 2024.

View attachments of invitations created in Outlook

Microsoft Teams will soon allow you to view file attachments from Outlook meeting invitations directly in the Teams calendar. Previously, you couldn't access these attachments in Teams if the invitation was created in Outlook, you’d have to go back into Outlook to access them.

This update changes that by making it easier to access and download important meeting files directly from your calendar in Teams, ultimately improving the integration between Teams and Outlook.

Availability
Late July 2024

Microsoft 365 ‍

Set expiration available for all links when sharing

The upcoming "Set Expiration" feature for Microsoft 365 links will let you set an expiration date for any shared link. After the date, you'll need to create a new link or reshare the file for continued access.  

Previously only for "Anyone" links, this update will include "People in your organisation" and "People you choose" links. It applies to all Microsoft 365 apps. This feature will help you keep your shared files secure and manage access more easily.

Availability
Due late July 2024.

‍Pin favourites at the top in the New Outlook (Windows and Web)

Still in development and coming later this year, Outlook for Windows and Web will allow you to pin your most-used folders at the top of your Left Nav Bar. This feature will streamline navigation, making it easier to access important folders quickly.  

By keeping your essential folders always within reach, this update will save time by accessing your most important documents, straight from the Outlook interface.  

Availability
December 2024.

That’s a wrap!

Congratulations, you're up to date. That's it for our latest updates on Microsoft 365 and SharePoint! If you enjoyed this edition, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter in the footer below for news and insights straight to your inbox.

Any questions or feedback, don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks for reading!

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