Here’s everything you need to know:

Deactivate and delete organizations in Viva Goals

According to the Microsoft 36 Roadmap, admins can soon deactivate organizations or even delete them when requested from the iva Goals Admin portal. They’ll also be able to configure the settings to deactivate dormant organizations automatically.

The feature is expected to start rolling out to users later this month and should hit general availability by mid-July 2023. Microsoft further added that admins will be able to,

• Deactivate organizations that are not required or even permanently delete them.
• Configure to automatically deactivate and delete inactive organizations.
• Reactivate any deactivated organization within 90 days.

Animated Backgrounds in Teams Meetings

Microsoft is also busy at work in a bid to refresh the meeting experience in Teams with animated backgrounds. The feature will replace the platform’s existing background with a dynamic animation for a more immersive virtual environment. What’s more, it ships with a wide variety of options to enhance the meeting experience with creativity and personalization according to users’ preferences.

Teams already supports pre-defined backgrounds from Microsoft. The feature tagged 122513 in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap is expected to roll out in early July and will hit broad availability later that month.

The are also plenty of updates rolling out across the Microsoft 365 suite. Be sure to check out some of our recap posts for more information.

Featured image via Bing Image Creator

However, this experience will soon be coming to an end.  The company details that there are plans to end support for the feature this month, After which users can no longer access their boards. Instead, they will be redirected to a supported calendar view automatically.

Microsoft further highlighted that:

• Your content (calendars, emails, notes, tasks and files) will remain in your account and you can still access them using the respective apps.
• In Outlook settings (Privacy and data), you can export the metadata of your boards. This can be useful if you want to back up any links you had on your board for future reference.
• URLs to calendar boards will be redirected to a supported calendar view.

The feature created a more sophisticated experience compared to the basic display and features on a supported calendar view. Essentially, the calendar board view in Outlook for web features a customizable visual planner that can display multiple calendars simultaneously, thus making it easier for users to plan accordingly.

Moreover, it also features clocks for different time zones and task lists from Microsoft To Do. It also made it easier for users to create multiple boards and reorder them based on preference. However, you’ll no longer be able to leverage these capabilities from next month. “Calendar board view is not available to GCC/GCCH/DOD Microsoft 365 customers,” says Microsoft.

Do you use the Calendar board view in Outlook? Let us know below.

Loop components are live, interactive, and collaborative objects you can embed across multiple platforms. You can use them to create and collaborate on projects. Loop components allow users to make real-time changes, thus making it easier to keep track of pending tasks and the status of the project. You can also use

The feature is already available in Outlook and Teams, whereby users can embed them in their chats and emails through the Loop Components menu. And now, with this new integration, users will be able to manage their tasks better and make edits in Microsoft Planner. As for Microsoft To Do, users can now view their tasks via the Assigned to me section.

Microsoft further indicated:

With this change, all tasks created in these lists will automatically sync and be visible in Planner, and assigned tasks will show up in To Do in the ‘Assigned to me’ smart list. These tasks will also be visible in all apps that show Planner and To Do tasks such as the Tasks app in Microsoft Teams,

The integration is expected to start rolling out to users on Microsoft Loop desktop, web, and mobile later this month. It should hit general availability by mid-July. In related news, Microsoft released the Loop app to public preview back in March and later added support for personal accounts on Android and iOS.

via Petri

First, the Draw tab has been refreshed and now features a new capability that will allow users to undo and redo ink strokes directly from the Draw tab. Previously, users were forced to navigate through the Home tab to access these capabilities, which was a major deterrent to the user’s productivity.

Additionally, Microsoft has also added a new digital ruler that’s designed to help users create and insert straight lines accurately into their presentations. “You can also use the built-in angular display to create accurate angles between lines,” says the company.

And now, it will be easier for users to draw focus during presentations using the laser pointer on the slideshow. Through the feature, you can temporarily ink on slides to highlight important elements in a particular slide. What’s more, you’ll not need to erase the markings, after a few seconds, they’ll automatically disappear, leaving your presentation in its original state.

Finally, Powerpoint for web users will now be able to draw straight lines using their digital pen and mouse easily. You only need to press the Shift key while inking or highlighting your content.

Microsoft has also indicated that users should be able to partially erase strokes using the Point Eraser tool on the Draw tab soon. Let us know which feature you’re excited most about in the comments.

Microsoft is now making this possible for Word for Windows users. Just like email reactions in Outlook, users can now like comments in Word to enhance collaboration and productivity in Word.

And while the Like button in Word is designed to make it easier for users to collaborate on projects and give quick responses, it should be noted that it comes with limitations. For instance, if a document is in read-only mode, you won’t be able to make use of the feature as the Like button won’t be visible.

Additionally, the feature also ships with two known issues. First, the feature will not be available to Android and iOS users. Therefore, they’ll not be able to view comment reactions. Microsoft has also indicated that there might be instances where users might not be able to use comment reactions, especially while editing older documents. Though this doesn’t apply to newer comments added to the document, the feature should work properly.

The feature ships with a dedicated keyboard shortcut, as illustrated below:

• To react to a comment without using your mouse, navigate to the text in the document with an associated comment and press Alt+F12. From there, press the Tab key to select the Like button. You can press Enter or Spacebar to click the Like button, and then press the Alt+Down arrow keys to expand the user list. Move through the list using the Up and Down arrow keys. The Esc or Alt  keys can be used to dismiss the list.

The feature is now available to all Word for the web users and Beta Channel users and is currently rolling out to Current Channel users in preview. You must be running on version 2305 (Build 16501.20152) or later to access it. The feature will also be rolling out to Mac users in the next couple of weeks.

The issue seems to be quite critical as some users have also indicated that they are having issues accessing Outlook on the web. Microsoft has since confirmed the issue via its Microsoft 365 Status account on Twitter, and is currently investigating the matter.

We're investigating an issue with accessing Outlook on the web. Further details can be found under EX571516 in the admin center.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) June 5, 2023

After reviewing its networking systems and recent updates, Microsoft identified the issue as highlighted below:

We’ve identified downstream impact for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. We’re providing full impact details and updates for those services via MO571683. Updates pertaining to Exchange and Outlook on the web will continue to be provided via EX571516.

Consequently, the company has placed a pause on ongoing deployment and is keeping a close eye on things. It further added that users can get more details pertaining to the issue via the admin center under EX571516 and MO571683.

Additionally, the company also indicated that it has reverted the update citing significant improvements in the affected services. Microsoft has indicated that it’ll continue monitoring the situation and put elaborate measures in place to ensure that the issue is resolved fully.

We've reverted the update and telemetry shows service improvement. We're continuing to monitor the service to ensure recovery and performing actions to address any residual impact. Further information can be found under EX571516 and MO571683 in the admin center.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) June 5, 2023

Have you encountered this issue? Is the service better now? Share your experience with us in the comments.

via Neowin

Here’s everything you need to know:

Handwriting Beautification and Ink Straightening for Microsoft Whiteboard

Microsoft is enhancing Whiteboard’s user experience by making handwriting more readable across the web, Teams, Windows app, and Surface Hubs/MTR experiences. The feature tagged 124897 in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap will make it easier for users to collaborate on projects while using ink.

The new experience is expected to start rolling out to users early this month and hit general availability towards the end of the month.

Zooming controls in Teams

Microsoft is introducing zoom in and zoom out buttons in Teams meetings to help enhance visibility for users when interacting with screenshares. The feature was already available on the platform, only that users needed to engage it using the pinch to zoom gesture on trackpad or other shortcuts.

According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the feature tagged 116010 is expected to start rolling out to users early this month and ship to general availability by late June.

PDF Annotation and Interactable Form Fields in OneDrive

And finally, Microsoft is making it easier for users to annotate hand-drawn ink into PDF documents in OneDrive via the “Edit” action in Microsoft OneDrive for the Web. What’s more, the changes will be automatically saved. “Additionally, OneDrive for Web allows you to interact with form fields, making editing and modifying PDF documents simple,” says Microsoft.

The feature tagged 124802 in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap is expected to hit general availability later this month. It’s already rolling out to users,

That’s it for this week, folks. Be sure to let us know which feature you’re anticipating most in the comments.

The company has indicated that it has revamped the experience, and users will now be able to source for information across multiple platforms in one convenient location. According to Microsoft the new experience will:

• Providing smart search suggestions before you even type.
• Supporting searching for more than just text in your document – you can also search for commands, help articles, or web results (such as definitions, media, and Bing results).
• Making the Smart Lookup pane more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision with better support for VoiceOver as well as improved keyboard navigation within groups.

To make use of the feature, you’ll need to open an existing document and click on the search box at the top-right corner, then select the search suggestions option. To conduct the search across multiple platforms, key in the word you want to find and press Enter. Alternatively, you can narrow down your search to the specific document by selecting the Find in this document option (Cmd + F). You can also expand your search to the web by selecting the Open Search pane option (Cmd + Ctrl + U).

However, this enhancement ships with one known issue. Some users may not be able to close the Search drop-down menu when clicking on the ribbon tabs. The feature is available to Beta Channel users who are running Version 16.74 (Build 23043001) or later. You’ll also be able to access it if you have a Microsoft Office 2021 license.

In related news, be sure to also check out all the new features that shipped to Excel in May.

This month’s post is already up and here’s everything you need to know:

Meetings

First up, Microsoft is introducing a new feature dubbed active speaker view in Teams. Essentially, the feature is designed to help meeting attendees identify the main speaker while a meeting is in progress easily.

According to Microsoft:

The active speaker’s video will be rendered at a higher resolution, providing better visual clarity. The use of 16:9 tiles and consistent placement of audio and video participants on the same stage ensures a fluid experience.

Next up, Organizer support for Breakout Rooms for VDI users is now active. As such, users will now be able to form smaller groups and join smaller meetings to focus on other issues that might not be part of the agenda in the main meeting.

Chat and collaboration

Microsoft Teams will now let users schedule in-person meetings offline. It’s worth noting that these offline meetings will not include chat threads or other meeting functionalities such as the join a meeting button or recording capabilities. Through the Teams calendar, users will be able to easily turn off the online toggle to create an offline meeting.

Additionally, Microsoft is also introducing a ‘Notes’ tab for users and organizations that have enabled OneNote, the M365 app for notetaking, With the new feature, every team will have access to a dedicated OneNote workbook within the channel that’s designed to make it easier users to collaborate. “Team members will be able to add their notes, edit, attach files, recall & search for channel notes within OneNote on any platform,” says Microsoft.

Mobile

Microsoft is also debuting a Dashboard for Chat in Mobile for Teams. The feature is designed to update the existing chat details page and incorporate additional information that will assist users in easily finding content that was shared with them in chat.

What’s more, Teams on VDI and web will now feature a Call Health Panel that’s designed to help users find and fix issues that tend to arise while on a Teams meeting, The panel will feature your network, audio, screen sharing, and outgoing video quality data.

Teams Premium

If you have a Teams Premium subscription, you’ll now have access to Virtual Appointments two-way lobby chat, that’s designed to enable clients and facilitators to chat prior to B2C meetings. Additionally, the Intelligent meeting recap feature has also shipped to general availability for Teams Premium users.

That’s it for this month folks, and while we only hit the key highlights, there are still a lot of features shipped to Microsoft Teams in May. For instance, as promised during Microsoft’s developer conference, Build 2023, Avatars for Teams is now available to enhance the meeting experience for users.

Aside from that, Microsoft has also indicated that it’ll be revamping the meeting recap experience for all Teams users. Users can already catch up on all the meeting contents via the ‘Details’ tab of a meeting which includes links to the meeting transcript, recording, and any manual notes that were taken.

The Expanded view for profile card feature is also available for Teams users. It will help users know more details about their colleagues across the entire organization such as birthdays, LinkedIn posts, career changes, or pending meeting invites.

Be sure to visit Microsoft’s blog post for more details about the features that were added to Teams in May. We also invite you to check out more Microsoft Teams content here.

The Teams Premium Microsoft 365 add-on subscription ships with features such as real-time translation of captions, recommended tasks, personalized highlights customized meeting templates, watermarking, recording capability limiting, branded meetings, and more. And now, Microsoft has announced the general availability of the Intelligent meeting recap feature in Teams Premium.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw a lot of organizations transition to hybrid work in a bid to mitigate the spread of the virus. As such, most of organizations became dependent on online communication tools like Microsoft Teams, though the process hasn’t been as smooth. “55% of people report that next-steps at the end of a meeting are unclear, and 56% report that it’s hard to summarize what happens in a meeting,” explained Microsoft in the blog post.

But with the general availability of the Intelligent meeting recap feature in Teams Premium, Microsoft will be able to counter these issues. It generates meeting notes, recommended tasks, and personalized highlights automatically.

Additionally, it will help users cut down on unnecessary administrative work like taking notes or figuring out important takeaways that shift their focus from what truly matters. In turn, you are able to work smarter rather than harder.

What’s more, you can even use the automatically generated meeting notes powered by GPT-3.5 as well as highlights to catch up with important details shared during the meeting in case you were engaged elsewhere at the time.

Additionally, Teams Premium makes it easier for you to quickly review meeting recordings. The offering features a neat tool, AI-generated chapters which splits the recording into sections based on the meeting transcript.

Aside from that, Microsoft has also indicated that it’ll be revamping the meeting recap experience for all Teams users. Users can already catch up on all the meeting contents via the ‘Details’ tab of a meeting which includes links to the meeting transcript, recording, and any manual notes that were taken.

The new meeting recap experience will now be incorporated into the ‘Recap’ tab where users can catch up on meeting recording directly within Teams, as well as provide co-created collaborative meeting notes, meeting transcripts, and content shared. However, it is worth noting that not all Teams users will have access to the AI-powered insights that ship with the intelligent recap feature. You’ll need a Microsoft Teams Premium subscription for that.

To access the Intelligent meeting recap feature and more, Microsoft is offering an introductory fee of $7 per month that will be valid till June 30. From July, users will be required to make a payment of $10 per month. Be sure to check out our detailed post highlighting what Teams Premium is and how you can leverage its capabilities.

via Neowin