Welcome to our latest update on Microsoft 365 features! We’re excited to share some fantastic new tools designed to make your work smoother and more efficient. Whether you’re using Microsoft Forms, OneDrive, or Teams, these updates are here to enhance your productivity and streamline your tasks. From real-time data sync in Forms to improved file filtering in OneDrive and smarter search suggestions in Teams, there’s a lot to look forward to. Let's explore these new features and see how they can benefit you and your team.

Microsoft Forms:

Real-Time Data Sync with Excel

Microsoft Forms now lets you sync your form data live with Excel on the web. This means your form responses update automatically in an Excel workbook, and you can work with others on the same data. You can create an Excel workbook in OneDrive from the form responses page, and the data will sync to a table in that workbook instantly. As long as the workbook is open in Excel for the web, you and your coauthors will see the updates in real-time. This feature is currently available as a preview for forms made in Microsoft 365 groups and Excel for the web, with plans to add support for Excel on Desktop soon.

Microsoft OneDrive:

New File Type Filters

In OneDrive on the web, there's now a dropdown menu next to the filter options in the Home, Shared, People, Meetings, and Favorites views. You can use this menu to filter your files by type, including:

 - OneNote

- Microsoft Lists

- Videos

- Loop

- Photos

- Whiteboard

- PowerBI

Read more:
OneDrive 3.0: The Future of Enterprise File Sharing

Microsoft's Latest OneDrive Updates for Microsoft 365 Business and Education

Microsoft Teams:

Message Search Suggestions

Now, when you type search terms in Microsoft Teams, you'll see message suggestions from recent chats. These suggestions include details like the sender's name, profile picture, where the message is from, the title of the meeting or group chat, participants, message date, and icons for any web links or attachments. This helps you find the right message quickly.

If you don’t see the message you need in the suggestions, you can click "See more message results" or press Enter to view all relevant messages on the Search Results page.

Read more:

What is New in Microsoft Teams-Enterprise Connect 2024 Edition

Microsoft Teams Premium: The smart place to work is also a smart investment

Coming Soon to Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams:

"Files" Tab Renamed to "Shared" (August 2024)

Right now, the Files tab at the top of a Microsoft Teams chat shows only the files shared in the chat, but not the links. Soon, this tab will be renamed to "Shared" and will include recent files, all files, and links.

Microsoft OneDrive:

Update to Shared Folder Experience (August 2024)

Currently, when you open a shared folder in OneDrive, you see it within the sharer’s OneDrive. With the new update, opening a shared folder will take you to the People view in your own OneDrive. This view organizes shared files and folders by the people who shared them, making it easier and more efficient to access everything shared with you.

Microsoft Teams:

Ability to Rename General Channel (August 2024)

In response to customer feedback, Microsoft is introducing the ability to provide a meaningful name to the General channel in a new or existing team. The General channel can be renamed by the team owners to show up in the teams' and channels' list of all members in alphabetical order. 

Microsoft Teams:

New Skin Tone Settings and Reactions (September 2024)

Starting in September 2024, Microsoft Teams will let users choose a preferred skin tone for emojis and reactions. You can change your skin tone setting in the Teams app by going to Settings > Appearance and accessibility or in the emoji/reaction menu on Desktop or web. This feature will be available for emojis and reactions in chats, channels, and meetings on all Teams platforms.

Microsoft Teams:

Hide Presenters and Support Roles from Webinar Event Page (September 2024)

Starting in September 2024, webinar organizers in Microsoft Teams will be able to add presenters and support roles without showing them on the event page. These roles can join the green room, manage what attendees see, control their camera, and moderate the event. This feature helps organizers include live translators, event moderators, and staff who aren't presenting, keeping the focus on the main presenters.

To access this new feature, go to the Teams calendar and select the arrow next to New meeting > Webinar > Presenter bios > Select Hide from site in the three-dot menu.

Microsoft Lists:

Drag and Drop List Item (October 2024)

Starting in October 2024, Microsoft Lists will have a new drag-and-drop feature. Users will be able to drag and drop single or multiple items to reorder their lists. This feature will be available by default for all users.

As a Gold Microsoft Partner in Saudi Arabia, Ctelecoms is ready to help you make the most of these new Microsoft 365 features! Our team is here to guide you through these updates and ensure you get the best out of them. If you have any questions or need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you boost your productivity and make your workday easier!

Contact us!