Microsoft has rolled out a large number of feature enhancements this month, particulary for Teams which has new features for calls, meetings, chat and planning. Some of these features will significantly enhance the user experience for video and audio conferences and meetings, responding to the huge uptake by organisations in the use of Teams as a communication tool for remote working.
We've also highlighted a recent 'how to' post from Microsoft with guidance on creating a SharePoint communication site for crisis management, to help connect people and information to ensure everyone stays briefed during periods of disruption, like the one we are all experiencing now.
There are a large number of updates so if you want to jump straight to a topic of interest, use the links below.
1. Override locked files when trying to delete them Can’t delete a file because “you” or a colleague have it locked – well now you can override the lock. 2. New editing capabilities in Outlook on the Web If you use Outlook on the Web, then you now have improved spelling, grammar and general communication improvements. 3. Add Polls and Checklists to your Teams conversations Microsoft Teams - easily send your Team a quick poll or a checklist of activities for them to complete. 4. Build a crisis management site to connect people and information How to build a crisis management site to connect people and information. 5. Teams Meeting experience improvements When in a Teams Meeting, you can now choose your background – from an office meeting room to the beach. 6. New feature: Review mode in Word for the web prevents unintended edits When you share a Word document with colleagues or guests, stop them unintentionally editing the document, but still be able to leave reviews and tracked changes. 7. Microsoft Teams meeting and chat improvements Lots of Microsoft Teams meeting and chat improvements, read on to find out more. 8. Increased number of video attendees visible in Teams meetings Need to see more faces in your Teams video calls? Microsoft have increased the number from 4 to 9 with more to come. 9. New rich-text editor capabilities for text fields with SharePoint lists SharePoint “multi-line” text columns now have improved rich text formatting capabilities to bring your lists to life. 10. Raise a Virtual Hand in Teams Meetings How to control Microsoft Teams meetings with “Raise a Virtual Hand”. 11. Microsoft Teams group chat now with up to 250 people Do you need to connect with and engage large numbers of employees? Microsoft Teams group chat now supports up to 250 people. 12. Conditionally show or hide columns in a SharePoint list or library form Do you create SharePoint lists where not all columns should be editable all the time? Discover new SharePoint conditional “Show / hide” column formatting capabilities. 13. New PowerPoint Live Presentations Introducing PowerPoint Live – new features that enable you to live present. Your audience will see the presentation and a live transcript on any device in any location. 14. The Planner app in Teams will be renamed with an updated experience powered by Planner and To Do Planner Activities and To-Do Tasks now combined into a single personalised “Task” view in Microsoft Teams. No more switching between applications. 15. New SharePoint "Saved for later" web part available New webpart for SharePoint that you can configure and add to modern pages to enable your team to easily get back to their saved documents or news posts. 16. Microsoft Teams 1:1 Convenience Recording is now available As well as recording Microsoft Teams meetings, you can now record the 1:1 calls you have through the Teams Chat service.
Override locked files when trying to delete them
MC208414 What is this all about? Have you ever tried to delete a file only to find someone has it locked, even yourself! Maybe you had left it open in another tab on a different computer, or because someone else had it open and forgot about it, either way the document is locked and there is nothing you can do about it until it is closed in the other applications. This feature allows you to override that lock and delete an Office file (such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) when you or someone else has it open, whether intentionally or not. The new functionality will be available to people who want to delete items from their own OneDrive, and to all members of a document library who already have permission to delete files. How does this affect me? When you try to delete a file that is open in another location you will see a message asking you if you are sure you want to delete the file even though someone else may be editing the file. 
You may then proceed with the delete action, or close the message and allow other users to continue editing uninterrupted.
People who are actively editing a file when someone else deletes it will see a message explaining that they no longer have access to the file, and in some cases, advising them to save a copy of the document so that work isn’t lost. 
Example of the error banner in PowerPoint.
Example of the error banner in Word on the web.
Remember, the deleted documents can always be restored from the Recycle Bin of the site or the OneDrive where it was deleted from.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Nothing, this change is automatically rolling out now and should be generally available to everyone by the end of April. More from Microsoft https://support.office.com/article/93a14d34-88e3-4a91-9eef-58cc541d31f8
New editing capabilities in Outlook on the web
MC208308 Category Outlook What is this all about? If you enjoy Outlook on the web, you will soon have new tools to help refine your email messages such as recommended spelling or grammar suggestions similar to those in Word. How does this affect me? When you are composing an email message in Outlook for the web, you will see suggestions to help you communicate better, such as recommendations for spelling, grammar, and refinements to communicate more concisely. This new feature in Outlook is powered by Microsoft Editor. You can turn off the feature if you like when you are composing an email message. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Nothing, this feature is automatically rolling out now and will be completed to all customers by the end of April.
Add Polls and Checklists to your Teams conversations
MC208306 Category Teams What is this all about? Soon you will be able to add a checklist of tasks to a team conversation, perhaps to ask the team to confirm a list of activities have been completed, and for all members of the Team to be able to update the checklist and respond. In addition, you will be able to embed a Poll into a Team conversation, perhaps asking the members of the Team for their opinion on a project related matter. How does this affect me? Once rolled out, you will be able to easily access and install Checklists and Polls by clicking on “…” at the bottom of the Teams composition box and then selecting the Poll or Checklist. 
After adding the Poll or Checklist, you can access them at the bottom of the Teams composition box in both chat and channels.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change? The new feature is rolling out now and should be completed by the end of April. Should you not want your end users to find Polls and Checklists, you can turn off their availability by using the blocked app search in the Admin Center. Visit Teams Permission Policies in the Microsoft Teams admin center.
Build a Crisis Management site to connect people and information
Category SharePoint What is this all about? Change agents, from virus outbreaks like COVID-19 to unexpected weather emergencies, highlight the importance of establishing and keeping open the lines of communication. The goal: to ensure everyone stays briefed on the situation and any business impacts. To address crises, meetings move online, daily guidance email updates get sent, and dedicated sites emerge to consolidate news, related resources and topical Q&A. The ‘how to’ post in the link below addresses the latter, to guide you through simple steps and configuration to establish a crisis management site based on a SharePoint communication site. You will also find additional links to helpful guides and videos at the end. More from Microsoft https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-sharepoint-blog/build-a-crisis-management-site-to-connect-people-and-information/ba-p/1216791
Teams meeting experience improvements
MC208577 Category Teams What is this all about? When joining a Microsoft Teams meeting you are able to blur your background, which is especially useful when conducting so many meetings from home. With this new feature, you will be able to select a background image such as an office meeting room. How does this affect me? You will be able to select Microsoft provided background images prior to or during a video call.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing, this feature is rolling out now and should be available by the end of April.
New Feature: Review mode in Word for the web prevents unintended edits
MC209728 Category Office Products What is this all about? Your end users will soon be able to share Word for the web documents in Review mode, which limits recipients to adding comments or leaving tracked changes in the document. How does this affect me? When people share documents with Open in review mode only selected, recipients who open the document in Word for the web will be limited to adding comments or leaving tracked changes in the document. This can help prevent unintended edits to the document. 
People who open the document in the Word desktop app instead of on the web will only be able to view the document. They will see a notification to switch to Word for the web if they want to make changes.
With this feature, file owners can have more control over new edits, and only file owners can accept or reject changes made by other people. If someone else leaves suggestions in the document, they will be able to reject their own changes but can’t accept or reject someone else’s changes. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Nothing, this feature will be automatically made available during May.
Microsoft Teams meeting and chat improvements
MC209710 Category Teams What is this all about? Microsoft is releasing a number of updates to improve the Teams meeting and chat experience. How does this affect me? 1. Easily access meeting options from within a Teams meeting in progress. Microsoft is making it easier for meeting organisers to quickly and easily change their presenter and lobby settings once a Teams meeting starts by providing an easy to access link directly in the participants pane. This new functionality will be present for both scheduled and "Meet Now" meetings. 
2. Download a participant report in a Teams meeting.
Meeting organisers, especially teachers, often need to know who joined their Teams meetings. Soon you will be able to download a participant report, found in the roster view, that includes join and leave times for participants. Available in the roster view, meeting organisers can download the report that includes those users who joined while the organiser was present. This feature is only available with the meeting while the meeting is active. Available on desktop (Windows and Mac) and the web. The default for the feature is Disabled. The Admin will need to turn this on through a PowerShell cmdlet to be able to utilise this feature:
3. Audio playing on presenter device will be shared in the live event.
Today, if you are screen sharing content with audio in a Live Event, attendees will not be able to hear the audio of that content. With Share System Audio in Live Events, your live event attendees will now be able to hear the audio of the content that you are screen sharing. This feature works just like share system audio in Teams Meetings. Once enabled, any audio that is playing on the user's machine will be shared in the live event for participants to hear. Note: This feature will only be available for Presenters/Producers in a Live Event joining from the Windows Desktop Teams Client with ScreenSharingMode set to "Single application" or "Entire screen". 
4. Screen share from chat.
The option to start a screen share from a 1:1 or group chat will now be governed by the ScreenSharingMode policy. Further, the ability to "add audio" to a screen share from chat session (if you want to talk to someone while screen sharing) will be governed by a user's AllowPrivateCalling setting. This ensures that users who have AllowPrivateCalling disabled cannot start audio calls via screen share from chat. 
Starting a screen share from chat.
Setting the ScreenSharingMode policy in Teams Admin Center under Meeting Policies.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
There is no preparation required. Microsoft will be gradually rolling these changes out during May. You should consider if these will be useful to you and your colleagues to help improve your overall Teams experience.
Increased number of video attendees visible in Teams meetings
MC209274 Category Teams What is this all about? Microsoft has announced that the number of participants that can be viewed simultaneously during a Teams meeting will increase from 4 to 9. Additionally they are working on increasing this limit even further so that more participants can be viewed simultaneously. How does this affect me? It will improve your meeting experience as Microsoft increase the number of participants shown on the stage to 9 and make it video optimised. For more than 9 participants, they will prioritise those with video on and show them on the stage. Participants with audio will be shown below the meeting stage. To provide a high audio and video quality experience, the layout logic will consider user bandwidth and alter the number of videos shown to provide the best meeting experience. 
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing, this feature will be automatically rolling out soon.
New rich-text editor capabilities for text fields with SharePoint lists
MC209530 Category SharePoint What is this all about? You will soon have access to a new rich-text editor (RTE) on multi-line text fields when editing a SharePoint list or library. How does this affect me? You will be able to easily add more rich formatting to text columns in SharePoint by enabling the RTE on any multi-line field. Once enabled, the Notes field will display a pencil icon in the list form. Click the pencil to edit text and adjust appearance, such as font, size, colour, highlight, bold, italics, underline, and bulleted or numbered lists.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing, this change is automatically rolling out now.
Raise a Virtual Hand in Teams meetings
MC209022 Category Teams What is this all about? The new raise hand feature in Teams allows meeting attendees to identify that they wish to speak by toggling the hand icon in the meeting control bar, making it easier to actively participate in meetings. How does this affect me? This enhancement will make Teams meetings more effective, especially when there are multiple attendees, and will reduce the instances of attendees speaking over each other. When a meeting participant has raised their hand, an icon will appear next to their name in the roster view as well as their profile picture or video on the main meeting stage. Participants can lower their hand, and any presenter can lower individual hands in the meeting. 
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing, this change is automatically rolling out now.
Microsoft Teams group chat now with up to 250 people
MC211658 Category Teams What is this all about? Microsoft are increasing the maximum chat size from 100 to 250 individuals. How does this affect me? Private chats groups that you create can now accommodate up to 250 people, so a great way for small to medium sized companies to keep everyone in the company informed and up to-date. However, note that if you have more than 20 people in a chat, the following chat features are turned off: Outlook automatic replies and Teams status messages; typing indicator; video and audio calling; sharing; and read receipts. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Nothing, this change is rolling out now.
Conditionally show or hide columns in a SharePoint list or library form
MC211640 Category SharePoint What is this all about? You will be able to show or hide columns in a SharePoint list or library form based on a value in another column. How does this affect me? When you design SharePoint lists and libraries and add columns, you sometimes do not want people to change column data if the record is not at the correct state. For example, certain columns cannot be edited until the status of the record is "Completed". This new conditional expression capability for configuring list or library forms will enable you to do this. It builds upon the existing ability to show or hide columns in a list or library form. As soon as the feature is rolled out to your organisation, you will be able to begin editing conditional formulae to show or hide columns in the list or library form. The formula is made up of equations that perform conditional checks on values in a list or library. The new option, Edit conditional formula, will be available from the more options menu (...) in the Edit columns list form pane. 
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing except think about how you could design more intuitive and intelligent forms to improve data capture.
New PowerPoint Live Presentations
MC211518 Category Office Products What is this all about? Microsoft will soon release Live Presentations for PowerPoint for web, which allows audience members to see slides and a live transcript of the presenter’s spoken words (including live translation) on any of their devices. How does this affect me? If you need to present to people online using PowerPoint, then this new feature will make it easier for them to access the PowerPoint and if needed to see live captions of the presentation audio. On the day of a presentation, the presenter selects “Present Live” either from within the Slide Show tab (in case of the Simplified ribbon) or from the View tab:
Before starting live presentation, the presenter can choose who will be able to access the session:
A live presentation allows each audience member to follow a presentation on their own device, whether laptop, tablet or phone. They can also choose live subtitles from more than 60 languages, navigate between slides, send real-time reactions, and provide feedback to the presenter. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? You need to decide if this feature should be enabled for your organisation, especially the "Anyone" option. The default, when this rolls out by the end of June, is that all options are enabled but you can change this if needed.
The Planner app in Teams will be renamed with an updated experience powered by Planner and To Do
MC211421 Category Teams What is this all about? The Planner app in Teams will become the Tasks app. You will now be able see your individual tasks and team tasks in a single app. Microsoft are also introducing both a list view and a new mobile tasks experience within the Teams app for mobile devices. The Planner app will be renamed after the rollout is complete. How does this affect me? You will see personal tasks powered by To Do (which also powers Outlook tasks) and team tasks powered by Planner. Existing Planner tabs will behave the same as they do today but will show an additional list view. You will be able to add new Tasks tabs to the channels in teams they belong to. You can also access the Tasks app in the same ways they previously accessed the Planner app. 
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Nothing, this change is rolling out now and should be completed by mid July.
New SharePoint "Saved for later" web part available
MC211364 Category SharePoint What is this all about? Microsoft is adding a new "Saved for later" web part for SharePoint modern pages. With the Saved for later web part, you can see the content you have saved when you view your page. Page authors can determine the source of Saved items that will show on the page:
How does this affect me? The Saved for later web part will show as a new option in the web part toolbox and will provide an easy way for you and visitors to your site to access any documents or new articles they have saved. 
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
Consider if this new web part would add value to any SharePoint sites you own or manage.
Microsoft Teams 1:1 Convenience Recording is now available
MC210451 Category Teams What is this all about? Microsoft have officially announced the release of Microsoft Teams 1:1 Convenience Recording. You will now be able to record your 1:1 calls, just like meetings and group calls. How does this affect me? You can now initiate recording on 1:1 Teams calls by:
Both persons in the call will receive a notification that the call is being recorded. To stop the recording:
The recording is then processed and saved to Microsoft Stream. An email will be sent to the person who started the recording once the recording is available and a link to the recording will be posted in the 1:1 chat. What do I need to do to prepare for this change? Nothing, unless you wish to restrict or turn-off this capability in which case your Teams admin will need to create the appropriate policy in the administration centre.
Author: SO365 Insights
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