Microsoft Loop is the most significant change to Microsoft's Office documents for decades. It allows users to connect with other Office users and create new ways of working. Microsoft Loop, the new brand for Microsoft's Fluid work, is a collection of blocks of collaborative Office content that can be independently copied, pasted and shared with others.
Microsoft Loop is similar to Fluid. It has three elements: Loop components and Loop pages. Loop workspaces are also available. Loop components can be used to create live content across multiple apps. They are updated in real-time and available for everyone to use. This could be a list that is shared in Teams and editable in Loop pages, or notes from a calendar entry that can be pasted into Outlook to be edited in real-time within an email.
These components can also be found in the Microsoft Loop hub. It's almost like a projectboard, with a list showing all Loop pages and components as well as who is working on them. It's a modern File Explorer that allows everyone to collaborate and share files.
Loop pages allow people to share and collaborate on Loop components. It's like a modern whiteboard, but much more powerful as you can insert and share components created outside of Loop. You don't have to be a part of the whole Loop page. Individual components can be edited from other apps.
Microsoft has dreamed of these collaborative Loop components for years. It is clear that the company has been adapting Loop to meet the realities of pandemics. The central Microsoft Loop hub is a better way to organize and track these components. It also responds to the new hybrid work environment to which many businesses are adapting.
Microsoft's Loop component demonstrations have been quite impressive, but we need to see them in action to truly understand if Loop can deliver the seamless experience Microsoft keeps promising.
Loop (Fluid), although Microsoft has been talking about it for almost 18 months, is not yet available in Office apps. Microsoft Loop components will soon be available in Teams, Outlook, OneNote, and OneNote. The main Microsoft Loop app will follow at a later time. Wangui McKelvey is the general manager for Microsoft 365. We will be sharing more information about the availability and features of the Microsoft Loop app over the coming months.
