Microsoft Excel: Publish to Power BI retires starting August 19, 2024

MC808826 | July 5 – The “Publish to Power BI” feature in Microsoft Excel will retire on August 19, 2024. Users should transition to the Power BI service for publishing needs. The Power BI service offers additional capabilities not found in Excel’s publishing feature, and this change will not affect existing workbooks. Users must upload workbooks to Power BI from OneDrive or SharePoint.
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(Updated) Microsoft SharePoint: “Remove-SPOExternalUser” retires starting July 29, 2024

MC806103 | July 5 – The “Remove-SPOExternalUser” PowerShell cmdlet for SharePoint Online will retire on July 29, 2024. Users should transition to the “Remove-AzureADUser” cmdlet and update workflows to avoid disruption. Further details and guidance are available at Microsoft Learn.
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Microsoft Teams: Office 365 Connectors feature retires starting August 15, 2024

MC808160 | July 3 – The Microsoft Teams Office 365 Connectors feature will be retired between August 15, 2024, and January 1, 2025. Users are advised to switch to the Workflows app in Teams for similar functionality. New connector creation will be blocked from August 15, 2024, and existing connectors will stop working from October 1, 2024. No admin action is required for this change. Users should be notified and directed to relevant support articles for guidance.
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Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps: Files page retires September 1, 2024

MC805203 | July 1 – The Files page in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps will be retired on September 1, 2024. Users should use the Policy Management page for creating, modifying, and exploring Information Protection policies and malware files. This change affects users currently utilizing the Files page.
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Microsoft OneDrive: How to ensure/manage background syncing on macOS

MC808855 | July 5 – OneDrive for macOS is updating to streamline background syncing. The OpenAtLogin plist setting will be replaced by macOS System Setting Login Item, managed through a configuration profile. Rollout begins early July 2024, with completion by late July. Admins should review and deploy the Background Services configuration profile.
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Microsoft SharePoint: Authoring assistance from Copilot

MC808837 | July 5 – Copilot is being integrated into Microsoft SharePoint’s Rich Text Editor, enabling content authoring assistance. It will be available for users with a Copilot Microsoft 365 license, rolling out from early July to early August 2024. This feature can be disabled in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
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Microsoft Planner: eDiscovery support for Microsoft Planner

MC808830 | July 5 – eDiscovery support for Microsoft Planner, including search and legal holds, will be generally available in early July 2024. This feature allows admins to search and hold Planner tasks, comments, and attachments in Purview, but only for tenants created before October 2022. No admin action is required for the rollout.
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Microsoft 365 apps now support OpenDocument Format 1.4

MC808823 | July 5 – Microsoft 365 apps now support OpenDocument Format 1.4, saving ODF files in this format by default and adding features already in Open Office XML. General availability began in May 2024, with Office LTSC 2024 Preview support in June 2024. Details at the provided link.
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(Updated) Microsoft SharePoint Online: Apply shapes to images

MC799283 | July 5 – SharePoint Online will soon introduce a feature allowing users to apply shapes like square, circle, triangle, hexagon, pebble, and teardrop to images in Image and Text web parts. Rollout begins late June 2024 and ends late July 2024. No admin action is needed before the rollout.
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(Updated) Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Enhancements to the device onboarding page

MC801975 | July 5 – The device onboarding page for Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) has been updated with new features such as IP address search, a ‘Valid user’ filter, and a refined device list. The Public Preview rollout begins mid-July 2024, with General Availability starting early August 2024. No admin action is required for the rollout. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 393934 is associated with this update.
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(Updated) Microsoft Defender for Office 365: New added feature called the Take action wizard in Threat Explorer.

MC788953 | July 5 – Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has introduced a new feature called Take action wizard in Threat Explorer, allowing execution of multiple response actions simultaneously. This enhancement aids in efficient threat remediation, supporting actions like email purging, inline submissions, and Tenant level block actions for up to 100 messages. Rollout began in mid-April 2024 and will complete by late June 2024. Users need the Search and Purge role to perform email purge actions.
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(Updated) Offline mode in OneDrive for Web

MC686277 | July 5 – OneDrive for Web will soon enable “Offline mode” for Windows and macOS devices running the OneDrive sync app, allowing users to continue working with OneDrive even when offline. This feature will be on by default and will give users the ability to view, rename, move, copy their files, and create new folders when offline. Administrators will be able to control various aspects of Offline mode using the Group Policies outlined in the message. The feature will be rolled out gradually from late February 2024 to late August 2024. Users can turn off Offline mode if they desire to do so. More information is available in the provided links.
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(Updated) Microsoft Outlook: Emails sync to your device for offline use

MC798682 | July 5 – Outlook will introduce a sync window feature, allowing users to select the number of days’ emails to sync for offline access, with options from 1 to 30 days, including attachments. This feature is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 189809 and will start roll out in June 2024. Admins can set default sync settings, and users can customize their preferences. Initially, there’s a 30-day sync limit and a 2,000 message download limit.
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(Updated) Outlook: Choose how many days of emails sync to your iOS or Android device for offline usage

MC696167 | July 5 – Outlook update allows users to select the number of days to sync emails for offline access on iOS or Android devices. The rollout timeline has been updated, with worldwide now beginning in late May 2024. This change offers users more control and requires updates to training and documentation. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 189809.
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(Updated) Microsoft Outlook: New search UI for contacts and global address list

MC800848 | July 5 – Outlook for Mac will introduce a new search UI for contacts and the global address list, starting late June 2024, with no preparation needed. This update is part of Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 397093.
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Shorter meeting URLs

MC772556 | July 5 – Microsoft Teams meeting URLs are being shortened for easier sharing across all platforms, with a new rollout timeline starting in November 2024 and completing by mid-January 2025. Existing longer URLs will still function, and the new URL format is provided. No admin action is required, but users should be informed, and documentation updated.
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(Updated) Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft 365 and in Microsoft Teams: The new Catch up feature

MC799636 | July 5 – Microsoft 365 and Teams introduce ‘Catch up,’ a new feature in Microsoft Copilot, requiring a license. It provides updates and action prompts on a ‘Catch up’ tab, rolling out from early July to early August 2024. No admin action needed for the rollout.
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(Updated) Microsoft SharePoint Online: New feedback button

MC721853 | July 5 – Microsoft SharePoint Online is introducing a feedback button for users to submit compliments, problems, or suggestions about SharePoint features and functionality. The feedback icon will be visible on SharePoint sites and Microsoft will review all feedback submitted by customers to improve products and troubleshoot product issues. Feedback collection is on by default, but can be turned off using the Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365 in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center. The rollout is expected to begin in late March 2024 for Targeted Release and late June 2024 for General Availability.
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(Updated) Estimating cost of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Endpoint

MC693860 | July 5 – The OCR Cost Estimator has been launched for Microsoft 365 services, allowing customers to estimate OCR costs without needing an Azure Subscription. The rollout timeline has been updated, with Public Preview and full rollout expected between August and September 2024. Users with specific role groups can access the estimator on compliance.microsoft.com. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 160009 is associated with this update.
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(Updated) Microsoft Purview compliance portal | Audit: New Cloud Policy service audit logs for policy changes

MC789309 | July 5 – The Microsoft Purview compliance portal will soon integrate with the Cloud Policy service to store audit logs for policy changes, with rollout starting mid-August 2024. This allows admins to review policy change history in Purview Audit. No admin action is required before the rollout.
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Meeting details displayed on pre-join screen

MC746322 | July 5 – Microsoft Teams for Windows and Mac will display meeting details such as the title, start and end time, and number of participants on the pre-join screen for in-tenant participants. The rollout will begin in late April 2024 and will not require any admin action. External guests will not see these details.
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(Updated) Optimize for Video setting for screensharing

MC715695 | July 5 – Microsoft Teams will provide manual settings to optimize screen sharing for video clips by reducing lag and improving the quality of video playback when sharing video clips in Teams meetings. The rollout will begin in early May 2024 for Targeted Release and mid-June 2024 for Worldwide. No action is needed to prepare for this change.
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Organizers can select up to six languages for attendees to choose from for live translated captions during a town hall

MC705765 | July 5 – Town hall organizers can now select up to six languages for live translated captions from over 40 options. The rollout timeline has been updated, with Targeted Release beginning mid-March and completing early April 2024, and General Availability rolling out early May and completing by early July 2024. No action is needed to prepare for this change. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 371308.
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(Updated) Teams admin center: App centric management and changes to app permission policies

MC688930 | July 5 – The Teams admin center will introduce app centric management and changes to app permission policies. Admins can control who can install Teams apps and manage access to the app individually. The feature will roll out in three phases, affecting tenants with different permission policies. No action is needed for phase 1 tenants. More information will be provided for phase 2 and 3 tenants in a follow-up communication before launch.
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: In-meeting Error Messaging

MC683928 | July 5 – Microsoft Teams Meeting users will receive error messages on the right pane explaining why they cannot access meeting chats due to policy limitations or unexpected errors. The rollout will begin in mid-November and end in early July 2024, and users do not need to take any action to prepare for this change.
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Introducing slash commands in the compose box

MC785024 | July 5 – Microsoft Teams is introducing new slash commands for composing messages and navigating Teams, with a rollout starting mid-May 2024 for Targeted Release and mid-June 2024 for General Availability. No admin action is required, but informing users is recommended.
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(Updated) Outlook Mobile: New in-app Contact editor

MC746321 | July 5 – Outlook Mobile is rolling out a new Contact editor, replacing the device’s native editor. This will allow organizations to enforce Intune policies related to contact creation and editing, and reduce the dependency on Contact Syncing. The rollout will happen automatically by mid-July 2024, with no admin action required. Users may want to update their documentation and review their existing Intune policies.
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(Updated) Update to only show site results at a tenant root site when in the “site search” scope

MC724127 | July 5 – Starting from mid-June 2024, SharePoint Online will only show site results from the tenant root site when in the “site search” scope. This update will not affect the search experience if the root site is set as a hub, set as a Viva Connections home site, or configured to show hub or tenant wide results by default. If you want to continue to get all results when searching from the root site, you can configure the default search scope at the root site to show tenant wide results.
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(Updated) Microsoft SharePoint Online: New Banner web part (updated title area) in Pages and News

MC791596 | July 5 – Microsoft SharePoint Online is introducing a new Banner web part for Pages and News, allowing users to remove or add multiple banners to a page. Targeted Release begins late June 2024, with General Availability starting early July 2024. The update includes new Banner layouts and affects page templates and title synchronization. No admin action is required before the rollout.
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(Updated) New Microsoft Defender Antivirus services on Windows Devices

MC687846 | July 5 – Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 and Windows 11 will be shipping with a new service called Microsoft Defender Core service. The rollout will occur in stages, starting with a preview in November 2023 and worldwide rollout in April 2024. To prepare, users need to update the Platform Update to the latest version and allow specific URLs. If using an Application Control application or running a 3rd party AV and/or EDR, add the Microsoft Defender Core Service process to the allowed list.
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(Updated) Microsoft Edge for Business: Customize organizational branding using the Microsoft Edge management service

MC720776 | July 5 – Late March 2024, admins can customize organizational branding assets onto Edge for Business through the Microsoft Edge management service. This branding can help users differentiate between multiple profiles and browser windows. Admins can control, preview, and customize the organization name, accent color, logo, and Edge for Business taskbar icon overlay. Default branding can be enabled through policies. Preview for this new feature began on March 21, 2024, and is expected to complete within a week. Rolling out worldwide late April 2024 to late July 2024. Admins will need to navigate to Microsoft Edge management service to customize and configure organization assets.
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(Updated) Microsoft Viva Amplify: Access to most recent templates

MC805198 | July 5 – Microsoft Viva Amplify is updating template access. User-created templates will appear in the first three positions on the campaign overview page, with the most recent template first. Additional templates can be managed under ‘View all templates.’ Rollout began mid-June 2024 and will complete by early July 2024. This update is part of Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 398978.
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Microsoft Purview eDiscovery | Modernized eDiscovery in new Microsoft Purview portal

MC808165 | July 3 – The new Microsoft Purview portal introduces a modernized eDiscovery experience, unifying Content Search, eDiscovery Standard, and eDiscovery Premium with enhanced features for efficiency and data management. Public Preview begins late July 2024, with General Availability starting early October 2024. Organizations should update training materials and documentation in preparation.
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Microsoft Teams: Policy to disable some in-product messages

MC808161 | July 3 – Tenant admins can now use the New-CsTeamsUpdateManagementPolicy command to control certain in-product messages in Microsoft Teams, such as “What’s New” updates and training opportunities. This feature is currently available worldwide. For more details, visit the provided link. Prepare by informing users and updating documentation.
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Microsoft Teams: Automatic location updates on bookable desks

MC808158 | July 3 – Microsoft Teams is introducing automatic location updates on bookable desks to simplify updating work locations. This feature will be globally available from early to late August 2024. Admins can enable this at the tenant level, and users can activate it in Teams settings.
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Microsoft SharePoint: New page range setting for prebuilt and structured models in Microsoft Syntex

MC807801 | July 2 – Microsoft Syntex will soon allow setting a page range for processing larger files with several pages in prebuilt, structured, and freeform models. This feature will roll out from mid-July to early August 2024, requiring no admin action prior to rollout. Users can adjust settings from the Model settings panel.
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Microsoft Purview: The new Microsoft Purview Portal enters GA

MC807798 | July 2 – The new Microsoft Purview Portal is entering General Availability with a unified experience for data security, governance, and compliance. Rollout begins late July 2024, with completion by mid-September 2024. Users will be redirected to the new portal, which will eventually replace the classic portal by the end of 2024. No immediate action is required for preparation.
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: New Cross-location shifts in the Shifts app

MC800503 | July 2 – The message details the upcoming introduction of Cross-location Shifts in the Microsoft Teams Shifts app, allowing frontline managers to offer open shifts across multiple locations. This feature will start rolling out in mid-August 2024 for Targeted Release and in late August 2024 for General Availability. It includes benefits, prerequisites, and preparation instructions. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 394351 is associated with this update.
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Microsoft Teams: Lobby experience for external presenters in town hall and webinar

MC807463 | July 1 – Microsoft Teams is updating the lobby experience for external presenters in town halls and webinars. Unauthenticated external guests will now wait in the lobby where organizers can approve or deny access. This rollout begins early July 2024 and requires no admin action but recommends informing event organizers.
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Microsoft Intune In Development for July 2024 is now available

MC807462 | July 1 – The “In development for Microsoft Intune” page has been updated with a list of upcoming features for July 2024. It’s recommended to inform IT staff and plan for user guidance updates based on these anticipated changes. The changes will start appearing in the next month or in a subsequent release.
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Microsoft Mesh: Updates to network setup requirements, improved audio quality

MC807460 | July 1 – Microsoft Mesh is transitioning to use Microsoft Teams’ backend for spatial audio, promising improved audio quality and simpler network setup requirements for users with Mesh app versions 5.2407+. The rollout, starting now, is expected to complete by late July 2024. No admin action is required before the rollout.
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Microsoft Outlook: Reset People suggestions

MC807456 | July 1 – Outlook is introducing a Reset People Suggestion feature, allowing users to reset, export, and opt-out of people suggestions. This will be available in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows, syncing with Microsoft 365 My Account privacy settings. Rollout begins early August 2024. No admin action is required before the rollout.
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Product transitions to the cloud.microsoft domain – June 2024

MC807452 | July 1 – Microsoft products are transitioning to the cloud.microsoft domain by June 2024. Microsoft Planner is already available on this domain. Admins should educate users, update organizational materials, ensure in-house apps are compatible, and verify network connections to *.cloud.microsoft are unblocked.
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Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Entra: Insider Risk condition in Conditional Access is GA

MC807451 | July 1 – Microsoft Entra’s Insider Risk condition in Conditional Access is now generally available. Organizations with an Entra ID P2 license can set up Conditional Access policies using insider risk signals from Adaptive Protection to enforce actions based on user risk levels. The rollout begins in early July 2024 and completes by early August 2024. Organizations must enable Adaptive Protection and obtain an Entra ID P2 license to use this feature.
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Power Platform – Storage Shared Access Signature security enhancements announcement

MC807405 | July 1 – We are announcing the public preview of security enhancements for Storage Shared Access Signature (SAS) for the Microsoft Power Platform. These new security enhancements will be made available for public preview starting on July 15, 2024, and we plan to be make it widely available starting on August 1, 2024.How does this affect me?This security enhancement adds IP restrictions to SAS calls, which are used to provide data export to users or to collect data imports from users….
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