Exciting New Features for Microsoft Teams and Excel
Like every month, Microsoft announced some upcoming exciting new features for Microsoft Teams and Excel.
Previously, when you created a new team in Microsoft Teams, a general channel was automatically generated. This channel was accessible to all team members by default and could not be deleted or archived. However, based on user feedback, Microsoft now allows customers to rename this channel to something more meaningful. Team owners can simply click on More options > Rename channel > Channel name to rename an existing General channel. A similar option is available when creating a new team. It is important to note that “General” is a reserved name, so no other channel can be named this. This feature is now available for members of the Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted release ring on Windows and macOS.
Microsoft has introduced a handy new feature in Teams that allows a minimized meeting window to display up to four participants in the gallery view, instead of just one tile. You can enable this by clicking the Show participant gallery button in the view switcher. For a more focused view, you can select Show only active presenter. Currently, this feature is available exclusively for members of the Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted release ring on Windows and macOS.
Microsoft Teams is introducing a new update to help maintain order during work calls. The platform is developing a feature that allows admins to permanently block users from a workspace or organization. This tool is primarily designed for cybersecurity protection but can also be used to remove users who misuse the platform or to block former employees who might try to gain access for malicious reasons. Microsoft did state that the current delete API for Teams does not stop a user from resending a message to someone, potentially meaning the risk remains.
The platform is enhancing its block API to enable admins to completely prevent a user from reaching out again. Microsoft plans to implement a similar feature to the existing allow/block list, which will block malicious users from accessing the entire organization, effectively locking them out for good. This feature is currently in development, with a scheduled rollout starting in October 2024. Once released, it will be available to Microsoft Teams users on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Excel users are also getting some exciting new features. Microsoft has introduced regex modes for the XLOOKUP and XMATCH functions. To use this, set [match_mode]=3 and provide a regex pattern for the lookup. Microsoft also suggests using Bing Copilot to find regex patterns. This feature is currently rolling out to Beta Channel customers on Windows (version 2408) and macOS (version 16.89). However, it is important to note that this is still in preview and may undergo significant changes before its general release. Therefore, Microsoft advises against using it in critical workbooks for now.
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