Microsoft 365 Rolls Out Updates and New Features

Starting in June 2025, Microsoft is changing the Teams user interface to enhance collaboration, streamline communication, and improve overall user experience. This rollout will be completed by July 2025, ensuring that all users have access to the new features and improvements.  Microsoft has posted details on the new interface end-customization steps online.

In addition to a faster-loading interface that is easier to navigate, changes include new ways to organize tasks, channels, and project boards to fit your needs.

• Capability to create custom sections for projects, topics, or any subject to organize channels and chats more effectively
• A new chat and channels experience that consolidates all chats, teams, and channels into one place, making it easier to keep track of conversations.
• Choice between a combined view or separate for Chat and Teams.
• A new @mention view that gathers all messages directed at the user into a single interactive list.
• New filters such as "Unread," "Chat," "Channels," "Meetings," and "Muted" help users efficiently manage and prioritize messages.

WHEN: Rollout will start June 2025 and be completed by the end of July 2025

Classic Teams will be unavailable starting July 1. Anyone still using Classic Teams will need to upgrade to the new Teams app or use Teams on the web to avoid disruptions. New Teams was released in February 2024, as announced in our “New Microsoft Teams Available February 1” article. People using the Classic Teams will see in-app dialog messages informing them that the client is no longer supported. These dialogs can be dismissed but will reappear periodically. Microsoft will switch all users to the new Teams experience in July.

WHEN: You will no longer be able to use Classic Teams client beginning July 1, 2025.

A new control that Microsoft will be adding to the meeting presenter toolbar will make it easier for presenters to access meeting chat while sharing a window or a screen.

HOW TO:  A compact view of the meeting chat (visible to presenter only) will open when the presenter selects the Chat icon on the presenter toolbar:

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of May 2025.

Microsoft Teams will soon allow users to pop out Notes, Chat, and Copilot panes during meetings. The pane will pop out into a separate window that the user can resize and drag to the desired position, based on their screen setup and their productivity goals for the meeting. Users can view multiple meeting features at the same time, so they don’t miss the chat while they are monitoring meeting notes.

HOW TO:  Pop-out icons will be at the top of the Notes, Chat, and Copilot side panes in Teams meetings.

WHEN:  Available now; this feature was rolled out at the end of February 2025.

Teams will support window resizing down to 360x502px or 502x360px, and side panels will be adjustable. This update enhances application accessibility, creates new multitasking opportunities, supports efficient window management on Windows 11 and macOS, and offers greater zooming capabilities for low-vision users while scrolling in one dimension.

HOW TO:

1. Resizing the Window: You can click and drag the edges or corners of the Teams window to resize it to your preferred dimensions 
2. Snap Feature: Use the Windows Snap feature by pressing Win + Z to arrange Teams in a split-screen view with other applications. You can then resize it by dragging the window's edge 
3. Zoom Feature: Adjust the zoom level by pressing Ctrl and - (minus) to zoom out or Ctrl and + (plus) to zoom in 

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of May 2025.

Meeting participants in Microsoft Teams for Windows and Mac desktops will soon be able to request collaborative annotation sessions during screen sharing. Anonymous users cannot request annotations. The presenter sharing their screen can choose to accept or deny the annotation request.

HOW TO: To request Annotation as a participant, by bring your cursor to the top of the screen being shared. You should see the presenter toolbar appear. Click on the Annotate button in the presenter toolbar. This will activate the Microsoft Whiteboard toolset for collaborative annotation and display your request to the presenter.

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of May 2025.

Meeting organizers and co-organizers will be able to send one-way messages to attendees in the meeting lobby using the Lobby chat. The Lobby chat is intended to optimize the lobby experience for all participants, ensuring that organizers are better equipped to run external meetings and external attendees are well informed about the meeting when it begins.

HOW TO: As the organizer or co-organizer, you will see a notification when attendees are waiting in the lobby. You can open Lobby Chat by clicking on the notification or by going to the participants panel and selecting the lobby. You will see the option to send messages to the attendees in the lobby Type your message in the chat box and send it. Attendees in the lobby will receive your message but won't be able to respond.

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of July 2025.

In channels in Microsoft Teams, the Files tab will be renamed to the Shared tab to enable users to view content shared in posts and content in one place. Note: The Shared tab in chats will not be affected by this change. This change will provide a unified view of all content shared both in posts and in the channel's document library. This means you can easily access both types of content in one place. There will be two subtabs, indicating whether the content was shared “in posts” or “in library.”

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of June 2025.

The Calendar experience is being enhanced with New Calendar, which aims to provide a single, modern, intelligent, and coherent calendar for both Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Outlook users. Users will be able to opt-in to this new experience in Teams by toggling to the New Calendar interface.

Features included in New Calendar include: 

• Advanced calendar features: A new command bar in Teams moves the actions you use most often the right side for easier access. It also hid the items you don’t use as often for a cleaner interface. Users can also access new capabilities such as Meet Now and Join with ID. Other new features include filters, month view, split view, customizable time scales, saved views, sharing options, printing capabilities, and personalized calendar settings. 
• Enhanced meeting creation: Create meetings quickly from the calendar's quick view or the new scheduling form, with improved options and a refreshed look. 
• Peak view experience: Access materials meeting directly from the calendar, such as notes, chat messages, files, and attachments, including a recap of completed meetings. 
• Weather integration: View weather information for your current location in the calendar. 
• Work plan integration: Specify work locations and check for teammates' availability in the office with the integration of Microsoft Places. 
• Place Finder: Use Place Finder to switch between rooms and view different room capabilities when creating new events. 
• Pop-out experience: Right-click the Calendar icon to pop out the calendar for more efficient multitasking.

HOW TO:  To try the New Calendar, go to Calendar app in Teams and select the New Calendar toggle in the top right of the Calendar.

WHEN:  Rollout will be completed by the end of June 2025 (originally planned for January 2025).  

Changes to email and storage services in response to changes in Microsoft's pricing model include deleting inactive accounts. The deletion of the account will purge all data (email, email archive, OneDrive files, and other related storage data) held within that account. This deletion schedule will apply to all inactive accounts with the exception of any accounts on litigation hold or required to be preserved for other reasons. Once an account is no longer active the following deletion schedules will apply.

The following account types will be deleted 5 years after separation:

• Faculty, Staff, Retiree, Student Employee
• Guest
• Non-human accounts (i.e. Organizational accounts, shared mailboxes)
   

These account types will be deleted 2 years after separation:

• Graduated Students who graduated starting May 2024 (Those who graduated before May 2024 will be contacted with details of when their accounts will be purged.)
• Other Students (those that do not graduate or have withdrawn)

WHEN: This change is already in place.

As technology evolves, so must our tools to maintain efficiency, security, and user satisfaction. Microsoft launched a new Outlook for Mac client in 2019 and is discontinuing the legacy version this year. After October 2025, you will no longer be able to use legacy Outlook for Mac client and must switch to the new Outlook for Mac client. 

HOW TO: Switch from Legacy Outlook to the new Outlook for Mac client by opening Outlook for Mac and selecting the toggle to turn off the Legacy Outlook switch. 

If your version of Outlook doesn't include a toggle, contact your IT support team for assistance.

WHEN: Legacy Outlook for Mac client will be retired October 2025.

Currently the New Outlook for Windows is available for use, but it is not Ohio State’s supported version. We are not supporting this new version because the application is still missing features and has issues that Microsoft needs to work through before we can fully adopt the software. 

HOW TO: For more details, log in to the Administrative Resource Center to read more in the New Outlook for Windows article.

WHEN: The New Outlook for Windows is available for use now, but it is not Ohio State’s supported version

The installed name for new Microsoft Outlook for Windows will change from "Outlook (new)" to "Outlook.” The name of Outlook (classic) will not change.

HOW TO: For more details, log in to the Administrative Resource Center to read more in the New Outlook for Windows article.

WHEN: The name change will be complete by end of February 2025.

The ability to install Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) using the Microsoft Store is ending. New feature updates will stop after October 2025 and security updates will end in December 2026. We recommend upgrading to the Click-to-Run installation type for Microsoft 365 Apps.

HOW TO: For more details refer to Microsoft Store Installation Type end of support for Microsoft 365 Apps.

WHEN: October 2025.

Microsoft is retiring support for the 32-bit edition of Microsoft 365 apps for Microsoft Windows Arm-based devices. New feature updates will stop in October 2025 and security updates will end in December 2026. We recommend upgrading to the 64-bit edition for Microsoft 365 Apps.

HOW TO: For more details refer to 32-bit Windows Arm-based devices end of support for Microsoft 365 Apps.

WHEN: October 2025

Microsoft is retiring the PowerPoint for the web "Present Live" feature on May 30, due to low usage. Users are advised to switch to PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams Meetings.

HOW TO: For more details refer to Present from PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams.

WHEN: May 30, 2025.

Microsoft Outlook for iOS and Android will soon enable users to choose fonts while composing emails, and is also improving support for fonts while reading emails.

HOW TO:  You will be able to select fonts to use in emails, signatures, automatic replies, and calendar invitations:

WHEN: Rollout will be completed by the end of March 2025.

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New naming logic for creating Microsoft OneDrive folder shortcuts is being released. The site name or the user's OneDrive text will be added to all new folder shortcuts. Before this rollout, OneDrive shortcuts have the same name as the folder. After this rollout, the shortcut will also include the name of site where there the original folder exists. If a colleague shares a folder with user, and the users creates a shortcut for that folder, the shortcut will include the name of the person who owns the folder. This change will help you easily identify the source of the folder shortcut and differentiate it from other content in your OneDrive > My Files. The new naming logic will apply only to new shortcuts added after this rollout.

HOW TO: After this rollout, any new folder shortcuts you add to your OneDrive > My Files will follow the new naming convention. For example:

• If you go to a SharePoint site named Marketing Team and create a shortcut to a folder named Project File, the shortcut will appear as Marketing Team – Project Files in your OneDrive > My Files.
• If you add a shortcut to a folder named Blog post from Brutus Buckeye’s OneDrive, the shortcut will appear as Brutus Buckeye’s files – Blog post in your OneDrive > My Files.

WHEN:  This feature is available now; rollout completed at the end of April 2025.

M365 Copilot Chat will integrate with SafeLinks in Defender for Office 365 to provide time-of-click URL protection for the hyperlinks included in its chat responses.

HOW TO: Users do not need to take any action to benefit from this feature.

WHEN: This feature is already in place.

A new centralized Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes page is now available, consolidating all Copilot-related updates across various platforms. It includes platform-specific filters and is updated bi-weekly. People can bookmark, share, review, and provide feedback on the page for better planning and awareness of Copilot updates.

HOW TO:  Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes link.

WHEN: This feature is already in place.