Users running the Office Insider Program on Mac are being treated to a new Preview update. Microsoft has rolled out version number 15.27 (161003) to the Slow Ring. The next step will be this build reaching the Production channel where end users (non-Insiders) will get it.
The Fast Ring releases have largely been forgotten on the Office Insider Program for Mac. Microsoft has either been releasing directly to the Slow Ring, or launching updates for Fast and Slow.
Office users on Mac are getting updates about once a month from Microsoft. Back on September 7, the company pushed out version 15.26 to the Slow Ring. The update included PowerPoint Designer, the ability to trim audio, and Focus Mode.
Version 15.27 follows a similar path and comes with a number of new features:
- More functions: In Excel, use CONCAT or TEXTJOIN to shorten your text formulas, or try the forecasting functions to help you see the future. (Feature requires an Office 365 subscription.)
- Trim audio and video files: In PowerPoint, trim unwanted content from the beginning or the end of your audio or video files. You can also trigger an animation by using a bookmark in your media file. (Feature requires an Office 365 subscription.)
- Make sure your notes are accessible: In OneNote, find and fix accessibility issues in your notes using the Accessibility Checker on the Tools menu.
- Try our new designs: In OneNote, we've made some changes to help you get around your notes. Check them out by turning on Preferences > General > Enable experimental features, and let us know what you think!
Office on Mac
Yesterday we told you about a problem that Mac OS Sierra users were facing with Office. The suite is crashing often on Apple's latest platform build. Microsoft said that it has put engineers on the case and is looking for a fix.
Back in August, Microsoft introduced the 64-bit version of Office to the Mac OS platform. The company said this will result in better load times and smoother/faster performance. As Mac allows only 32-bit or 64-bit individually, Microsoft announced it would end support for Office 2016 32-bit on Mac. Anyone with a license was updated to the newer version.
