Office Insiders on Windows 10 now have access to Office 1901, the suite’s January update. Known also as build 11231.20080, it brings several improvements to Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
The features aren’t particularly exciting but should improve the quality of life across the board. The accessibility checker is one such change, letting Word, PowerPoint and Excel users quickly determine if a document meets the needs of all employees.
Microsoft is also making it easier to find files in these applications. Users can now type keywords in the search box in the back page to find what they need.
In Excel, we’re also seeing the rollout of @mentions. The app recently gained support on iOS and Android, so communicating across devices should be possible. As with mobile, you can also add comments on Excel and grab co-worker’s attention with a built-in reply box.
Outlook Improvements
In Outlook, Microsoft has added two improvements that are unconventional, though for different reasons. For a start, it’s stating better support for meems via animated GIF support. Admittedly, this isn’t very professional, but that’s not the only thing email is used for.
The other feature streamlines email encryption options under one interface. By heading to Options>Encrypt, you can manage the security of messages. This is a great, privacy-focused change that will be useful when sending sensitive content.
As always, you can grab the update from the File>Account menu in any Office app. You can find the complete changelog for this build on the Office Insider blog.