Microsoft releases lightweight Office taskbar apps for Windows 11
Microsoft is starting to deploy light taskbar applications for Microsoft 365 users on Windows 11. These task bar applications will automatically be launched at start -ups and will provide quick access to contacts, files and calendar directly from the Windows taskbar.
The Microsoft 365 companion applications, as Microsoft calls them, are starting to deploy Microsoft 365 professional users this month. The People companion provides an organic graph to navigation, as well as the possibility of looking for anyone in your business. You can also quickly start a team message or call with a contact, or send them by e-mail directly.
The file search companion is designed for quick access to Microsoft 365 files from the Windows 11 taskbar. You can search by file name, author or other keywords to find files on OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Outlook. There is also an option to preview a file before opening it, as well as many filtering and sharing options.
The calendar application is a quick view of a Microsoft 365 calendar from the taskbar, where you can see the events to come, search for meetings or join meetings.
The three applications have been in beta version in recent months, after Microsoft initially announced them at its Ignite conference last year. They are now heading for all professional users of Microsoft 365 as part of a general version of availability this month. Applications will be automatically installed as long as Microsoft 365 applications are installed on a Windows 11 system. IT administrators can prevent automatic installation of these Microsoft 365 companion applications, and end users can prevent them from launching automatically at start -up.
