Microsoft Teams users will soon be able to hide the General channel, similar to other channels in a team. The rollout is expected to begin in early February 2024 and complete by early April 2024. If the General channel is hidden, it will no longer show in the user's teams and channels list, but can still be accessed through hidden channels or by selecting "show for me" in the manage teams section. No action is required, but updating training and documentation may be considered.
MC526128 – Updated April 19, 2024: Microsoft has updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
In Fall 2022, Microsoft expanded access to the preview of the new Outlook for Windows to all of Office Insiders in both Beta and Preview channels. With a wealth of feedback from these early adopters, Microsoft is excited to expand access to users in Current Channel. The experience is an option to try, and nothing will change without end users taking action. Microsoft will give notice before any required changes occur, after the preview has received sufficient usage and feedback.
This change is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap Id: 118476
When this will happen:
Targeted Release: Microsoft will begin rolling out early February 2024 and expects to complete by mid-February 2024.
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD): Microsoft will begin rolling out mid-February 2024 and expects to complete by late April 2024 (previously early April).
How this will affect your organization:
End users in the classic Outlook for Windows (desktop app) will see a toggle in the upper right to ‘Try the new Outlook for Windows’. This toggle will be available for all users in Current Channel who have supported accounts. Currently, the supported accounts in the new app are Microsoft Exchange Online and personal Microsoft accounts, but within the next month Microsoft will start expanding support for other accounts.
Note: The new client is still a preview experience with default settings OFF. Users may submit feedback about any capabilities they are missing if they need to switch back to the classic experience.
What you should do to prepare:
Conditional access policies configured for Office will also apply to the new Outlook, as well as any mailbox policies configured for Outlook on the Web. You should review the policies set for your organization.
Microsoft recommends reviewing any remaining COM/VSTO add-ins used by your organization and moving to web add-ins because COM/VSTO add-ins will not be supported in the new app. Otherwise, no actions are required. For additional information on how to install, please visit this documentation.
If you are not ready for this preview in your organization, you can hide the toggle for now using the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\General
“HideNewOutlookToggle”
0 (default) – “Try the new Outlook” toggle, if available in selected update channel, is displayed to users.
1 – “Try the new Outlook” toggle is hidden.
Previous Microsoft 365 Apps Changelog Messages
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