Microsoft Loop Now Supports External Sharing for Seamless Collaboration

Microsoft Loop

Key Takeaways:

  • Microsoft Loop now supports guest/external sharing, allowing users to share workspaces, pages, and components with external collaborators.
  • This feature requires a Microsoft 365 Enterprise, Education, or SMB license and is currently available only for organizations that do not use sensitivity labels.
  • Microsoft says that administrators need to enable guest sharing within their organization.

Microsoft has released a new update that introduces guest/external sharing support for its Loop app. This new feature enhances collaboration by allowing users to share workspaces, pages, and components with external collaborators.

“Workspaces can only be shared with users that have an existing guest account in your tenant. If Business-to-business Invitation Manager is enabled, users can share a page or component with a guest user which will enable the flow to create a guest account for the user,” Microsoft explained.

How to enable guest/external sharing in Microsoft Loop

Microsoft Loop users can share workspaces, pages, and components with guest users by following these steps:

  • Open the Loop workspace or page that needs to be shared.
  • In Microsoft Loop, navigate to the top right corner of the screen and open the share menu.
  • Choose whether to share the page or the workspace.
  • Enter the email address of the guest user for sharing.
  • Finally, click the “Send” or “Invite” button.

Microsoft notes that external participants must use their guest accounts to access shared Loop workspaces, pages, and components. However, keep in mind that standard accounts will not have access to this shared content.

Requirements

Microsoft has outlined a few requirements for using the guest sharing feature in Microsoft Loop. Customers must have a Microsoft 365 Enterprise, Education, or SMB license to create Loop workspaces. Moreover, IT administrators must enable guest sharing within the organization.

Additionally, the guest sharing feature is currently available only for commercial customers who do not use sensitivity labels. Organizations with sensitivity labels configured will gain access to this capability later this year.

Earlier this month, Microsoft introduced new commenting capabilities for Loop tables and boards. This update allows users to ask questions, provide contextual feedback, discuss, and address issues.