Microsoft has released another monthly build (12130.20344) of its Office suite for those who have signed up via its Insider program on the slow ring for Windows. The new build includes new features for Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Visio to improve the overall experience for users.
Perhaps the most prominent change in the new build is the introduction of the “Files Needing Attention” experience, which replaces the Upload Center in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Visio. Users can find their files that were not successfully saved to the cloud under File > Open > Files Needing Attention. Microsoft’s release notes (via MSPU) describe the new experience as “a more modern, integrated, and less intrusive experience to Office applications”.
The Outlook desktop app has become even more accessibility friendly in this build. Users sending a email to a member of their organization may the option to improve accessibility if the recipient prefers accessible content. If the recipient has MailTip enabled, for example, Outlook can now suggest adding alt text to those who use screen readers.
Users of Excel will now be able to create Visio flowcharts straight from Excel thanks to the new Visio Data Visualizer Add-In. It doesn’t require a Visio license, and users can choose from a number of diagram samples, modify the date within them, and refresh the add-in to see the visualized data in the Visio diagram in Excel.
If these features prove to be stable, it shouldn’t be too long before non-Insiders are able to get the new features. What do you think of these new improvements? Let us know what what you think in the comments area below.
