Microsoft Loop components are available in OneNote and Teams for better collaboration

Microsoft has expanded its Loop components to OneNote for the web and Microsoft Teams, aiming to improve collaboration across its suite of productivity tools. This new feature is now available to users with a commercial Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft first introduced Loop components for Teams in October last year, while OneNote integration was announced in January.

Loop components are interactive and collaborative objects designed to facilitate ideation, creation, and planning among users. These components, such as lists, tables, and tasks, can be inserted into OneNote notebooks for real-time collaboration. Users can create new Loop components or paste existing ones directly into the OneNote canvas, ensuring seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 applications.

The rollout of Loop components is gradual and is currently available through work or school accounts. In OneNote, components are only available if your organization allows links that can be edited or viewed by anyone in your organization. In OneNote Online, Loop components can be made available to target users in your organization and through the Insiders Beta program for the OneNote desktop app for Windows.

Real-time collaboration features

One of the standout features of Loop components is their ability to stay in sync across all Microsoft 365 applications. This means that any changes you make to a component in OneNote will be reflected in other applications where the component is used. Users can use features like @mentions, comments, and reactions in these components to communicate with team members. Additionally, different colored cursors indicate who is editing, and avatars in the upper right corner show who is viewing or recently edited the component.

Microsoft announced that the Loop components feature will be added to OneNote for Windows in June. However, the feature is not currently available to OneNote mobile app or Mac users, and there is no word on whether these platforms will receive an update in the future. This comes after Microsoft rolled out support for Sticky Notes to all OneNote Windows users, further enhancing the app’s functionality.

Sharing a Loop component can be done by @mentioning someone in the component, which triggers an email notification with a link to the component. You can insert existing Loop components into a OneNote notebook by copying the link from the component and pasting it where you want in OneNote. Access permissions for Loop components are tied to the OneNote notebook, which means anyone who has access to the notebook can access the component.

Storage and searchability

Loop components are automatically saved to OneDrive, so you can easily find them using Office.com or OneDrive search. However, some types of Loop components may appear as images, regular links, or be disabled in the Loop Component drop-down list in the toolbar for various reasons, such as organizational admin settings, unsupported endpoints, or old versions of OneNote.Mi

By integrating Loop components with OneNote for the web and Teams, Microsoft aims to streamline collaboration and increase productivity across its suite of Microsoft 365 apps. This new feature allows users to focus on their personal content while collaborating with others in real-time, eliminating the need to switch between various applications.