Microsoft hosted its highly anticipated online event, Microsoft OneDrive: The Future of File Management, which featured Microsoft 365’s next generation of file management. As predicted, the announcement focused on file management and AI integration.
The upgrade is made possible by Microsoft’s revamp of the OneDrive for Web home experience, which prioritizes instant document access and includes AI-powered file recommendations in the For you section. Users can now work more efficiently due to the improved file access.
The Next-Gen OneDrive
Microsoft’s Meeting View feature will highlight upcoming and prior meetings and shared recordings and data to help users keep track.
Microsoft is also making it easier to monitor critical files using Favorites. Marking a file as a favorite immediately adds it to your Favorites list in OneDrive, Teams, File Explorer, Microsoft 365 applications, and more.
Top 5 Features Coming to OneDrive Shortly
Microsoft also introduced many new OneDrive capabilities to simplify “file organization, access, and creation” in addition to these handy enhancements.
- Open in App
The Open in App functionality lets users make changes directly from OneDrive, making the experience seamless. Microsoft says, “In the same way that you can open a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file in their respective desktop apps, soon you’ll be able to open any file in its desktop app, edit it, and changes will sync to OneDrive.” The feature will be widely available in a few months.
Also read: Backup Your Emails: A Step-by-Step Guide for Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud Users
2. Files App in OneDrive Teams
MS plans to enhance Teams’ Files app with OneDrive Teams. With this modification, team users will have “clean access” to SharePoint and OneDrive files. This move will take effect soon, including “all the recent updates made to OneDrive and SharePoint library experiences.”
3. OneDrive in Teams
Early 2024 will bring OneDrive’s offline mode. As reported before, the capability enables users to read and edit files without a reliable internet connection, and syncs changes when they reconnect.
Like other Microsoft products, OneDrive is gaining a Copilot to “transform how you access, leverage, and extract value from your files in Microsoft 365.” New AI developments on the platform will allow users to query files or obtain AI-generated summaries. You need to open the file to do this and more. You’ll need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to use Copilot in OneDrive, but Microsoft expects it to be available by December 2023.
Also read: Microsoft’s 2024 Vision: The AI PC Revolution Begins with the Copilot Key
4. Project Munson
Microsoft continues to develop Copilot features to help you search and organize. Imagine you’re new to Munson and need to learn rapidly. Ask Copilot, “Show all the files shared with me on Project Munson in the last week.” After finding the appropriate files, Copilot suggests moving them to a new folder. Copilot then uploads these files to the new folder and presents other Project Munson-related items you may add. A natural language search leads to your Project Munson knowledge repository.
The tool helps you stay organized and boosts productivity by eliminating time-consuming procedures. Microsoft also announced that OneDrive Copilot will produce summaries to help users communicate project progress. The business calls it a “daily digest in OneDrive,” it “shows new files shared with you, changes to files you’ve shared, new comments, documents relevant to upcoming meetings, and suggestions for follow-up actions.”
5. Microsoft 365 Chat
Microsoft 365 Chat lets users browse their “entire universe of Microsoft 365 data,” including OneDrive and SharePoint files. You may also utilize the tool to find vital file information. The question’s context will be used to gather this information.
Microsoft has made significant improvements to OneDrive’s Future of File Management, demonstrating its dedication to smooth collaboration and improved user experiences. With these cutting-edge features expected to launch in 2024, Microsoft’s ambition for a more intelligent and more connected file management environment is set to completely change the way people interact with their digital workspaces. Watch this space for more interesting updates!
