14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced a new Office for Mac Insider build, and this time the focus is on the Outlook email client.
Office version 16.43 (20093000) comes with Outlook features that Microsoft announced only a few days ago, including an improved UX to align with Apple’s new macOS Big Sur.
But at the same time, the update also includes Fluent icons, thus making Outlook overall feel more modern on Apple devices.
“The new Outlook for Mac gets an update to the user experience to align better with the UX changes within MacOS Big Sur. Crafted specifically for the Mac, you will now find rounded corners in the buttons, message list, and conversation pane that are influenced by Big Sur. We have also incorporated friendly and modern Fluent icons that establish a consistent experience across our products and services,” Microsoft explains.
More natural searching
This update also enables the Natural Language Search, which allows users to search in Office without the need for specific keywords. In other words, you can use the search box just like you’d ask a question, and Office will then try to determine what you’re actually looking for and provide you with accurate results.
Microsoft is also introducing Saved Search in this update, also known as Smart Folders.
“A Saved Search, also known as a smart folder or a search folder, is a virtual folder that dynamically displays a set of search results. For example, you could create a search to find all the items in the Manager category. This search can be saved as a Saved Search so that you can use these search criteria later without having to manually re-create the search,” the company explains.
All these improvements are currently part of the latest Office build for the Fast ring, and they should go live for production devices when the testing phase is complete.