Microsoft intros ‘Loop 2.0’ with UI upgrades

Microsoft has unveiled Loop “2.0,” bringing several UI updates to the productivity app.

Announced in 2021, Loop is essentially Microsoft’s answer to the emergence of a new breed of flexible document creation apps such as Notion and Coda.

The Loop app, available with certain Microsoft 365 subscriptions since November 2023, is more complex than it may seem at first glance. It can serve as a shared workspace that multiple colleagues can edit in real time, with the ability to embed a variety of content, such as tables, polls, and even third-party apps. Loop “components” can also be inserted into other Microsoft 365 apps, with all components updated simultaneously as any changes are made. (Here’s a full explanation of how Loop functions.)

In a series of X (formerly Twitter) posts on Tuesday, the company highlighted several additions aimed at improving the Loop app’s UI:

A “Create new” button now lets users add workspaces or draft ideas from anywhere in the app, rather than just the Loop homepage.

Loop components and pages can be added to an existing or new workspace from a menu at the top of a Loop doc.

A tab for Microsoft Teams meetings notes has been placed on the Loop sidebar.

There’s a new “Favorites” section in the sidebar for frequently accessed workspaces.

A “Recent” section on the sidebar provides quick access to the most recently opened Loop pages and components across Microsoft 365 apps.

Microsoft is rolling out the new Loop features now; they should be available to all users “very soon,” the company said.