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What’s new for SharePoint – October 2024
October 2024 was an exciting month for SharePoint and related technologies, bringing a wave of new features and enhancements designed to elevate your productivity and customization options. From the ability to customize your individual sites and experiences with new fonts and themes to the improved integration of Microsoft Lists links in Teams messages, there’s something for everyone. Additionally, the introduction of SharePoint design ideas offers creative solutions to enhance your site designs, while the approvals integration in Document Libraries streamlines your workflow processes.
To dive deeper into these updates and discover even more enhancements, be sure to check out our detailed blog post. Stay ahead of the curve and make the most of these powerful new tools!
OCT
1
Microsoft Forms: New data sync solution for Microsoft Excel for the web in Microsoft SharePoint Online and OneDrive
Microsoft Forms will soon introduce a new data sync solution for Excel on the web in SharePoint Online and OneDrive, replacing the old sync method. Rollout starts mid-October 2024 and should complete by mid-November 2024. This feature will be default and requires no admin action before rollout.
Microsoft Viva: Viva Amplify – Collaborative authoring
Multiple authors can collaborate on a Viva Amplify publication at the same time.
OCT
2
SharePoint: Optical Character Recognition now supports hybrid PDFs (text and image)
SharePoint OCR feature now extends support to hybrid PDFs, which contain both images and text. Previously, OCR was limited to image-only PDFs, but with this update, you can seamlessly extract and utilize text from hybrid documents.
OCT
3
On-demand Index Life Cycle Change for SharePoint and OneDrive Search and Application Permission Based Requests
Starting November 1, 2024, on-demand indexes for SharePoint and OneDrive Search using Application Permissions will be decommissioned if not queried in 100 days. This change does not affect normal user or delegated permissioned Search traffic. Organizations should plan for potential index rebuild time for infrequent application searches.
SharePoint: “Revoke SPOUserSession” retires starting November, 2024
The Revoke-SPOUserSession cmdlet for SharePoint Online is retiring in November 2024. Users should transition to using Revoke-MgUserSignInSession. The rollout starts early November and finishes by mid-November. After retirement, attempts to use the old cmdlet will result in an error directing to the new cmdlet.
OCT
4
OneDrive: Hide people previewing files in OneDrive and SharePoint
This setting will allow administrators to disable the presence feature in the OneDrive and SharePoint file previewing experience on selected sites.
Viva Learning – Private thumbnail using SharePoint links for courses
Private thumbnail using SharePoint links for courses hosted at SuccessFactors can be displayed at Viva Learning.
OCT
7
Microsoft SharePoint: Customize your individual sites and experiences with fonts and themes
Microsoft SharePoint will soon allow site owners to customize sites with their own themes and fonts, in addition to organization-provided branding. Rollout begins October 2024 for Targeted Release and November 2024 for General Availability. No admin action required; updates to user documentation may be needed.
Microsoft Teams: Improved Microsoft Lists links in Teams messages
Microsoft Lists links in Teams including list item links and form links will now unfurl when shared in Teams messages making them easier to find and access within Teams messages and inside shared tab in chats.
OCT
8
SharePoint: Updates for font management capabilities
We are introducing updates that provide capabilities for managing custom fonts for SharePoint and Viva Connections. This includes the ability to hide the From Microsoft font packages from Change the look, apply a font package in your site templates, and updated availability for the From Microsoft font packages.
Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft SharePoint: New setting to disable presence in the file viewer
A new setting in Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint allows administrators to disable the user presence feature in the file viewer for specific site collections using the SharePoint Online Management Shell. This update, part of Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 419814, will roll out from late October to late November 2024. No action is required before the rollout.
OCT
10
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Ground prompts using SharePoint and OneDrive Folders
Users will be able to select SharePoint and ODSP Folders from the new “Attach cloud files” experience in CIQ to scope their prompts to.
Microsoft Stream: Playback support for video encoded in Apple ProRes video codec
Users will be able to play back video hosted on OneDrive and SharePoint that is encoded in the Apple ProRes video codec.
Microsoft Syntex optical character recognition (OCR) will support PDF files with images
Microsoft Syntex OCR will soon support hybrid PDFs containing both text and images, enhancing searchability and discoverability. Rollout begins late October 2024, completing early November. No admin action is required as the feature will be on by default.
OCT
11
SharePoint: eSignature integration with Adobe and Docusign rolling out globally
Previously, the use third-party providers as part of SharePoint eSignature platform were limited to regions supported by Microsoft’s native SharePoint eSignature.With this release, customers can now enjoy the flexibility of using these third-party providers globally, wherever they are supported.
SharePoint: Design Ideas is now available
Design Ideas is now available in Microsoft SharePoint, allowing page authors to enhance sections with new layouts and formatting. It’s already released for targeted and general availability, requiring no admin action, but users should be informed about the update.
OCT
14
Publishing new InfoPath Forms in SharePoint Online will not be allowed for inactive tenants in this December
Starting December 2024, Microsoft will block new InfoPath Forms publication in SharePoint Online for tenants not using the service, as part of the deprecation process ending July 14, 2026. Tenants should review impact, run assessments, and consider modern alternatives like Power Apps, Power Automate, or Microsoft Forms. Existing forms will remain usable.
OCT
15
Microsoft SharePoint eSignature: Adobe Acrobat Sign and Docusign integration will roll out globally
The message details the global rollout of Microsoft SharePoint eSignature integration with Adobe Acrobat Sign and Docusign, eliminating the need for native SharePoint eSignature activation. It will begin in early November 2024 and complete by mid-November. Admins must enable this feature in the Microsoft admin center. The rollout is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 421194.
OCT
17
SharePoint: Approvals integration in Document Libraries
SharePoint Document Libraries will begin to leverage the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams. Users will be able to navigate to the Automate dropdown, Configure Approvals to enable the feature on the library. Once enabled you can specify the approver for the file, submit a request which will appear in the Approvals app in Teams or can be approved directly in the library. Once approved, the file metadata will update in the Approval status column.
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Data Loss Prevention – Admin units support for SharePoint Online
Delegate management and remediation authority for different people in different regions or organization units with role-based access control (RBAC). For example, German investigators should be able to investigate alerts and audit events for only German users. This update extends support to SharePoint for Microsoft 365.
Microsoft SharePoint: Export content (including Microsoft Loop) stored in SharePoint Embedded (SPE) containers
Microsoft SharePoint Online will soon allow admins to export content from SharePoint Embedded containers, including Microsoft Loop, using third-party tools with guest app permissions. Rollout begins mid-October 2024, with full availability expected by late October 2024. This update requires no admin action before rollout.
Microsoft SharePoint: Add approvals to any document library
Microsoft SharePoint will soon enable approvals for document libraries, extending the previous update for list approvals. Rollout begins in November 2024 for Targeted Release and in December 2024 for General Availability. Users can configure approvals in the Automate menu, with in-progress approvals visible in Teams. No admin action is required before the rollout.
Microsoft Viva: Microsoft 365 Copilot in Microsoft Viva Amplify
Microsoft 365 Copilot is now available in Viva Amplify to improve authoring with AI. It’s accessible without a Copilot license if you have a Viva Amplify license. Copilot offers rewriting, length adjustment, and tone setting features but is not available on SharePoint or mobile apps. No admin action is needed for the rollout.
OCT
22
Microsoft SharePoint: Updates to font management capabilities
Microsoft SharePoint is updating its font management, including hiding “From Microsoft” font packages, applying fonts in site templates, and updated package availability. Rollout starts mid-October 2024 for Targeted Release and early November 2024 for General Availability, with new PowerShell commands and site script actions for font management. No admin action is required before rollout.
SharePoint list and library rules will send from the no-reply@sharepointonline.com email address
SharePoint list and library rules’ automated emails will now be sent from no-reply@sharepointonline.com with the display name “SharePoint Online.” This change is effective immediately and requires no action, but email policies and workflows might need updating to include this new address.
OCT
23
Copilot agents in SharePoint rolling to Targeted Release
SharePoint is introducing Copilot agents for users with M365 Copilot licenses, allowing creation and interaction with Copilot scoped to their site. Full capabilities, including Teams chat interaction and advanced customizations, will be released later. Rollout begins late October 2024 for Targeted Release and late November 2024 for General Availability.
Microsoft Viva: Viva Connections experience for Homesite customers
This feature sets the Home site as the default for the Viva Connections experience in Teams desktop. Once implemented, users will be able to access their organization’s Home site through the Viva Connections app in Teams desktop. This change will only apply to customers who have not yet configured a Viva Connections experience.
OCT
25
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Data Loss Prevention – Policy Scoping changes in Data Loss Prevention for OneDrive
Data Loss Prevention for OneDrive for Business will soon support user accounts and groups as part of the policy scoping location picker.
OCT
29
Microsoft Purview | Audit: Enable audit log search for content searches that target Microsoft SharePoint Online
Enable audit log search for SharePoint Online content searches in Microsoft Purview by following the provided instructions. This feature is now generally available and requires enabling ‘SearchQueryInitiatedSharePoint’ for users. No admin action is needed before the rollout, but reviewing configurations and updating documentation is advised.
Microsoft Viva: MySites card for Viva Connections Dashboard
This card will help operators add a card on the Viva Connections Dashboard which will provide quick access to the frequently accessed and followed sites by the end user.
OneDrive: Enable OCSI for Tenants
If a tenant has the (EnableAllOcsiClients) GPO enabled, Office and OneDrive are able to communicate smoothly. Right now, tenants have the option to disable the GPO, and when they disable the GPO, it becomes difficult to ensure that all internal versions of Office files are kept up to date so that features like autosave, version history, real time user collab, and merging in the case of conflicts can work.
OCT
31
Retirement of the SharePoint SendEmail API
We will be retiring the Utility.SendEmail API from SharePoint. The SP.Utilities.Utility.SendEmail could be used to send emails from custom applications or processes within SharePoint Online, including Power Automate, and custom workflows.
Microsoft OneDrive: The Enable OCSI for Tenants group policy is being removed
The Enable OCSI for Tenants group policy in Microsoft OneDrive is being removed, which will allow Office features like autosave and real-time collaboration to work properly. Rollout begins in April 2025, with no admin action required. Users should be informed about the change and its benefits.
OneDrive: Office Files on Hold
If a tenant has the (EnableHoldTheFile) GPO enabled, and the end users run into Office file conflicts, then end users can open the file in Office to merge changes. If a tenant has the GPO disabled, and the end users run into Office file conflicts, then OneDrive automatically creates a copy of the file in conflict. When tenants have this GPO disabled, it leads to end users potentially having to manually merge hundreds of conflicts because OneDrive automatically forks a file instead of allowing the users to have the option to merge conflicts in Office. The proposal no longer allows tenants to disable this GPO thus not automatically forking a file when in conflict for end users.
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