Microsoft 365 Updates & Release Notes

Version 2501 (Build 18429.20132)

Feature updates

Word

• Removed option to display Track Changes balloons in left margin: The advanced Track Changes option to set the margin for balloons to left has been removed.

Resolved issues

Outlook

• We fixed an issue that caused users to see some links launching in a different browser than other links.
• We fixed an issue that caused users to be unable to interact with reminders that appear while the Copilot first run experience is visible.

PowerPoint

• We disabled DirectShow support when Export Address Filtering (EAF) is enabled for the powerpnt.exe process.
• The Title field in File > Info will no longer be filled in automatically when saving a file.
• We fixed an issue with ActiveX controls using an excessive amount of GDI handles.

Word

• Resolved an issue where table row markers were missing from the ruler.
• Resolved an issue in Word where the layout of tables may be changed unexpectedly after updating to version 2409.
• Resolved an issue where users would receive the "Your margins are pretty small" dialog repeatedly for every page in their document.
• Resolved an issue where a user didn’t receive an error message when the save operation was unsuccessful on a Distributed File System.

Office Suite

• We fixed an issue that prevented the insertion of images from SharePoint. …

Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168)

Feature updates

Outlook

• Tables are more accessible for screen readers: Screen readers should more sensibly read out information in tables.

Office Suite

• Local AI: Office desktop apps on Windows now run ai.exe and aimgr.exe with Code Integrity Guard (CIG) enabled. CIG ensures that all Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) loaded into ai.exe and aimgr.exe are digitally signed by Microsoft. Valid Microsoft signatures include those from Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) which allows WHQL-approved drivers to be loaded and run within ai.exe and aimgr.exe. CIG is implemented within the Windows Memory Manager so that DLLs can be blocked from being mapped into memory. If any DLL either loaded directly by ai.exe or aimgr.exe or injected into ai.exe or aimgr.exe by some other process isn't signed by Microsoft, the Windows Memory Manager returns the error STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH (error code: 0xC0000428) and Windows may present a dialog to the user informing them of this error. All DLLs that are expected to be loaded into ai.exe and aimgr.exe are digitally signed by Microsoft. DLLs that aren't digitally signed by Microsoft shouldn't be injected into either ai.exe or aimgr.exe by any other process.

Resolved issues

OneNote

• We fixed an issue that was causing pages to have a blank title when sending a meeting request from Outlook to OneNote.

Word …

Version 2411 (Build 18227.20152)

Feature updates

Office Suite

• Protect sensitive files with dynamic watermarking: Deter leakage of your highly confidential document content by rendering the reader’s email address and other information over the document. This is configurable on sensitivity labels with admin-defined permissions.
• Modernized user-defined permissions experience: We improved the user experience for selecting which users should have which permissions when a sensitivity label configured for user-defined permissions is applied to a file or when configuring standalone Information Rights Management through the Restrict Access feature.

Resolved issues

Excel

• We fixed an issue where the filter drop downs were missing on PivotTables in outline and tabular modes on desktop only.
• We fixed an issue where some cells weren't rendered properly upon scrolling in a worksheet using freeze panes.
• We resolved a graphics-related issue that caused the app to close unexpectedly at times.

OneNote

• Fixed an issue in the application that had disabled scrolling with a mouse scroll wheel.
• Fixed an issue that caused the application to repeatedly ask for sign-in credentials.
• We updated the minimum size for the OneNote window so you can resize it to a smaller size if desired both on height and width. And the quick note window will remember the last size you chose and respect it.

Outlook …

Version 2410 (Build 18129.20158)

Security updates listed here.

Resolved issues

OneNote

• Resolved an issue where all characters didn't appear correctly when creating an Outlook task from OneNote.

Outlook

• Resolved an issue where all characters didn't appear correctly when creating an Outlook task from OneNote.

PowerPoint

• We fixed an issue where embedded BMP images in the PowerPoint slide weren't opening.
• We disabled the PowerPoint QuickStarter feature. See Research a topic with PowerPoint QuickStarter for more information.

Word

• Resolved an issue where all characters didn't appear correctly when creating an Outlook task from OneNote.

Version 2410 (Build 18129.20116)

Feature updates

Excel

• Comment Filtering: Enable filtering capabilities for the comment pane.
• Python in Excel code editor released to GA: We released the Python in Excel code editor, a task pane that provides an editing space for large code blocks when authoring Python in Excel formulas, including features like IntelliSense and text colorization. Blog post describing new feature.

Resolved issues

Access

• We fixed an issue where the app closed unexpectedly with possible data loss and/or data corruption when a user attempted to copy certain hyphen characters.
• We fixed an issue where Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) connections to Salesforce were no longer working.

Excel

• We fixed an issue where some users couldn't see checkboxes getting rendered after inserting them.
• We fixed an issue where making Application.ScreenUpdating = false in macros caused screen flickering.
• Fixed an issue where Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) calculation caused the Excel app to stop responding.
• We resolved an issue where the RTD ThrottleInterval setting wasn’t working as expected.
• We resolved a graphics-related issue that caused the app to close unexpectedly at times.

Outlook …

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20140)

Security updates listed here.

Resolved issues

Access

• Chart gridlines are now darker, so they're more visible.

Outlook

• We fixed an issue that caused users in hybrid environments to be unable to apply labels to emails.

Project

• Fixed an issue where signed macros wouldn't run even if the Trust Center Macro Settings "Disable all macros except digitally signed macros" option was selected.

Word

• Resolved an issue where text wasn't clearly visible in High Contrast Mode when using "Draft with Copilot" and referencing a meeting under "Reference your content."

Version 2409 (Build 18025.20096)

Feature updates

Excel

• Data Aggregation Functions: We added two incredibly powerful new data aggregation functions: GROUPBY and PIVOTBY
• Information Protection: Improved DLP policy tip reliability: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows now consistently show the same policy tips that SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites have determined should be shown on a file.

PowerPoint

• Information Protection: Improved DLP policy tip reliability: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows now consistently show the same policy tips that SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites have determined should be shown on a file.

Word

• Information Protection: Improved DLP policy tip reliability: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows now consistently show the same policy tips that SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites have determined should be shown on a file.

Resolved issues

Excel

• We fixed an issue where the ToolTips of pivot tables connected to OLAP cube aren't displayed.
• We fixed an issue where Excel may close unexpectedly when a Drill Down worksheet is moved to a new workbook.
• We fixed an issue where the Drop-down list menu options in Excel cells become unclickable after opening a User Form that uses a WebBrowser object.
• We fixed an issue where the user would experience changes in column widths unexpectedly when using PivotTables. …