Microsoft Release Notes

Version 2503 (Build 18623.20156)

Feature updates

Excel

• Reduce eye strain with Dark Mode: Go to View and select Switch Modes to try Dark Mode, which darkens your entire sheet, including cells.

Resolved issues

Access

• We fixed an issue where a user attempting to import a txt/csv file into Access was facing type conversion errors when importing the data into an existing Access table if the field in the table was using the double data type.

Excel

• We fixed an issue where GETPIVOTDATA showed #REF! when refreshing a PivotTable containing Stocks data types.
• We fixed a performance issue for Excel, when loading worksheets that contain hundreds of thousands of geometric shapes. Load of a worksheet with this many shapes used to take about 30 minutes and now takes about 45 seconds.

Outlook

• We fixed an issue that caused messages to be sent unencrypted when the user didn't expect them to be and caused received encrypted and labeled items to have the encryption removed when replying.
• We fixed an issue that caused users to see two independent sets of labels when using the Azure Information Protection add in.
• We fixed an issue that caused Copilot drafted emails to render with empty lines omitted in new Outlook.

PowerPoint

• We resolved an issue where PowerPoint wasn't displaying the icon for an inserted PDF object. …

• The new Microsoft Teams chat and channels experience: The new chat and channels experience makes it easier to navigate and stay organized across all your conversations so you can stay on top of what matters most.
• Join Teams meetings via one-time passcode (OTP): Microsoft Teams has implemented the ability to join meetings via one-time passcode sent to the attendee's mailbox. It's intended to increase meeting security and assurance of meeting with the right external attendee. This feature applies to external attendees without a managed Teams account.
• Storyline integrated in Teams: Storyline from Viva Engage is coming closer than ever to Teams. Access all your storyline content seamlessly within Microsoft Teams' existing workflows. With storyline, leaders can reach their organizations and share updates with their own voices, to amplify, clarify, and personalize leadership. Employees can use storyline to share experiences, celebrate milestones, propose ideas, and discuss interests with followers, colleagues, and others across their organizations. To learn more about storyline, see Storyline in Viva Engage.
• Admin control on In-meeting only chat: This feature allows you to control chat duration in meetings organized by in-tenant users through the Teams admin center. When the policy is enabled, messages can only be sent while the meeting is active. …

Version number: 18.5.1.1 Released: March 17, 2025

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Version 2502 (Build 18526.20144)

Resolved issues

Access

• We resolved an issue in Access where the MouseWheel event on forms wasn't functioning correctly. When used in an Access form, the event didn’t indicate the number of lines to scroll through the Count argument.

Outlook

• We fixed an issue that caused an incorrect progress dialog to appear for some unrecoverable add-in errors.

PowerPoint

• We fixed an issue where opening and closing multiple embedded Excel objects from a PowerPoint file throws an OLEFormat.DoVerb: invalid request exception.
• We fixed an issue where PowerPoint automatically closes when the system goes into hibernate or sleep mode.
• We decreased the opacity for watermark content markings inserted into presentations as a result of sensitivity labeling to match the opacity of watermark content markings in Word.

Project

• We fixed an issue where resource leveling on a minute-by-minute basis might unexpectedly show over allocated resources.
• We fixed a data loss issue where Gantt chart drawings such as text boxes, lines, ovals, and so forth, were lost when .mpp files were reopened after saving.

Word

• Resolved an issue where certain Wingding characters may unexpectedly change to an emoji.
• Resolved an issue where the font color may not be consistent across words when using Immersive Reader with the Syllables option toggled on. …

• Automatic installation and update of NDI in Teams (Windows only): This update allows users to automatically install and update NDI in Microsoft Teams without any manual steps. It's currently available only on Windows devices.
• Delayed simultaneous ring: The delayed simultaneous ring feature in Teams allows your incoming calls to ring you first and then another contact after a specified delay.
• Teams platform Tab apps in one-to-one calls: Customers and partners can now create personal scope Tab apps for Teams Phone one-to-one calls. The functionalities of meetings static Tab apps will be available in Teams one-to-one calls in personal scope. Users of your apps will experience the same familiar Tab app features as in Teams meetings, now in their Teams one-to-one calls.
• Default enable transcription policy for new tenants: We're changing the default transcription policy from 'off' to 'on' for any new tenant. This update doesn't mean that every meeting will automatically have transcription enabled, but it will allow users to enable transcription if needed. This change aligns the default transcription policy with that of recording, encouraging broader use of transcription and all AI features. …

• Best practice configuration monitoring dashboard in Teams admin center: Microsoft recommends a set of best practices to ensure an optimal collaboration experience using Teams. Understanding these best practices will help admins recognize their importance and the impact on users when not followed. The best practices configuration dashboard in the Teams admin center provides admins with these insights.
• Copilot access for B2B member in multi-tenant organization: Copilot will be available to B2B members within the multitenant organization, as long as the B2B member possesses an active Copilot license in their host tenant.
• In-meeting Chat, Copilot, Notes, and Captions panes can be popped out from the meeting window: When you are in meetings or calls, you'll be able to pop out, move around, and resize your meeting panes from the meeting window. This includes Chat, Copilot, Captions, and Notes side panes.
• Co-organizer experience updates in webinars and town halls: Coorganizer can edit event details, publish, and cancel the event, similar to the organizer. …

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. …

• Queues app for agents on Teams Phone devices: Queues app on Teams Phone devices enhances call management capabilities by allowing agents to handle incoming calls, view call queues, and manage call history directly from their Teams Phone devices. This improvement boosts efficiency and ensures seamless communication for agents.
• Circular delegation on Teams Phone devices: The circular delegation feature on Teams Phone devices allows users to share their phone lines within a group without a delegation hierarchy. This enables group members to receive calls, initiate calls on behalf of others.
• Custom name for Teams panels: Admins can now use the Pro Management portal to assign custom names to licensed panels. This name will then display on the panel's home screen, replacing the global address book name shown in Outlook or Teams. This feature requires a Teams Rooms Pro or Teams Shared Device license.
• Introducing name pronunciation feature in Teams profile card: This feature allows users to record and share the correct pronunciation of their name. It also promotes inclusivity by helping colleagues avoid mispronouncing each other’s names, fostering a more respectful and connected workplace. With just a simple click, you can play and listen to the pronunciation, making team collaboration more seamless and personalized. …

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

• Copilot Chat model selector now offers GPT-5.2 [Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, Web]

  Choose GPT-5.2 in Copilot Chat for faster responses or deeper reasoning, improving accuracy and clarity.

  Details:

  What changed: The model selector in Copilot Chat now includes GPT-5.2. Users can pick Quick Response for immediate answers or Think Deeper for more thorough reasoning. GPT-5.2 delivers better instruction following, improved math and coding performance, and clearer explanations compared to previous models.

  Why: This update provides more flexibility and precision, helping users handle both simple and complex tasks with adaptive reasoning.

  Try this:

  • Select More in the model selector and choose Quick Response for quick answers.
  • Choose Think Deeper when you need detailed reasoning for complex queries.

  Why this matters:

  Business impact: Enhances productivity by offering tailored response modes for different workflows.

  Personal impact: Gives individuals control over response depth, improving efficiency and clarity.

  Additional resources:

  Blogs:Available today: GPT-5.2 in Microsoft 365 Copilot

• Copilot icon visibility in Microsoft Edge [Web] …

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 …