Microsoft 365 now has a version designed for new M1-equipped Macs

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

On December 15th, Microsoft announced that they released a new version of Microsoft 365 for Mac apps. Specifically, the apps designed to suit the M1 chip include One Note, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook.

Bill Doll, a Senior Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft 365, explained in the post that the apps are universal and they will also run on older Macs featuring Intel processors. 

To get the newly redesigned apps, Mac users who have turned on their automatic updates are most likely already seeing and experiencing the new versions. Others need to head to the Mac App Store from where they can fetch the new versions. Alternatively, they can also get the updates via Microsoft AutoUpdate. One can find the Microsoft Auto Update in the Office app’s Help menu. 

Before this new update, Macs that used the new M1 chip could only run Microsoft 365 apps with the help of the Rosetta 2 translation technology. With the latest update, it is not needed to run the Rosetta 2 translation technology anymore. As a result, Microsoft apps run faster and more efficiently as they don’t need any translation. 

Furthermore, Bill Doll presented a few more updates that will further increase Microsoft apps’ appeal and efficiency for Mac users

These new updates are to roll out in the coming weeks and months, and they will include:

• Outlook support for iCloud accounts in Mac allows you to efficiently organize calendars, work emails, personal emails, and contacts within one app. That way, the user stays connected to the things that matter most.
• OneNote, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word will incorporate the Fluent UI design system. Again, the focus is on a more immersive experience and efficiency. 
• Tell Me is a search box that Mac users will use to access any Office feature fast by typing in it. It is a fast and efficient method of finding anything you need within Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint for Mac.
• Data from Picture is a productivity feature that allows you to grab data from a picture. For example, using your iPhone, you can take a photo of a table with some data. Using Data from Picture, you can convert the data from the picture into a Microsoft Excel sheet. You don’t have to wait for this feature as it is available with the latest update.

So, there you have it, if you are an avid Microsoft 365 user and have one of the new M1-equipped MacBooks, your experience is about to get a whole lot better.

What do you think? Had you noticed issues with Microsoft 365 on Mac? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Ironically, Facebook thinks Apple is bad for small businesses
• iPhone and iPad users, Google Stadia is now officially available (via a web app)
• Microsoft applies for a new patent that detects employee productivity
• The Apple TV app is coming to Google’s new Chromecast in early 2021

Deep Ballu