Microsoft announces new Word and PowerPoint previewers for files in OneDrive

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Microsoft recently announced a new viewing experience for two of the most popular file types (.docx & .pptx) on OneDrive and SharePoint document libraries. This new streamlined viewing experience will enable instant viewing of Word and PowerPoint files.

Previously, when you click a Word or PowerPoint file, Microsoft will load that file in Office Online experience in read-only mode. Now, these files load instantly inline with your files, just like other popular file formats like PDF, photos, and videos. They have also made the UI simple as possible so you can focus on reading the content. And they have moved the edit function to an Open button to make it more similar to what users see in Word and PowerPoint.

To improve the sharing experience, company shareable links are now available for Word and PowerPoint files from this new viewer. They have also revamped the viewing canvas with a fresher look and feel and the new design aligns the viewers closer to the modern web experiences across the Office 365 experiences.

Microsoft is now rolling out this new viewer experience to First Release customers.

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