Microsoft releases lightweight Office taskbar apps for Windows 11

Microsoft is starting to roll out lightweight taskbar apps for Microsoft 365 users on Windows 11. These taskbar apps will automatically launch at startup and provide quick access to contacts, file search, and calendar straight from the Windows taskbar.

The Microsoft 365 companion apps, as Microsoft calls them, are starting to roll out to business users of Microsoft 365 this month. The People companion provides a browsable org chart, as well as the ability to look up anyone in your company. You can also quickly start a Teams message or call with a contact, or email them directly.

The File Search companion is designed for quick access to Microsoft 365 files from the Windows 11 taskbar. You can search by file name, author, or other keywords to find files across OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook. There’s also an option to preview a file before you open it, and plenty of filtering and sharing options.

The Calendar app is a quick view of a Microsoft 365 calendar from the taskbar, where you can see upcoming events, search for appointments, or join meetings.

All three apps have been in beta in recent months, after Microsoft originally announced them at its Ignite conference last year. They are now heading to all business users of Microsoft 365 as part of a general availability release this month. While the apps were automatically installed during the beta phase, IT admins must explicitly opt into deploying these on Windows 11 systems. Once these Microsoft 365 companion apps are installed, end users can then stop them from automatically launching at startup.

Update, August 13th: Article updated to clarify how IT admins will deploy these apps.