The Ultimate Guide to Microsoft Loop: Getting Started with Loop

Microsoft Loop: The Basics of Loop

Microsoft Loop allows a collaborative experience throughout Microsoft 365 apps. It's a flexible place for creating shared Loop workspaces with connected Microsoft Loop components.

Teams can think, plan and create together all inside Loop workspaces, meaning there's no need to switch between apps and tools to work on multiple aspects of a project. Everything your team needs can be fluidly found inside Loop.

The basics of Microsoft Loop are; workspaces, pages and components.

Create together inside Loop workspaces, access existing spaces or create new ones. Bring everything you need into one page, dragging in Microsoft Loop components when you need them, Loop will also suggest relevant project information like emails, PowerPoints and other documents. Here's a resource to help expand your insights in Co-Pilot.

Microsoft Co-Pilot inside Microsoft Loop is fairly new but works as an AI assistant to provide contextual suggestions, simply ask Copilot a question or to create something and it will serve you with something insightful.

This helps speed up processes, team collaboration and provides quick Microsoft Loop components to add to your space.

Why Microsoft created Microsoft Loop

The way we work is forever evolving and changing, Microsoft Loop is presenting itself as a space ready to move with the changing world of remote and asynchronous working.

Microsoft created Microsoft Loop for people who want to create together with ease using the tools they want. Before Microsoft Loop, you would have to dive in and out of Microsoft 365 tools, communicate in a different platform, and overall waste time inside a messy workspace. You can now reduce stress and overwhelm by thinking, planning and creating inside one fluid Loop workspace.

With Microsoft Loop, your team can access information for a project inside a base within Loop, create a workspace and pages, adding teams to Microsoft Loop components, documents, links and everything you need.

Loop saves teams time and increases productivity with its search and AI abilities. When you create a new Loop workspace, Microsoft Loop will bring up any relevant content from other applications to add inside the space, from here you can share components and keep everyone in the Loop.

Overall, Microsoft Loop has been created to provide a fun and ever-changing co-creation experience to bring people together, share content, and access tools quickly.

What are the best features of Microsoft Loop?

Microsoft Loop holds many great features, especially teams loop components, AI assistance and the ability to manage projects in one space.

• Loop Workspaces - Create Loop workspaces to include everything you and your team need for specific projects. Loop will bring forward existing content like emails, documents and more once you start inputting keywords into Copilot. Once inside the workspace, you can begin creating and collaborating.
• Loop Pages - Pages are made inside of Loop workspaces. Inside the pages, you can include relevant contextual information for each project or task. You can share Microsoft Loop components from inside your pages with others to further allow collaboration.
• Loop Components - Microsoft Loop components are used to create a fluid, collaborative experience. Teams loop components allow for other users to work on tasks inside other 365 applications. When you share a Loop component you can see its entire history, from who it has shared to, and who has access to it.
• Existing relevant information - A clever feature of Microsoft Loop is its ability to bring forward relevant information to create a workspace almost instantly. This feature helps save time and enables your team to immediately get started on a project with instant access to the information they need.
• Flexible Loop Canvas - Microsoft Loop is an overall flexible canvas, inside Loop workspaces you can create and use this space to suit your team's specific needs.
• Reactions, emojis, comments - Leave comments and emoji reactions to different Microsoft loop components to collaborate and share thoughts and ideas inside the workspace.
• Notifications - Microsoft Loop uses notifications to keep you up to date with what's going on and keeps everyone in the Loop with new activity.
• Microsoft Co-Pilot - Co-Pilot provides AI-powered contextual suggestions when creating something new, this could be a list, tasks, paragraph and more. You simply add keywords and let AI do the magic to create Microsoft Loop components.

How to Activate Microsoft Loop: Guide

Now Microsoft Loop is in Public Preview, you can enable the application for your organisation to use. Here’s how you can give your team access to Microsoft Loop to begin your new experience in this workspace.

• First, you need to create a new Microsoft 365 group, this should contain everyone you want to have access to Loop.
• Next, sign into Microsoft 365 Admin Center to create a Cloud Policy Configuration for the new group you have just created.
• Finally, you'll need to wait around an hour for the policy to complete before you can log in to Loop.

When Loop is ready, members from inside the new 365 group will be able to log in and begin using Microsoft Loop.

Alternatives to Microsoft Loop

Maybe you like the sound of Microsoft Loop, but you're not within the 365 workspace and you're unsure if this application would benefit you and your team.

Well, here are some Microsoft Loop alternatives you might like to try:

Notion: Explained

Notion

An all-in-one workspaces for notes, projects, tasks, documents & lots more.

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Best For

Passionate All-In-One

Availability

Web

iOS

Android

Windows

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Chrome Extension

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Type of Tool

All-In-One Productivity ToolsProject Management SoftwareAI Productivity Tools

Notion: Alternative to Microsoft Loop

An all-in-one productivity tool providing a flexible and fully customisable collaborative space for you and your team. Use templates to get started, and AI assist to improve writing and speed up processes.

How are Notion and Microsoft Loop Similar?

• Both are all-in-one productivity tools that provide multiple features and create a workflow suitable for any project. Much like the Microsoft Loop Workspaces, Notion creates a customisable experience with editable spaces.
• Collaboration abilities are very similar, although Microsoft Loop components can be shared, Notion pages, tasks, and projects can be assigned to other team members and edited inside the Notion workspace.
• Integration and Ecosystem abilities are similar here too. You can integrate other tools and applications inside Notion to create an all-in-one workspace, much like you can use other Microsoft 365 tools inside Microsoft Loop.

What is Asana?

Asana

Manage projects in one of the best all-round project management tools.

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Best For

All-Round Project Manager

Availability

Web

iOS

Android

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Windows

Pricing

$

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Type of Tool

Project Management SoftwareAI Productivity ToolsAgile Project Management Software

Asana: Alternative to Microsoft Loop

Asana is another great productivity tool providing a workspace for managing projects within a traditional setting. With Asana you can work with your team, manage tasks and collaborate efficiently with others. You can also connect other tools, use templates to get started, and manage a project from start to finish.

How are Asana and Microsoft Loop Similar?

• Both Asana and Microsoft Loop provide a good collaboration experience. You can leave comments and communicate with team members inside this space and work on projects together.
• Again, integrations and ecosystems are other similarities. With Asana you can use over 200+ integrations within the application to streamline your workflow and collaboration, and Microsoft Loop components mean you can share and work on tasks inside the Microsoft Ecosystem.
• Workflow Builder and Loop Workspaces are kind of similar. They both provide a customisable space to create a suitable workflow for your team to manage entire projects.

What is Coda?

Coda

Manage your projects, connect integrations and team's workspaces with no-code Coda.

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Best For

Advanced No-Code Tool

Availability

Web

iOS

Android

Windows

Mac

Pricing

$

$

Type of Tool

All-In-One Productivity ToolsProject Management SoftwareAI Productivity Tools

Coda: Alternative to Microsoft Loop

Coda offers a blank canvas where users can create interactive and dynamic documents, known as "Coda docs." These docs can incorporate text, tables, images, and multimedia elements.

Coda goes beyond traditional documents by allowing users to embed live data, interactive elements, and formulas directly into the text, making the content more engaging and actionable.

How are Coda and Microsoft Loop Similar?

• Coda documents can work much like Microsoft Loop workspaces. Both provide a flexible place to add pages, documents, lists, paragraphs and more to create a workflow for specific projects.
• Collaborate efficiently in both applications using emoji reactions, assigning and sharing documents or Microsoft Loop components, documents, leaving comments and working together in real-time.
• Both tools allow you to use templates to get started with projects and team collaboration. This allows work to begin quickly inside Coda and Loop workspaces, saving time and creating an efficient workspace without having to overcome a learning curve.