Microsoft Office 365 Latest Updates (November 2021)

Microsoft frequently updates its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 software to ensure you get the best features and tools to enhance your computer function and user experience.
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Microsoft Office 365 Latest Updates

Microsoft frequently updates its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 software to ensure you get the best features and tools to enhance your computer function and user experience. These updates are only available to individuals and businesses who’ve subscribed to the solutions, giving them access to the latest security and non-security features, such as patches and bug fixes.

The only caveat is keeping tabs on these updates as Microsoft rolls them out, and that’s the reason we’ve created this blog. We’ll look at the Microsoft 365 and Office 365 updates from June to October, starting with the most recent ones.

Version 2110 (Build 14527.20234): October 28, 2021

This update provides bug fixes for several programs, including Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, to prevent these apps from stopping when drawing an image.

It also comes with a variety of features for Microsoft Teams. Among these are a newly rolled out Live Transcript for virtual teams, a Question & Answer (Q&A) application to aid online meetings and webinars, and a gateway for other people to anonymously join virtual meetings from other clouds using the Teams software.

Additionally, it clears up some bugs in Office, especially Excel, where the program stopped responding following a query update. In Outlook, it resolved the sync failure often resulting from attempts to generate previews.

Version 2109 (Build 14430.20298): October 12, 2021

This build was released to update security features in the Office suite and other critical programs, such as Excel, Word, and Visio. It’s an update that affects software security, and thus, it would be best for IT teams to apply them as soon as possible, whether they’re using Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or business. You first need to generate reports on any issues in the application, and if there’s no problem, apply the updates.

Version 2109 (Build 14430.20270): October 6, 2021

Another patch- and bug-fixing update, this build was created to solve the problem in Outlook where the application stopped responding when users tried to access the AutoDiscover settings.

Version 2109 (Build 14430.20234): September 28, 2021

This update offers new features for Microsoft Teams and a bunch of bug-fixing capabilities. For Microsoft Teams, it provides an improvement that allows users to set a specific default number of days that meeting proceedings and records remain in OneDrive and SharePoint before automatic deletion.

Another new feature is the Network Planner, designed for government clouds to enable users to determine the network and connection requirements to connect Microsoft Teams members throughout an organization.

It’s an update that also fixes bugs across various Office programs like Excel and PowerPoint that cause problems when users export files in PDF and XPS format. It also fixes the issue in which the Insert Video button was missing in Word.

Version 2108 (Build 14326.20404): September 14, 2021

This build combines security updates and fixes a minor bug that caused the loss of HTML formatting whenever an email draft was saved to disk.

The security updates targeted several programs: Excel, Visio, Access, Word, and the entire Office suite. Again, this is a security update that IT teams must quickly update to protect valuable business data and information.

Version 2108 (Build 14326.20238): August 25, 2021

While this update gave Microsoft 365/Office 365 a refreshed look, it has other new features to improve user experience.

It streamlines commenting channels between Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Additionally, it lets you chat and send comments to your co-authors using easy @mentions. Furthermore, it comes with a new Intelligent Translator for Outlook, a feature that allows users to translate any messages to their preferred language.

With this update, you have access to the all-new Application Guard that protects you from opening files containing malware and viruses. It also lets you store your files in different formats by providing a “Save As” to help you choose your desired format.

Version 2107 (Build 14228.20250): August 10, 2021

This build offers security improvements and bug fixes. It corrects several issues in Excel and Office apps. In the former, it solves the problem associated with non-responsiveness in Dynamic tables. In Office, it fixes bugs that made it difficult for users to export documents in PDF and XPS formats.

The security updates include additional improvements to the internal OS functionality, and IT professionals need to apply these updates in the coming weeks for enhanced data protection and functionality.

Version 2107 (Build 14228.20226): August 3, 2021

This Office 365 update is a bug-fixer designed to solve the problem where a resent email appears to be from the original sender when generated by a different user, usually after enabling the Send From Alias feature.

Another bug caused inaccuracies in time entries for start and end times for meetings, especially those held on different dates. Users could often see duplicate time entries, and Microsoft released this update to ensure that the app captured the proper times regardless of the meeting dates.

Version 2107 (Build 14228.20204): July 26, 2021

This July update brought a few new features and bug fixes to Outlook and PowerPoint. For instance, you can now add people to the To/CC lines when composing emails by leveraging the easy-to-use Microsoft Search feature. The build also comes with the Immersive Reader for Outlook, allowing users to customize text spacing, page colors, line focus, and column width.

It also equips PowerPoint with a new feature that lets you use Flipgrid videos in your presentations alongside other video formats.

Version 2106 (Build 14131.20332): July 20, 2021

This update fixes several bugs in Outlook that affected app responsiveness, messaging, and cloud issues. This new build solves the problem that caused the app to stop responding when retrieving diagnostic information.

It also fixed the problem that caused the loss of any changes made to a message when you click the Resend this Message when the text is in PST format. With Cloud Settings, this update corrects the problem caused by unexpected close when an incompletely configured cloud account is present in the profile.

Version 2106 (Build 14131.20320): July 13, 2021

This update targeted bugs in Outlook and Office suite. In the latter, it fixes problems related to DirectX device loss and other recovery functions.

In Outlook, it solved the problem that caused the unexpected app closure when users tried to retrieve service-powered search suggestions. It also fixed bugs that caused the SMTP address (usually located beside the user’s primary calendar) to disappear. It was a problem experienced in a multi-account profile once the “Shared Calendar Improvements” was enabled.

Optimizing your Office 365 and Microsoft 365 tools require timely application of the latest software updates. That’s on side of the coin; you also need to partner with a professional IT company that can guarantee data security, reliable cloud-based solutions, and implementation of new technologies with cost saving opportunities.

If you’re looking for a reliable IT company in the Bay Area, contact V&C Solutions today, and take advantage of our business-focused IT services.

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