Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Microsoft update adds real time prescence to Word 2016

microsoft adds google calendar contacts support office 2016 for mac office2016formac
Microsoft
It’s only a few weeks now until Microsoft releases Windows 10 for free to many millions of Windows users around the world. To make its money back, it’s promoting the subscription based Office platform, and that means making it fresh and exciting for those that may have found alternatives over the years. One of the big themes with the new version will be collaboration, which is why in the latest update for the Office 2016 preview, Microsoft has added “real time presence,” to Word.

What that means is that multiple people can edit the same document at once and will even be able to see each other type in real time, though that latter feature will be added in a subsequent release. For now though, those using the preview build of Word 2016 will be able to see where in the document their fellow writers are editing.

Recommended Videos

This feature will be initially made available for OneDrive for Business users, but will be rolled out more universally before long (thanks Thurrott).

Related: Microsoft opens up the Office 2016 preview for everyone, shows off new collaboration and search features

Another addition to the Office suite includes a new Share option for easier file sharing. That way users can share files and make them available to one another at the touch of a button, instead of copying them to a specifically shared directory.

Microsoft Store

There’s also Insights for Office, which adds web-based context to words and phrases within a document, allowing a reader to look up the meaning of a word, or a encyclopaedic entry on a person or place. A better listing of version histories will let users roll back to previous versions of documents and files if they so wish, with better understanding of the changes made between them and the current one.

To be able to try out Office 2016, you can download a trial of the software from the official page, or use an existing Office 365 subscription to gain access.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
If you use a VPN, don’t skip this important Windows 11 update
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 rear view showing lid and logo.

It's not you; Windows is causing the issues this time. If the VPN on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer is having a hard time connecting, it is likely because of Microsoft's April security updates for Windows 11 (KB5036893 for) and Windows 10 (KB5036892), which have been reported to be the cause of the problems.

But there's good news. According to Microsoft, a patch is now available to fix the VPN problems users are experiencing.

Read more
The latest Windows update is breaking VPN connections
Windows Update running on a laptop.

Microsoft has acknowledged that the Windows security updates for April 2024 (KB5036893 for Windows 11, KB5036892 for Windows 10) are causing disruptions to virtual private network (VPN) connections across various client and server platforms. According to information on the Windows health dashboard, devices running Windows may experience VPN connection failures following the installation of either the April 2024 security update or the April 2024 non-security preview update.

The company has also stated that it is actively investigating user reports regarding these issues and will share more details in the coming days. The impacted Windows versions include Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008 onward.

Read more
Microsoft may fix the most frustrating thing about Windows updates
Windows 11 updates are moving to once a year.

Most Windows users will agree that one of the most annoying things about the operating system is the updates. While Windows Updates are necessary, they often tend to come up at the worst possible time, interrupting work and gaming sessions with persistent reminders that the system needs to reboot. Microsoft might be fixing that problem in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 build, but it's still too early to bid farewell to those ill-timed reboots.

As spotted in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26058, Microsoft is testing "hot patching" for some Windows 11 updates. Hot patching refers to a dynamic method of updating that often doesn't change the software version and may not even need a restart. In the context of Windows 11, it's pretty straightforward -- Windows will install the update, and you won't have to reboot your system.

Read more