Microsoft plans to better integrate Office 365 into Windows 10 with “Office Hubs”

Arif Bacchus

Due to the fact that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update has now dropped worldwide, all attention at Microsoft now is now shifting towards building the next update to Windows 10. While the future may have a lot to hold, Zac Bowden of Windows Central has managed to draw out a few early conceptual plans of some new items that may be coming to the next generation of Windows 10. Of course, the ideas are nothing but early concepts and are not set in stone, but are still noteworthy of mention.

At the top of the list for Microsoft is integrating Office 365 into Windows. According to Zac, Microsoft wants to integrate an Office Hub into Windows 10 in order to give users easy users access to Office documents, emails, and so on. The feature may supposedly be available via the Cortana hamburger menu (complete with an Orange themed color!) and/or via its own button on the taskbar or area in the Action Center.

According to Zac, along with the Office Hub Integration, Microsoft is also looking to integrate Office in Cortana, Action Center, and the Microsoft Edge Browser though new collaboration tools. One of these tools and new features is apparently “Working Sets,” which will organize files, and find documents, reference material, and people under one “set.”

These sets can also be added to the start menu (as a live tile,) pinned to the taskbar, or hooked into the Action Center. Furthermore, these sets will also include live updates, jump lists, and recent activity on shared documents.  Cortana will also float up when a set is being worked on, and will gain new functionality such as turning off notifications during working hours.

Office Hub, Image via Zac Bowden and Windows Central
Office Hub, Image via Zac Bowden and Windows Central

Additionally, Microsoft is supposedly also working to improve the search function of Cortana and the File Explorer. Similar to what was seen in the soon to be discontinued REACHit extension, Microsoft is interested in having File Explorer and the Cortana digital assistant searches pull emails and other information from more specific time periods.

Last up is the fact that Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 and Office 365 more intergrated. According to Zac, Microsoft’s OneClip idea (of bringing all your clipboard information from all devices into one) is not dead, and more information will be shared soon.

Again, these features are not set in stone, and are based on pure internal concepts. A release date for the features is also uncertain, so it’s best to stay tuned to learn more. Regardless, we would love to hear what you think, and so be sure to drop us a comment below with your thoughts on these features!