Office Insider gains new Fast Ring release that brings collaborative ‘Share Me’ feature

Microsoft continues to expand its Insider program by including its Office software suite to the lineup of preview options. Similar to the Windows 10 Insider program, eager productivity hogs looking to be on the cutting edge of Office features can sign up to be a part of the Office Insider program and its various release rings.

Until recently, the Office team had only released Slow Ring equivalent previews to Insiders, but on August 30, 2016, testers were altered to a new Fast Ring release cycle coming down the pipe and that new features will accompany the addition soon after.

True to their word, the Office team has now released its first set of Office Insider features via its Fast Ring to testers today.

Office Insiders opting into the Fast Ring will now find a new Share With Me feature in their Office File settings that enable users to notify and get notified to when a document in shared among collaborators. More specifically, Microsoft describes the addition as such:

Here’s how it works: When someone shares a document, presentation, or spreadsheet with you, that file will automatically appear when you click Open > Shared with Me. For the file to show up in Shared with Me, the shared document must be stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online.”

Microsoft is encouraging users who are interested in bumping up to the Fast Ring to visit its support page for more details or the following instructions:

How to opt into the Office Insider Fast level

Already an Office Insider? Here’s how you can switch from the Slow level to the new Fast level and install the first Fast build:

1. Ensure that 16.0.7341.2021 is installed, which we released to Office Insiders last week.
2. In any Office 2016 app, click File > Account > Office Insider > Change Level.
3. Select Insider Fast as your level, agree to the terms of use and then click OK.
4. Click Update Options > Update Now to install the Office Insider Fast build.

At this point, you should be on version 16.0.7329.1000. To check, click File > Account and look for the version information under the Office Updates heading. Don’t worry if you see Version 1610 (Build 7329.1000) instead of 16.0.7329.1000. It’s the same build. As an Office Insider on the Fast level, you’re just getting a sneak peek at our new naming convention. 🙂

For those who have yet to join the Office Insider program but are interested, head over to the sign-up page with a Microsoft ID ready.