Microsoft once again prioritizes a competitor with a new feature you won't find on Windows 11

What you need to know

Microsoft released new widgets on macOS that allow you to open recent files from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
The widget first appeared on iOS earlier this year and has since been brought to macOS.
The widget lets you open a recent file from Word, Excel, or PowerPoint or open the home page of any of those apps.

As a researcher with over two decades of experience in technology, I must admit that this latest move by Microsoft has left me somewhat puzzled and a tad envious. It feels like a bitter-sweet reminder of the past, when Windows was king and Mac was merely an afterthought. The recent addition of Office widgets to macOS seems like a step in the right direction for Apple users, but it also serves as a stark reminder of how the death of the Windows Phone has crippled Windows’ ability to innovate in certain areas.

Here’s a story I didn’t expect to write in 2024; Microsoft just gave Windows 11 users a reason to be jealous of macOS. This week, Microsoft began testing a new widget for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on macOS. The widget lets you open recent documents or any of those apps with a single click. While it’s a relatively small addition, it’s another thing you can do on a Mac that you can’t do on a PC (Microsoft does not have any Office widgets on Windows 11).

In order to test out the latest widget, ensure that you are part of the Current Channel (Preview) and have Office for Mac version 16.91 or a more recent update installed.

After attaching the widget to your macOS screen, you’ll be able to utilize it for quickly accessing recently opened files in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Microsoft outlined the steps to set up a widget on macOS in a Tech Community post:

On your Mac, right-click your desktop and select the Edit Widgets command.
Select the app widget you want in the list.
Select the size of widget you want, and then hover over it and select the green + button in the top left corner.
To access one of your recent files from your desktop, simply click the file card.

The latest “Recent” widget offered by Microsoft comes in four variations, ranging from compact (small) to extra spacious (extra-large). Clicking within the widget opens the associated application rather than a particular file, whereas clicking outside the file card does so.

Death of Windows Phone still haunts PCs

I could go on for ages about how the widgets experience on Windows 11 is terrible, and maybe I’ll do that when I have a few hours and am in the mood to vent. But today’s news highlights a specific reason why Windows 11 lacks quality widgets. The death of Windows Phone still haunts Windows PCs, and the latest Office widgets are the perfect example.

Due to Apple’s extensive ecosystem that encompasses smartphones, tablets, computers (both laptops and desktops), users frequently find content intended for one device adapted for another. As iOS widgets are widely appreciated, Microsoft introduced file widgets for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint earlier this year. Now, these very same widgets have been integrated into macOS.

Microsoft has announced that the recent widgets popular on iOS are now available on macOS. This means you can now add widgets for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint directly to your Mac’s desktop. These widgets enable you to not only see but also open your recently used files from your desktop.

Since Microsoft had previously developed widgets for its Office applications on iOS, I can infer that creating macOS widgets for the same suite would be relatively straightforward. Conversely, it seems plausible that crafting similar widgets for Windows 11 might require more effort, as there are currently no widgets available for Microsoft 365 or Office on this platform.

2024-11-12 19:39

Microsoft once again prioritizes a competitor with a new feature you won’t find on Windows 11

What you need to know

Death of Windows Phone still haunts PCs

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