It is a new month and time for a new build for Office Insiders in the Slow Ring on macOS. While version 16.39 (build 20070502) is heading to the Slow Ring users, Microsoft seems to have botched the post and placed it in the release notes for Fast Ring Insiders. However, since the Fast Ring is currently running builds from version 16.40, it is safe to assume that today’s updates are heading to the Slow Ring.
The first in the list of additions this month is the ability to insert GIFs in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Users that like to use the image format can finally insert them into documents and presentations. In addition to this feature, Excel is getting a few new capabilities such as Sheet View and personalized data labels.
Sheet View lets users that are collaborating on a file create customized temporary views to sort the data that they are working on. Users can then either discard the view to return to the overall sheet or choose to save the view for later. Personalized data labels, as the name suggests, lets users add values from cells as data labels to a chart or graph. This makes it easier to label multiple items instead of having to view all the items in the legend.
Excel is also introducing a LET function for Slow Ring users that allows for grouping a set of formula for easier usability and performance.
Here is how you can add personalized data labels:
1. Add data labels to a chart.
2. Double-click a data label to open the format pane.
3. Click the Label Options tab in the format pane.
4. Check the box for Use values from cells.
Improvements to PowerPoint include the ability to easily insert recorded audio into a slide directly from the right pane. This negates the need to name an audio file and then insert it into the presentation.
Lastly, there are a few security improvements for Outlook. It now no longer requires users to set an app password for those that have two-step verification enabled for their Outlook accounts.