Finding information and resources is critical to productivity and collaboration with cloud resources in the fast-paced hybrid-connected world. The sheer volume of data is quickly increasing, and having the ability to locate relevant content is crucial. It is where Microsoft 365 Search comes in. As a unified search solution embedded within the Microsoft 365 suite, it empowers users to find, access, and leverage information from across their organization’s Microsoft apps and the web.
What is Microsoft Search?
Microsoft 365 Search is a powerful search tool integrated into the Microsoft 365 suite of applications. It’s designed to connect users to the information they need, when they need it. Microsoft 365 Search lets users quickly find and access files, emails, and other content across the suite’s various apps, including Outlook, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams. In addition, Microsoft Search in Bing extends this capability to the web, providing users with personalized search results from their Microsoft 365 content and the wider Internet.
Navigating Microsoft Search
At the heart of Microsoft 365 Search is the Microsoft Search box. It’s more than just a portal for queries. It’s your gateway to a vast array of information, enabling you to tap into the vast resources of your organization. Microsoft Search offers suggestions based on your recent searches and other relevant data as you type.
As you can see below, when typing in a word or phrase, Microsoft Search displays hints about users, apps, and other resources that are a close match.
Making the Most of Microsoft Search
Microsoft Search is not limited to just the Microsoft 365 suite. It also extends to web services, allowing users to access relevant content from Bing and other Internet sources via Microsoft Search in Bing. This feature lets you search not only files and emails in Outlook and SharePoint but also access relevant results from the web, providing a comprehensive search experience.
Microsoft Search in Office Apps
Microsoft Search extends its reach to various Office apps. For instance, you can use Microsoft Search in Microsoft Teams to find messages, files, and other content shared within your teams. Similarly, in Outlook, you can quickly use Microsoft Search to find specific emails, events, or contacts.
Leveraging Microsoft Search in Bing
Microsoft Search in Bing is a feature that integrates Bing’s Internet search capabilities with your organization’s Microsoft 365 content. When you search on Bing, you’ll see personalized search results from your Microsoft 365 files and emails, in addition to the regular web results. This feature can be handy when looking for a document or email containing specific keywords but can’t remember its location.
With more robust AI integration with Bing and Microsoft Office, Microsoft 365 Search will become even more powerful and robust in what it can do and suggest.
Customizing Microsoft Search Experience
As an administrator, you can manage Microsoft Search and customize it according to your organization’s needs. For example, you can control the settings to enable Microsoft Search, index specific locations, and even create bookmarks for quick access to frequently used content. It’s also possible to adjust permissions to ensure users only see content they’re authorized to access.
Microsoft has a nice Learn article that provides a high-level overview of customizing Search here: Create and customize Microsoft Search answers – Training | Microsoft Learn.
Microsoft 365 Search recent developments
There are several recent developments in the realm of Microsoft 365 Search to make a note of, including the following:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: Introduced in March, Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed to be your work assistant. It has been tested with several enterprise customers like Chevron, Goodyear, General Motors, and Dow, who have found it to be a potential game-changer, especially for meetings and creative tasks. Microsoft is planning to bring Copilot to more customers and introduce new capabilities based on feedback from these early adopters
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program: This program is an invitation-only, paid preview that is rolling out to an initial wave of 600 customers worldwide
- Semantic Index for Copilot: This new Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 capability is a sophisticated map of your user and company data. It doesn’t simply look for documents with keywords in the file name or body; instead, it understands the context of the request to help you find what you need. The Semantic Index for Copilot is critical to getting relevant, actionable responses to prompts in Microsoft 365 Copilot, and it also enhances enterprise search results for E3 and E5 customers
- AI Integration: The integration of AI into Microsoft 365 is advancing, with the platform shift to AI well underway. Customers are looking to Microsoft to help them understand how this new era of AI will change work
- New Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities: Microsoft is continually adding new Copilot capabilities to bring AI to every part of the suite, enabling employees and organizations to unleash creativity, unlock productivity, and uplevel skills
These updates should provide some interesting talking points for your blog post. Let me know if you have any other requests or if there are specific aspects of these updates that you want to focus on, in the comments section.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do I enable Microsoft Search?
Microsoft Search is typically enabled by default in Microsoft 365. If not, an administrator can manage Microsoft Search in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Can I use Microsoft Search on mobile devices?
Microsoft Search is accessible on mobile devices through the Microsoft Office app.
3. How does Microsoft Search in Bing work?
Microsoft Search in Bing combines search results from your organization’s Microsoft 365 content with results from the wider web. As a result, it ensures you get the most relevant results for your query.
4. Is my data secure when using Microsoft Search?
Microsoft Search respects all permissions across Microsoft 365. Search only displays the content a user can access.
5. Can I customize the Microsoft Search experience?
Administrators can customize Microsoft Search to suit their organization’s needs, including indexing specific locations and creating bookmarks for quick access.
Wrapping up
Microsoft 365 Search is more than a search tool—it’s a productivity engine. It enables users to seamlessly access and manage content across Office apps, web services, and their organization’s Microsoft 365 suite, allowing them to work more efficiently. So whether you’re an administrator looking to customize the search experience or a user seeking to find relevant content faster, Microsoft Search offers a powerful solution.
Read More:
Microsoft 365 for Beginners – What is Microsoft 365 Loop? Part 35
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