Microsoft releases lightweight Office taskbar apps for Windows 11

Microsoft is rolling out lightweight taskbar apps for Microsoft 365 users on Windows 11. These apps, called Microsoft 365 companion apps, will provide quick access to contacts, file search, and calendar directly from the Windows taskbar. The People companion app allows users to browse the organizational chart, start a Teams message or call, or email a contact. The File Search companion enables searching for Microsoft 365 files by name, author, or keywords across various platforms. The Calendar app offers a quick view of upcoming events and the ability to join meetings. These apps, which have been in beta for several months, are now being made available to all business users of Microsoft 365 as part of a general availability release. The apps will be automatically installed when Microsoft 365 apps are installed on a Windows 11 system, but IT admins can prevent the automatic installation, and users can stop the apps from launching at startup.