Is Microsoft Loop the End of OneNote?

Summary

In this video, Jonathan from Integral IT explores whether Microsoft Loop can replace OneNote, Microsoft's digital note-taking application. Despite being 20 years old, OneNote still sees development. Loop, launched in 2023, offers modern features like workspaces, AI document search, and task integration with Microsoft To-Do. It also introduces Loop components, portable building blocks that sync across Microsoft 365 applications, enhancing collaboration. Jonathan concludes that while OneNote is suitable for personal use, Loop is the future for team collaboration within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Takeaways

• 😀 Microsoft Loop is a new application that has been launched and is being compared to OneNote.
• 📚 OneNote is a digital note-taking application by Microsoft that has been around for 20 years and is used for creating notebooks, sections, and pages.
• 🌐 Microsoft Loop, launched in November 2023, is not marketed as a note-taking application but shares some features with OneNote, leading to speculation about its potential to replace OneNote.
• 💼 Microsoft Loop is included in Microsoft 365 subscriptions and can be accessed via a web browser or installed as an app on a computer.
• 📈 Loop uses AI to search documents within Microsoft 365 and suggests relevant documents for workspaces, which are similar to notebooks in OneNote.
• 📝 In Microsoft Loop, users can create workspaces, pages, and subpages, and add various content types like headings, text, checklists, and embedded videos.
• 🔗 Microsoft Loop integrates with Microsoft To-Do, allowing tasks created in Loop to be synced and managed within the To-Do app.
• 🤝 Loop components are portable building blocks that can be shared and synced across various Microsoft applications like Outlook, Teams, and even Whiteboard.
• 📆 Loop components can be used in Teams meetings, chats, and Outlook emails, updating in real-time and enhancing collaboration.
• 🔍 Microsoft Loop offers advanced task management and collaboration features that may be more suitable for teams working across multiple Microsoft 365 applications.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is to explore whether Microsoft Loop can replace OneNote as a digital note-taking application.

How old is Microsoft OneNote, and what is the general concern about its current state?

Microsoft OneNote is 20 years old and the concern is that it seems to be lagging behind other modern, cloud-based Microsoft applications.

What is Microsoft Loop, and when was it launched?

Microsoft Loop is a collaborative workspace application that was launched in November 2023.

What is the difference between OneNote and Microsoft Loop in terms of structure?

OneNote uses a structure of notebooks, sections, and pages, while Microsoft Loop uses workspaces and pages without the concept of notebooks.

How can one access Microsoft Loop?

Microsoft Loop can be accessed through a web browser by visiting loop.microsoft.com or by installing it as an app from the Microsoft Store.

What is a unique feature of Microsoft Loop that sets it apart from OneNote?

Microsoft Loop features 'Loop components' which are portable building blocks that can be shared and synced across various Microsoft 365 applications.

How does Microsoft Loop integrate with Microsoft To-Do?

Microsoft Loop can create tasks within its pages and sync them with Microsoft To-Do, allowing for task assignments and notifications to team members.

Can videos be embedded in Microsoft Loop pages?

Yes, videos can be embedded in Microsoft Loop pages by copying the video URL, similar to how it's done in OneNote.

What does the presenter suggest for users who want a digital note-taking application for personal use?

The presenter suggests sticking with OneNote for users who want a digital note-taking application for their own personal use.

What is the presenter's opinion on using Microsoft Loop for team collaboration across Microsoft 365 applications?

The presenter believes that Microsoft Loop is the way forward for team collaboration across multiple Microsoft 365 applications.

How does Microsoft Loop handle sharing and collaboration?

Microsoft Loop allows sharing of entire workspaces or individual components, enabling real-time collaboration and updates across Microsoft applications.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Microsoft Loop vs. OneNote: The Future of Note-Taking?

The video script introduces a comparison between Microsoft Loop and OneNote, questioning whether Loop could replace OneNote. The narrator, Jonathan, provides a brief introduction to his role and the purpose of the video. He mentions that OneNote, a 20-year-old application, seems to be lagging behind in modernity compared to other Microsoft applications. The video aims to explore OneNote's capabilities and compare them with the features of Microsoft Loop, which was launched in November 2023. Jonathan also explains how to access Microsoft Loop, either through a web browser or by installing it from the Microsoft Store.

05:01

📚 Exploring Microsoft Loop's Workspaces and Features

This paragraph delves into the functionalities of Microsoft Loop, focusing on its 'workspaces' as opposed to OneNote's 'notebooks'. The narrator demonstrates how to create a workspace and subpages, and how to utilize various features such as adding headings, text, checklists, and embedding videos—paralleling the capabilities found in OneNote. He also discusses the task list feature in Loop, showing how tasks can be created and assigned to individuals, with the ability to share and notify them, thus integrating with Microsoft To-Do for a seamless task management experience.

10:01

🔄 The Synergy of Microsoft Loop with Task Management and Collaboration

The script continues to highlight the advanced features of Microsoft Loop, particularly its task management and collaboration capabilities. It showcases how tasks assigned in Loop can be synced with Microsoft To-Do, providing a modern alternative to OneNote's integration. The narrator also introduces 'Loop components' as portable building blocks that can be shared and kept in sync across various Microsoft 365 applications, demonstrating their real-time updating capabilities within a Teams meeting and how they can be used in Teams chats, Outlook emails, and even within other applications like Microsoft Whiteboard.

15:01

🔗 Sharing and Collaborating with Microsoft Loop Components

The final paragraph discusses the sharing features of Microsoft Loop, emphasizing the ease with which entire workspaces or individual components can be shared with team members. The narrator illustrates how Loop components can be copied and pasted into other Microsoft applications like Outlook and Teams, allowing for dynamic and interactive collaboration. He concludes the demo by sharing his opinion on the suitability of OneNote for personal use versus Microsoft Loop for team collaboration across Microsoft 365 applications, inviting viewers to consider which application best fits their needs.

Keywords

💡Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is a digital note-taking application that allows users to create and organize notebooks. In the video, OneNote is compared with Microsoft Loop, highlighting its traditional use for organizing information into notebooks, sections, and pages, which is familiar to long-time users.

💡Microsoft Loop

Microsoft Loop is a new application introduced in November 2023 as part of Microsoft 365. It focuses on real-time collaboration with features like workspaces and Loop components. The video discusses whether Loop could replace OneNote by demonstrating its capabilities and integration with other Microsoft apps.

💡Workspaces

Workspaces in Microsoft Loop are collaborative spaces where users can organize their projects. Unlike OneNote's notebooks, Loop uses workspaces to group related tasks and documents. The video shows how a workspace can be set up for YouTube videos, mimicking the structure of OneNote but with enhanced collaborative features.

💡Loop Components

Loop components are modular elements in Microsoft Loop that can be shared and synced across different Microsoft 365 applications like Teams and Outlook. The video illustrates how these components allow for seamless collaboration and real-time updates, highlighting their potential to enhance teamwork.

💡Microsoft 365 Integration

Microsoft 365 Integration refers to how Microsoft Loop integrates with other Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Outlook, and To-Do. The video emphasizes this integration as a key advantage of Loop, enabling tasks and information to flow smoothly across different tools and improving productivity.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration in the context of Microsoft Loop involves multiple users working together in real-time on shared documents and tasks. The video demonstrates how Loop facilitates collaboration through features like shared workspaces and Loop components, making it easier to coordinate and communicate within teams.

💡Task Management

Task Management in Microsoft Loop is enhanced through features like task lists and integration with Microsoft To-Do. The video shows how tasks created in Loop can be assigned to different team members, with updates synchronized across applications, thereby improving task tracking and accountability.

💡Real-time Updates

Real-time Updates refer to the immediate synchronization of changes made in Microsoft Loop components across all platforms where they are shared. The video highlights this feature by showing how edits made in a Teams meeting or an email automatically update in Loop, ensuring that everyone has the latest information.

💡Notebooks

Notebooks are the primary organizational structure in Microsoft OneNote, where users can create separate books for different subjects or projects. The video contrasts this with Loop's workspaces, demonstrating the traditional format of OneNote and its potential limitations in collaborative scenarios.

💡Microsoft To-Do

Microsoft To-Do is a task management application that integrates with other Microsoft 365 tools. In the video, tasks created in OneNote or Loop can be synced with To-Do, illustrating how Loop's task assignments appear in users' To-Do lists, thereby streamlining task management and follow-up.

Highlights

Introduction to Microsoft Loop and its potential impact on OneNote.

Microsoft Loop launched in November 2023, but not specifically marketed as a note-taking application.

Comparison of OneNote and Microsoft Loop features, focusing on note-taking and organizational capabilities.

Microsoft Loop allows creating workspaces instead of notebooks, similar to Notion.

Demonstration of creating a workspace in Microsoft Loop to replicate OneNote's structure with sections and pages.

Adding text, headings, and checklists in Microsoft Loop, showcasing its note-taking functionality.

Embedding videos in Microsoft Loop, comparable to OneNote's embedded content capabilities.

Task management in Microsoft Loop, including assigning tasks to individuals and syncing with Microsoft To-Do and Planner.

Introduction to Loop components, which are portable building blocks that can be shared across various Microsoft applications.

Using Loop components in Microsoft Teams meetings for real-time collaboration and updates.

Demonstration of Loop components in Teams chat for collaborative task creation and idea sharing.

Integration of Loop components in Outlook emails, showcasing their versatility.

Adding Loop components to workspaces for centralized management and collaboration.

Discussion on sharing options within Microsoft Loop, including sharing entire workspaces, pages, or individual components.

Conclusion: OneNote is recommended for individual use, while Microsoft Loop is better suited for team collaboration within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Transcripts

is Microsoft Loop the beginning of the

end for one note that is the topic for

today's video but before we jump into

the content just a quick intro my name

is Jonathan from integral it in the UK

we help businesses all over the world

with the Microsoft 365 now a short while

ago I did a video on my Channel all

about Microsoft one0 that's Microsoft's

digital notes taken application but a

lot of people said at the time why

creating content on OneNote Microsoft

Loop is out now and Microsoft Loop is

going to replace onot now that's quite

interesting because Microsoft 1o is now

20 years old it's older than me and to

be honest it's looking its age lots of

different Microsoft applications have

been released they're all modern they're

all cloud-based and one note seems to be

lagging behind a bit and Microsoft still

developing one know do they still see it

as a great application moving for

forward but what we're going to do today

is we're going to look at one note and

we're going to look at Microsoft Loop

and we're going to ask the question Can

Microsoft Loop replace OneNote for you

now just before I jump onto the computer

behind me and show you OneNote and loop

just a quick intro on both applications

one note is Microsoft's digital notet

taking application you can create

notebooks in one note you could have a

notebook for recipes one for your

business projects or just a general

notebook the list goes on Microsoft loop

on the other hand was launched in

November 2023 to much fanfare now to be

fair to Microsoft they have never sold

loop as a notet taken application but it

does share some of the features of one

note leading people to think that I

replace one note with Loop now I think

you've listened to me long enough let's

jump onto that computer behind me and

we'll have a

demo so firstly how do you get a hold of

Microsoft Loop well it's including your

Microsoft 365 subscription so there's a

couple of ways you can access it you can

open a web browser and you can browse

simply to loop.

microsoft.com and that will log you in

here you might have to enter your

username password so there's Loop or you

can install Loop onto your computer and

if you look down in my taskbar here you

can see that I've got Microsoft Loop

installed as an app and it's exactly the

same to install loop on your computer

you simply go to the Microsoft store so

you can just type it in the search there

and in the Microsoft store you can

simply search for Microsoft Loop so I'll

do that there and you can see that it's

an app that you can choose to install on

your computer okay so let's go go back

to the loop app which is installed on my

computer which is here so this is the

Microsoft Loop homepage I've also got

one not open here so this is OneNote and

you OneNote users will be familiar with

this so Within one note you've got

notebooks so I've got three notebooks

you're going to think about these as

been physical notebooks I've got a sales

one I've got a marketing one I've got a

YouTube videos one within each notebook

you have sections so again I've got a

couple of sections in this YouTube

videos notebook and then within sections

you have pages so this is a page and

this is what I would typically do when

I'm creating a YouTube video I'll come

into one note and I will add a title and

I will add some kind of script so you

might recognize this script and then the

screen share so this is what we're doing

now and these are all the checklists

that I want to go through during this

screen share and I've also got a to-do

list so what I've done in one note I

have flagged these as you can see and

what that then does with one notot is it

pushes it through to my to-do so it

becomes part of my to-do list and you

can see here all these tasks have been

published through to Microsoft Todo so

one note is pretty powerful Plus at the

bottom I've embedded some videos this is

a bit of a research so there's some

Microsoft videos all about Microsoft

Loop which helps me prepare for this

video so that is one note and that works

with notebooks sections and pages so how

would this work in Microsoft loop with a

Microsoft Loop you don't have notebooks

it's not been advertised as a not taken

application what we do have instead

though is something called workspaces so

to replicate what I've got in one note I

could create a workspace called YouTube

videos I'll go in

here I can then choose an icon something

like that I can choose to share this

space on creation or I can leave that

and at the top I can update that cover

photo if I want but for now I'll just

click on continue now Loop uses AI to

search all of my documents within

Microsoft 365 and it will suggest some

documents that might be us useful for

this workspace I'm not going to choose

any of these for now I'm just going to

click on create workspace now I've got

me

workpace so what I could do now is start

building this out so it looks like one

note so I need a videos and then I need

Microsoft loop as a page so what I could

do is I could call this videos like this

and then what I could do I could right

click here and click on new sub page and

I could call this Microsoft

Loop okay so that gives me something

that looks like the one not now at the

moment it says just start typing but you

can see underneath if I press the

forward slash like that I get lots of

different options now if You' ever used

a platform like notion this is very

similar so at this point I can add lots

of different things into here but to

start with I'm going to add some

headings because that's what I've got in

my in my OneNote notebooks if I go back

to one note here I've got title so I add

that

there and then underneath has

Microsoft so as you can see it's

enabling to type and take notes just

like it would do in one note so what

else is in here well we've got the

scripts so I'll I'll add that as a

heading like that and I'll just copy and

paste everything from

here okay that's pretty basic stuff it's

just a text editor let's now get a bit

more clever going back to my document

here I've got something called screen

share and in one note this is a

checklist so can I achieve that in

Microsoft Loop of course I can I'll

firstly add the

header and then what I want to do is

press the forward slash and I get all my

options and you can see I've got an

option here for

checklist so now what I can do I can

start filling out my

checklist okay okay now I've added all

my checklist so what else can we do in

Loop that we can do in

OneNote well you can see in my OneNote

notebook here I've got a research

section where we can look at embedding

videoos so can we do that in loop as

well you bet you can so let's start

doing another header call this the

research I can just highlight that and

made that

H1 and then I want to embed some videos

so all I do is simply copy the URL of

the video and I can copy it from YouTube

on Microsoft stream so here's a YouTube

video here this is all about Microsoft

Loop so I will copy that

here and you can see that is a YouTube

video and that is embedded in there so

that's how you embed videos so when it

comes to notes and creating checklist

you can see that this is a good

alternative to one note there's a couple

of advanced things that I want to talk

about now that I think might get you

excited

if we go back to the uh OneNote notebook

you can see I've got a to-do list I

think this integration with to-do it

just looks a little bit oldfashioned so

I've got a to-do list so how will I put

that into Microsoft Loop I'll press the

forward slash and I will scroll down and

I'll look for something called a task

list okay so that's in tasks I can

rename this if I want I can call this uh

YouTube video whatever I want and then I

can start ENT in some tasks so I will

put all these tasks from here into my

Loop okay so I've entered all of my

tasks in this task list here so this is

where I think the Microsoft Loop tasks

are much better than OneNote let's start

assigning these tasks I'm going to do a

lot of these obviously cuz I'm going to

do the fil

me so I'll add my name into a lot of

these

and then I'll assign a couple of other

people to these jobs

here now as you can see once I've added

other people you can see that it says to

give this person access and notify them

click on this message now the reason is

this Loop page this workspace is my own

it's completely private because I've not

shared it with anybody else what I have

done though is create some tasks within

here and I've assigned them to Olivia

and I've assigned them to Simon but

Simon can't see these at the moment so

if I just simply click on here and then

I have to share and notify now what will

happen is these two tasks will appear in

Olivia and Simon's Microsoft to-do which

I'm going to show you in a moment so

I'll just put a few dates on here for

when we've got to do stuff just random

dates okay now you can see I've got a

little drop down here task apps I can

open in planner I can open in too so if

I now go back to my Microsoft to

do okay and go to planned because what

I've done here is I've put dates on them

so these tasks are now planned and you

can see that these have synced through

to my Microsoft to-do okay so whatever

you're doing with Loop you could have

lots of different workspaces you could

have lots of different tasks assigned to

you everything ends up in your Microsoft

to-do I think that is really really

clever just drop click on the drop down

there I've also got the other option

here to open this in planner and you can

see I've got a Microsoft Loop plan here

and you can see that that has been added

to planner as well and you can see all

the right people are assigned to those

tasks I can add new buckets I can do

whatever I want and it's all come from

Microsoft Loop so as you can see I think

this is a definite upgrade on how you

create tasks assign Tas within one note

it's definitely better in Microsoft Loop

now the next thing I want want to talk

about I think is the true power of

Microsoft Loop and we're going to talk

about Loop components now it can be

quite tricky to get your head around

this I struggled at first as well now

Loop components are like portable

building blocks and you can share them

anywhere around your office applications

places like Outlook Microsoft teams

which I'm going to show you in a moment

and wherever you share them they stay in

sync and all the data update into

Microsoft Loop so the best thing is to

show you so these portable building

blocks if I just come out this workspace

and go back to browse all workspaces you

can see here that workspaces is

highlighted here we've also got another

tab called recent components and these

are the portable building blocks now

some of these components are in the

YouTube videos some are in different

places now I think it's important that I

just launch in and show you and the

first the first area we're going to look

at is how to to use Loop components in a

Microsoft teams meeting so let's head

over to Microsoft teams now okay so I've

set this meeting up it's got a title

it's got um Sim I want to invite to it

and it's got a time and there is just a

bit of text there what you can see here

is this here so it says add an agenda

others can edit so I'm going to add this

agenda now so this is in the teams

meeting and as you can see it's a loop

component so we will put in here a bit

of

agenda okay so a bit of an agenda so I

can come in here before the meeting and

I can set the meeting up with a loop

component I've got some meeting notes

and some follow-up tasks but obviously

this happens after the meeting or during

the meeting should I say so I'll send

that invite now and now I'm going to

join this meeting so I'll join this

meeting here so as you can see here I am

now on a teams meeting with Simon We

have got the notes section up and this

is our Loop component you can see SP

here look he is now starting to fill

these notes out now as he continues to

do that if I just hop over to Microsoft

Loop and go into here you can see that

there's a new client on board here and

you can see that what is Simon is doing

in the teams meeting is actually

updating live in Microsoft Loop okay

just go back to the teams meeting I can

also add things here and again if we go

back to the

loop it updates as we go so everything

is sync back back in real time into

Microsoft Loop okay so that's really

good now what I'm going to do now Simon

doesn't know but I'm just going to cut

him off okay bye Simon now after the

meeting is finished people can come back

to it they can go into recap and they

can see the um the Microsoft Loop

component there so that is there as well

so I hope you can see the power of that

working let me show you something else

so we can use Loop components in so many

places I'm now going to use a loop

component in a teams chat okay so this

is a teams message I'm sending it to

Simon and Josh you can see you can

recognize teams but what am I going to

show you well down here you can see

there's a loop icon here so I can create

this and I can add a loop component into

my team's message so what should I ask

okay so let's add a numbered list what I

can do

is I can add something like that and I

can send that in the chat now you can

see sp's initials are here so Simon now

is in this Loop component and hopefully

is going to come up with some good video

ideas there we go he he's thinking of

good ideas what is the best security

Baseline so again we go back to Loop we

can go back to the homepage we look at

some components and again that component

is here and again it is updating live as

Simon is typing this out so again that

is a loop component in Microsoft teams

what about a loop component in Outlook

let me show you that as well so I'm here

in Outlook and I'm going to send Simon

an email okay this is just a bit of fun

we go into here you can see at the top

there's a loop components I can add

anything in here I can add a task I can

have a Q&A paragraph whatever I want to

add in here so let's add a voting table

call this ideas for business growth and

I'm going to send that to S now if I

head back to loop again go to recent

components I've got this here look so I

can go in it says where the location is

it's in Outlook I can go in here and

there you go s is actually updating that

as we speak but as you can see these are

individual components at the moment um

so what I can do if I want to I can add

this to my workspace so I can go like

this and I can add that to my workspace

so that's been added right let's go back

here let's go to YouTube and again that

is now added okay so that is the power

of loot components right Simon just

needs to stop it now the demo the demo

bit is over okay I need to tell him so

if I go back here now go back to here so

the final thing I want to discuss today

is all about sharing okay and it all

starts from the workspace so this is a

workspace called YouTube videos you can

see that this has one member and that is

me so I've clicked on there what I can

do if I want to share this I can share

it and I can invite people in if I do

that it means they will have access to

all of this okay everything in here so

that might be a good thing you might not

want to do that we can also give people

access to different things like we could

share the page link for this Microsoft

Loop or what we can do is share things

as components so we went over that a

little bit before if I go to this entire

page I can click on the top here and I

can copy this whole page as a loop

component then I could go back to

Outlook and I could copy that Loop

component into an email now now I don't

know why I want to do that but it's just

so I can show you so the whole page is a

loop

component what I can also do if I just

want to

say I might just want to copy this so I

might want someone to add to this is

there anything else I need to share so I

can just highlight all that and you can

see I can create a loop component with

that as well and with that component I

can dump it into Microsoft applications

like Outlook teams or even whiteboard

Microsoft uh loop now integ with

Microsoft whiteboard so I hope you've

enjoyed this demo of OneNote and

Microsoft Loop what are you thinking do

you want my honest opinion I think if

you want a digital note taken

application just for your own use I'd

stick with one note but if you're

looking to collaborate across multiple

Microsoft 365 applications with your

entire team then one note won't do that

Microsoft Loop is the way forward I look

forward to see you again soon