The future of video in Microsoft 365

In an era where time, attention, and productivity are more valuable than ever, conveying messages through visuals has proven to be one of the most effective methods in the workplace.  

In today’s technological landscape, global leaders are favoring visual tools and organizations are now relying on video more than ever, thanks to new and evolving hybrid work and education environments.  

At Microsoft, we listen closely to the market and our users, and we’ve learned more about key overlaps between two of our key video offerings within Microsoft 365: Clipchamp, the video editing software, and Stream, our enterprise video experience. While both products offer unique advantages, the presence of two distinct offerings with separate user experiences can create friction for users navigating the video space. 

That’s why we are spearheading a new, cohesive Microsoft video experience, by evolving Clipchamp and Stream into a single, streamlined video solution that harnesses the strength and usage of both platforms.  

This integration brings closer alignment to the benefits of OneDrive and SharePoint (ODSP) and deepens the integration of video components into the ODSP platform, used by all types of Microsoft content.  

What users can expect 

Videos will continue to be stored in SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive, much like documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, while maintaining the same familiar experiences for sharing, searching, and commenting across other Microsoft 365 apps. By adding the creative power of Clipchamp, we aim to provide a more robust and versatile video solution to enhance the user experience and their productivity.  

User content will not be impacted by this change, nor will users lose any of the functionality and capabilities of the two products today. This unification will enable users to seamlessly create, manage, share and consume video content across our ecosystem, leveraging the advanced features and capabilities of both products. With video integrated as a SharePoint feature, there are added layers of security and compliance, which saves enterprises time, money and effort by not needing to research, purchase and validate external solutions. 

This consolidation will enable users and their teams to focus on the growing demands of video without the need to jump between multiple experiences, by entrenching one unified video creation tool that a vast majority of enterprise users can access. 

Let’s dive into how this transformation will enhance video solutions for our users and empower enterprise organizations to work smarter with video.  
 

Unifying our offering 

In the current process-driven workflow landscape, disconnected tools and fragmented workflows can create friction, slow down adoption, and prevent users from fully leveraging the power of video. That’s why we’re focused on simplifying the video experience across Microsoft 365, making it as seamless and intuitive as possible. 

Our vision for unification is to eliminate the disjointedness that currently exists in video creation, consumption, and discovery. By bringing together the player, video homepage, editor, and capture tools into a single cohesive experience, we remove the barriers that stand in the way of broad adoption and growth.  

Our unification efforts will provide users with effortless transitions between creating and consuming video content—much like how PowerPoint enables both viewing and editing within the same interface. For enterprise organizations, this means supporting improved productivity and efficiency, as employees can seamlessly switch between tasks without the need for multiple tools. Additionally, by providing a streamlined and integrated video experience, organizations can empower their employees to collaborate more effectively, share knowledge seamlessly, and drive innovation through enhanced video communication and content creation.  

 “I love the new start page. It’s very intuitive, well-structured, and above all, easy to use with all tools for creation and consumption.”  
 

By delivering a more integrated solution, we are empowering users to unlock the full potential of video, making it easier than ever to create, share, and discover content without the hassle of navigating multiple platforms.  

 

 

Video Unified start page changes are available starting December 2024 

Prioritizing the player 

Improvements to video playback capabilities are set to revolutionize user engagement with video content. Through leveraging AI, we are enhancing video playback and discovery, making it easier for users to find and consume relevant content. By unifying consumption and creation experiences, users can seamlessly switch between watching and creating videos, fostering a more dynamic and interactive environment.  

Closer alignment with OneNote and SharePoint aims to improve overall engagement and reach new users across the Microsoft ecosystem.  

One of the standout features is the ability to share a clip from within a video, giving video authors and viewers the ability to customize their own start and end time. This enhances collaboration and allows important information to be easily accessible and shareable, supporting better communication and productivity within enterprise organizations, while allowing users to share bite-size highlights, without needing to edit or trim the original video.  

GIF of clip sharing in Microsoft Clipchamp

The feature for sharing a portion of a video as a clip is expected to enter general availability in March 2025. 

Meet capture, camera, and screen recording 

Today, our stand-alone camera and screen recording tools offer a lightweight video creation experience for our users to create content ranging from a quick team update, product demos to how-to videos.  

By aligning our capture and edit experiences, users will soon be able to seamlessly switch to the Clipchamp editor to make their videos more appealing and impactful, using advanced edit capabilities.  

GIF of video recording in Microsoft Clipchamp

 

The capture experience in our camera and screen recording utility has recently been upgraded with new command bar controls and record button updates. This refresh is leading an improved recording experience, with easier mode and effect selections, and will soon surface in the camera within the Clipchamp editor.  

This advanced editing from camera is expected to become available in early 2025. 

Screenshot of capture and playback features of Microsoft Clipchamp in Microsoft Outlook

Lastly, the combined capture and playback experience are now integrated with Outlook. Users can record their screens, create webcam videos, and add effects directly with our capture utility in Outlook, using work or school accounts. Perfect for explainer videos, product demos, or quick webcam recordings, message recipients can enjoy these videos directly within the embedded video player in Outlook, without needing to leave the app. This feature is now available worldwide. 
 
Capture experiences will soon be part of Teams channels too, enabling a cross-platform collaboration by creating Teams videos using the Clipchamp player, that can be consumed within those Teams channels. This feature will be available by January 2025.

Share brand kits with entire organizations 

Brand kit has been further developed to streamline workforce efficiencies, by allowing for the creation and sharing, of organization-wide brand kits. Now, consistent aesthetics are within reach, spanning entire teams and enterprises, users can maintain cohesive narratives in their communications and content.   

Users can work with their Microsoft 365 administrator to create brand kits that are available to all Clipchamp users in the organization, maintaining brand consistency across  content and touchpoints, driving efficiency, and alignment across workforces.  

GIF of Microsoft Clipchamp showing how to update brand kit

Try out new templates  

Enterprise users can now create their own templates, which can be applied to a new project, and then added to their brand kit, before sharing as a new asset across their organization. This new functionality means that users can apply templates to existing projects too, to simply create personal templates that help save time and energy in their day-to-day processes. 

The ability to turn any project into a template means that users can unlock a new level of cohesion and collaboration with colleagues throughout their enterprise, creating suites of assets that can save time and streamline content creation processes.  

The template creation in Clipchamp Commercial is available starting January 2025.  

GIF of create and share templates in Microsoft Clipchamp

Edit with a transcript in the Clipchamp editor  

We are also introducing a new method of video editing, with transcript-based editing now in Clipchamp. This streamlined feature quickly and accurately removes unwanted sections within a video by leveraging edits made to the transcript.  Users can simply browse the transcript text, select unwanted words, remove them, and watch as the corresponding section will be removed from the video without the need to navigate the timeline. 

Our approach to transcript-based editing aims to empower enterprise users to streamline their video creation process, reduce manual work, and allows for greater consistency across large teams. 

The transcript-based editing feature is expected to be available by March 2025.  

 

GIF of Microsoft Clipchamp showing transcript-based video editing

Summarize video with Microsoft 365 Copilot 

There have also been key developments in our video integration with Copilot. Users can now summarize video content, embedded in Outlook and PowerPoint, using the Copilot integration. If a user currently has access to Copilot and is viewing a video that has a transcript in either of these apps, a Summarize button will appear in the bottom left of the video preview. This feature is now generally available to those with a Copilot license. 

A screenshot of Microsoft Outlook with Clipchamp summarize video feature.

Simplify video focus with updated admin controls 

Along with the simplified creation and consumption experience, admin controls will be updated for enterprise customers to better manage the new unified video experience. Admins need seamless control of media features to allow flexibility for organizations. Existing admin controls for transcription and future controls for screen recording will provide control of the video experience anywhere Clipchamp is currently embedded. 

Whether teams are fully integrated with our broad range of Microsoft 365 product offerings or use other solutions, this streamlined control allows Admins to have control of their organization's experience without disrupting their current workflows.  

Updated Admin control changes to become available by June 2025. See roadmap # 468891 to find more information. 

As we navigate an era where time, attention, and productivity are paramount, the power of visuals in the workplace has never been more evident. The shift towards visual tools, driven by evolving hybrid work and education environments, underscores the importance of video in today's technological landscape. 

At Microsoft, we have recognized the need to streamline our video offerings, by uniting Clipchamp and Stream into a single, cohesive video solution. We are excited to offer a more robust and versatile platform that leverages the strengths of both products. This integration not only aligns with the benefits of OneDrive and SharePoint but also enhances the overall user experience by bringing together a variety of features to complement and elevate the video experience, so users can continue to tell their story, their way. 

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FAQs 

How can I access this new experience? 

From Office home, you can launch the Clipchamp start page via the apps or menu tab. This will launch the unified video hub. Here you can find the creation options to start a video, as well as recommended options and any video files, projects and playlists that are relevant. 

What will happen to the existing features of Clipchamp and Stream?  
Users will still be able to access the existing Clipchamp and Stream features but will begin to experience them as a holistic, unified video experience, keeping the features easily within reach, on one richly integrated video platform. 

Will there be any changes to the pricing or licensing model?  
Clipchamp standard is available to Microsoft 365 and Office 365 SKU (E3/E5/B SKU), plus Education users under Microsoft 365 (A3/A5). Both brand kit and 4K will be added to Clipchamp standard. Microsoft 365 Copilot and advanced AI related features will require the Microsoft 365 Copilot plan to your current Microsoft plan 

What will be the outcome for the stand-alone Stream brand? 
This unification reflects Microsoft investing even more into video, by delivering a unified experience under the Clipchamp brand, eliminating friction and promoting seamless platform integration. By leveraging the Stream features into a comprehensive video experience within Clipchamp, users can enjoy a simplified and streamlined video content creation process. 

What about a unified video mobile offering? 
We recognize the significance of a comprehensive video ecosystem and the role of mobile. Currently, the Clipchamp mobile app is available for iOS with personal accounts only, and the Stream mobile app has been deprecated. Looking ahead we will be ensuring that we have a mobile offering that aligns with the needs of our users. 

What will happen to Stream brand and related documentation?  

The Stream brand across video experiences and documentation will soon begin to change to Clipchamp branding. The majority of this work is expected to be completed and deployed in the next quarter.   

Can I create a video page on ODSP? 

SharePoint has a number of ways that allows our users to create pages that feature videos using Hero Web Parts that can feature videos, using Stream and File Viewer web parts to embed videos or other types of files, as well as the Highlighted Content web part to create a roll up view of videos or other types of content from a specific location to surface to users. With the latest updates that allow page authors to create more compelling pages, SharePoint pages remain a great way to feature videos and other content to the audiences you want to connect with. We look forward to feedback including what new features you are interested in seeing to make this an even more compelling feature. 

Feedback  

We always welcome your feedback via this link. Our leave your comments in the comments section below.  

Disclaimers 

1 Microsoft 365 Copilot is available as an add-on to Microsoft 365. A qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription is required to purchase Copilot.