Announcing Microsoft Lists - Your smart information tracking app in Microsoft 365
Published May 19 2020 08:00 AM 749K Views
Microsoft

[Availability update | July 28th, 2020Microsoft Lists began roll out to Targeted Release (TR) customers in Microsoft 365, planned TR completion by end of August 2020 where we'll then begin broader production roll out.]

 

Build 2020 brought a lot of Microsoft 365 news and announcements for businesses and developers – including the first disclosure of Microsoft Lists. We are pleased to share our vision for Lists – to highlight how you use it to track issues, manage inventory, build out event agendas, report status, manage FAQs, and more.

 

Microsoft Lists is a Microsoft 365 app that helps you track information and organize your work. Lists are simple, smart, and flexible, so you can stay on top of what matters most to your team. Track issues, assets, routines, contacts, inventory and more using customizable views and smart rules and alerts to keep everyone in sync. With ready-made templates, you can quickly start lists online, on our new mobile app, and directly from within Microsoft Teams. And because it is part of Microsoft 365, you can rely on enterprise-grade security and compliance.

 

 

Summary of what was shared today at Build (more details below):

  • Microsoft Lists home (web) and mobile app – Create new lists, share and access recent and favorite lists in one location
  • Microsoft Teams Microsoft Lists – Create a new list or embed an existing list directly in a Teams channel - combining lists with side-by-side conversation
  • Ready-made templates help you get started quickly – Jumpstart common scenarios with preconfigured structure, forms, views, and formatting
  • Customizable views, smart rules, and sharing keep everyone in sync – Visualize your information, build if/then rules, and share with confidence

Create a list from the Lists home page in Microsoft 365 (top left) or from within Microsoft Teams (bottom left). Use the list across team members in SharePoint (top right) or continue in Microsoft Teams (bottom right).Create a list from the Lists home page in Microsoft 365 (top left) or from within Microsoft Teams (bottom left). Use the list across team members in SharePoint (top right) or continue in Microsoft Teams (bottom right).

Writing something down is one thing. Tracking it and thousands of other related items – across geographies, keeping in sync with team members as status and details fluctuate – well, that’s Lists; an app to track your information and get to work.

 

:cool: Take a moment to see Lists in action... 
Watch @Miceile Barrett (Lists program manager) share a First look at Microsoft Lists (demo video). 

 

And now, let’s dive into the details.

 

Microsoft Lists home (web) and mobile app

It all starts with Lists Home, a single place to see and manage all your lists. To get there, click the Lists icon within the Microsoft 365 app launcher (aka, the “waffle”). Here, you can start a list in several ways - easily from scratch or with ready-made templates. In addition, you can create new lists from existing lists or by importing Excel table data to jumpstart. Beyond creation, you will see all your favorited and recent lists – ones you own or that have been shared with you. You will be able to create both personal lists you own and can share, and team lists owned by members of your teams.

 

Lists home brings all your lists at your fingertips, on the web and on the go via the Lists mobile app.

 

Left-to-right: Microsoft Lists home page in Microsoft 365 and the mobile app - both access to all your lists in one place.Left-to-right: Microsoft Lists home page in Microsoft 365 and the mobile app - both access to all your lists in one place.

Never miss out on a list that is important to you, just favorite it and you will always be able to access it from the "Favorites" section.

MSLists_M365_003_Lists-mobile-animated.gif

You can expect to see Lists home later this summer on the web and the Lists mobile app later this year. Both provide access to all your lists in one place.

 

See more about getting started with Microsoft Lists in this new “Create a list” click-thru demo.

Roadmap IDs | Lists home (ID # 64160) and Lists mobile app (ID # 64161).

 

Microsoft Teams ♥ Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists is for people who get things done - together. Use Microsoft Teams to collaborate on lists, using flexible views like grids, cards, and calendar. This brings content and conversation side-by-side in one integrated experience. You can either add an existing list to a Teams channel or create a new list directly in Teams and chat on individual list items.

 

Create, share, and track list all from within Microsoft Teams.Create, share, and track list all from within Microsoft Teams.

When you click “+” to add a new tab to a Teams channel, select the Lists app to begin. The Lists app is used to both create new and embed existing lists – all within Teams. Further refine your list by adding new columns, defining choices in a drop-down menu, create view or edit share links, create custom views and filters and set up rules – all to ensure the list works for you and your team. No compromises. You get the full power to configure what your list looks like and how it works for you – all from inside Teams.

 

Create a new list directly inside Teams or bring in one that already exists in Microsoft 365.Create a new list directly inside Teams or bring in one that already exists in Microsoft 365.

Viewing an individual list item inside of Microsoft Teams alongside chat.Viewing an individual list item inside of Microsoft Teams alongside chat.

Roadmap ID | Lists app in Microsoft Teams (ID # 64162).

 

Ready-made templates help you get started quickly  

We've designed templates tailored to specific use cases like tracking issues, onboarding new hires, handling an event's itinerary, managing assets, and many more. These templates come with a base structure, formatting, forms, conditional formatting, and everything you will need to get a quick start on the work that matters to you. Find inspiration in them or modify them to bring your vision to life.

 

Get started quickly with ready-to-use list templates – above shows the “Event itinerary” template.Get started quickly with ready-to-use list templates – above shows the “Event itinerary” template.

In addition to the ready-made templates, there are two other time-saving ways to create lists. You can create a list from an existing list – inheriting structure and formatting. And you can create a list from Microsoft Excel – importing the Excel table data while choosing how to best represent the information. Once started, you have all the new formatting, views, rules and more to best represent your information and get back to business.

Roadmap ID | Ready-made templates (ID # 64166).

 

Customizable views, smart rules and sharing keep everyone in sync

Customize your lists for whatever your business needs. Lists not only help track information; they help make your information speak for you, clearly and visually. You’ll keep everyone in sync – especially when things change.

 

Default views | There are four main views when configuring lists: list, grid, gallery, and calendar. Grid (pictured above in Teams) is the main style you see when you first create a list – primarily rows and columns that can be configured and reordered.  Grid is best when you want list information to be easily edited.  List is similar to grid, but without point and click editing capabilities – it's the view that existing SharePoint list users will be most familiar with.  Gallery is a great way to highlight lists that include images; cards are configurable and display a row of information. And when your information includes dates, the best way to visualize all items is to use calendar view.

 

You can adjust how information appears in these views by using conditional formatting. For example, you can change the background fill color of an item from orange when status is “In review” to green when status equals “Approved.” Background, font color and icons dynamically change when certain criteria are met.

 

A list in gallery view – visual and configurable.A list in gallery view – visual and configurable.

A list in calendar view – showcasing any item with a date associated to it.A list in calendar view – showcasing any item with a date associated to it.

You can create custom views to organize and show items that are most important to you (like certain columns), to add filtering or sorting, or to have a more engaging style. You can create personal views that only you can see and public views for everyone who uses the list to see.

 

Rules | Building rules is as easy as writing a sentence. Once you decide on the outcome, click-fill if/then steps to design your rules. Choose people, status, and value changes to send notifications or programmatically update values elsewhere in the list. Finally, use rules to set reminders to keep everyone informed.

 

Keep everyone in sync with smart alerts by creating rules.Keep everyone in sync with smart alerts by creating rules.

Sharing | Whether a list is short or long, simple or complex, it’s important to work with others and do so in a way that is efficient and manageable. When you share a list, you can share the entire list with edit or read-only permissions. Or share individual items, where you allow or disable the ability to edit, set an expiration date, or require a password before granting access. And once shared, invitees can add comments on the full list or on individual list items.

 

Share the full list or individual list items and use comments to share ideas and provide feedback.Share the full list or individual list items and use comments to share ideas and provide feedback.

Roadmap IDs | Views (ID # 64167), Rules (ID # 64163), Sharing (ID # 64164), and Comments (ID # 64169).

 

Your lists just got a whole lot smarter

Millions of SharePoint users have benefitted from using lists over the years. Microsoft Lists builds on this trusted information platform – bringing new user experiences and capabilities to the foundational innovation of SharePoint lists. Rest assured that all your lists, including lists that you have inside SharePoint sites today, will benefit from all the innovations described here. Lists are lists are lists. Additionally, the value of existing integrations with the Power Platform continue when you need to further customize list forms with Power Apps and design robust workflows with Power Automate. And for developers, the power and value of the Lists API extends custom solutions to connect the list data as a source via Microsoft Graph.

 

We cannot wait to share more details and documentation when we begin roll out of Lists, first to Targeted Release (TR) customers in July 2020 (in progress now), with planned TR completion by end of August 2020 where we'll then begin broader production roll out - with targeted completion of the worldwide roll out by the end of October 2020.

 

Resources to learn more:

 

Track what matters most. Make a list and let it flow.

 

Thank you,

Seth Patton, General Manager, Microsoft 365

 

Microsoft Lists - your smart information tracking app in Microsoft 365 (https://aka.ms/MSLists).Microsoft Lists - your smart information tracking app in Microsoft 365 (https://aka.ms/MSLists).

193 Comments

Very promising. I like the fact that lists actually will be usable over mobile devices now, this was a huge pain point in the past. 

Brass Contributor

Looks promising indeed! Looking forward to see how this integrates with Microsoft To Do and Planner/Tasks by Planner.

Brass Contributor

Is there a preview available or will that also come at the "later this summer" date?

Brass Contributor

When in India?

Where does this list get saved?
- Do I get to pick and choose which existing SharePoint site the list should be created in? Or does it create a new site for each list?

- The video demo showed how a conversation can be had for each item of that list. Where is that conversation stored?

 

Silver Contributor

Not sure what it is supposed to be for (SharePoint replacement?). Now lets wait a year or so until it reaches GA, like Tasks in Teams :)

Copper Contributor

Whennnnn??? (Europe)

I've been using a lot of other software for those things.

I'd love to be able to use Lists and integrate our workflow all in Microsoft 365. :)

Iron Contributor

Would be looking forward to get this application soon in M365! Looks similar to handle just like "Tasks App" which is also in roadmap from Microsoft!! This is more than a task integration within teams.

Copper Contributor

A much needed addition to the platform. Looking forward to using it.

 

Iron Contributor

I think the click-through demos are super helpful (“Create a list” click-thru demo."). Teams also has a very good one. Would love to see them for many of the 365 apps.

Brass Contributor

Will this take advantage of SharePoint Managed Metadata? 

Brass Contributor

If this is fairly comparable to Airtable, then I'm on board with this.

Is that a modern calendar view? :)

Iron Contributor

Looks promising, and this sounds like current SharePoint lists will be deprecated in longer run. Is that the case?

Microsoft

Hi @Scott_Baitz - great question. We plan to ship a lot of the tech in the summer, and the first updates will land with Targeted Release customers, and then out to worldwide production. One note, the Lists mobile app is planned to land closer to the end of the year.

 

You can track any item by the associated roadmap ID (linked in each section of the above post). We aim to target by month and keep any release information up to date on the Microsoft 365 public roadmap: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap.

 

All items announced today are now live as new items on this public-facing roadmap across all Microsoft 365 apps.

 

Cheers, Mark Kashman, PMM - Microsoft

Microsoft

Hi @Calum_L1 - when we begin roll out in the summer, it will be a worldwide release, starting with Targeted Release customers (which is not regionally bound, but more of an option per customer to opt into Targeted Release (more here about release options: https://docs.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/admin/manage/release-options-in-office-365). And then as we move beyond Targeted Release, we will again release worldwide.

 

Thanks, Mark Kashman - PMM Microsoft

Microsoft

Hi @Daniel Christian - Microsoft Lists benefit from SharePoint as their content service. And per your question, SharePoint is the storage container for the list data; as they are today for SharePoint lists - for both personal lists and team lists.

 

Microsoft Lists is an evolution on top of SharePoint lists. I wrote this additional SharePoint community post today to go into a little more detail: https://aka.ms/MSLists/blog/SharePoint 
One way to conceptualize, similar to OneDrive - an app built on SharePoint for files (moving from "My Documents" > OneDrive), so, too is Microsoft Lists - an app built on top of SharePoint. 
 
If you start from Lists home, you choose where the lists gets created - in a group-connected team site you are a member or owner of or when you select "My lists" this list is stored in your personal work My Site; the same container where your work files are stored (aka, OneDrive). If you click New > List from within a team site, it gets created there by default - and is still accessible from Lists home (and aggregate of all your team and personal lists).
 
If you comment on a list item, those comments are stored within the list schema itself; think of it as an additional column of data per row. And if you are within the Teams UI and you click the Teams discussion icon, that would then be stored in the methods Teams follows - secure in an Azure service. 
 
Let me know if any of that is not clear. Our intent is to make the UI seamless to create, share and track, and to maintain governance, security and compliance of the proven SharePoint platform.
Microsoft

Hi @wroot - Microsoft Lists is an evolution of SharePoint lists - and lists today are used by millions of users. We are building an extension to SharePoint value, enabling new entry points from Lists home, Microsoft Teams and the coming mobile app. And the value of SharePoint as a content service continues when considering use cases beyond information tracking, like intranet sites, business applications, document management, search and the like. We'll begin shipping the first set of list updates in a few months. Hope you'll take it for a spin this summer if not already today and let us know what you think. And if anything feels off, we're fans of feedback. Thanks for reviewing today's news. - Mark 

Microsoft

Hi @leandroqm - I added links to the various roadmap items per section above; as you click into each, you'll see more information about timing. Generally speaking, most of the tech will come as updates during the summer, and the Lists mobile app for iOS planned for later this year; Android a fast follow. We roll out worldwide evenly, starting with Targeted Release customers and then out to standard release. Hope that helps, Mark 

Microsoft

Hi @Mitul Sinha - that a great observation, and I hope to clarify here in comments - knowing that clarity really comes as you begin to use each side by side across differing use cases. When I think about what to use when – this is how I differentiate a few of the Microsoft 365 apps - with the broader notion of difference between work management and task management:

 

• Microsoft Lists [Work management, work tracking] | Create, share and track structured information with the ability to create, collect, view, filter, sort, collaborate, share, etc. across status, life cycle, ownership, etc. Lists can further integrate with the Power Platform to design and build productivity apps alongside Power Apps (custom forms) and Power Automate (custom flows); think of Lists then as the underlying database for IW-led 'productivity apps.'

• Microsoft To Do [Task management] | For individuals - a complete view of all their tasks, including tasks assigned to them. It is their view on their tasks. When completed, tasks disappear.

• Microsoft Planner [Task management] | For the team; task management for the team; tasks assigned to individuals on the team. When completed, tasks disappear.

• Microsoft Tasks [Task management] | an app within Teams to help users manage and prioritize their work generated, aggregated tasks from across Microsoft’s portfolio of productivity and collaboration tools: Office docs, Planner plans, emails, chats, and more.

• Microsoft Excel [Analysis tool] | Create spreadsheets using built-in tools to help turn data into insights and to visualize via charts and graphs – to help calculate, analyze and predict. In Excel, the individual cell is the focus; related information sits next to each other. With Lists, an entire row is the collective focus; related information with each other. Note: You can import data from Excel, manage with the list and one-way export up-to-date info back in Excel or Power BI for further analysis.

 

Building on the value of SharePoint lists, we’re extending Microsoft Lists as a fundamental element throughout Microsoft 365 to help users track and prioritize content calendars, contact lists, issue tracking, inventory, contract renewals, event itineraries, ticket submission, status reporting, employee on boarding, business trip approvals, deal milestones, roadmap, FAQs, spend, KPIs, patient rounding in healthcare and more.

 

Interested to know more on your thoughts now and as you begin to work with Lists in the near future. 

 

- Mark

 

Microsoft

Hi @Pete Simpkins - simply put, yes. Microsoft Lists is an evolution of SharePoint lists - leveraging the same content services platform and the value that exists today - carries over and gets better. MMS is already available today for lists, thus it will be intact as any other existing tech whether you start on Lists home, from within a SharePoint team site, within Microsoft Teams, or later this year from the Lists mobile app. - Mark 

Microsoft

Hi @Chad Smith - a great goal indeed. One we aim to achieve and surpass, esp. when you consider Lists as a component of the overall productivity toolkit - aka, all of M365 at your fingertips with integration across the apps for scale to additional scenarios beyond work management. - Mark 

Microsoft

Hi @Trevor Seward - from a certain points of views, yes. ;) - Mark

Microsoft

Hi @unnie ayilliath - not at all. We have no plans to deprecate classic lists. We know many legacy and entrenched use cases exist in production today, and we're honored to be able to support them then, now, and into the foreseeable future. Microsoft Lists is an evolution of SharePoint lists, to bring the value to more users who may create and access a list from beyond SharePoint in the context of the new Lists home (an aggregate of all your lists new and existing), from within Microsoft Teams, from the coming Lists mobile app, or within a SharePoint site. One of our Lists program managers, @Lincoln DeMaris put it will in the Lists podcast we published today; give it a listen and let us know if you have any further questions: https://aka.ms/MSLists/Intrazone. Cheers, Mark 

Copper Contributor

Very much interested to have it soon. This was missing since long

Very curious if the row level sharing etc. will support “anyone” links : unauthenticated access.  

Iron Contributor

Looks like a great productivity app for business. Can't wait to test it out :)

Copper Contributor

when is this getting released?

 

Copper Contributor

Will this have the same thresholds (5k view item limits, lookup columns limits) as SharePoint Online Lists?

Brass Contributor

Can someone point to which resources expands on the Lists and Planner and ToDo relationship or any integration between them? 

Bronze Contributor

Very interesting, looking forward to see how this evolves... more promising than SharePoint spaces at least :cryingwithlaughter:

Brass Contributor

Hi 

 

When are we going to get this?

Not in my apps list

 

Regards

Andrew

 

Microsoft

I am so excited about this app.  It looks like a great productivity tool. 

Brass Contributor

yes, it is going to be a game-changer.

Throw away airtable and ClickUp

 

I hope that I can get it in the next minute. But I knew Microsoft will never do it.

Silver Contributor

Based on Mark's comments here it should start releasing this summer, in a few months. At least for Targeted Release users. Mobile apps later this year. So, given MS record it could be end of the year or even next year, when they really iron out all the issues and absolutely all tenants receive it.

Brass Contributor

Microsoft Lists - SharePoint Lists rolled in glitter!

Brass Contributor

Will we be able to reference different lists across sites - this is a bugbear for me in a cloud-only Sharepoint instance. (no windows clients, only browsers).

 

eg Sharepoint site A has a list of "Items"; Sharepoint site B wants to reference "Items" in Sharepoint site A.

Steel Contributor

Looks very promising. I also need a clearer picture how this relates to Planner. Will they eventually merge?

 

To Do I get since that is more for individuals, but Planner and Lists seems a overlapping which may cause confusion for users.

Silver Contributor

I get that Lists is for those users who can't handle plans, buckets and tasks, so they need just only a plain list. With some simple rules, like notify when someone adds another item.

Copper Contributor

It looks so impressive, i think this will open the new venues of rich intranet and modern work place. With the fuild framework it easily be reachable on all office apps.

Brass Contributor

Looks promising. Will it be possible to embed these also to SharePoint communication sites. I see a lot of practical use in there as well as in Teams.

Copper Contributor

As they are built on SharePoint lists - will they continue to work with "Content Types" - do templates take advantage of re-usable content type structures?

Copper Contributor

One of the things I like about AirTable is the API. Will there will an API or a mechanism to query and update Lists via an application?

Microsoft

Agree. 

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman our company primarily uses Excel spreadsheets for issue tracking, mainly because we have a number of sites in the developing world where intermittent web connectivity limits our use of SharePoint lists. We'd love to adopt a more feature rich platform like Microsoft Lists, but web connectivity and data synchronization will limit our decisions. Do you know if the iOS or Android apps will allow for data entry when offline which would then sync once connectivity is available?

@patheck SharePoint Lists today have API's for them, so I would assume those same API's will carry over to these lists since they use the same backends. The question will be is if any new functionality with the lists app will those be added but most list functionality will be available with the older API's. 

Silver Contributor

@Mark Kashman, looking forward to working with this new Microsoft Lists and thanks for posting above on when to use what app when as my first thought when I initially read about online was that it is like To-Do but since have read more and watched some videos and learned more.

Brass Contributor

@Mark Kashman Will Lists be available in GCC tenants?

Copper Contributor

I would certainly find some sort of basic Asset Manage helpful right now. Something I could use in teams for inventory as well, and something my staff and volunteers would find easy to use on their mobile app (through Teams).

Brass Contributor

So excited about this! The UI looks amazing, can't wait to start playing around with it. 
I had an idea in my mind after having the technical lead on a current M&A project (IT integration), and was planning to start building a re-usable solution for future ones that can easily be deployed (creating the Team and channels, preseeding a few standard folders, the Planner buckets, SharePoint lists etc...) while also looking at using PowerApps/PowerAutomate to leverage automation where possible.  
These Microsoft Lists would perfectly into this,  so really looking forward to it! 

Will there be a Private Preview as well? 

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