[Availability update | In July 2020, Microsoft Lists began roll out to Targeted Release (TR) customers in Microsoft 365. We released the Lists app for Microsoft Teams in August 2020. And now, we are pleased to report that Microsoft Lists has completed 100% worldwide roll out to all commercial, education and government plans.]
At Build 2020, we introduced Microsoft Lists, a smart information tracking app in Microsoft 365. Today, we’re thrilled to announce Microsoft Lists begins roll out to Microsoft 365 business customers worldwide, starting this month with the Lists app in Microsoft 365 and next month with the Lists app in Microsoft Teams.
We are excited to share more details in the blog sections below:
- Create and use Microsoft Lists within Microsoft Teams
- Make lists smarter to get more done in Microsoft 365
- Lists for every team and every situation (customer stories)
- Want to learn more? (upcoming webinar, AMA, and new The Intrazone podcast episode)
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Create and use Microsoft Lists within Microsoft Teams
Starting a list is easy. Create and manage lists from any browser by clicking Lists in the Microsoft 365 app launcher. Get going quickly with one of our ready-made templates for issue tracking, asset management, employee onboarding, and more. Review the Microsoft Lists “Look Book” to learn more about the ready-made templates.
For Microsoft Teams users, simply add a list to a channel or create a new list directly in Teams. The Teams mobile app also gets a Lists update so you can view any list you added a tab in Teams – even on the go. Available later this year on iOS, the new Lists mobile app enables customers to create, view, and manage all their Lists from their mobile devices.
Make lists smarter to get more done in Microsoft 365
Keeping track of information is part of everyday life. Writing things down or using spreadsheets works for simple things. But when you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of items and need to coordinate with others on your team and mapped to recurring business processes, it can quickly get overwhelming. And as the global pandemic has made remote work the new normal for many of us, we’re also facing the added challenge of staying in sync while staying at home.
We built Lists to help you save time and reduce hassle. As simple to use as a spreadsheet, Lists helps you easily track any information, invite others to collaborate, and use rules to keep everyone in sync – in addition to being able to customize forms and flows with the Power Platform. It’s a simple, smart, flexible way to track information and get more done.
Lists for every team and every situation
Millions of people use SharePoint lists and libraries every month in Microsoft 365 to track issues, manage inventory, report status, onboard new hires, build out event agendas, manage FAQs, and more. With flexible columns, forms, and views, you can build your own solution to meet your specific needs without knowing how to code.
For example, Lauren Taylor, the vice principal of Manitou Park Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington, created a custom list to track students’ reading abilities. Now teachers can quickly determine what each student needs without going through spreadsheets or reams of paper.
![Assistant school principal, Lauren Taylor, works with students (Manitou Park Elementary School in Tacoma, WA). [Photo by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures]](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/206605i2A574D9EA3101539/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "MSLists-GA_004_ManitouElementary.jpg")
- Read more how teachers can now easily access the data through Teams.
The Jim Henson Company created a list to track celebrity and production visitors at their Los Angeles studio. What used to be a manual process done on a clipboard, this new approach using lists has saved time, giving security guards a simple, mobile-friendly way to track current visitors, flag unexpected guests, and make decisions more quickly.
- Read more how security guards improved onsite security with increased visitor tracking accuracy.
Avanade, a global professional services firm with 29,000 employees, now can rapidly prototype, iterate, and publish solutions that better connect employees with critical information, without expensive planning, development, and IT maintenance costs.
- Read more how Avanade uses lists with Power Apps to simplify … everything.
Fully integrated with Microsoft 365, Lists works seamlessly with other apps, such as Excel, SharePoint, Power Apps (custom forms), Power Automate (customer flows) and Power BI, enabling our customers to build powerful information tracking solutions at a fraction of the time and effort it typically takes to create custom apps from scratch.
Want to learn more? (webinar, AMA and podcast)
On-demand WEBINAR | 'Working with Microsoft Lists'
- Title: Working with Microsoft Lists
- Description: Learn how to get started with Microsoft Lists from the Microsoft Lists engineers themselves. Start a list from a template, add your information, and then use conditional formatting, rules, and key collaboration features to make the list your own - to make it work across your team. Lots to learn. Lots of demos. Lists AMA directly after for all your questions.
- Original air date: Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 at 9am PST (12pm EST; 5pm CET) [60 minutes]
- Presented by: Harini Saladi, Miceile Barrett, Chakkaradeep Chandran and Mark Kashman
AMA | “Microsoft Lists AMA” within the Microsoft Tech Community
This was a fast-paced hour Ask Microsoft Anything (AMA) within the Microsoft Tech Community. You can review all questions and answers about Microsoft Lists, SharePoint list, Lists + Teams integrations, Lists + Power Platform integrations, and more.
- What: Microsoft Lists AMA
- Where: Go to the Microsoft 365 AMA space within the Microsoft Tech Community site
PODCAST | The Intrazone episode “A home for all your lists”
We chat with Harini Saladi (Lists senior program manager) and Lyndsey Gill (Lists designer) about Lists home, the eight ready-made templates and the new list creation experience:
To learn more about Lists throughout the year, please visit our updated Microsoft Lists resource center for blogs, demos, videos, podcasts, and more.
Track what matters most. Make a list and let it flow.
Thank you,
Seth Patton, General Manager, Microsoft 365
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: When can I expect to see Lists app and the Lists app in Teams for my Microsoft 365 tenant?
A: [Updated Nov.23.2020] Microsoft Lists completed 100% worldwide roll out (review the tweet); the Lists app for iOS is on track for preview later this year. Note, Microsoft started to release Microsoft Lists at the end of July 2020. We released the Lists app for Microsoft Teams in August 2020. All of the above is for all commercial plans, education, and government (GCC, GCC-High and DoD).
Q: What will happen to SharePoint lists moving forward?
A: Your investments to date in SharePoint lists carry forward. We are building off the 20+ years of innovation within SharePoint and taking steps to make them even more accessible within other apps. The tens of millions of people using lists today will see new list capabilities like updated user experiences, creation in Teams, improved Quick Edit and more. Learn more about how Microsoft Lists evolve from SharePoint lists.
Q: What subscriptions do I need to use Microsoft Lists?
A: Lists is available through Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription plans where SharePoint is included. Learn more about Microsoft 365 business plans.
Q: How does Lists differ from Microsoft To Do and Planner?
A: Microsoft Lists is an information tracking app that enables teams and organizations to manage a process or workflow. While To Do and Planner are purpose-built apps, specifically designed to help individuals and teams manage their work using tasks. Commonly, when a task is completed, it becomes hidden from view. Microsoft Lists, on the other hand, enables users to collect, view, filter, sort, collaborate, and share structured information across status, life cycle, ownership, and more. Lists integrate with the Power Platform to design, build, and extend productivity apps alongside Power Apps (custom forms) and Power Automate (custom flows). Learn more about Microsoft Lists, and learn more about To Do and Planner.