Microsoft Brings Google Drive and Facebook Support to Outlook on The Web
Today Microsoft is building three changes to Outlook.com, with Google Drive support the big addition. The Android and iOS version of Outlook already permitted users to receive and edit the files from Google Drive from inside the app. Though, users will now be able to edit their Google Drive documents from the Web version of the Outlook email client as well. The new changes mean Outlook users can attach documents from Google Drive and receive and edit files within Outlook. We will even be able to fully edit a Google Drive file side-by-side with an email on Outlook.com.
The company has also added the support for Facebook and made it easier to search for attachment in long conversations with its update to Outlook.
We will not just be able to attach files in Outlook —we will also be able to edit files from Google Drive straight from Outlook, which is a nice addition for those that often get sent files hosted by Google Drive. To add a Google Drive file, all we need to do is click on the attachment icon, then select Google Drive as the service we want to use. Once we attach it, it will include a link to the source file. When someone receives that file, they will be able to edit it straight from Outlook.
Now, you can also open the Google Doc, Slide or Sheet files within Outlook instead of open another window. "Just like photos and Office file types, the Google files open in Outlook next to your message window so your workflow is not disrupted. And, as with Google Drive links, if you have edit permissions, you'll be able to edit using the full functionality available on Google Drive," Microsoft said in its official blog.
Likewise, after connecting our Facebook account with Outlook, we can browse and attach our Facebook photos from within Outlook.
There isn’t much else to Facebook, though – this is all we can do with Facebook. This feature can be very useful for those who have friends and family outside of Facebook – something not as uncommon as we might think.
The third and final addition are an enhancement to attachments in long conversations. Microsoft is improving how attachments are listed in big group conversations, permitting us to search through a central list of attached documents rather than having to jump into each thread in a conversation. All of these new features will need the new Outlook web version that's currently rolling out, so if Microsoft still hasn't updated our account then the features should arrive by the end of the summer.