Microsoft announces a new Windows 11 taskbar tool that could boost your productivity

It seems that 2024 was the year when Microsoft focused on making as many digital “work partners” as possible for Windows users. We’ve already seen Microsoft add its Copilot AI assistant to its productivity software, and now we’re getting more friends to help us get our work done. The Redmond giant has announced the addition of “Microsoft 365 Companions” which it claims will help you get all your important tasks done quickly and easily.

Microsoft 365 Companions adds handy shortcuts to the taskbar

As reported by The Verge, Pavan Davuluri took to the stage at Microsoft Ignite 2024 today. Microsoft Ignite is a yearly event that focuses on people who work with Windows on a daily basis, such as developers and IT managers. Despite this, Microsoft sometimes announces an interesting new feature that goes beyond that scope.

Such is the case of its new “Microsoft 365 Companions” announcement, which promises to add Microsoft 365 People, Files, and Calendar shortcuts onto the taskbar. The idea is that these will let you access your important contacts, projects, and dates with a single click, which is bound to be helpful for people who rely on those apps for their daily work.

If the idea of Microsoft adding a “companion” to Windows sounds familiar, it’s because the company added something similar in the past. Back in May, we saw the release of customizable Start Menu Companions. These add widgets to the sides of the Start Menu that you can tweak to display the information you most want on hand at all times. As such, we’ll likely see more of these companions appear across Windows 11 as Microsoft aims to make it a productivity powerhouse.