Microsoft Places (Preview) overview

Microsoft Places is an AI-powered workplace app for flexible work. Places reimagines flexible work with AI by intelligently coordinating your hybrid team to make the most of in-office days, modernizing how employees connect, and optimizing space management with occupancy and utilization data

Organizations with qualifying Microsoft 365 plans have access to the following features.

Core features

• Work plans: Allow employees to share their proposed location schedule and see who else is attending in-person.

• In-person events: Easily communicate your intention to work together with an in-person meeting invite.

• Hybrid RSVP: Meeting participants can share whether they attend in person or remote.

• Peek cards: Easily see who’s coming into the office and adjust your location plan, directly from your Outlook Calendar. Receive notifications to book space on days in office.

• Workplace presence: Add location to your presence signal to indicate when you’re in the office, remote, or in another work location.

Enhanced features

• Places finder: Helps users book desks, rooms, or workspaces with additional data such as images, floorplans, and information about available technology in each area.

• Desk booking: Allow users to select and book individual desks for their day in the office.

• Auto release rooms and desks: Improve access to conference rooms and desks by freeing them up for others to reserve if employees aren't using them to meet onsite.

• Space analytics for buildings and workspaces: Enable views to help track utilization trends of key spaces.

• Team guidance: Find the best work patterns for teams by establishing expectations and adjusting the rhythm to meet the needs of the group. ​

• Managed booking with Copilot: Book intelligently based on various factors and have Copilot manage your room or desk through any changes, updates, and conflicts​.

License requirements

During Preview, all Microsoft Places features are available for evaluation to enterprise customers with any of the following subscriptions:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium

• Microsoft 365 or Office 365 (E1, E3, E5)

• Microsoft 365 Frontline Worker (F1, F3)

More information on license requirements for Microsoft Places will be made available as we get closer to General Availability.

Microsoft Places apps

The Microsoft Places web app and the Microsoft Places connected app available in Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 provide the following features:

• Places finder

• Work plans

• Room and desk booking

• Space analytics (for admins)

Within Teams, Microsoft Places provide the following features:

• Workplace presence

• Peek Cards

And in the Calendar experience for New Outlook for desktop, and Outlook Web App, Microsoft Places provide the following features:

• In-person events and hybrid RSVP

• Room and desk booking

• Managed booking with Copilot

• Auto release

Frequently asked questions for Preview

Preview includes early access features - The features in this Preview are early-access features. They may change, experience temporary downtime, and may not be part of the final product. We advise deploying in test environments for preview features.

We are rolling out features as we expand capacity - We're releasing additional preview features to organizations in rolling releases as we expand our capacity to meet demand.

The Preview includes features that may be part of a paid plan - Some features available in the Preview may require specific Microsoft 365 subscriptions. We'll provide guidance as we get closer to General Availability.

Why is there an opt-in form for Microsoft Places Preview? - This form is used to enable your organization for enhanced features in Microsoft Places.

What happens to my form data? - All form entries will be deleted on or around November 30, 2024, when the Preview program will close. Review the Microsoft Privacy Statement for further information on how Microsoft handles your data.

More resources

You can find more resources here:

• Microsoft Places product page

• Microsoft Places deployment guide (coming soon)

• Microsoft Teams Premium - Overview for admins