How to Create and Organize a Microsoft Loop Workspace

Microsoft Loop combines flexible pages, portable components, and shared workspaces for collaborative planning. A workspace gives a team one place to group project pages, links, tasks, and related information.

Understand the three parts of Loop

Components are portable pieces of content such as lists, tables, and notes that stay synchronized wherever they are shared. Pages are flexible canvases for people, components, links, tasks, and data. Workspaces are shared spaces that group the important pages and content for a project. [1]

1. Open Microsoft Loop

1. Go to loop.cloud.microsoft.
2. Sign in with your personal or work account.
3. Review the available workspaces or templates.

If your organization uses work or school accounts, access can depend on licensing, policy, Exchange Online provisioning, and SharePoint permissions. Microsoft notes that a shared mailbox cannot be used as the associated mailbox for some work-account scenarios. [1]

2. Create a workspace

1. Choose the option to create a new workspace.
2. Enter a name that identifies the project or ongoing work.
3. Start from a template when one matches your intended structure, or begin with a blank workspace.

Use a durable name such as Website Redesign, Customer Onboarding, or Quarterly Planning. Avoid naming a workspace after a short-lived meeting or an individual contributor.

3. Create the first page

Use the first page to explain the workspace’s purpose and link to the most important working areas. Add a short status section, key decisions, owners, and links to supporting material. Keep the opening page useful to someone who joins the project later.

4. Add components and supporting content

Add task lists, tables, notes, links, and other Loop components as the work develops. Components can be shared into supported Microsoft 365 applications, including Teams, Outlook, OneNote, and Whiteboard. People can work with the same synchronized content where the component appears. [1]

5. Manage access intentionally

Decide whether the workspace should be managed directly in Loop or through a Teams channel. Microsoft recommends creating a workspace from the Loop app when you want direct control over who has access to the workspace. Use a Teams channel when channel membership should determine workspace access. [2]

6. Create a Loop workspace in a Teams channel

1. Open a standard Teams channel.
2. Select the plus sign to add a tab.
3. Select Apps.
4. Search for and select Loop.
5. Enter the workspace name.
6. Select Create.

Microsoft says channel workspaces are currently available in standard channels. Members of the Teams channel receive access, and membership changes are reflected in the workspace. [2]

7. Organize the workspace

Group pages by workstream rather than by meeting date. Keep a small number of top-level pages and link to detailed notes beneath them. Use consistent page names and archive or delete material that no longer supports the project.

8. Apply governance before sharing widely

Review who can edit, which information belongs in the workspace, and whether sensitivity or retention labels are required. Microsoft says sensitivity labels can be applied to Loop components, pages, and workspaces. [1]

Common mistakes

• Creating multiple workspaces for the same project.
• Using a Teams channel workspace without understanding that channel membership controls access.
• Putting sensitive content in a workspace without checking labels and sharing settings.
• Leaving the first page without an owner, status, or navigation links.
• Creating pages for every meeting instead of organizing around the project’s information needs.

Sources

1. Microsoft Support: Get started with Microsoft Loop
2. Microsoft Support: Loop Workspaces in Teams Channels