The Hidden Gems of Microsoft 365 Apps

When most people think of Microsoft 365, their minds naturally go straight to the big names: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. While these tools are undoubtedly essential, Microsoft 365 is packed with a host of lesser-known applications (apps) and features that can transform how you work – if you know where to find them, so we want to shine a light on these often forgotten apps.

We’re highlighting some of the hidden gems in Microsoft 365 that can make your day-to-day tasks a little easier.

 

Microsoft Clipchamp

If you haven’t tried Clipchamp yet, now’s the time. This built-in video editor makes creating professional-looking videos accessible to everyone – no prior technical experience is required. With drag-and-drop functionality, templates, and an intuitive interface, Clipchamp is ideal for creating a wide range of content, from training materials to marketing videos.

Even better? It’s integrated with OneDrive, so your videos are always stored securely and ready to share across your organisation

Viva Insights

Viva Insights is like a built-in wellbeing coach within Microsoft 365. It offers personal productivity recommendations, such as reminders to take breaks, schedule focused time, or avoid meeting overload. For managers, it provides anonymised insights to help improve team balance and work patterns without compromising privacy.

Managers can also anonymise insights to help improve team balance and work patterns, while maintaining privacy.

 

Microsoft Forms

Forms often fly under the radar, but that might not be the case if you’re in the marketing department. However, it is a handy platform for gathering feedback, running quick polls, creating internal quizzes, or capturing leads at events. Its simplicity is its strength – it is easy and fast to set up, easy to share, and all responses are automatically stored and visualised; we really couldn’t ask for much more.

Forms also integrate with Teams, SharePoint, and Excel, making them a powerful data collection tool across multiple scenarios.

 

SharePoint Lists

This app is a well-known as a document management platform, but its Lists functionality is often overlooked. SharePoint Lists lets you track, manage, and organise information in a highly customisable way. Think of it as a lightweight database that’s perfect for managing inventories, issues, events, onboarding checklists, or project tasks.

It integrates seamlessly with Power Platform, making it easy to automate processes and build apps using the data in your lists.

 

OneNote Web Clipper

The OneNote Web Clipper is a small but mighty browser extension that lets you save any web page content directly to your OneNote notebooks. Whether it’s a useful article, an idea for a project, or a reference image, you can clip the content and organise it instantly.

It’s perfect for research, inspiration, and knowledge management across devices.

 

Bookings

Microsoft Bookings is an excellent tool for simplifying appointment scheduling. Suppose your team regularly meets with clients, colleagues, or partners. In that case, Bookings allows you to set availability and let people book time with you directly, eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails. Our team uses this every day; it is included in our email signatures, and we often create QR codes so that when we attend events, we can ensure the conversation continues.

It integrates with Outlook calendars and can send automatic reminders, making it ideal for both internal and external scheduling.

 

Microsoft Whiteboard

Whiteboard is a collaborative digital canvas that makes brainstorming and planning feel more natural and visual. It’s ideal for remote workshops, team planning sessions, or just getting ideas down in a shared space.

With sticky notes, drawing tools, templates, and real-time collaboration, Whiteboard brings a more creative and engaging dimension to digital meetings.

 

Stream (on SharePoint)

The new version of Microsoft Stream, now integrated with SharePoint, allows you to manage and share video content more easily and securely than ever before. You can embed videos directly into Teams, SharePoint sites, and Yammer posts, with support for transcripts and search.

This is especially useful for internal comms, training, onboarding, and knowledge sharing.

 

Microsoft Loop (Preview)

Microsoft Loop brings a whole new way to collaborate across Microsoft 365 apps. Loop components – such as task lists, tables, or status trackers – can be created in Teams chats, Outlook emails, or Word documents and stay synced no matter where they’re accessed.

It’s still evolving, but Loop offers a glimpse of a more fluid, flexible future of working together.

 

Final Thoughts

Microsoft 365 is more than just the familiar core apps. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a suite of powerful tools designed to meet the evolving needs of modern workplaces. From video editing and digital scheduling to wellbeing insights and collaborative planning, these hidden gems can help your team work smarter, faster, and with more impact.

We help businesses go beyond the basics—showing teams how to use Microsoft 365 to its fullest potential. Whether you’re looking to improve digital wellbeing, streamline communication, or foster innovation, these hidden gems are a great place to start.

Next time you log in, look a little more. You just might find your new favourite tool.