Microsoft Announces File Cards in Office App for Android

Microsoft has recently announced a new feature for the Office app on Android, with the company explaining the rollout would start this month.

Called File Cards, the new feature allows users to get previews of their documents right in the Office app, all in a much more straightforward way that includes additional file information.

“File Cards offer a rich and modern way of consuming your Office content with inline previews, contextual information, such as the person who shared the file along with the context with which it was shared with you, and quick actions on the card that allow you to share and keep the file offline,” Microsoft explains.

Given the new feature will land in the main Office app for Android, which includes all the other productivity apps, you can get File Cards with previews for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, File Cards also support PDF files stored in OneDrive Business and personal accounts.

The rollout is currently under way

Microsoft says it’s also working on adding support for File Cards for Word and PDF files stored on the device itself and not in the cloud.

If you want to try out the new feature, you must update to Office app version 16.0.14228.20138.

“Your view preference will be retained if you switch between the ”Recent” and ”Shared” tabs or when you leave and return to the Office app in the future. You can switch back to the default List view at any time by tapping the List icon in the view switcher,” Microsoft explains.

Keep in mind, however, that the new feature is gradually rolling out to users out there, so it could take a while until it shows up on your device as well. Microsoft says everyone should get it over the next few weeks regardless of region.