How to Use Microsoft Lists (And Why It’s Awesome)

While Microsoft already had aKanban board-styleapplication (Microsoft Planner), the newly released Microsoft Lists fulfills the need for a more general-purpose task collaboration tool. Let’s look at how you can use Microsoft Lists yourself.

Users familiar with Microsoft Sharepoint would note the similarities with the new Lists app, as it is in essence an upgraded version of the same tool. While Sharepoint lists were mostly about data management and could be accessed through Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Lists are focused more on collaboration and can be viewed in multiple user-friendly ways.

What Is Microsoft Lists?

Microsoft Lists is described pretty well by its name already, but the number of similar products in Microsoft’s arsenal still makes things a bit confusing.Microsoft To-Doalready lets you add tasks to a list, while something likeMicrosoft Plannerworks as a proper agile team collaboration tool. And then there is Sharepoint, which lets you create shareable lists as well.

Microsoft Lists distinguishes itself from these applications by its modern interface, cross-platform support, and incredible customization. It seeks not to supplant these tools but to supplement them, and to this end provides native integration with Planner and Sharepoint.

Lists are meant for creating multipurpose lists of, well,anything, from tasks to calendar events and even just data entries. This is paired with the ability to share these lists with Microsoft Teams (again, natively integrated) to discuss and collaborate on any list item.

Essentially, Microsoft Lists works as a powerful alternative to project management tools like Trello for teams that use the Office 365 suite, plugging a major gap in the capabilities of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Using Microsoft Lists

As Microsoft Lists is intended to work as a general-purpose collaborative list-making tool, it’s designed to be cross-platform. Along with the desktop app, you can download the Lists mobile app on Android as well as iOS phones, apart from the web version that can be accessed through any browser.

It is a part of the Office 365 suite, but you can also use it as a preview for now with any Microsoft account even without an Office subscription.

And that’s all you need to get started. Thoseproficient with Excel(or Sharepoint) will find many similar features like sorting the data in a column or using Filters to view a selection of the list.

You can even export any list asa CSV fileor a Microsoft Power BI file with the Export button on the top.

Since the whole premise of Microsoft Lists is about collaborating with others, let’s take a look at how you can share lists that you have created.

Don’t worry about any mistakes made during this part; you can always use theManage accessbutton on the top right to modify user permissions for any given list.

Creating Views in Microsoft Lists

The default list is not the only way of viewing a Microsoft list. You can choose from four different views: List, Calendar, Gallery, and Board.

This flexibility in visualizing the information is another advantage Lists has over Sharepoint. There is no perfect view – depending on the content of the list in question, some views are better suited than others.

Automate Tasks by Creating Rules

An essential feature of a collaborative list creation app is to be able to automate certain tasks. Fortunately, Microsoft Lists has you covered.

We say tasks, though for now, the only thing you can automate are notifications. You can set a list up to notify you when certain changes are made, letting you keep track of how the list is being used by your team.

Is Microsoft Lists Worth It?

For anyone already acquainted with theOffice 365ecosystem, the Microsoft Lists app is an excellent way to keep everything organized, whether you are working on it with a small team or a full corporate division.

You can create tasks, list out calendar events, and discuss every item with your teammates. The lists are extremely customizable, with several templates to create the perfect list for your use case, be it Employee onboarding or an Expense tracker.

And that’s before we get into the native integration with other Office 365 apps like Teams or Planner, making it the perfect organizational tool for someone familiar with Microsoft’s applications.

Levin Roy is a software engineer who loves writing about technology. Whether it is Windows tips-and-tricks or in-depth guides about application development, Levin uses his practical experience and technical skills to create articles that can help solve tricky problems.Read Levin’s Full Bio

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How to Use Microsoft Lists (And Why It’s Awesome)#

What Is Microsoft Lists?#

Using Microsoft Lists#

Sharing a List#

Creating Views in Microsoft Lists#

Automate Tasks by Creating Rules#

Is Microsoft Lists Worth It?#

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