A collaborative workspace app in Microsoft 365 designed to help teams co-create, stay organized, and work together in real time across apps and devices.
Loop is designed as a flexible collaboration layer across Microsoft 365, with deep integration into other services rather than being a standalone tool only.
Loop integrates with:
- Copilot Pages and Copilot Notebooks: Loop My workspace shares the same user-owned SharePoint Embedded container as Copilot Pages and Copilot Notebooks. They are separate experiences with separate admin settings, but they read and write to the same physical personal container per user. Loop workspaces can also include Copilot Pages and Notebooks, and Copilot in Loop can summarize pages, identify action items, and track edits.
- Planner and tasks: Loop task lists are Loop components that stay in sync wherever they are shared and also sync with Microsoft Planner. Tasks added or completed in a Loop task list remain in sync across Loop, Planner, and other Microsoft 365 apps that surface those tasks. Previously, there was also a dedicated Planner component in Loop pages, but this is being retired; the recommended approach is to use the Task List control in Loop.
- SharePoint / OneDrive storage: Loop components and workspaces are backed by
.loopfiles stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or SharePoint Embedded. Storage counts against the organization’s SharePoint quota. Shared Loop workspaces and pages do not require an active OneDrive site, but the personal “My workspace” does. Copilot Pages and Copilot Notebooks are also stored in SharePoint Embedded and share lifecycle characteristics similar to OneDrive.
Near-term changes and “upgrade” direction (from the provided context):
- The Planner component in Loop pages is being retired between mid‑January 2026 and mid‑February 2026. After retirement:
- It will no longer be possible to add a new Planner component in a Loop workspace.
- Existing pages that had this component will show the Planner plan URL where the component used to be.
- Tasks previously entered in these components remain available in Planner.
- The recommended replacement is the Task List control in Loop, which continues to sync tasks with Planner.
- Loop is increasingly aligned with Copilot Pages and Copilot Notebooks, sharing storage and allowing Loop workspaces to host those AI-powered artifacts. Copilot in Loop can summarize content, identify action items, and track edits on Loop pages.
- Availability continues to depend on cloud environment:
- Loop workspaces are available only in the commercial cloud, not in US government, sovereign, or air‑gapped clouds.
- Loop components in Teams chat/channels are available in commercial and US government clouds, but components in Outlook, Teams New Calendar, OneNote, and Whiteboard are only available in the commercial cloud.
Possibilities with Loop (what it enables):
- Real-time, modular collaboration: Loop components (lists, tables, notes, task lists, etc.) are portable pieces of content that stay in sync across Teams, Outlook, Word for the web, Whiteboard, OneNote, SharePoint, OneDrive, and the Loop app. Everyone edits the same live content, reducing versioning issues.
- Cross-app task management: Task lists created in Loop pages can be turned into Loop components and shared across Microsoft 365. These tasks sync with Planner, so users can manage them from Loop, Planner, and other Planner-connected experiences.
- AI-assisted work: With Copilot integration, Loop can host Copilot Pages and Notebooks and use Copilot in Loop to summarize pages, extract action items, and track edits, supporting dynamic, multi-user collaboration with AI assistance.
- Flexible storage and lifecycle: Depending on where a component or page is created, it is stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or SharePoint Embedded. Loop My workspace, Copilot Pages, and Copilot Notebooks share a single personal container, simplifying storage and lifecycle management.
Downsides and limitations (from the context):
- Environment limitations:
- Loop workspaces are not available in US government, sovereign, or air‑gapped cloud environments.
- Loop components in Outlook, OneNote, Whiteboard, and Teams New Calendar are not available in US government, sovereign, or air‑gapped clouds.
- Feature retirement:
- The dedicated Planner component in Loop pages is being retired, so users must transition to using Loop task lists for Planner-integrated tasks.
- Storage and licensing dependencies:
- Copilot Pages require a OneDrive site to function initially.
- The personal Loop workspace (“My workspace”) requires an active OneDrive site or OneDrive creation policy.
- Apps that store pages or components in OneDrive or SharePoint require both a OneDrive site and an active OneDrive license; accounts without OneDrive/SharePoint storage may experience limitations.
- Admin complexity:
- Admins must use both Cloud Policy and SharePoint PowerShell to fully control Loop experiences (for example, Loop components in Teams vs. other apps), which adds some configuration overhead.
Overall, Loop’s direction in the provided information is toward tighter integration with Copilot Pages and Notebooks, continued use of portable components across Microsoft 365, Planner-backed task experiences via Loop task lists, and reliance on SharePoint/OneDrive/SharePoint Embedded for storage and lifecycle.
References:
- Requirements for Loop components and Loop workspaces
- Compare Microsoft Loop, Copilot Pages, and Copilot Notebooks
- Use the Planner component in Loop
- Get to know Loop components
- Manage your tasks from Loop Task lists and Collaborative notes in Planner
- Loop access via Microsoft 365 subscriptions
- Admin policies for Loop components and Loop workspaces
- "Planner" is no longer showing up as a Microsoft App in Loop - Microsoft Q&A
- Integrating Planner in Loop is not working as expected - Microsoft Q&A