Launch documents and get started right away with the new Office 365 home page

Starting something new. We’ve all been there. The first day of school, starting a new job, or even moving to a new town. As we become familiar with the new surroundings, buildings, new faces and personalities, schedules, and rhythms we start with a home base from which to explore.

Using technology is no different. It’s important to have a home base where you can start, a place where you can access all of your services, downloads and settings and launch into new experiences, applications and adventures to expand your possibilities.

Today we’re announcing a new home page experience in Office 365. We’re rolling out the new home page to current Exchange or SharePoint customers now. Customers can access the home page from the web experience of Office 365, which you get to by signing in to the Office 365 portal.

Once there, you just click the Office 365 logo in the top left-hand web navigation to go to the home page. New customers will automatically land on this home page when they first sign into Office 365.

The new home page is not just a place where you can easily access all the services available to you. Customers who are licensed for Office 365 ProPlus can also access the downloads to install the Office applications from this page. The home page automatically detects the device you’re using, and displays the appropriate install prompt. For example, if you’re using a PC, it prompts you to install the applications on your PC, as the image below shows. If you’re using a Mac, it prompts you to install Office for Mac.

Once you have installed the Office applications, the home page displays all your Office 365 online services, providing you with quick access to launch documents and start creating right away.

You may want to use this new home page as your start page—for consistent and comprehensive access to your services. Going forward, we will introduce new Office 365 services via the home page, so you’ll always be aware of and have immediate access to the latest services available to you—like Yammer and Delve. In this way, the home page gives you a convenient map of all your services and provides easy navigation and quick access to the tools you rely on to get your work done, plus a way to explore new tools and services.

You may prefer to use a different start page. Instead of landing on the new home page, you might want to start in Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint or Yammer. In order to accommodate a variety of start preferences, we’re also providing the ability for you to determine your own default landing page when you sign in to Office 365 via portal.office.com. You can set your start page preference with a few clicks. Click the gear icon in the top right of the navigation bar, and then click Office 365 settings. On the settings page, click Start page on the left hand side, select the page you want from the drop-down list, and then click Save.

As we continue to innovate and add new exciting services like Delve and Yammer to Office 365, your home page provides an important foundation for exploring and navigating within the array of services you use every day.