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Quick Answer

In a Teams chat or Outlook email, click the Loop icon (an overlapping 'O' shape) below the text box. Select a format (like Task List or Paragraph). Anyone who receives the message can edit the component live.

How to Use Microsoft Loop Components in Teams, Outlook, and the Loop App ​

Applies to: Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Microsoft Loop, Microsoft 365
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-05-19

Summary ​

This article shows you how to create and use Microsoft Loop components — live, collaborative content blocks that can be shared across Teams chats, Outlook emails, and the Loop app. Unlike static text, Loop components stay synchronized everywhere they are embedded, so edits made by anyone in any location update in real time for everyone.

Prerequisites ​

  • A Microsoft 365 account.
  • Microsoft Teams (desktop or web) and/or Outlook (New Outlook or Outlook on the Web).
  • Loop components must be enabled by your IT administrator (they are enabled by default in most tenants).

Instructions ​

1. Understand What Loop Components Are ​

A Loop component is a small, portable piece of content that stays live and synchronized wherever it is shared. Think of it as a mini-document that lives inside a chat, email, or page.

Types of Loop components:

  • Bulleted list — Collaborative to-do or brainstorming list.
  • Numbered list — Step-by-step instructions or rankings.
  • Task list — Checklist with assignees and due dates.
  • Table — Structured data that everyone can edit.
  • Paragraph — Free-form text block.
  • Heading + body — A section with a title and content.
  • Checklist — Simple checkbox list.

Key feature: If you send a Loop component in a Teams chat and someone edits it, the changes appear immediately in the chat for everyone — no need to send a new message or re-share the file.

2. Create a Loop Component in Teams Chat ​

  1. Open a Teams chat (one-on-one or group chat).
  2. In the message compose box, click the Loop icon (it looks like an infinity symbol or a small circle). In some versions, click the + (plus) button below the compose box and select Loop component.
  3. Choose a component type (e.g., Task list, Table, Bulleted list).
  4. The component appears inline in the compose box. Add your content.
  5. Send the message. The Loop component is now live in the chat.
  6. Any chat participant can click into the component and edit it directly. Changes appear in real time for everyone.

Tip: Loop components in Teams chats are saved as .loop files in the sender's OneDrive, under the Microsoft Teams Chat Files folder. This means they are backed up and versionable like any other file.

3. Create a Loop Component in Outlook ​

Loop components work in New Outlook (desktop) and Outlook on the Web. They are not available in Classic Outlook.

  1. Create a New Email.
  2. In the email toolbar, click the Loop icon (or click Insert > Loop component).
  3. Choose a component type.
  4. Add your content directly in the email body.
  5. Send the email. Recipients see the Loop component inline and can edit it directly from their email.
  6. All edits sync in real time — both the sender and recipients see the latest version.

INFO

Loop components in email require both sender and recipient to be on Microsoft 365 with New Outlook or Outlook on the Web. Recipients using Classic Outlook or non-Microsoft email clients will see a static snapshot with a link to the editable version.

4. Use the Microsoft Loop App ​

The Loop app is a standalone workspace for creating and organizing Loop pages and components.

  1. Go to https://loop.microsoft.com or open the Loop app from the Microsoft 365 app launcher (waffle menu).
  2. Create a new workspace to organize related content (e.g., "Q3 Project Planning").
  3. Inside the workspace, create pages — each page can contain multiple Loop components, text, images, and embedded content.
  4. Share a page by clicking Share and adding people or copying a link.
  5. Collaborators can edit the page in real time, similar to a shared document.

When to use the Loop app vs. Loop components in chat/email:

  • Use Loop components in Teams/Outlook for quick, in-context collaboration (e.g., a task list in a chat thread, a table in an email).
  • Use the Loop app for longer-lived collaborative content that needs its own workspace (e.g., project plans, meeting agendas, brainstorming boards).

5. Copy and Embed a Loop Component Across Apps ​

One of Loop's most powerful features is that a single component can live in multiple locations simultaneously.

  1. In a Teams chat, hover over an existing Loop component.
  2. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) on the component.
  3. Select Copy component.
  4. Paste it into another Teams chat, an Outlook email, or a Loop page.
  5. The component is now embedded in both locations. Edits in one place update everywhere.

6. Common Use Cases ​

ScenarioComponent TypeWhere to Create
Meeting agenda with action itemsTask listTeams chat or Loop page
Brainstorming ideas with the teamBulleted listTeams chat
Tracking project status across stakeholdersTableLoop page, shared via email
Quick poll or voteTable with names and choicesTeams chat
Shared notes during a meetingParagraph or Heading + bodyTeams chat or Loop page
Decision logTable with date, decision, ownerLoop page

7. Manage and Find Your Loop Components ​

All Loop components you create are saved as .loop files in your OneDrive.

  1. Go to https://onedrive.com.
  2. Navigate to My Files > Attachments (for email components) or My Files > Microsoft Teams Chat Files (for Teams components).
  3. You can rename, move, share, or delete .loop files similar to any other OneDrive file.
  4. In the Loop app (loop.microsoft.com), click Recent to see all your recently edited components and pages.

Troubleshooting ​

TIP

If you do not see the Loop icon in Teams or Outlook, your organization may not have enabled Loop components yet. Contact IT and ask them to verify that Loop is enabled in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Loop icon is missing in Teams chatLoop components are disabled by IT or app version is outdatedUpdate Teams to the latest version. Contact IT to enable Loop components.
Loop icon is missing in OutlookUsing Classic Outlook instead of New OutlookSwitch to New Outlook or use Outlook on the Web. Loop is not supported in Classic Outlook.
Recipients see a static snapshot instead of a live componentRecipient is using Classic Outlook or a non-Microsoft email clientThey can click the link in the email to open the editable version in a browser.
Cannot edit a Loop component (read-only)You do not have edit permission on the underlying .loop fileAsk the creator to share the file with edit access.
Loop component is blank or fails to loadNetwork issue or temporary service disruptionRefresh the page or reopen the chat. Check if other Microsoft 365 services are working.
Cannot find a Loop component created earlierComponent is saved in OneDrive but location is unclearSearch in OneDrive for .loop files, or check Recent in the Loop app.