Microsoft has started rolling out a fresh set of Office 365 app icons that align with the glossy, depth-forward look people now associate with Liquid Glass on iOS 26. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams are in the mix, with some apps updating faster than others across platforms. Microsoft’s design team says the refresh as “fluid forms” with softer folds, brighter gradients, and clearer shapes for small sizes.
What changed, app by app
This is Microsoft’s biggest icon refresh since 2018, and it lands alongside the company’s broader Microsoft 365 push and Copilot branding. The icons move from rigid panes to rounded, layered objects intended to read better at a glance.
Word trims extra bars so the mark reads like a single folded page. Excel reduces grid noise and keeps the diagonal depth without clutter. PowerPoint is the outlier, with a rounded “point” that hints at charts rather than the old slide rectangle. OneDrive tightens its cloud form, SharePoint leans into spherical bubbles, and Teams gains more clarity at small sizes. The result is a system that pairs well with Apple’s shinier iconography without losing Microsoft’s color cues.
Microsoft’s internal rationale describes “folded and curved” forms that imply motion and approachability. That language tracks with what users see on iOS 26, where Liquid Glass exaggerates highlights and reflections if assets look dated. The new Office marks avoid that problem by embracing depth from the start.
The company published its design rationale in a detailed explainer, describing the icons as “folded and curved” to imply motion and approachability. That phrasing matches what users are seeing on iOS, where the shiny, layered treatment sits comfortably next to Apple’s Liquid Glass system look.
The icon debate
PowerPoint’s icon drew the loudest reactions. On Reddit, a widely shared thread shows iPhone users debating the new circular “point” shape, with some praising the cleaner look and others arguing it strays too far from presentations-as-rectangles. Several comments read it as a pie-chart nod; others see a blob that loses meaning without the letter P. The conversation captures a split: aesthetics versus instant recognizability.
Microsoft’s own testing archive, surfaced in recent reporting, shows how far the team explored before settling on these forms. Early experiments leaned heavier on letters or literal metaphors. The final set dials back typography on iOS while keeping lettered treatments in other contexts, which helps consistency but also fuels the “too abstract” critique from longtime Office users.
Microsoft says the icons are rolling out now across web, desktop, and mobile. Staggered updates mean your devices may not match yet, especially on iOS where app updates and system theming can land at different times. Expect Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams to converge on the same visual language through October.
How it fits with Liquid Glass on iOS 26
Apple’s Liquid Glass look made icons shinier, layered, and more reflective in iOS 26, which nudged big developers to modernize artwork for legibility and depth. Microsoft’s new set maps cleanly to that environment. The company positions the change as part of an AI-era Microsoft 365, not just a cosmetic pass, but the move also answers practical needs on iPhone and iPad where the system’s gloss can exaggerate dated icon assets.
Microsoft is nearly there. Most of Office’s major apps now carry the new identity, with PowerPoint’s “point” sparking the strongest reactions. The set looks cohesive next to Apple’s Liquid Glass, reads better at small sizes, and aligns with Microsoft’s 365 strategy. Whether the icons feel intuitive without letters will decide how quickly users warm to them. For now, the rollout continues and the debate stays lively.
