10 Game-changing Notion Updates You Need to Know (July 2024)
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Notion’s sidebar now supports sorting shared and private areas by “manual” or “last edited,” with controls for how many items appear and how sections are arranged.
Briefing
Notion’s July 2024 update set focuses on making everyday workspace navigation faster and publishing more website-like—then layers in AI and deeper integrations. The biggest “workflow” shift is Notion Sites gaining site customization controls for Plus plan users, including themes, analytics, and navigation options, which moves Notion closer to a full publishing platform rather than a simple web page.
On the day-to-day side, the sidebar and page discovery tools get smarter. Shared and private areas can now be sorted in the sidebar by “manual” or “last edited,” and users can choose how many items appear and rearrange sections. For people managing large page libraries, this reduces the scrolling and hunting that happens when everything is pinned to the left.
Navigation inside documents also improves with a floating table of contents. Instead of requiring a dedicated table of contents block, hovering reveals a floating TOC that stays accessible from anywhere on the page. A toggle in the top-right three-dot menu lets users turn the feature on or off.
Link handling and calendar scheduling get small but practical upgrades. Link previews now support a “paste as mentioned” option that pulls in icons and produces a cleaner, more informative link card. In Notion Calendar, users can add a new calendar entry and—if they use a Google Workspace or school account—switch the event type to either “out of office” or “focus,” tightening the loop between scheduling and work status.
Several interface and database performance tweaks target speed and organization. Tabs can be pinned so frequently used Notion pages stay at the top. Database views grouped by select status, multi-select, personal relation, or multi-select personal relation properties are loading faster, especially when items are grouped by relationship-based properties. Even locked databases aren’t fully static anymore: filters can still be added while the database remains locked.
The update also signals pricing and capability changes for the Plus plan. The transcript points to a shift tied to expanded features such as unlimited team spaces, website publishing with custom domains, visual tools, and automations—suggesting Notion is bundling more “team + web + workflow” power into the paid tier.
AI functionality expands beyond Notion boundaries. Notion AI is now described as being powered in part by GPT-4, and it can connect to Slack. From within a Notion page, users can run Q&A searches and target results, then connect via the three-dot menu to search Slack channels without leaving Notion.
Finally, Notion Sites customization is framed as a turning point for publishing. Plus plan users can set light/dark themes, choose favicon and header options, add Google Analytics, manage navigation pages, and disable elements like breadcrumbs, site search, and “duplicate as template” (useful both for template creators and privacy-minded sharing). A bonus “coming soon” note adds expectations for unlimited charts and dashboards, reducing reliance on third-party tools for visualizing progress and habit tracking.
Cornell Notes
Notion’s July 2024 updates tighten navigation, improve link and calendar workflows, and expand publishing and AI capabilities—especially for Plus plan users. Sidebar sorting (manual vs. last edited), a floating table of contents, better link previews, and pinned tabs make it easier to find and manage content quickly. Database performance improves for views grouped by certain properties, and locked databases can still accept filters. The most consequential change is Notion Sites customization: theme controls, favicon/header options, Google Analytics, navigation settings, and the ability to disable breadcrumbs/search/duplicate-as-template. Notion AI also gains GPT-4-powered capabilities and Slack integration, enabling searches across Notion and Slack from one place.
What changes make it easier to find pages in large Notion workspaces?
How does the floating table of contents work, and how can it be turned off?
What’s new about link previews in Notion?
What does Notion Calendar gain for users with Google Workspace or school accounts?
Which Notion AI update reduces the need to leave Notion for Slack searches?
Why are Notion Sites customization options considered a major shift?
Review Questions
- Which sidebar sorting options are now available for shared and private areas, and how might that change day-to-day navigation?
- What specific controls does Notion Sites customization add for Plus plan users, and which ones relate to privacy or analytics?
- How does Slack integration with Notion AI change where users can search for information?
Key Points
- 1
Notion’s sidebar now supports sorting shared and private areas by “manual” or “last edited,” with controls for how many items appear and how sections are arranged.
- 2
A floating table of contents appears on hover and can be toggled on or off from the top-right three-dot menu.
- 3
Link previews improve with a “paste as mentioned” option that adds icons and a cleaner look to pasted URLs.
- 4
Notion Calendar gains event-type switching to “out of office” or “focus” when using a Google Workspace or school account.
- 5
Tabs can be pinned so frequently used Notion pages stay accessible at the top.
- 6
Database views grouped by select status, multi-select, personal relation, or multi-select personal relation properties load faster, and locked databases can still accept new filters.
- 7
Notion Sites customization for Plus plan users adds theme, favicon/header, Google Analytics, navigation controls, and toggles like disabling breadcrumbs, search, and “duplicate as template.”