What’s new in Microsoft 365 and Copilot? November 2025

Welcome to our eleventh roundup of 2025. We review what was announced, released, and delayed across Microsoft 365 and Copilot in November.

Check out the October blog for lots of content still rolling out this month. If you are an Update Insiders member, take a sneak peek at the latest blog, which is updated throughout the month.

Here’s a reminder of what the icons mean and the order in which the updates are grouped:

✅ = Available now
🔜 = Coming soon – new updates from the Admin Centre
🕔 = Delayed
🔭 = Coming later – new updates from the M365 Roadmap
🚫 = A feature we are losing
🗞️ = In the news
🎓 = Knowledge

Here are this month’s topics:

• Copilot
• OneDrive
• Outlook
• PowerPoint, Word and Excel
• SharePoint
• Teams
• Viva
• Around Microsoft 365

Would you like to attend a live webinar covering this month’s updates? Monthly, free, just 55 minutes and more fun than it sounds! Sign up for the sessions I deliver with The Inform Team: Microsoft 365 Evergreen.

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Copilot

🔜 “Hey Copilot” to start voice in Copilot on Windows devices

You can now say “Hey Copilot” to start voice in Copilot on Windows devices. Due late December 2025 to late January 2026. Read more.

🔜 Copilot chats will appear in search results

Microsoft search will soon include results from previous Copilot chats. Due late November to early December 2025. Read more.

🔜 Real-time voice conversation is coming to M365 Copilot

Microsoft have re-announced this update, focusing on its appearance in desktop and web. Due December 2025 to January 2026. Read more.

🔜 Microsoft Copilot Studio – Copy an agent in Copilot Studio Lite to the Copilot Studio full experience
Microsoft: “This feature enables users who author an agent in the lite version of Copilot Studio in M365 (formerly known as Agent Builder) to copy their agent to Copilot Studio. This opens the full Copilot Studio authoring experience, where users can leverage a broader set of capabilities and publishing options for their agent”.
Reference: MC1187707. Due 18th December 2025. Read more: Copy an agent to Copilot Studio | Microsoft Learn.

🔜 Navigation refresh in the M365 Copilot app

Microsoft is updating the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. They claim it has a “simplified, flattened navigation menu with logically grouped features”. Due December 2025 to January 2026. Read more.

🔜 Copilot to automatically resolve and reschedule meeting conflicts

Copilot will resolve conflicts by automatically rescheduling 1:1 meetings you have marked as flexible. Now due mid-November 2025 and to late December 2025. Read more.

🔜 The new Explore Pane will provide M365 Copilot guidance

Microsoft is introducing an M365 Copilot Explore Pane, a new side panel offering guided, contextual help to support your Copilot use. Targeted release now due early December 2025 to late December 2025. Read more.

🔜 Real-time voice interactions come to Copilot podcasts

The Microsoft 365 Copilot podcast feature is gaining real-time voice interactions. Due late November to late December 2025. Read more.

🔜 Overview landing pages are coming to Copilot Notebooks

A new overview page will provide Copilot Notebooks with a summary and insights. Due early December 2025 to mid-January 2026. Read more.

🕔 Overview landing pages are coming to Copilot Notebooks
A new overview page will provide Copilot Notebooks with a summary and insights. Now due January to February 2026. Read more.

🕔 Updates to memory and personalisation

Microsoft will soon update Memory in Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve personalisation by using your chat history to tailor responses, making interactions more relevant and helpful. You will see a redesigned Memory settings page with clearer controls, allowing you to easily view and manage what Copilot remembers.
Reference: MC1158329. Now early due January 2025.

🕔 Microsoft Copilot Chat adds a new ‘Tools’ feature for task-specific AI access
Microsoft is adding a new ‘Tools’ button to Copilot Chat to access task-specific AI capabilities. Now due October to late November 2025. Read more.

🕔 Content Sources in Copilot Chat
Microsoft: “We’re introducing a new capability that allows users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to scope and control Copilot Chat responses by selecting specific content sources. This enhancement is designed to improve the relevance and accuracy of Copilot responses by limiting them to user-selected sources, aligning with customer feedback for more transparent and customizable AI interactions”.
References: MC1127230 and 365 Roadmap ID 496596. Now due late November to mid-December 2025.
Note: screenshots to follow.

🔭 Updated Copilot Notebooks UX
Microsoft: “Users will find an updated, streamlined UX flow within Copilot Notebooks”.
Roadmap ID: 516042. Platforms: Web. Due December 2025.

🔭 Engage private content in M365 Copilot
Microsoft: “Engage content from private communities and events will be used as grounding source for M365 Copilot. When a user queries in M365 Copilot, they will only be able to see content they are privileged to access”.
Roadmap ID: 515144. Platforms: Web. Due March 2026.

🔍 View all Copilot updates.

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OneDrive

 🔜 Use Copilot AI Actions with OneDrive files in File Explorer

Microsoft will bring AI Actions into File Explorer on Windows, allowing you to interact with Copilot AI Actions in File Explorer to summarise documents and generate frequently asked questions about OneDrive files. You will be able to select a file in File Explorer, right-click to open the context menu, and access Copilot AI Actions via a new AI Actions submenu, where available actions will include summarising documents and generating frequently asked questions.
Reference: MC1187850. Due late September 2025 to late March 2026. Read more about getting started with Copilot in OneDrive – Microsoft Support.

🕔 Simplified file transfer for departing employees
Microsoft: “OneDrive enhancements simplify file management for departing employees by improving notifications, filtering, and enabling bulk file transfers that preserve sharing. Access transfers automatically to managers with email alerts”.
References: MC1164381 and 365 Roadmap ID 493946. Now due mid-October to early December 2025. Read more: OneDrive retention and deletion – SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn.

✅ Agents in OneDrive online

Create a Copilot agent from your OneDrive, grounded in your OneDrive. Available now. Read more.

🔍 View all OneDrive updates.

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Outlook

🔜 Schedule meetings directly in Copilot Chat

Microsoft 365 Copilot will soon let you schedule meetings directly within Copilot chat. Due late November 2025 to late January 2026. Read more.

🔜 Triage your Outlook mobile inbox hands-free with Microsoft 365 Copilot voice catch-up
The Microsoft 365 Copilot voice experience will soon be available in the Outlook mobile app. You will open Copilot, select Voice catch-up, and interact through a conversational interface. Copilot will summarise your most recent unread emails and present options such as flagging, pinning, archiving, deleting, or drafting a reply. You will be able to interrupt or redirect Copilot at any time to ask follow-up questions, read an email thread in full, request a detailed summary, take triage actions, or draft a reply that will be saved to your drafts folder.
References: MC1187805. Due from early February 2026.

🔜 Microsoft Outlook Mobile: Filter out declined meetings for a cleaner calendar view

Outlook Mobile will support hiding declined meetings. This aligns with functionality in New Outlook and Outlook for the Web, where you can choose to show or hide declined events.
Reference: MC1187790. Due early December 2025 to late January 2026. Read more: What is the Hide Declined Events Setting? – Microsoft Support.

🔜 New “Prepare” button added to the “Up Next” card for Microsoft 365 Copilot users

Microsoft: “To help users better prepare for upcoming meetings, Microsoft is enhancing the Up Next card experience in Microsoft 365. A new Prepare button will replace the Join button up to 5 minutes before a meeting starts, offering a one-tap way to access Copilot’s meeting preparation tools”.
Reference: MC1187395. Due early December to late January 2026.

🔜 New Dedicated Copilot Chat Button in Outlook for Android

Microsoft: “We are updating the user interface (UI) for Copilot Chat in Outlook for Android so that the button is separate from the mail compose, event compose, and add a contact button. This feature will be available for users with a M365 Copilot license.
Reference: MC1185099. Due early December 2025.

🕔 A new ‘Edit in Outlook’ button makes drafting emails with Copilot a bit easier
If you ask M365 Copilot chat to draft an email for you, it will offer an Edit in Outlook button. Now due late October to late November 2025. Read more.

🕔 Microsoft Outlook: Declarative Agents in Copilot Chat coming to classic Outlook for Windows
Microsoft: “Declarative Agents in Copilot Chat will be available in classic Outlook for Windows starting late October 2025, enabling users to customize their experience with plugins and connectors”.
References: MC1162288 and 365 Roadmap ID 481559. Now due late January 2026. Read: What are Declarative agents?

🔍 View all Outlook updates.

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PowerPoint, Word and Excel

🔜 AI-powered image editing is coming to PowerPoint

Designer editor integration in PowerPoint brings a new image-editing experience. Due early to mid-December 2025. Read more.

🔜 New features coming to (free) Copilot Chat for Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Microsoft is introducing new capabilities for unlicensed Copilot Chat users across Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Due early January to late March 2026. Read more.

🔜 Generate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents from agents built from Copilot Studio lite in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft will let you generate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint content by chatting with agents created in Copilot Studio lite within Microsoft 365 Copilot. This will use the “Generate documents, charts, and code” skillset (formerly Code Interpreter).
References: MC1186365 and Roadmap ID 506753. Due mid-November to early December 2025.

🔜 You can now choose PowerPoint deck length, tone and image style when creating with Copilot

You will soon be able to steer presentation length, tone, and AI image style when creating with Copilot in PowerPoint. Due early to mid-December 2025. Read more.

🔜 App Skills in Excel to be retired

App Skills in Excel will be retired; use Agent Mode instead. Due from December 2025. Read more.

🔜 Agent mode comes to Microsoft Excel

Agent mode in Excel will soon be generally available. In addition to replacing App Skills, it promises a better Copilot experience in Excel. Due from December 2025. Read more.

🕔 View Document Statistics in Dynamic Document Snapshot
Microsoft: “Users will be able to access important document metadata—such as author, last modified date, and number of times opened—by selecting the Activity tab in the Copilot Dynamic Document Snapshot. This feature is designed to improve document awareness and collaboration by making insights easily accessible”.
References: MC1150675. Due mid-November to mid-December 2025.

🕔 Use Microsoft Copilot in Word to create, edit, and transform content directly from chat
Microsoft: “We’re introducing new capabilities in Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word that enhance how users interact with Copilot to create and refine content. These updates are designed to streamline document creation and editing through a more conversational and iterative experience” and “Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license will be able to use Copilot in Word to draft new documents or sections, reorganize content into formats like FAQs, update existing content, or rewrite sections. Users will maintain control on the content as they will be able to review and approve any changes”.
References: MC1129126 and 365 roadmap ID 499428. Now due mid-November to early December 2025. Read more: Agent Mode in Word – Microsoft Support and Vibe working: Introducing Agent Mode and Office Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog and watch here: Agent Mode in Word: Edit and Format a Word Document with Copilot.

🚫 ON HOLD: External workbook links to blocked file types will be disabled by default
Microsoft: “Starting October 2025, external workbook links to blocked file types will be disabled by default, showing a #BLOCKED error for new links and preventing refresh of existing ones. Administrators can revert this via registry or group policy settings”.
Referecence: MC1125497. Microsoft, 25th Novembr 2025: “This change is currently on hold”. Read more: External Workbook Links to Blocked File Types Will Be Disabled by Default – Microsoft Support.

🚫 CANCELLED: Microsoft 365 Copilot | Reference a PDF file when creating a slide with PowerPoint
Microsoft, 11th November 2025: “This capability has been cancelled for now. We recognize its importance and plan to reintroduce it as part of upcoming Copilot enhancements in PowerPoint at a later time”.
References: MC1130390 and 365 Roadmap IDs 497536, 497540, and 497541. Cancelled 11th November 2025.

🚫 CANCELLED: Reference an Excel file when using Copilot to create PowerPoint slides

Microsoft, 11th November 2025: “This capability has been cancelled for now. We recognize its importance and plan to reintroduce it as part of upcoming Copilot enhancements in PowerPoint at a later time”. Read more.

🚫 Microsoft Word: The “Send to Kindle” feature will retire
Microsoft: “To streamline Microsoft Word and focus on core productivity features, we are retiring the Send to Kindle integration, which allows users to upload documents directly to Kindle from Word”.
Reference: MC1182709. Due early February to early March 2026.

🔍 View all PowerPoint, Word or Excel updates.

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SharePoint

🔜 Document libraries get a forms experience for document collection

SharePoint is introducing Forms in document libraries for document collection. Due late November 2025 to early January 2026. Read more.

🔜 Two new dark themes for SharePoint sites
Microsoft will let admins apply two new multi-colour dark themes (Dark Teal and Dark Blue) to SharePoint sites via “Change the look” in site settings. These out-of-the-box themes will update headers, footers, sections, text web parts, and Design Ideas, offering modern palettes for low-light environments while meeting accessibility standards, with no impact on existing themes or functionality.
References: MC1187401 and roadmap ID 526788. Due mid-January to early February 2026.

🔜 SharePoint News web part is getting a new ‘See All’ experience

The SharePoint News web part is getting a new ‘See All’ experience, including AI-powered features. Due mid-November to mid-December 2025. Read more.

🚫 On hold: SharePoint FAQ web part gets updated for easier content management

The SharePoint FAQ web part is being updated to help content owners keep FAQs accurate and up to date. Update from Microsoft, 12th November 2025: “We are postponing the GA release for this feature at this time”. Read more.

🔜 eSignature now available in Türkiye

Microsoft: “Microsoft’s eSignature service enables users to request simple electronic signatures directly from Word and PDF documents stored in SharePoint. This feature ensures documents remain within Microsoft’s trusted boundaries during the electronic signature workflow, enhancing security and compliance. This capability is now expanding to Türkiye”.
Reference: MC1182690. Due mid to late November 2025.

🚫 On hold: New SharePoint web part for FAQs, powered by M365 Copilot
Update from Microsoft, 12th November 2025: “We are postponing the GA release for this feature at this time”. Read more.

🔍 View all SharePoint updates.

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Teams

🔜 Native MacOS screen and window sharing in Teams meetings
Microsoft: “As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering a polished, platform-native experience for Mac users, Microsoft Teams is introducing native screen and window sharing capabilities tailored specifically for macOS. This opt-in experience leverages Apple’s macOS native screen sharing APIs, allowing users to share their screen or window directly from macOS during Teams meetings”.
References: MC1187801 and 365 Roadmap ID 502523. Due early to mid-January 2026.

🔜 The Teams Channel Agent updates include support for file-based grounding

The Teams Channel Agent updates include support for file-based grounding. Due mid-November 2025 (targeted release). Read more.

🔜 Maintain accurate presence in Teams on the Web with new activity detection setting

Microsoft are introducing a new Teams web setting to keep your status accurate. When enabled, Teams will detect if you are active on your device, even outside the Teams tab. You can turn this on under Settings > Notifications and Activity > Presence by selecting “Keep my current status when I’m active outside of Teams on the web.” Your browser will ask for permission, and Teams will only check if you are active or idle, not track actions. The feature will be off by default.
Reference: MC1184412. Due early December 2025.

🔜 Join by code requires owner approval for private teams
Microsoft: “To improve team governance and reduce the risk of unintended access, Microsoft Teams is updating the join by code experience for private teams. Going forward, team owners will need to approve join requests when users attempt to join a private team using a code. This change aligns the join by code experience with existing join by link behavior for private teams”.
Reference: MC1183610. Due early to mid-December 2025.

🔜 Trust Indicators will identify external participants in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is introducing Trust Indicators to help you quickly identify external participants. Due late November 2025 to January 2026. Read more.

🔜 New Microsoft Teams Store (preview)
Microsoft: “Microsoft Teams Store is being redesigned for a more intuitive app and agent discovery experience, rolling out worldwide from late October 2025 to January 2026. Changes include a modern interface, new agent filter, streamlined app tiles, centered search, simplified categories, and a unified app management hub”.
Reference: MC1182697. Preview due late October 2025 to late January 2026.

🕔 Teams is getting a Network Strength Indicator
Microsoft: “This feature will display your current network quality using a simple 3-bar system: Good (3 bars), Poor (2 bars), and Bad (1 bar). When your connection is limited, we’ll suggest actions to help conserve bandwidth and maintain meeting performance. You’ll also be able to see when other participants are experiencing poor or bad network conditions, providing better context for disruptions in the meeting”.
References: MC1077865 and 365 Roadmap ID 414513. Now due early to late February 2026.

🕔 Trust Indicators will identify external participants in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is introducing Trust Indicators to help you quickly identify external participants. Now due mid-January to early February 2026. Read more.

🕔 Meeting participants can request collaborative annotation sessions
Microsoft: “After the rollout, meeting participants who are not sharing their screens will have the ability to request an annotation session. This request will be sent to the presenter sharing their screen who can choose to accept or deny it”.
References: MC1019312 and 365 Roadmap ID 89975. Now due mid to late January 2026.

🕔 There is a new Microsoft Teams setting to view incoming calls in a small window
You will soon be able to enable a new setting in Microsoft Teams that allows you to view incoming calls in a small window, minimising disruptions. Before this update, incoming calls would disrupt your workflow by occupying the larger Teams screen. With this new setting, you will be able to take calls in a small, resizable window while continuing your work. Now due mid to late January 2026. Read more.

🕔 Prevent screen capture (Premium feature)
Microsoft: Microsoft Teams Premium introduces a “Prevent screen capture” feature to block screenshots and recordings during meetings, enhancing confidentiality. Enabled by organizers via Meeting Options, it restricts capture differently across platforms, is off by default, and requires manual activation per meeting”.
References: MC1140178 and 365 Roadmap ID 490561. Now due early to late November 2025.

🕔 Include Teams channels in your Context IQ prompts

Teams channels are being added as a grounding option in M365 Copilot. A new Channels filter will help you find and select your channel(s).
References: MC1165054 and 365 Roadmap ID 429645. Now due early December 2025 to early January 2026. Read more about using Context IQ to refer to specific files, people, and more in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat – Microsoft Support.

🚫 New customer onboarding for Google and Microsoft Teams calendar sync paused
Microsoft:”…has paused new customer onboarding for calendar sync between Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams effective immediately. Existing setups continue to work, but new sync configurations cannot be initiated by organizations inactive in setup for 30 days”.
Reference: MC1184993. From 12th November 2025. Read more about calendar syncing between Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.

🔍 View all Teams updates.

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Viva

🔜 Microsoft Viva Engage: Behaviour change to Engage “featured conversations” in public communities
Microsoft will update the featured conversations capability in Viva Engage for public communities. After this change, featured conversations will only be elevated for community members, not for non-members, even if they have access.
Reference: MC1187849. Due December 2025. Read more about featuring a conversation in Viva Engage – Microsoft Support.

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Around Microsoft 365

🔜 Microsoft Edge for Business and Microsoft 365 Copilot: Introducing “What’s New” page after major updates
Microsoft will add a “What’s New” page in Edge for Business that opens automatically in a new tab after a major browser update, showing you the latest features in Edge and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
References: MC1188225 and 365 Roadmap ID 526798. Due mid to late December 2025.

🔜 Microsoft Edge: Microsoft 365 Copilot will support summarisation and contextual grounding
Microsoft Edge for Business will soon support summarisation and contextual grounding with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, allowing you to ask Copilot questions about multiple open browser tabs, Microsoft 365 documents such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and YouTube videos directly from the Edge side pane. This feature will be off by default.
References: MC1187682 and 365 Roadmap ID 496364, 499423, and 499424 (it is worth reading each of these for extra context). Due mid to late November 2025.

🔜 OneNote for Windows is getting an improved Copilot experience

Microsoft OneNote for Windows desktop is getting an improved experience for on-canvas Copilot features. Due from 12^th December 2025. Read more.

🔜 Microsoft Read Aloud gets Copilot real-time voice interactions
Microsoft Read Aloud will become an interactive experience with Copilot Q&A, letting you ask questions and refine understanding in real time. This will improve accessibility, comprehension, and focus. You will get a new voice-driven Read Aloud, while others will keep the classic version. A Copilot licence is required for the new experience.
References: MC1183010 and 365 Roadmap ID 523205. Due late November to late December 2025.

🔭 People Skills profile editing improvements
Microsoft: “People Skills is releasing two updates to give you more control over how others see your skills profile and ease of access for skill profile management. With these updates, you can easily control the order in which the skills you confirm are displayed to others in your profile card. Additionally, you’ll find a new deep link directly to skill profile editing from the Skills component on the profile card”.
Roadmap ID: 526787. Platforms: Desktop, Mac, Web. Due December 2025.

🔭 Microsoft Edge: Announcement page on update experience
Microsoft: “Edge for Business will introduce a “What’s New” enhancements page to the Edge update experience. This page will help your users understand how to best utilize the browser’s newest features for maximum productivity”.
Roadmap ID: 526798. Platforms: Web. Due February 2026.

🔭 Planner: Support for Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) content sensitivity labels
Microsoft: “Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) content sensitivity label support in Planner will enable encryption, restrict unauthorised actions such as copying, printing, or exporting plan contents, and add visual markings like watermarks for clear sensitivity awareness. By enforcing content-level protections, Planner will help organisations prevent data leaks, maintain compliance, and enable secure collaboration without affecting productivity”.
Roadmap ID: 523819. Platforms: Teams and Surface Devices, Web. Due November 2025.

🚫 Retirement of Insert Document and Insert PPT feature in Microsoft Whiteboard
Microsoft: “Starting January 2026, Microsoft Whiteboard will retire the Insert Document feature that allows inserting PDFs and PowerPoint files from OneDrive for Business and SharePoint. Local PDF insertion on Windows Native app remains. Users should use alternatives like converting files to images or sharing links”.
Reference: MC1189912. Retirement due early January to early February 2026.

🚫 Power Automate – Information regarding the end of support for Document Automation Toolkit
The Document Automation Toolkit feature in Power Automate reached the end of support on 15th November 2025.

🚫 Reminder: Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026
Microsoft: “Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026. Users can continue to use it with its current functionality until then. Support for the perpetual version of Publisher will end in October 2026”.
Reference: MC716267. Retirement 13th October 2026/

🔍 View all M365 updates.

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Many of the above images are from Microsoft.com or the Admin Centre. Thank you to the Microsoft product teams for the information, updates and images they share.