What’s new in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft releases hundreds of updates to Microsoft 365 every year. Most announcements are written for IT admins, buried in the Message Centre, or wrapped in marketing speak. This page is the plain English answer to “what’s new in Microsoft 365?” – the updates that actually matter to the people using these tools every day, refreshed every month.

I’m Mark Thompson, a Microsoft 365 adoption consultant. I read the roadmap, the Message Centre and the blogs so you don’t have to, and I’ve been doing it for years – nearly 1,000 updates covered and counting.

Last updated: November 2026. Once each month’s full roundup is published, this page is refreshed with the previous month’s highlights, so what you see below is always the most recent complete month.

The biggest Microsoft 365 updates from the past month

These are the headline updates from October 2026, hand-picked from the full October roundup, which covers everything announced, released and delayed, app by app.

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot Chat memory: see what shaped your response. When memory shapes a reply, you can now see which custom instructions, saved memories and past chats were used, and jump straight to them. Full update →

Copilot Notebooks is now Copilot Workspaces. A shared place for your team to keep project files and information together and work with Copilot; your existing notebooks become workspaces automatically, so there’s nothing to move. Full update →

Copilot Memory now uses insights from your work. Memory now draws on details it learns from your emails, Teams chats and meeting transcripts for more personalised responses; you can ask what it knows, ask it to forget a detail, or turn work insights off. Full update →

OneDrive

The Create or upload button moves in OneDrive for the web. It moves from the left navigation to the right side of the page, bringing OneDrive into line with SharePoint document libraries. Full update →

Outlook

Customise the classic ribbon in new Outlook. You can now choose which commands and groups appear on the Home and View tabs in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. Full update →

PowerPoint, Word and Excel

Record a skill with Copilot in PowerPoint. Record a PowerPoint task once and save it as a reusable skill for Copilot, so it can repeat those steps for you later. Full update →

Clarify my thinking with Copilot in PowerPoint. A new built-in skill asks you questions to sharpen your ideas before it builds the slide. Full update →

Create interactive slides in PowerPoint with Copilot. Copilot can now create full-slide interactive visuals your audience can click and explore. Full update →

SharePoint

SharePoint Lists get a refreshed look. A refreshed design that makes common actions easier to reach. Full update →

Microsoft Teams

Teams phishing detection flags suspicious external chats. Teams will use AI to read the content of external chats and flag suspicious messages, helping protect against phishing. Full update →

Fine-tune notifications for each Teams channel. Set notifications per channel using three presets, so you control exactly what each channel alerts you about. Full update →

Around Microsoft 365

Planner Agent creates status reports from your plans. Planner Agent can now turn a plan into a status report covering overall progress, risks and next steps. Full update →

Want the lot, including everything delayed, renamed or retired? Read the full October 2026 roundup →

Prefer to watch? The monthly roundup video covers all of this in under 30 minutes.

What’s new in Microsoft 365, month by month

Each month’s full roundup lives in its own post, covering everything announced, released and delayed:

Browse the full archive of Microsoft 365 roundups →

Watch these updates live, every month

I run a free, live, 60-minute webinar every month with The Inform Team, walking through what’s new in Microsoft 365 – and it’s more fun than it sounds. Save your seat →

Frequently asked questions

How often does Microsoft update Microsoft 365?

Constantly – hundreds of features ship every year across Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook and the rest of the suite. Microsoft announces them through the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the Message Centre and various official blogs. This page distils each month’s announcements into the ones that matter for everyday users.

Where does Microsoft announce new Microsoft 365 features?

Mainly the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the admin Message Centre, and Microsoft’s product blogs. The catch: the Message Centre is only visible to IT admins, and much of it is written for them too. That’s the gap this site exists to fill.

What’s the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 365?

Microsoft 365 is the current name for the subscription that includes the Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) plus Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and more. Office 365 was the previous branding, and you’ll still hear both used interchangeably.

How do I know which updates my organisation will get, and when?

Rollout dates vary by licence, release ring and region – a feature can reach one organisation months before another. Each update covered on this site includes the rollout details Microsoft has published, and your IT team can confirm timing for your tenant.