Welcome to our ninth roundup of 2026. We review what was announced, released, and delayed across Microsoft 365 and Copilot in September.
Check out the August 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.
This roundup is part of the monthly series. Bookmark What’s new in Microsoft 365 – it’s refreshed with each month’s highlights.
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:
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Copilot
✅ Context IQ now lets you insert Agents and Skills directly into prompts
Microsoft has added support for inserting Agents and Skills directly into prompts in Context IQ. You can now type @ or / while composing a prompt to quickly reference available Agents and Skills, rather than navigating to a separate tab to find them. Agents and Skills remain discoverable from the Context IQ Agents and Skills tab as before. The change is on by default wherever Agents and Skills are supported and requires no changes to existing workflows. For Context IQ users whose organisation has Agents and Skills available.
Reference: MC1479519. Rolled out now.
🔜 The Copilot desktop app is getting a built-in browser to open links without leaving the app
Microsoft is adding in-app browsing to the Microsoft Copilot desktop app on Windows and Mac, so that when Copilot shares a link in chat, you can open it in a side pane right next to your conversation rather than switching to a separate browser. Multiple links open as separate tabs in the side pane, which you can resize or expand to full screen. You can still open any link in your external browser if you prefer, using the three-dot menu on the link or by right-clicking a tab in the side pane. The feature is available now as an opt-in preview; admins can enable it for selected devices ahead of the broader rollout. For Microsoft Copilot app users on Windows and Mac.
Reference: MC1474455. Available now as an opt-in preview; no general availability date announced yet.
🔜 The new Copilot: Home, Code, Autopilot and interface changes
Microsoft has announced the new Copilot, and it brings more changes to the Copilot app’s interface. A new Home screen brings Chat and Cowork together, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are built right into the app, a new Code tab lets you build simple apps by describing them in plain English, and Autopilot is an always-on agent that works on your behalf (in private preview for now). There are also updates to Copilot Notebooks, Copilot in SharePoint and OneDrive, and Work IQ. Some of this is included with your Copilot licence, and some uses pay-as-you-go Copilot Credits. Due late September to November 2026, in stages. Read more.
🔜 Add Power BI reports as references in Copilot Notebooks
Microsoft is expanding the reference sources available in Copilot Notebooks to include Power BI reports, so Copilot can draw on your organisation’s real business data alongside files when generating summaries, presentations and briefs. If your organisation does not use Power BI, nothing changes. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users with access to Copilot Notebooks and Power BI.
Reference: MC1474458. Due late October to mid-November 2026.
🔜 Writing blocks bring a dedicated editing workspace to Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft is introducing Writing blocks in Microsoft 365 Copilot, giving you a structured workspace to create and iteratively refine longer-form content such as emails, memos, announcements and reports directly within Copilot, without repeatedly generating new responses or leaving the conversation. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
Reference: MC1472030. Due mid to late September 2026.
🔜 Code blocks preview inline in Microsoft 365 Copilot chat
Microsoft is changing how code blocks appear in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Rather than opening in a separate side-by-side canvas, supported content such as code, charts and diagrams will now render inline within the conversation, so you can review and iterate without switching context. Existing Copilot workflows and prompts are unaffected. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
Reference: MC1472029. Due mid to late September 2026.
🔜 Copilot emails will arrive from a new sender address from mid-September 2026
Microsoft is updating the sender address for Microsoft Copilot educational and product enablement emails. Emails will now come from Microsoft Copilot (microsoftcopilotupdates@microsoft.com) rather than the previous Microsoft 365 Copilot address (m365copilotupdates@microsoft.com). The content and purpose of these emails is unchanged. If you have mail rules or safe sender lists that reference the old address, these may need updating by your admin. For all users who receive Microsoft Copilot emails, and admins who manage mail flow rules or allow lists.
Reference: MC1469962. Due mid-September 2026.
🔜 Access existing Copilot Pages from the “/” menu in chat
Microsoft is streamlining how you work with Copilot Pages in chat. Existing Pages can now be referenced directly from the Copilot prompt box using the “/” menu, and you can also find them in the Library tab. As part of this change, the Edit in Pages menu will be focused solely on creating new Pages from your Copilot conversation, aligning the menu with its most common use. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
Reference: MC1466760. Due from late August to early September 2026.
🔜 Copilot Chat may suggest switching to Cowork for complex tasks
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat will now surface contextual recommendations suggesting Cowork when it may be better suited to your task. If a recommendation appears, you can select Try Cowork to open Cowork with your most recent Copilot Chat prompt pre-filled as an editable draft; nothing is submitted automatically and you can review, edit or discard the draft before proceeding. The recommendation does not interrupt or replace the existing Copilot Chat experience. The only way for admins to prevent the recommendation from appearing is to disable Cowork access for individual users or the entire organisation. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users who have access to Cowork.
Reference: MC1465772. Due from early September to October 2026.
🕑 Share your Copilot sessions and responses
You can now share an entire Copilot chat session or a single response with a link, letting colleagues in your organisation view it and pick up the conversation in their own chat, no copying and pasting required. Now due late August to late September 2026. Read more.
🕑 SharePoint site and page analytics: AI citations analytics for documents and pages
Microsoft will add AI citations analytics to SharePoint so you can see how Copilot and other AI agents reference your documents, news posts, and pages. SharePoint will show AI citation rankings in Popular content, add a Total citations card to page analytics, and display a new AI citations metric in file statistics. A dedicated AI citations analytics page under Site Usage will show how many users access your content through AI, total site citations, and your most frequently cited items across Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences. For organisations with 50+ Copilot seats.
References: MC1247902 and 365 Roadmap ID 480725. Now due late August to late September 2026. Screenshots: Site analytics view and Page analytics.
🕑 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, making it easier to view and manage what Copilot remembers.
Reference: MC1158329. Now due from mid-September 2026 to late October 2026.
🔭 Discover & Add Skills from the skill catalogue Microsoft: “With the Skills catalog in Copilot Studio, makers can discover, reuse and selectively share approved organizational skills instead of recreating the same instructions and workflows for every agent. The shared catalog powered by Microsoft 365 App Store enables shared skills to extend across experiences such as Copilot Studio M365 copilot, and Cowork, helping organizations standardize proven ways of working while maintaining centralized governance.” Roadmap ID: 571880. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🚫 CHANGE CANCELLED 8th OCT, IGNORE THIS UPDATE: Copilot is moving out of the Teams chat list
Microsoft is removing the Copilot entry point from the Teams chat list in mid to late October 2026, consolidating access to the dedicated Copilot app in the Teams app bar. While yet another interface shift will inevitably prompt a sigh from users and those supporting them, this one is part of a genuine move toward a more coherent Copilot experience across Microsoft 365 – a direction that, on balance, feels positive. Before the entry point disappears, a small on-screen prompt will point users toward the Copilot app. No conversations, prompts, or chat history will be removed; the Copilot app provides the full set of capabilities the chat list entry point never did. If the Copilot app has been unpinned, users will find it in the app overflow menu. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on Teams desktop and web; mobile is unaffected.
Reference: MC1477999. Due mid to late October 2026.
🚫 Researcher in Copilot is losing several dedicated controls and tabs
Microsoft is updating Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot to use shared Copilot platform components, which means several Researcher-specific features will be retired. The Report Length Control, Saved Prompts tab, History tab, Reports tab, and Explore tab will all be removed; their functions move to shared Copilot experiences such as Copilot conversation history and Task Hub. Researcher’s core research and report-generation capabilities remain available. No admin action is required. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users who use Researcher.
Reference: MC1476269. Due for retirement late October 2026 to late December 2026.
🚫 Surveys agent retiring; Copilot survey features move to Microsoft Forms
Microsoft is retiring the Surveys agent and removing it from the Agent Store on 31st August 2026. Copilot-powered survey creation moves into Microsoft Forms, where it will be available via the dynamic action button without any additional licensing. When you try to access the Surveys agent you will be redirected to Forms, your existing forms remain accessible there, and your past Surveys agent conversation history in Microsoft 365 Copilot is preserved. For anyone currently using the Surveys agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Reference: MC1421920. Microsoft removed the Surveys agent from the Agent Store for new users on 31st August 2026, and existing users who previously acquired it are expected to lose access by the end of December 2026.
🔍 View all Copilot updates.
OneDrive
🔜 Ask Copilot about PDF content in OneDrive on iOS
Microsoft is bringing the Copilot context menu to PDFs in OneDrive on iOS. Select any text in a PDF, tap Ask Copilot in the context menu, and Copilot opens with that text as context so you can ask it to explain a dense passage, summarise a section, translate it, or answer a custom question, all without switching apps. This experience is already available on desktop and is now coming to OneDrive iOS. Requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on OneDrive for iOS.
Reference: MC1470417. Due late September to late October 2026.
🕑 Clearer sync error messages when file paths are too long in OneDrive on Windows
If a file or folder path in OneDrive exceeds the 520-character sync limit, the current error message tells you the path is too long but leaves you to figure out the fix. Microsoft is improving this with a guided rename and move experience that shows exactly how many characters you are over the limit (see screenshot) and walks you through resolving it, even when the path exceeds the 260-character threshold that normally prevents renaming in File Explorer. The sync client will also continue running rather than stopping while the error is unresolved. For OneDrive for Business users on the Windows desktop sync client.
References: MC1422063 and roadmap ID 557563. Now due early to late October 2026. Read more about how to fix paths that are too long to sync in OneDrive | Microsoft Support.
🔭 Prompt gallery for Copilot
Microsoft: “Discover easier ways to use Copilot in OneDrive The new Prompt Gallery offers ready-to-use prompts for common file tasks, helping you get started quickly, discover what Copilot can do, and customize prompts to fit your needs. Access the Prompt Gallery from: The Copilot button in the bottom-right corner of OneDrive The + button in the Copilot chat pane Select Open Prompt Gallery to explore prompts across categories such as Create, Analyze, Find, and Collaborate.”
Roadmap ID: 571308. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Updated placement of the Create or upload button for Web
Microsoft: “OneDrive for the web is updating the placement of the Create or upload button to provide a more consistent file experience across OneDrive and SharePoint. The button will move from the left navigation pane to the right side of the page, bringing familiar navigation from SharePoint document libraries to OneDrive. The available options for creating files and folders or uploading content will remain unchanged.”
Roadmap ID: 572683. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Sync support for up to 1 million items on macOS
Microsoft: “OneDrive Sync supports syncing up to 1 million items on macOS devices, helping teams manage large document libraries and shared content at scale without compromising access across devices. This preview requires the Insiders ring and that devices meet minimum hardware and configuration requirements. Devices that don’t meet these requirements continue to sync at the existing 300,000-item supported limit with no disruption.”
Roadmap ID: 570448. Platform(s): Mac. Due June 2027.
🔍 View all OneDrive updates.
Outlook
🔜 New Outlook is getting a symbol inserter on the Insert tab
Microsoft is adding the ability to insert symbols into email messages in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. When composing a message, go to the Insert tab and select “Symbols” to browse and add special characters. No admin action is required.
Reference: MC1479513. Due late November to late December 2026.
🔜 New Outlook can automatically check spelling before you send an email
Microsoft is adding an option to new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web that automatically runs a spell check every time you send an email, so you no longer need to remember to do it manually. No admin action is required. For new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web users.
Reference: MC1479509. Due mid-November to early December 2026.
🔜 Minimise email drafts and return to them later in Outlook for iPad
Microsoft is adding the ability to minimise an in-progress email draft in Outlook for iPad so you can switch to something else and come back to it without losing your work. In Windowed Apps mode you can compose in a separate window and minimise it using the iPadOS system control; in Full Screen Apps mode you can minimise the draft to the background and restore it via the Hidden Windows banner or Show All Windows. Minimising a draft does not change how drafts are saved in your Drafts folder. For Outlook users on iPad.
Reference: MC1470883. Due mid-September to mid-October 2026.
🕑 Copilot in Outlook gets a refreshed, chat-centred design
Copilot in Outlook is getting a refreshed, chat-centred design that aligns with the updated Copilot app, bringing simplified navigation, an improved chat layout, better agent discovery, and new Work IQ controls. Now due October 2026. Read more.
🕑 Pop out Copilot Chat into a floating window in Outlook for Mac and iPad
Microsoft is adding a pop-out button to Copilot Chat in Outlook for Mac and iPad, letting you open the chat in a separate floating window while keeping Outlook visible behind it. On Mac you can drag and resize the window within the Outlook application; on iPad you can reposition it horizontally and resize it vertically. A Return button moves it back into the main Outlook window and a Close button dismisses it. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on Outlook for Mac and iPad.
Reference: MC1454996. Due late August to mid-October 2026.
🕑 User-initiated Copilot insights in classic Outlook for Windows
You can now highlight text in an email and prompt Copilot for contextual insights in classic Outlook for Windows. This gives you more control over when and how Copilot assists you, right inside your workflow. Now due early to late October 2026. Read more.
🕑 A new Copilot entry point in classic Outlook for Windows
Microsoft is updating the Copilot entry point in classic Outlook, moving it next to the Outlook ribbon (image) as a more prominent and consistent entry point that surfaces contextual AI-powered recommendations based on what you are doing. Whether you are reading an email, composing a message or managing your calendar, Copilot will suggest relevant actions such as summarising content, drafting responses or organising information, all accessible with a single click. The existing Copilot side pane remains available alongside it. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on classic Outlook for Windows.
References: MC1441784 and roadmap ID 567007. Now due mid-October to early November 2026.
🕑 Share Word, Excel and PowerPoint local files via the new Outlook for Windows
Microsoft will soon add support for sending locally stored Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files as email attachments in new Outlook for Windows, as part of their ongoing efforts to achieve feature parity between classic Outlook for Windows and the new Outlook.
References: MC1245222 and 365 Roadmap ID 557675. Now due mid-January to mid-February 2027.
🔭 Duplicate events in Outlook mobile apps
Microsoft: “We are adding the ability to duplicate an event. Simply go to the event details and select “duplicate event””
Roadmap ID: 570666. Platform(s): Android, iOS. Due October 2026.
🔭 Multi Account Search
Microsoft: “Users will be able to see results from multiple mailboxes interweaved in a single ranked list and will be able to do standard mail actions.”
Roadmap ID: 570441.Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Send availability in Outlook mobile apps
Microsoft: “We are bringing back send availability on both iOS and Android. iOS users will now also be able to access more of this feature via keyboard and voiceover.”
Roadmap ID: 570665. Platform(s): Android, iOS. Due October 2026.
🔭 Customise the classic ribbon
Microsoft: “You can now customize the classic ribbon by right-clicking the ribbon and choosing which commands and groups appear on the Home and View tabs.”
Roadmap ID: 570664. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Inline chat for email drafting
Microsoft: “Instead of opening Copilot Chat every time you want to use Copilot to draft a message, this change introduces an inline chat component that streamlines the process and lets you interact with Copilot without opening the sidebar.”
Roadmap ID: 570440. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🚫 New Outlook no longer generates link preview cards
Microsoft has retired the link preview feature in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. When you insert or paste a web link into an email, Outlook will no longer generate a preview card showing a thumbnail and summary of the linked page. Links continue to work as normal clickable hyperlinks.
Reference: MC1479516. Rolled out now.
🔍 View all Outlook updates.
PowerPoint, Word and Excel
✅ New Brand Kit settings give Copilot stricter control over presentation design in PowerPoint
Microsoft has added two new Brand Kit template settings for Copilot in PowerPoint. Strict Mode prevents Copilot from creating new layouts or modifying placeholders, limiting it to only the approved template and slide master layouts. Notes Steering lets Brand Managers embed instructions directly into template speaker notes to guide how Copilot generates content, for example always including a specific slide, maintaining slide order, or tailoring content for a particular audience. The two settings can be used independently or together. These are admin and Brand Manager settings, but the result is more consistent, on-brand presentations with less manual editing needed afterwards. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users in organisations using branded PowerPoint templates.
Reference: MC1470415. Rolled out.
🔜 Brand managers can add custom skills to Copilot in PowerPoint
Brand managers can now upload custom presentation skills to Brand Kit and share them across the organisation for use with Copilot in PowerPoint. This is one for brand managers to set up, but once it’s in place, it’s everyone using Copilot in PowerPoint who benefits from consistent, organisation-approved guidance built into their presentations. Due mid to late September 2026. Read more.
🔜 Prompt Copilot directly from the button in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
A new prompt input attached to the Copilot button lets you type or dictate a request without opening the Copilot pane, and selecting content in Word or PowerPoint now brings up contextual suggestions like Rewrite and Shorten. Due September to December 2026. Read more.
🔜 Use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate slides in PowerPoint Live
Microsoft has added Up Arrow and Down Arrow key support for slide navigation in PowerPoint Live, giving presenters two more familiar keyboard options alongside the existing navigation methods. For Teams users who present with PowerPoint Live.
Reference: MC1465777. Due from mid-August to early September 2026.
🕑 Copilot document summarisation in Word is moving
The Top of Doc summarisation experience in Word is moving to other Copilot surfaces. The capability itself isn’t being removed, only where you access it is changing. Now due from early September 2026. Read more.
🔭 Async Notifications for Copilot in PowerPoint
Microsoft: “Enable users to leave PowerPoint, switch devices, go offline, or end their workday while remaining confident that Copilot will notify them when work is complete or requires attention.”
Roadmap ID: 570436, 570437, 570438. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac, Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Legal plugins in Copilot Microsoft: “Legal plugins in Copilot provide purpose-built skills to help legal professionals summarize, draft, review, and redline legal documents. Available in Word and Cowork, these plugins can use work context from Microsoft 365 and connect to supported third-party legal sources.” Roadmap ID: 571884. Platform(s): Desktop. Due October 2026.
🔭 Excel canvas Microsoft: “A Copilot-generated canvas that turns workbook data into a polished, interactive view of key visualizations, metrics, and insights. As workbook data changes, it automatically updates to reflect the latest information. Users can modify the canvas by chatting with Copilot.” Roadmap ID: 569424. Platform(s): Desktop, Web. Due September 2026.
🔭 Copilot Chat can now better match search results from text that appears inside images embedded in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file
Microsoft: “Copilot Chat can now better match search results from text that appears inside images embedded in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files is user’s working files — such as scanned contracts in Word, screenshots of tables in Excel, or whiteboard photos in PowerPoint — content that was previously difficult to search and find.”
Roadmap ID: 570469. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🚫 PowerPoint’s Brand pane has been temporarily removed
Microsoft has pulled the Brand pane from PowerPoint while it makes improvements based on customer feedback. The Brand pane was a dedicated area for discovering and using assets from Brand Kits, including colours, logos, images, icons, and fonts. It is no longer visible in PowerPoint for Windows, Mac, or the web. Existing Brand Kits have not been deleted or changed, and Microsoft will announce when the Brand pane returns in a future release.
Reference: MC1483886. Removed now; return date to be confirmed.
🚫 PowerPoint Brand Kits no longer include Brand Guidelines and Style sections
Microsoft has removed the Brand Guidelines and Style sections from the Brand Kit creation experience in PowerPoint. These components were not being used by Copilot, so Microsoft has simplified the setup by removing them from new Brand Kits. Existing Brand Kits that already include Brand Guidelines or Style are unaffected, and that content remains accessible. For users who create or manage Brand Kits in PowerPoint.
Reference: MC1483859. Rolled out late September 2026
🚫 Word for the web is removing the “@” entity insertion menu from the document canvas
Microsoft is retiring the “@” entity insertion experience in Word for the web, which currently lets you type “@” in the document canvas to search for and insert entities. No replacement is being introduced; this simply brings Word for the web in line with Word desktop, Excel, and PowerPoint, where this entry point was already removed. @mentions in comments are not affected and continue to work as normal. No admin action is available to delay or prevent this change.
Reference: MC1478006. Due for retirement late October 2026.
🚫 Loading Power Query data into Python in Excel for the web is being retired
From 16th October 2026, you will no longer be able to use Power Query as a data source for Python in Excel when working in Excel for the web. Workflows that combine Power Query and Python in Excel on the web will stop working as expected after that date. This does not affect Excel for Windows desktop, where you can continue to use Power Query and Python in Excel together as normal. For users who rely on Power Query as a data source for Python in Excel on the web.
Reference: MC1473149. Due for retirement 16th October 2026.
🚫 Similarity Checker in Microsoft Word is being retired
Microsoft is removing Similarity Checker from the Editor experience in Microsoft Word on 3rd October 2026. All other Editor capabilities, including spelling, grammar, clarity and style suggestions, continue as normal, and Copilot features in Word are unaffected. In this post, Microsoft also points out that Copilot is not intended as a replacement for formal similarity or plagiarism checking. For Word users who currently use Similarity Checker.
Reference: MC1466753. Due for retirement 3rd October 2026.
🔍 View all PowerPoint, Word or Excel updates.
SharePoint
✅ Copilot in SharePoint: select what you want to edit
When you edit a SharePoint page with Copilot, you can now select a section or web part first, so Copilot knows exactly which part of the page to change. If you don’t select anything, Copilot works as before. You need a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Available now. Read more.
🔜 SharePoint is getting support for HTML pages
Microsoft is adding HTML page support to SharePoint, giving authors a new way to create and publish web content alongside existing SharePoint pages. You will be able to create an HTML page from scratch with Copilot in SharePoint, describing what you want and attaching relevant files for context, and Copilot will generate a draft ready for you to edit and publish. You can also upload an existing .html file directly. Before any of this is available, a site owner must turn on the Allow HTML files setting in the Site Pages library. A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is required to create pages with Copilot, but not to upload, edit, or publish HTML directly. HTML pages are stored in the Site Pages library like any other SharePoint page and follow the same permissions model; publishing does not grant new access. As part of this update, the site-scoped Agent creation entry point will be removed from the New menu on site pages, though new agents can still be created from document library and list menus. For SharePoint authors and Copilot in SharePoint users.
References: MC1479517 and roadmap ID 569208. Due mid-November to late December 2026. Read more Create, upload, edit, and publish HTML pages in SharePoint.
🔜 SharePoint FAQ web part AI features move to Copilot
The AI features for creating FAQs in SharePoint are moving out of the FAQ web part and into Copilot in SharePoint. You’ll still be able to create and edit FAQs manually in the web part, and your existing FAQs stay as they are. Due late October to early November 2026. Read more.
🔜 The SharePoint mobile app is getting a redesigned home experience
Microsoft is rolling out a redesigned SharePoint mobile app for iOS and Android, built around a personalised Discover home screen that brings together the files, sites, news, and people most relevant to you. The update adds in-app file previews for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, image, and video files; improved site and hub navigation; refreshed search and news reading (including a filter for unread posts); dark mode; and better performance. The “Following” option has been renamed to “Favourites”, and news posts are saved by adding them to Favourites. iOS rolls out first, followed by Android. The update arrives when you update the app.
Reference: MC1480870. Due mid-October 2026.
🕑 New SharePoint web part: Create charts on pages with AI
SharePoint will soon have a new web part for AI-assisted chart creation. Now due mid-June to late September 2026. Read more.
🕑 Create and edit SharePoint pages with Copilot
SharePoint page editors with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license will soon be able to create and edit whole pages using an AI-powered authoring panel. Rollout has resumed and is due to complete by late September 2026. Read more.
🕑 eSignature for Microsoft 365 – Recipient groups
Microsoft will soon introduce recipient groups for eSignature in Microsoft 365, allowing you to assign a single recipient slot to multiple people so that the first person to sign will fulfil the signing requirement, reducing delays when a specific signer is unavailable and ensuring workflows are less likely to stall due to individual signer availability.
References: MC1290821 and 365 Roadmap ID 560822. Now due early to mid-December 2026.
🕑 Create structured documents using Microsoft Forms and SharePoint
Microsoft is introducing a new way to create structured documents using Microsoft Forms and SharePoint. Now due October 2026. Read more.
🔭 Site Skills in Copilot in SharePoint
Microsoft: “The feature introduces enhanced Site Skills management capabilities, including skill editing, version control, publishing, restoration, and cross-site duplication, enabling organizations to govern and reuse skills more effectively across SharePoint sites.”
Roadmap ID: 570155. Platform(s): Web. Due September 2026.
🚫 SharePoint Page Agent is being retired, but most users never had access to it
The SharePoint Page Agent was an early-access Frontier feature that let you turn content from Copilot conversations into draft SharePoint pages and news posts. As it was only available to organisations in the Frontier programme, most users will not have encountered it. Microsoft is now retiring it and pointing SharePoint authors towards Copilot in SharePoint, where page and news creation capabilities are built directly into the SharePoint authoring experience. Existing pages created through the Page Agent remain in place and are unaffected.
Reference: MC1481325. Due for retirement mid-October to mid-November 2026.
🚫 Classic SharePoint publishing sites and custom scripting are being retired
Microsoft is phasing out classic publishing sites, classic user-created pages and custom scripting in SharePoint Online in two stages. From 1st March 2027, classic publishing site creation and publishing feature activation will be disabled for all existing tenants, and new tenants created from that date onwards will not be able to create new classic pages or add custom scripts by default. Then from 1st October 2028, all existing classic user-created pages (including wiki pages, web part pages, blog pages, publishing pages and custom ASPX pages) will become read-only. Existing page content is not deleted and remains viewable throughout. If your organisation uses classic SharePoint publishing sites or custom scripting, now is the time to start planning a move to modern SharePoint experiences. For SharePoint Online admins and site owners who use classic publishing features or custom scripting.
Reference: MC1464926. Classic publishing site creation disabled from 1st March 2027; classic pages read-only from 1st October 2028. Read more: Deprecation of Classic SharePoint Pages – SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn.
🔍 View all SharePoint updates.
Teams
✅ Teams Webinar breakout rooms now support up to 1,000 participants and 100 rooms
Microsoft has expanded breakout room support in Teams Webinars to handle up to 1,000 participants across up to 100 rooms, making it practical for large-scale training, onboarding, workshops, and collaborative learning sessions. Organisers can now confidently divide larger webinar audiences into smaller groups for focused discussions without hitting previous limits. No admin action is required.
Reference: MC1478949. Rolled out now.
🔜 Pin and organise resources in Teams chats and channels
Teams is getting one place to pin and organise the important resources in your chats and channels. You’ll be able to pin the resources and messages you use most below the chat or channel header and group them into folders, and tabs move onto their own line, so they’re easier to read and get to. The In this chat and In this channel panes are being removed. Due early to mid-October 2026. Read more.
🔜 Pause Teams notifications for a set time
You’ll soon be able to pause all your Teams notifications for a set amount of time from your profile menu. It’s essentially a slightly quicker way of setting your status to Do not disturb for a set time, and notifications switch back on automatically when the time is up. Due early to late October 2026. Read more.
🔜 Teams Panels can now hide meeting organiser names in calendar view
Microsoft is adding a new admin setting to Teams Panels that controls whether the organiser’s name is shown in the calendar view displayed on panel devices outside meeting rooms. By default, organiser names continue to appear as before. You can’t change this yourself, but your organisation’s Teams admin can toggle the “Show organizer name” setting on or off from the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal. Available with Teams Rooms Pro and Teams Shared Spaces licences.
References: MC1484010 and roadmap ID 569423. Due early October 2026. Related: Release notes for devices in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.
🔜 Teams will enable file attachments in external chats by default
Microsoft is enabling the attach file (paperclip) and drag-and-drop experiences in external (federated) Teams chats by default, making it easier to share files when collaborating with people outside your organisation. Teams will automatically assign the necessary permissions to external chat participants when you upload a file, though you can review, modify, or remove access before sending. Files shared this way are stored in your OneDrive and marked with an External label; existing OneDrive, SharePoint, sensitivity labels, and domain restrictions continue to apply. Admins can disable the attachment experience or automatic permission assignment via PowerShell. If your organisation previously disabled this setting, note that this update will re-enable it and admin action will be needed to keep it off.
Reference: MC1479514. Due late October to late November 2026. Read more Share files in external chats.
🔜 Teams Video recap is expanding to 23 languages
Microsoft is adding multilingual support to Video recap in Teams, which uses AI to create a short narrated highlight video from a recorded and transcribed meeting. The feature is expanding from English to 23 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Dutch, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, and more, with regional variants for several of these. To generate a Video recap, the meeting must be between 10 and 90 minutes long, recorded and transcribed with cloud recording enabled, and meet standard Copilot eligibility requirements. After the meeting, open the meeting chat, select “Recap”, then “Video recap”. No separate file is created; the recap is stored alongside the original Teams recording in SharePoint or OneDrive. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
Reference: MC1479506. Due from late September 2026.
🔜 Turn Teams messages into personal reminders
You can now turn any chat or channel message in Teams into a personal reminder, with a dedicated view for upcoming, active, and completed items, so follow-ups don’t slip through the cracks. Due early to late October 2026. Read more.
🔜 QR codes from external senders get blurred by default in Teams
QR codes shared by external users in Teams messages will now be blurred by default, helping reduce phishing and fraud risk. You can still reveal the image if you trust the sender. Due early to mid-October 2026. Read more.
🔜 A redesigned header and dashboard for Teams on mobile
Chats and channels in Teams for mobile are getting a redesigned header and a new lightweight dashboard, bringing channel details, people, and pinned content into one place, and making navigation more consistent with desktop. Due late September to early October 2026. Read more.
🔜 Collect information with list-based forms in Teams Workflows
Microsoft is adding a new “A form is submitted” trigger to Teams Workflows, letting you build forms backed by SharePoint lists and automate actions when someone submits a response. Individual form answers become workflow variables, so you can post selected responses to a Teams channel as a message with the remaining answers as threaded replies. The backing SharePoint list can be pinned as a tab in a Teams channel for visibility, tracking and data export, and comes with the governance, compliance and export capabilities you’d expect from SharePoint.
References: MC1466757 and roadmap ID 568932. Due late September to late October 2026.
🔜 Teams lobby visibility now matches the “Who can admit from lobby” setting
Microsoft is closing a gap in the Teams meeting lobby experience: at present, the Who can admit from lobby setting controls who can let people in, but everyone in the meeting can still see who is waiting. From mid-September 2026, lobby visibility will align with lobby management permissions, so only participants who are permitted to admit attendees will be able to see who is in the lobby. For example, if the setting is Organisers and co-organisers only, presenters and attendees will no longer see the lobby at all. For Teams meeting organisers, co-organisers, presenters and attendees on desktop and mobile.
Reference: MC1466751. Due early September to early October 2026.
🕑 Copilot in Teams gets a refreshed, chat-centred design
Copilot in Microsoft Teams is getting a refreshed, chat-centred design that aligns with the updated Copilot app, bringing simplified navigation, an improved chat layout, better agent discovery, and new Work IQ controls. Now due October 2026. Read more.
🕑 Facilitator can now join Teams channel meetings
Microsoft is expanding Facilitator support to Teams channel meetings, having previously been limited to other meeting types. You will be able to add Facilitator to a channel meeting, where it can take notes, manage the agenda, answer questions and manage tasks. For Teams users with a Facilitator licence in organisations where Facilitator is enabled, across desktop, web, iOS, Android and Mac.
References: MC1461165 and roadmap ID 568936. Now due mid-November to early December 2026.
🕑 Live captions get a right-side panel in Teams
Live captions in Microsoft Teams are getting a new right-side panel layout, alongside the existing top, bottom, and pop-out options, plus a single consolidated settings menu for spoken language, translation, display style, and more. Now due mid-September to late October 2026. Read more.
🕑 Teams meeting organisers can now assign who controls production tools
Microsoft is adding a new meeting option to Teams meetings with presenters and webinars that lets organisers designate specific people to manage production tools during an event. The new “Who has control of production tools” setting gives designated users access to “Manage what attendees see” and Green Room controls, so production responsibilities can be separated from presenter responsibilities. The option will be enabled by default for eligible meetings and webinars, with no admin action required. For Teams meeting and webinar organisers on desktop and web.
References: MC1443520 and roadmap ID 567305. Now due from late August to late October 2026.
🕑 Unblock users to send messages while a file is uploading in the background
Microsoft will update Microsoft Teams so you will be able to send chat messages while files are uploading, as uploads will occur asynchronously in the background, and the message input box will no longer be blocked. There will be no changes to how files are stored or shared, and existing compliance, retention and security policies will remain unchanged.
References: MC1317836 and Roadmap ID 560813. Now due mid-August to late October 2026.
🕑 New Muted and Meeting chat sections in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is adding two new system chat sections: Muted chats and Meeting chats, to help you organise your chat and channels list by grouping those conversations into dedicated sections you can turn on or off. Now due mid-October to mid-November 2026. Read more.
🕑 Meeting recaps in Teams now appear in your chosen language
Microsoft is personalising Teams meeting recaps so that after a meeting ends, your recap is displayed in the translation or interpretation language you selected during the meeting, whether via translated captions or Teams Interpreter. You can also switch to a different supported language after the recap is generated. Different participants in the same meeting may see the recap in different languages based on their own choices, and changing the language affects only your view; the original transcript, recording and source content are unchanged. For Teams users who use translated captions or Teams Interpreter during meetings, across desktop, web, iOS and Android.
References: MC1446799 and roadmap ID 567458. Now due mid-August to early October 2026. Read more about intelligent recap for Teams calls, meetings, and events – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn.
🕑 External presenters can now manage Teams event production controls
Microsoft is letting event organisers grant production control permissions to federated (B2B) users and guest users in Teams events, so trusted external presenters, agencies or event management partners can manage what attendees see without needing internal staff to handle production. Access is granted explicitly through the Who has control of production tools setting; existing events and configurations are not affected automatically. For Teams event organisers who work with external presenters or production partners.
References: MC1443517 and roadmap ID 567298. Now due from early August to early October 2026.
🕑 Add multiple steps when building a workflow from scratch in Teams
This one looks really useful, though from the description it is not entirely clear how the updated experience will look in practice. Hopefully it will be obvious when it arrives. Microsoft is updating Workflows for Teams so you can add multiple actions within a single workflow, rather than creating separate workflows for each individual task. You will be able to design automated processes that perform several actions in sequence after a single trigger, covering scenarios such as collecting information, sending notifications, updating systems and routing requests, all within one workflow. The step-based design experience is intended to be straightforward enough to use without advanced technical knowledge. For all Workflows for Teams users.
Reference: MC1461153. Now due early September to early October 2026.
🕑 Drag and resize the presenter panel in Teams events
Microsoft is giving event organisers and producers more control over the Manage what attendees see experience in Teams events: you can now drag and resize the presenter panel to show more presenters at once. This makes it easier to monitor who is available, manage transitions between presenters, and run large events without having to page through a long list. For Teams event organisers and producers.
References: MC1443518 and roadmap ID 567467. Now due late August to late September 2026.
🕑 Distinguish invites among Attendee, Presenter, and Co-organiser emails
Microsoft: “Microsoft Teams Events invite emails will be separated based on the role of the participant. Event organizers will get an email explaining the specific roles of participants in the event. Similarly, each presenter will get a separate calendar invite, allowing the organizers of town halls to maintain separate invites for attendees”.
References: MC1009930 and 365 Roadmap ID 476488. Now due mid-November to mid-December 2026.
🕑 Microsoft Teams Webinar and Townhall co-organisers can make more changes
Co-organisers in Teams Webinars and Townhalls can now fully manage events, including editing details, publishing, and cancelling. Now due mid-June 2026 to early October 2026. Read more.
🕑 Upload custom backgrounds for Teams town halls.
Microsoft is introducing the ability to upload custom background images in the Manage what attendees see experience for Teams town halls, so as an organiser or presenter, you will be able to replace the default backgrounds with branded visuals such as company logos or event-specific designs, keeping presenters and shared content consistently on brand for attendees.
References: MC1307982 and roadmap ID 561493. Now due early June to mid-September 2026. Read more: Manage what attendees see in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support.
🕑 Identify external bots joining your Teams meetings.
AI-powered meeting bots, such as transcription and summarisation services, can be useful, but some join without the organiser’s or tenant’s knowledge, creating security, privacy and compliance risks. Microsoft is introducing a capability in Teams to detect external meeting bots as they attempt to join your meetings. Detected bots are clearly labelled in the meeting lobby, and as organiser you can approve or deny them (see screenshot), see which participants are bots, and remove them mid-meeting. Some may still go undetected, so you can report those to help improve detection, and your admins get controls to manage how detected bots are handled across the organisation. For Teams meeting organisers.
References: MC1251206 and roadmap ID 558107. Now due early June to late October 2026.
🕑 Express voice enrolment in Microsoft Teams
Express voice enrolment in Teams will register your voice profile. A voice profile enables features such as voice isolation, speaker recognition, identification in meeting rooms, improved transcripts, and enhanced meeting recaps and insights powered by M365 Copilot. If you haven’t enrolled yet, you’ll receive a prompt to opt in and enrol by speaking during a meeting. On by default, but can be disabled by your organisation.
References: MC1197146 and Roadmap ID 537269. Now due late June to mid-September 2026.
🕑 Private chat for organisers and presenters in structured meetings, webinars, and town halls
Microsoft will add a private chat for organisers, co-organisers, and presenters in structured meetings and webinars, letting you communicate privately before, during, and after events. Backroom chat behaviour in town halls will also be standardised to remove inconsistencies caused by streaming chat settings and Teams Premium licences.
References: MC1188222 and Roadmap ID 392328. Now due late October to late November 2026.
🔭 Add alternate text to images shared from OneDrive and SharePoint Microsoft: “Improve accessibility by adding alternate text to images shared in Teams from OneDrive and SharePoint, helping users better understand visual content” Roadmap ID: 571687. Platform(s): Desktop. Due November 2026.
🔭 Ask Copilot from Search on Mobile Microsoft: “Get answers without leaving search. As you type in the Teams search bar, you’ll see an option to ask Copilot alongside search results. You can also select Ask Copilot from the search results page to turn your query into a Copilot conversation, helping you quickly find information, get answers, and ask follow-up questions in context.” Roadmap ID: 571299. Platform(s): Android, iOS. Due November 2026.
🔭 Express face enrollment Microsoft: “Express face enrollment makes it easier for users to create a face profile in Teams by using their camera during eligible meetings, after they opt in. Once enrolled, users can be recognized in supported Teams Rooms experiences, helping identify who is in the room and improving downstream meeting experiences such as Copilot and recap. Admins can enable or disable the feature for their organization.” Roadmap ID: 570846. Platform(s): Android, Desktop, iOS, Mac. Due November 2026.
🔭 Intelligent call delegation Microsoft: “Incoming Teams calls don’t wait for a break in your day. Intelligent call delegation provides AI-powered calling assistance so you can focus on the conversations that matter most. It answers calls and gathers context, helping you decide whether to pick up and engage the caller. It can also schedule follow-up appointments through an integration with Microsoft Bookings so you can reconnect with callers at a more convenient time.” Roadmap ID: 565216. Platform(s): Desktop. Due November 2026.
🔭 Meeting Shared Files Microsoft: “The new Meeting Shared Files feature allows users to add relevant files and links to their meeting for easy access and to automatically share that content with all meeting participants. AI in the meeting, like the Facilitator agent, uses these files for targeted grounding to answer questions and enhance skill functionality.” Roadmap ID: 570427. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac, Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Pop out sign language interpreter meeting video for continuous visibility Microsoft: “Keep communication more accessible throughout your meeting. You can now pop out a sign language interpreter or any participant’s video into a separate, resizable window that stays visible across monitors and apps. Designed to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing users, the sign language interpreter’s popout video will persist while viewers are multitasking, sharing content, or changing meeting layouts.” Roadmap ID: 571387. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac. Due December 2026.
🔭 Report suspicious guest invitations Microsoft: “Microsoft Teams will enable users to report suspicious guest invitations directly from Teams. When users receive an unexpected or potentially malicious guest invitation, they can report it to their IT admin for review, helping identify and mitigate phishing and other abuse through guest invitations.” Roadmap ID: 571297. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac, Web. Due November 2026.
🔭 Schedule Channel Meetings from Outlook Calendar Microsoft: “Users will be able to schedule Microsoft Teams channel meetings directly from Outlook Calendar. This streamlines meeting creation and helps keep discussions and meeting content connected in the appropriate channel.” Roadmap ID: 571388. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac. Due November 2026.
🔭 Schedule Teams Channel Meeting from Win32 Microsoft: “Users can now schedule Teams Channel Meetings from Win32 (Outlook classic client)” Roadmap ID: 571389. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac. Due November 2026.
🔭 Two presenters can share their screens or windows simultaneously in meetings Microsoft: “Two presenters can share a screen or window at the same time in a Teams meeting. Participants can see both shared content streams simultaneously, making it easier to compare and discuss content from different presenters.” Roadmap ID: 80239. Platform(s): Desktop, Web. Due November 2026.
🔭 Teams Channel Backup
Microsoft: “A backup and recovery feature that lets you recover team & channel data (like files, messages exchanged over channels) in Microsoft Teams to a previously known good state after accidental changes or security compromises. Supported items include Team, Channels (Standard, Private, Public) and underlying data. Retention period supported is 30 days.”
Roadmap ID: 570668. Platform(s): Web. Due December 2026.
🔭 Multi-line call history tabs in the Calls app
Microsoft: “Multi-line users get a redesigned call history experience that organizes activity by phone line. Call activity is organized into dedicated tabs for each line, so history, voicemails, and recordings appear under the line they belong to, making navigation and call management simpler and more intuitive.”
Roadmap ID: 570962. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac, Web. Due October 2025.
🔭 Upgraded call history in Teams Calls app
Microsoft: “Call history in the Teams Calls app is being upgraded to make it easier to find and act on past call activity. Missed calls and associated voicemails will be consolidated into a single call history entry, reducing clutter and simplifying follow-up. Call history will also expand from 100 records to up to 3,000 records or 6 months of history, whichever limit is reached first, giving users more context when they need it.”
Roadmap ID: 570843. Platform(s): Desktop, Mac, Web. Due October 2026.
🔍 View all Teams updates.
Viva
✅ Viva Insights customised Power BI reports stay pinned to their original version
Microsoft has updated how customised Viva Insights Power BI reports behave when major out-of-the-box report updates are released. Customised reports now stay associated with the version they were created from and will not automatically migrate to newer versions, protecting your customisations from breaking unexpectedly. Your existing customised reports remain accessible, but older versions may eventually stop receiving refreshed data. When you need the latest data and features, you will need to create a new customised copy from the current report version. No admin action is required. For Viva Insights analysts and report consumers using customised Power BI reports.
Reference: MC1476322. Rolled out now. Read more Customise out-of-the-box reports.
🔜 More control over the Viva Engage left navigation pane
Microsoft has updated the Viva Engage left navigation with several improvements. You can now collapse, restore and resize the navigation pane, favourite an unlimited number of communities (up from the previous limit of 10), and reorder communities in your Favourites section. Preferences persist across browsers and devices. No admin action needed and nothing changes unless you choose to use these controls. For all Viva Engage users on the web, in Teams and in Outlook.
Reference: MC1470424. Rolling out now; completion due by late October.
🔜 Cross-post SharePoint News to Viva Engage communities and storylines
Microsoft is letting SharePoint news authors distribute news posts directly to a Viva Engage community or storyline, so content reaches people where they already connect without needing to recreate it. The news post renders in full fidelity across Engage feeds, digests, Outlook, Teams, desktop and mobile, and the SharePoint comments module is replaced by the Engage conversation module, meaning comments, replies and reactions are synchronised as a single discussion thread across all surfaces. For SharePoint news authors and communicators, across desktop, web, iOS, Android and Mac.
References: MC1466762 and roadmap ID 568074. Due late September to late October 2026. Read more about SharePoint News and Viva Engage cross-posting | Microsoft Community Hub.
🔭 Ability for leaders to publish Power BI reports
Microsoft: “Microsoft Viva Insights is extending its report publishing capabilities from analysts to leader personas such as Chief Officers, Managers and their delegates. This enhancement enables leaders to directly distribute curated reports within their organizations through a lightweight publishing experience, complementing the existing report customization features.”
Roadmap ID: 570446. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Copilot Analytics – Agent value insights in Agent 365 Dashboard
Microsoft: “Customers can now view value insights in the Agent 365 Dashboard in Microsoft Viva Insights (Copilot Analytics). These insights help business leaders and change and adoption specialists understand not only whether agents are being used, but also the estimated assisted hours agents provide and the types of work contributing to that value. This update builds on the existing Agent 365 Dashboard adoption experience by connecting agent activity with a clearer view of the work agents support across the organization.”
Roadmap ID: 570847. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Viva Glint – New Survey Owner role provides access to survey results
Microsoft: “When a new program is being set up in Glint, there is now an option to designate Survey Owners. Those added as Survey Owners will be able to view and manage certain aspects of the program, as well as see the results when a survey in the program closes.”
Roadmap ID: 570444. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Viva Glint – Survey taking experience refinements
Microsoft: “This feature is a collection of improvements including updates to the auto-save experience for comments, simplifying survey navigation through buttons by consolidating the “Skip” and “Done” buttons into a single “Next” button, and to give the survey taker greater control over question progression by refining the auto-scroll behavior when updating answers to questions.”
Roadmap ID: 570429. Platform(s): Web. Due September 2026.
Around Microsoft 365
🔜 Copilot in Edge gets a refreshed, simpler design
Copilot in Microsoft Edge is getting an updated icon and a simpler side pane, along with upgraded features such as Copilot Voice and Copilot Vision. It’s the same refreshed look already announced for Copilot in Outlook and Teams. Due mid-October 2026. Read more.
🔜 Planner is getting a Capacity view to show how work is distributed across your team
Microsoft is adding Capacity view to Planner, a new staffing matrix that sits alongside the existing Board, Grid, and Schedule views. It builds a timeline from your existing task data, showing who is working on what and making it easy to spot overallocation or spare capacity without leaving Planner. The view works best when tasks have both assignees and start and finish dates assigned. It is on by default for eligible users and cannot be disabled by admins. For Planner Plan 3 licence holders on desktop and web; not available on mobile.
References: MC1474110 and roadmap ID 569733. Due mid to late October 2026.
🔜 Planner plans created from Teams meetings will be deleted after 180 days of inactivity
Microsoft is introducing automatic expiry for Planner plans created from Teams meetings: any plan with no task activity for 180 consecutive days will be automatically deleted. Activity means creating, editing, or deleting a task; simply viewing a plan does not count. You will receive email notifications 30 days and 7 days before deletion, with a link to view affected plans and the option to select “Keep plan” to extend it by another 180 days. If no action is taken, the plan is deleted on the scheduled date and can be recovered within 30 days via your IT admin; after that, deletion is permanent. Only the Planner plan and its data are removed; tasks in Loop and meeting notes are unaffected. This applies only to new meeting-created plans from rollout onwards. For Teams meeting organisers who use Planner.
Reference: MC1479508. Due early to mid-October 2026.
🔜 Microsoft 365 profile cards will show dotted-line manager relationships
Microsoft is updating the organisation panel in the Microsoft 365 profile card to display dotted-line manager relationships alongside direct managers, where that data is available. Organisations use different labels for this relationship, such as People Lead or Capability Manager, and users will be able to click through to the dotted-line manager’s own profile card. If your organisation does not provide dotted-line manager data, nothing changes.
Reference: MC1478957. Due early to late October 2026.
🔜 Settings, My Day, and Sync move to the M365 suite header menu
Settings and My Day are moving into the More (…) menu (2)in the Microsoft 365 suite header, joined there by a new Sync button, to cut down on visual clutter. Nothing is being removed, just relocated. Due early September to early November 2026. Read more.
🔜 Anchored comments come to the PDF viewer in OneDrive and SharePoint
At the moment, when you comment on a PDF in OneDrive or SharePoint on the web, comments appear in a panel down the right-hand side but are not explicitly tied to any particular piece of text or location on the page. Microsoft is fixing this by adding anchored comments to the PDF viewer, bringing it in line with the experience you may already know from Word. You will be able to click any spot on a page to anchor a comment to that location, or select specific text and attach a comment directly to it. Comments support replies, @mentions and visual anchor indicators so you can navigate between a comment and the content it refers to. On by default, no admin action needed. For users who view and comment on PDFs in OneDrive and SharePoint on the web.
Reference: MC1470416. Due mid-October to mid-November 2026.
🕑 Copilot chat pane and Summary feature in OneNote Mobile (iPhone)
Microsoft will introduce a new Copilot chat pane in OneNote mobile (iPhone) for users licensed with Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium), where you will be able to use a new Summary feature to generate concise summaries of longer OneNote pages and ask questions about your notes directly within the app, helping you review and interact with note content more efficiently while on the go.
References: MC1307979 and roadmap ID 422324. Now due late October 2026.
🕑 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). Now due late April to mid-October 2026.
🕑 Copilot Notebook comes to OneNote on Mac.
Microsoft is bringing Copilot Notebook, a Copilot powered workspace, into OneNote on Mac. It lets you organise, reason over and act on your notebook content, so you can generate insights, structure ideas and work more effectively within your notes. A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is required to use it. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on OneNote for Mac.
References: MC1409042 and roadmap ID 565863. Now due late August to mid-October 2026. Read more about Copilot Notebooks in OneNote on Microsoft Support.
🕑 More details will appear on Microsoft 365 profile cards by default
For the admins: Microsoft is changing the default visibility of 11 existing profile card properties so that, when populated with data, they appear on Microsoft 365 profile cards automatically without admins needing to enable them manually. The properties affected include Division, Role, Employee number, Employee type, Cost centre, User principal name, Alias, Fax, Street address, State and Postal code. Only fields that actually contain data will be shown, and your organisation’s admins retain full control to manage visibility according to your business, privacy and compliance requirements. For all Microsoft 365 users whose profiles include any of these properties.
Reference: MC1438571. Due late September 2026.
🕑 M365 Copilot rewrite is coming to editable text in Edge
M365 Copilot users will soon be able to use Rewrite to draft and rephrase editable text within the Edge browser. Now due late September to late October 2026. Read more.
🕑 Capture audio, images and notes in Copilot Notebooks on Windows
Microsoft is introducing multimodal capture in Copilot Notebooks on Windows, letting you record audio, take images and jot notes in a single experience, then use Copilot to generate a structured page of summaries, decisions and action items from what you captured. Capture can be started manually from the OneNote system tray icon, or suggested automatically when a supported browser-based meeting is detected (Zoom, Webex or Google Meet). Captured content is saved to your chosen Copilot Notebook and available across devices. Requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and the Microsoft 365 desktop apps installed on Windows. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on OneNote for Windows.
References: MC1405506 and roadmap ID 566322. Now due late October 2026.
🕑 Copilot chat pane and Summary feature in OneNote Mobile (Android)
Microsoft will introduce a new Copilot chat pane in OneNote mobile (Android) for users licensed with Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium), where you will be able to use a new Summary feature to generate concise summaries of longer OneNote pages and ask questions about your notes directly within the app, helping you review and interact with note content more efficiently while on the go.
References: MC1309746 and roadmap ID 422323. Now due late October 2026.
🕑 Planner Agent chat comes to basic plans
Planner Agent chat is coming to Microsoft Planner basic plans, letting you ask questions about your plans, understand priorities, and take action without leaving Planner. Now de late early to late September 2026. Read more.
🕑 Multimodal capture in Copilot Notebooks comes to OneNote for Android
Microsoft is expanding multimodal capture in Copilot Notebooks to OneNote for Android (view image), having already launched on iPhone and iPad. During a capture session, you can transcribe audio, capture images and take typed notes in one go; when the session ends, Copilot generates a structured Copilot Page containing your transcripts, images, notes and AI-generated insights, saved to your chosen Copilot Notebook. From there you can ask questions, generate documents, create presentations, build mind maps and more. Requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and a SharePoint or OneDrive licence for notebook storage. For Microsoft 365 Copilot users on OneNote for Android.
References: MC1450130 and roadmap ID 567895. Now due mid to late September 2026. Read more about: Capture conversations and ideas on the go in Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks | Microsoft Support (at the time of writing, the article refers to IOS and Windows. This update adds Android to the list).
🔭 Copilot video creation updates in Clipchamp
Microsoft: “Copilot brings agentic video creation to Clipchamp Video Hub. Users can generate, edit, and refine videos from prompts—grounded in explicit documents or implicit WorkIQ knowledge. Preview and playback video directly in chat, then continue iterating towards a finished video.”
Roadmap ID: 570963. Platform(s): Web. Due January 2026.
🔭 Add times to task start, finish, and due dates in Planner
Microsoft: “Add specific times to task start, finish, and due dates. Define a plan’s time zone and working hours to automatically provide default task times and choose whether to view times in the plan’s time zone or your local time zone. This helps distributed teams coordinate effectively across time zones and keep deadlines clear.”
Roadmap ID: 570153. Platform(s): Teams and Surface Devices, Web. Due November 2026.
🔭 Task History in Planner
Microsoft: “Task History helps keep teams up to date on changes made to a task. View recent activity to see what changed, when it changed, and track progress over time.”
Roadmap ID: 569933. Platform(s): Teams and Surface Devices, Web. Due October 2026.
🔭 Tab organisation enhancements in Edge Microsoft: “Microsoft Edge is expanding tab and Workspace organization capabilities to suggest groupings, names, visuals, and labels. Users can manage these experiences through the proposed “Let Microsoft Edge help keep your tabs organized” setting under Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences; administrators can control them using the TabServicesEnabled policy.” Roadmap ID: 570443. Platform(s): Web. Due October 2026.
🚫 The Microsoft 365 Companion apps are being retired
Microsoft is retiring the three Microsoft 365 Companion apps – Calendar, People, and Files – on 16 December 2026. The apps were designed to sit in your taskbar and surface calendar, contacts, and files at a glance, but for most users they were more intrusion than convenience, quietly installing themselves onto the taskbar and offering little that Outlook, Teams, or Windows Search did not already cover. After 16 December they will stop working entirely. Admins should remove the apps from managed devices before that date; users on unmanaged devices should uninstall them manually. Your data is unaffected – everything remains available through the Microsoft 365 apps and Windows experiences you already use. For all Microsoft 365 users on Windows.
Reference: MC1474111. Due for retirement 16th December 2026. Read more Microsoft 365 companion app retirement.
🚫 Project Online retires on 30th September 2026
Microsoft Project Online is reaching its end of life on 30th September 2026. If your organisation is still using Project Online, you will see an in-app banner confirming the retirement. This retirement does not affect Project desktop, Project Online desktop, Project Server, or Planner. Microsoft is pointing organisations towards three successor paths: Planner (including premium features in the Planner and Project Plan 3 licence) for most cloud-first needs; Project Server Subscription Edition for organisations with advanced on-premises project and portfolio management requirements; and Project Operations for Dynamics ERP customers.
Reference: MC1478955. Retiring 30th September 2026.
🚫 Microsoft Publisher reaches end of life on 1st October 2026
A reminder that Microsoft Publisher will no longer be available to Microsoft 365 subscribers from 1st October 2026. After that date you will not be able to open or edit Publisher (.pub) files using Publisher. Support for the perpetual version also ends on 13th October 2026 when Office LTSC 2021 reaches end of support. If you have Publisher files you will need after October, migrate or convert them before the deadline. Many common Publisher tasks such as creating branded materials, labels, flyers, business cards and calendars can be done in Word, PowerPoint or via templates in Microsoft Create. For anyone who currently uses Microsoft Publisher.
Reference: MC1469564. Due for retirement 1st October 2026.
🚫 Project Online Essentials reaches end of life on 1st October 2026
An admin heads-up for organisations still using Project Online Essentials. Project Online Essentials reaches end of life on 1st October 2026, after which users assigned that licence will lose access. It has not been available to purchase since October 2025. Affected users need to be moved to a supported replacement before that date: Project and Planner Plan 1 or Project and Planner Plan 3 both cover Planner Premium capabilities and applicable Project licensing rights, while organisations needing only Project Server Subscription Edition access should acquire the appropriate Client Access Licences separately. For admins in organisations with users assigned Project Online Essentials licences.
Reference: MC1466302. Due for retirement 1st October 2026.
🚫 There are two separate Whiteboard retirement stories this month: one covers the deadline to migrate your legacy content to OneDrive before it is permanently deleted, and the other covers the retirement of the standalone Whiteboard app itself:
🚫 Legacy Azure-backed Whiteboards must be migrated before 25th September 2026
Microsoft Whiteboard is completing its move from legacy Azure-backed storage to OneDrive-backed storage, and time is running out to migrate. Migration tooling retires on 25th September 2026: after that date, remaining legacy Whiteboards become read-only and can no longer be migrated, though they can still be viewed and exported until 16th October 2026. After 16th October 2026 they are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered, and the legacy Azure Whiteboard service shuts down on 30th November 2026. If your organisation still has unmigrated legacy Whiteboards, now is the time to act. For admins in organisations with legacy Azure-backed Whiteboards.
References: MC1469559 and MC1469957. Migration tooling retires 25th September 2026; legacy Whiteboards deleted 16th October 2026; service shuts down 30th November 2026.
🚫 Standalone Microsoft Whiteboard apps retire on 16th October 2026
A follow-up to the earlier Whiteboard retirement notice (MC1441775). From 16th October 2026 the standalone Whiteboard apps for Windows, iOS and Android will no longer be supported for work, school or personal Microsoft accounts. Already-installed apps will show a retirement experience and will no longer provide access to your Whiteboard galleries or existing content. Going forward, Whiteboard is available through Microsoft Teams and supported web experiences, which continue to be fully supported. For anyone who uses the standalone Whiteboard app on Windows, iOS or Android.
References: MC1469557 and MC1441775. Due for retirement 16th October 2026. Read more about the standalone app retirement on Microsoft Support.
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