Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 19-11-2025

Updated November 18, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

 Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: Meeting participants will be able to request an annotation session while someone else is sharing their screen.

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop and Teams for Mac desktop. (Users can view and annotate in Teams on the web but cannot initiate annotations.)

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 89975.

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out early January 2026 (previously early December 2025) and expect to complete by mid-January 2026 (previously mid-December 2025).

General Availability (WW, GCC, GCC High, and DoD): We will begin rolling out mid-January 2026 (previously mid-December 2025) and expect to complete by late January 2026 (previously late December 2025).

[How this will affect your organization:]

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:

If the request is accepted, the annotation session will start for everyone in the meeting:

Anonymous users in the meeting will not be able to send a request.

This change will be available by default.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.

Learn more: Use annotation while sharing your screen in Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Support (we will update this before rollout)

Watch: How to use Collaborative Annotations in a Microsoft Teams meeting (2022)

Updated November 17, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Coming soon for Microsoft Teams: A new setting that allows users to view incoming calls in a small window in Teams to prevent disruptions. Users will be able to take a call in the small window and continue to see what they were working on before the call.

This message applies to Teams on Windows desktop, Teams on Mac desktop, Teams for the web, and Teams for iOS/Android.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 482747.

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out early May 2025 and expect to complete by mid-May 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-Jan 2026 (previously mid-May 2025) and expect to complete by late January 2026 (previously late May 2025).

General Availability (GCC): We will begin rolling out early February 2026 (previously early June 2025) and expect to complete by mid-February 2026 (previously mid-June 2025).

General Availability: (GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out early February 2026 (previously early June 2025) and expect to complete by early October 2026 (previously early October 2025).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout: Teams users are disrupted by the larger Teams screen when viewing an incoming call.

After this rollout: Teams users can turn on this setting to view calls in a small window. Note that both large and small windows are resizable:

This feature will be on by default.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation.

Updated November 17, 2025: We have updated the rollout timelines below. Thank you for your patience.

Copilot can help users engage with their content in a new and dynamic way—through audio. This new feature will enable Copilot to turn documents, meetings, and files into an audio overview, creating a listening experience that’s easy to follow. Users can ask Copilot to generate an audio overview in the Copilot chat pane, and Copilot will bring the content to life through a podcast-style discussion between two hosts who offer insightful commentary, draw connections between topics, and even exchange lively banter about the key points of their content. Soon, Copilot will also allow users to choose how they want to listen: select one or two speakers, adjust the style from concise to playful, and tailor the length to short, medium, or long. This capability is integrated directly into the tools users are familiar with—OneDrive, Teams, Word, and Copilot Notebooks—so it’s ready whenever and wherever they are.  

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap IDs: 492615, 478649, 487854, 490051

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide):

• This capability will begin rolling out in Copilot Notebooks on web for English only in May 2025 
• This capability will begin rolling out for Copilot in OneDrive on web for English only in May 2025
• This capability will begin rolling out for Copilot in Teams on desktop and mobile for English only in October 2025  
• The podcast-style overview will begin rolling out for Copilot in Word on web and Windows desktop in October for English, Spanish, Japanese, French, German Portuguese, Italian, Chinese Simplified. The ability to configure the audio overview format will be available in Word on web and desktop in Q1 2026. 

[How this affects your organization:]

To generate an audio overview in Word, open the Copilot chat pane and ask Copilot to generate an audio overview. Podcast-style overviews will be available in Word on web and desktop in English only in May. The ability to configure the audio overview format will be available in Word on web and desktop in English only in the coming months.  

To generate an audio overview in Teams, navigate to meeting recap page, click on :” audio recap ” on upper right corner, Or to the Meet app and select the ‘audio recap’ tab. Choose the transcribed meeting or multiple meetings, and select ‘Generate audio overview.’ Audio overview for Copilot in Teams will be available on mobile and Windows desktop in English only in September 2025 (previously June).   

To generate an audio overview in OneDrive web, select the Copilot icon for the file, then select ‘Generate an audio overview.’ Copilot will generate a narrated summary of the file highlighting the key points. Users can choose to switch to a podcast-style discussion from the ‘…’ menu on the overview player, and Copilot will regenerate the overview in the style of a podcast discussion between two hosts. You can also generate an audio overview from the chat pane. This will be available for Copilot in OneDrive on web in English only in May and coming soon to mobile in August 2025 (previously June 2025).

To generate an audio overview in Copilot Notebooks, select ‘Generate audio overview’ near the top of the notebook. Copilot will generate a podcast-style discussion of the referenced files with key insights. This capability will be available in Copilot Notebooks on web in English only in May 2025.

Generate audio overviews of documents, meetings, and files with Copilot 

[What you need to do to prepare:]

You may consider updating your training and documentation as appropriate. These features are available to users with a Copilot license.

Review the following resource to understand how to manage Microsoft 365 Copilot access within your organization:

• Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot scenarios in the Microsoft 365 admin center

You can manage Copilot for specific apps or users through either the Microsoft 365 Admin center or Group Policy.

Updated November 18, 2025: This feature will now be included as part of another update referenced in MC796790. Administrators will gain the ability to manage Microsoft 365 certified SaaS applications through org-wide settings for third-party apps. No changes will be applied to tenant-wide settings unless initiated by an administrator.

This feature will empower administrators to manage the availability of trusted Microsoft Teams apps based on rules, for enhanced security. Admins will be able to manage Microsoft 365 certified apps in the Teams admin center through a new control in Org-wide settings. You can further customize the availability of these apps based on permissions accessed and publisher names. The system automatically checks the Microsoft 365 certified apps that meet all the conditions you specify and makes those apps available.  

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 485712.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-January 2026 (previously early December 2025) and expect to complete by early February 2026 (previously mid-December 2025).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, you cannot manage at bulk the availability of Microsoft 365 certified apps. They are only controlled by third-party app tenant settings.

After this rollout, you can manage Microsoft 365 certified apps availability from org-wide settings in the Teams admin center at Manage apps > Actions > Org-wide app settings > Microsoft 365 certified apps. 

You can configure additional criteria from the Customize availability option:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before or after the rollout. Review your current configuration to assess the impact on your organization. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation. This new control will be disabled by default.

Learn more: Manage org-wide app settings in Manage your apps in the Microsoft Teams admin center – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout)

Updated November 18, 2025: New capabilities are now available for Frontier program customers. We have updated the content below to provide additional details on how to use Agent Mode in Copilot in Excel. 

[Introduction:]

Agent Mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot for Excel, available now on the web and Windows desktop, is a new way for users to work with Copilot in Excel. It uses natural language to build and edit workbooks and allows users to keep their content editable and stay up to date with the latest changes. Agent mode can search the web to pull in trusted, up-to-date information from the internet to complement your Excel data. It helps answer questions, provide context, and enrich your analysis without leaving your workbook. Agent Mode in Excel also supports working with Claude AI models from Anthropic to build workbooks directly in Excel.

Users stay in control over all modifications at any time. To learn more, read https://aka.ms/Agent_Mode. 

[How to access Agent Mode in Copilot in Excel:] 

• Available to Microsoft Frontier program customers starting October 21, 2025. 
• For Enterprise Microsoft 365 Copilot license customers, admins need to enable Frontier access for their organization in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. 
• For Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium licenses, customers can turn on Frontier Features with a new toggle under the Copilot ribbon button. 
• Once Frontier features are turned on, customers will see a new Agent Mode option under the Tools menu in Copilot chat. 
• This version will soon include more features and support for additional languages. 

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Ensure Frontier Features are enabled in your tenant.
• Admins must allow access to Anthropic AI models by allowing ‘AI providers for other large language models’ in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center before users can access Claude with Agent Mode in Excel.  
• Alternatively, ensure Office add-ins are enabled in your tenant and enable use of the Excel Labs add-in. To learn more, see Review and manage add-ins in the admin center. 
• Review documentation here: Use Claude with Agent Mode in Excel

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

Agent mode in Excel, previously available through the Frontier program, will soon be generally available. This feature enables users to build and edit workbooks side by side with Copilot, streamlining tasks like updating budgets, creating financial models, and analyzing data. Agent mode can search the web to pull in trusted, up-to-date information from the internet to complement your Excel data. It helps answer questions, provide context, and enrich your analysis without leaving your workbook. It leverages Excel’s most powerful tools—tables, charts, PivotTables, and formulas—making it easier to complete complex tasks with AI-powered assistance.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early December 2025 and is expected to complete by late February 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All Microsoft 365 users licensed for Copilot who use Excel.
• What will happen:
  • Users will be able to access Agent mode in Excel from M365 Copilot Chat by selecting it from the Tools menu.

  Screenshot 1: From M365 Copilot chat pane select Tools, then Agent mode

  

  • Agent mode will be available by default for eligible users.
  • The feature includes support for Excel capabilities such as editing tables, charts, PivotTables, formulas, and more.
  • No changes to existing admin policies are required.
  • Some geographies may receive access later in the rollout window.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required.
• Agent mode respects your Admin Center data access settings for Copilot web search.
• You may wish to:
  • Inform helpdesk and support teams about the availability of Agent mode.
  • Update internal documentation or training materials to reflect this new capability.
• Agent mode in Excel is a method for using M365 Copilot Chat to interact with your active workbook and is not a Microsoft 365 Copilot agent that needs to be managed from the Admin Center.

Learn more: Agent mode in Excel (Frontier)

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Updated November 17, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction]

To support frontline workers using personal devices, Microsoft is introducing a dynamic onboarding wizard for Microsoft Teams. This experience is designed to simplify setup on Android and iOS devices, especially in environments with security policies like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and mobile application management. The wizard adapts automatically to your organization’s policies, helping drive secure and efficient Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 523213.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rollout begins in late November and is and expected to complete by mid-January
• General Availability: Rollout begins in late January and is and expected to complete by end of January 2026

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Frontline workers setting up Microsoft Teams on personal Android or iOS devices
• What will happen:
  • A new onboarding wizard will be available via web, optimized for desktop kiosks or shared PCs
  • The wizard dynamically adjusts based on your organization’s security policies
  • Supports MFA setup, with emphasis on Microsoft Authenticator push notifications
  • This tool is optional and designed to improve BYOD Microsoft Teams adoption

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review the admin documentation to understand the onboarding wizard’s capabilities and limitations
• Consider integrating the wizard into your new user onboarding workflows
• Communicate availability to helpdesk and frontline managers
• Update internal documentation if you support BYOD Microsoft Teams deployment
• Review documentation at the following link: Set up frontline Teams on personal devices

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

• Inventory and prepare your environments for this change.
• Monitor and check your devices for Secure Boot status.
• Apply OEM firmware updates before Microsoft updates.
• Plan and pilot your Secure Boot certificate deployments.
• Use available tools to troubleshoot and remediate common issues.

[Introduction]

Microsoft Defender for Identity classic alerts will transition to the XDR detection platform in mid-December 2025. This change improves detection accuracy and performance and aligns with our efforts to enhance security across environments.

[When this will happen:]

General availability (Production, GCC, and DoD): Rollout will begin in mid-December 2025 and is expected to complete early January.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Defender for Identity alerts and workflows.

What will happen:

• Classic MDI alerts will move to the XDR detection platform.
• Detector IDs will change for specific alerts.
• Alert exclusions configured in MDI must be reconfigured using XDR Alert Tuning rules.

Affected alerts and new Detector IDs:

[What you can do to prepare:]

Action required:

• Update workflows and automation to use the new XDR Detector IDs.
• Reconfigure any alert exclusions using XDR Alert Tuning rules.
• Communicate this change to your security and operations teams.
• Review Microsoft documentation for XDR Alert Tuning configuration.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new features to the Copilot Notebooks module in the following apps:

• M365 Copilot App for Desktop (Windows and macOS)
• M365 Copilot App for Web
• OneNote Win32 (Insiders/Beta ring)

These updates make it easier for users to onboard and find value within Copilot Notebooks by improving navigation, personalization, and AI capabilities.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 516042.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rollout begins mid-November 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-December.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins early December 2025 and is expected to complete by late mid-February 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Frontier Public users with an M365 Copilot license.

What will happen:

• Users will experience a streamlined interface with a persistent navigation pane and chat on the right for optimized notebook workflows.

Screenshot: A view of the new UX, Overview Page, and Suggestions.



• Suggested Notebooks and references will provide personalized recommendations based on projects, graph context, and recent files.
• An automatically generated overview page will summarize the Notebook and key insights, refreshable as new references are added.
• Advanced AI features will expand reference types to include SharePoint folders and OneNote notebooks.
• Features will be ON by default for Frontier Public users starting November 19, 2025.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required for rollout.
• Communicate these changes to helpdesk staff to prepare for user questions.
• Update internal documentation if you detail Copilot Notebook functionality.

Learn more: Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks (will be updated soon)

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.

The Publish reports capability for Viva Insights analysts is becoming generally available. This feature enables analysts to share embedded Power BI reports or custom report links with their organization, improving access to insights and collaboration. Analysts can publish:

• Embedded Power BI reports (unfiltered) to users with access to the Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights through the Microsoft admin center.
• Embedded Power BI reports (filtered) to managers, showing only their team’s data based on the manager hierarchy.
• Custom report links to users and groups in their organization.

All recipients will receive an email notification directing them to the published report. Recipients with access to the Viva Insights web app will see these reports on their Reports tab.

Insight admins have full control over publishing. They can disable the capability or choose which analysts can use it through the VFAM policy. They can also view and remove any published reports.

For customers in the public preview, access to published reports in the Viva Insights Teams app will be removed, and Teams publish notifications will be turned off. Users who do not have access to the Viva Insights web app should bookmark any existing published links to maintain access.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 398974.

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early December 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025.

• Who is affected: Viva Insights analysts, Insight admins, and users receiving published reports.
• What will happen:
  • Analysts can publish embedded Power BI reports or custom report links to their organization.
  • Recipients will receive email notifications for published reports.
  • Published reports will appear on the Reports tab in the Viva Insights web app for users with access.
  • Insight admins can manage publishing permissions and remove published reports.
  • Teams notifications and access to published reports in the Viva Insights Teams app will be removed.
  • This feature is ON by default for all analysts.

• Review and update the Analyst Report Publish VFAM policy if you want to disable this feature for specific analysts or entirely. This can be managed through the Microsoft admin center.
• Ensure that Viva Insights is enabled in your organization and that users are assigned the Viva Analyst role to use this feature. Learn more: Viva Insights setup checklist | Microsoft Learn
• If your tenant participated in the preview, ensure users bookmark any published custom report links before Teams access is removed.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk staff and update internal documentation as needed.
• Learn more: Publish reports (preview) | Viva Insights | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

[When this will happen:]

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Defender for Identity v3.x sensors.
• What will happen:
  • A new health alert will monitor RPC configuration status on v3.x sensors.
  • Applying the Unified Sensor RPC Audit tag will enforce configuration on existing and future v3.x sensors that match rule criteria.
  • The tag will be visible in Device Inventory and Advanced Hunting, providing transparency and auditing capabilities.
  • This feature improves detection accuracy and overall security coverage.

[What you can do to prepare:]

1. In the Microsoft Defender portal, navigate to: System > Settings > Microsoft Defender XDR > Asset Rule Management.
2. Select Create a new rule.
3. Enter a Rule name and Description, then set conditions using Device name, Domain, or Device tag. Ensure the Defender for Identity v3.x sensor is deployed on targeted devices.
4. Add the tag Unified Sensor RPC Audit.
5. Review and submit the rule.

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 518228.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rolling out early December 2025; expected completion by early December 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out early February 2026; expected completion by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins and investigators using Microsoft Purview Data Security Investigations.

What will happen:

• Investigators will be able to input investigative context to improve AI analysis results.
• Search relevance will be enhanced through improved vector search and categorization.
• A new Search with AI (preview) feature will allow natural language queries across keywords, metadata, and embeddings.
• These features will be available by default; no configuration changes are required.
• No impact to existing workflows unless users choose to use the new capabilities.

Screenshot 1: Data Security Investigations context input

Screenshot 2: Data Security Investigations search with AI summary

Screenshot 3: Data Security Investigations search with AI for individual document

Screenshot 4: Data Security Investigations search relevance

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required before rollout. You may want to:

• Notify relevant users and investigation teams about the new capabilities.
• Update internal documentation to reflect the availability of AI-powered search and context input.
• Review Microsoft Learn resources for guidance:
  • Use AI analysis in Data Security Investigations (preview)
  • Learn about Data Security Investigations (preview)

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

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. This update supports improved productivity and readiness, aligning with feedback for more proactive meeting support.

Screenshot 1: Tap Prepare in Up Next.

Screenshot 2: Users can prepare with Copilot Chat.

[When this will happen:]

• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout begins early December 2025 and is expected to complete by late January 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium license.
• What will happen:
  • The Up Next card will display a Prepare button instead of Join until 5 minutes before a meeting.
  • This button provides quick access to Copilot’s meeting preparation features.
  • No changes to admin settings or policies are required.
  • The feature is enabled by default for eligible users.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required at this time.
• You may wish to:
  • Inform helpdesk and support teams of the upcoming change.
  • Share this support article with users: Prepare for your meeting with Copilot
  • Update internal documentation if you reference the Up Next card or meeting workflows.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

Starting January 1, 2026, Microsoft Learning Zone will be enabled by default for all Education tenants. The change supports broader access to generative learning tools and simplifies lesson creation workflows.

What is Microsoft Learning Zone?

Microsoft Learning Zone is a Windows app that enables educators to create AI-powered interactive lessons on Copilot+ PC devices. Using educator input, such as a lesson description, grade level, standards, and optional materials, it creates lessons with informational and exercise slides, including instant feedback on answers. Educators can modify, add, or remove slides as needed. After making their adjustments, they have options to preview the lesson, assign it to students, or share it with colleagues.

What is a Copilot+ PC device?

Copilot+ PCs are a new category of Windows 11 devices designed to run advanced AI experiences locally. These devices feature powerful Neural Processing Units (NPUs) that enable fast, secure, and private AI-powered features—such as Recall, Live Captions, and generative lesson creation in Microsoft Learning Zone—without relying on cloud processing. Educators using Copilot+ PCs can generate interactive lessons directly on their device, enhancing classroom engagement and productivity.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early January 2026 and expect to complete by late January 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: IT administrators managing Microsoft 365 Education tenants; Educators using Copilot+ PC devices
• What will happen:
  • Microsoft Learning Zone will be enabled by default for all Education tenants.
  • The app will be available for download via the Microsoft Store: Microsoft Learning Zone app. 
  • Lesson generation is only available for Educators that have M365 users in an Education Tenant and while using a Copilot+ PC device.
  • Educators can create, preview, assign, and share AI-generated lessons.
  • IT administrators can opt out of the default enablement at any time via the Microsoft Learning Zone.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required unless you wish to opt out.
• Optional steps:
  • Review your tenant’s opt-in/opt-out status.
  • Share internal guidance with educators on how to access and use the app.
  • Update helpdesk documentation to reflect the default enablement.
  • Visit the deployment guide: Deploy Microsoft Learning Zone – M365 Education | Microsoft Learn.

[Compliance considerations:]

We’d like to inform you that threat actor attribution details will soon be removed from the alert page in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This change is designed to improve clarity and focus in alert content. Threat actor attribution is more meaningful and actionable when viewed in the context of the broader incident rather than at the individual alert level.

After this change, attribution details will be available on the Incident page and in the Threat Intelligence section within the Microsoft Defender portal.

When this will happen

January 12, 2026: Threat actor attribution information will be retired from alert pages.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected: Admins and security teams using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.

What will happen:

• Threat actor attribution will no longer appear on individual alert pages.
• Attribution details will be available on the Incident page and in the Threat Intelligence experience.
• No impact to alert generation, detection logic, or security effectiveness.

What you can do to prepare

• No admin action is required; this change will occur automatically.
• If your workflows currently rely on alert-level actor attribution, review incident-based investigation processes to ensure continuity.
• Update internal workflows, playbooks, or automation rules to retrieve attribution from the Incident page or Threat Intelligence section.
• Inform SOC and threat intelligence teams about this change.

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We are improving People Search in the Global Address List to correctly handle the HideFromAddressListEnabled attribute. Previously, when users were synced across tenants via Entra Cross Tenant Sync, this attribute did not propagate, causing hidden users in the source tenant to appear in the target tenant’s Global Address List (GAL). 

With this update, the attribute will sync across Exchange and Entra directories, and a backfill process will ensure previously synced users reflect the correct visibility. Dual write ensures all future sync operations propagate HideFromAddressListEnabled correctly

[When this will happen:]

• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We will begin rolling out late November 2025 and expect to complete by mid-December 2025.
• The update will run automatically in the background and may take several weeks to complete, depending on tenant size.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Admins managing Entra Cross-Tenant Sync and Exchange Online environments; organizations with users hidden from GAL in the source tenant.
• What will happen:
  • Tenant Admins:
    • No manual action is required for the update.
    • After completion, synced external users will have consistent visibility settings across tenants.
  • Users:
    • Users hidden in the source tenant will now be hidden in the target GAL.
    • No impact on sign-in or collaboration features. 

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review any custom scripts or workflows that rely on GAL visibility and update if needed.
• Communicate to helpdesk teams that visibility changes may occur for previously synced users.
• Optional: Use PowerShell to verify visibility after the update:

  Get-MailUser -Identity <UserPrincipalName> | Select HideFromAddressListEnabled

• No changes are required to Cross-Tenant Sync configuration.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[FAQ]

• Q1: Will this impact mail flow or message delivery?
  No. This change only affects GAL visibility and does not impact mail routing or delivery.
• Q2: Do I need to reconfigure Cross-Tenant Sync settings?
  No. The update is automatic and requires no configuration changes.
• Q3: How long will the update take?
  Duration depends on tenant size. It runs in the background and does not disrupt service.
• Q4: Can I monitor progress?
  Currently, there is no admin-facing progress tracker. You can verify individual users with PowerShell after completion.
• Q5: Will new users synced after this update require special handling?
  No. Dual-write ensures all future sync operations propagate HiddenFromAddressListEnabled correctly.

[Introduction]

Coming soon to SharePoint: Site owners and admins will be able to apply two new Microsoft-designed multi-color dark themes. These official themes offer modern dark color palettes with multiple colors combinations, enabling richer visual experiences and consistent branding across sites. Both themes are available out-of-the-box and can be configured via site settings.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 526788.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release (Worldwide): Rollout begins mid-December 2025, completes early January 2026
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout begins mid-January 2026, completes early February 2026

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: SharePoint Site owners and SharePoint admins across all Microsoft 365 environments (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD)
• What will happen:
  • Two new Microsoft-designed dark themes (Dark Teal, Dark Blue) will be available out-of-the-box
  • Themes can be applied via “Change the look” in site settings
  • The themes update site headers, footers, section design, Text web part, and Design Ideas
  • Designed for low-light environments and compliant with Microsoft accessibility standards
  • No impact to existing themes or site functionality

Note: Previously applied PowerShell settings that disable all out-of-box themes from Microsoft remain effective, and the PowerShell command can still be used to manage the Microsoft theme availability.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required prior to rollout. After rollout:
• Notify site owners and users about the new dark themes
• Encourage exploration of the new options for improved branding and visual comfort

Learn more:

• Site theme
• Set-SPOHideDefaultThemes

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new opt-in feature for automatic event-auditing configuration in Defender for Identity unified sensors (V3.x). This enhancement simplifies deployment by allowing admins to automatically apply the required Windows event-auditing settings on their sensors. It reduces manual post-deployment steps and ensures consistent policy enforcement across all onboarded sensors.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): The auditing opt-in feature will be available starting mid-Nov 2025, with rollout expected to complete within the same timeframe.

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): The related auditing health alerts will be released gradually by mid-December 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:
Admins managing Defender for Identity unified sensors (V3.x) in Microsoft 365 tenants.

What will happen:

• A new opt-in setting will be available in both the UI and via Graph API.
• In the UI, this option will appear under Defender for Identity Settings → Advanced features.
• Once enabled, the automatic configuration feature will:
  • For new sensor activations: automatically apply all required Windows event-auditing settings during activation.
  • For existing onboarded sensors: automatically apply auditing settings only if misconfigured, and dismiss the related health issues.
• The opt-in applies to all unified sensors in the tenant.
• This feature is not enabled by default and requires admin action.
• No changes will occur unless admins choose to enable the feature.

• NTLM auditing is not enabled
• Directory Services Advanced Auditing is not enabled as required
• Directory Services Object Auditing is not enabled as required
• Auditing on the Configuration container is not enabled as required
• Auditing on the ADFS container is not enabled as required

[What you can do to prepare:]

No action is required unless you choose to enable the feature.

If you plan to opt in:

• Review your unified sensor deployment strategy.
• Enable the opt-in setting via the UI or Graph API.
• Communicate the change to relevant IT and security teams.
• Update internal documentation if you track auditing configurations.

To review the required auditing configurations for Defender for Identity unified sensors (V3.x)

For details about the relevant auditing health issues

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new capabilities for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat users (without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license) to help them better manage their day in Outlook and create and refine Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations. These updates include:

• Copilot Chat in Outlook will expand from reasoning over a single email thread to reasoning over a user’s entire inbox, calendar, meetings, and other enterprise data.
• Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint uses web data and referenced files to help users create and refine content in the apps.
• Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents allow users to create high-quality documents, workbooks, and presentations in Copilot Chat using web data and referenced files.

Please find our Microsoft Ignite announcements here.

[When this will happen:]

We will begin rolling out early January 2026 and expect to complete by late March 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

• Who is affected: Eligible Copilot Chat users with a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription. There is no change for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• What will happen:
  • Copilot Chat in Outlook will understand the entire inbox, calendar, meetings, and other enterprise data for a user. Additional documentation will be provided closer to rollout. Users will be able to ask Copilot to source information across their inbox, uncover action items, or manage their calendar.
  • Users will be able to access Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through the Tools menu in the Copilot Chat input box in each individual app. Agent Mode lets users create and refine content as they are working. Agent Mode will use web data and referenced files but will not have access to work data.
  • Users will be able to access the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents in Copilot Chat from the Tools menu in the input box or by typing “@” and selecting the agents. These agents use several models, including Anthropic’s Claude model, to help create high-quality documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. These agents will use web data and referenced files but will not have access to work data.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required for Copilot Chat in Outlook. If you’d like to manage Copilot Chat in Outlook, you can use Integrated Apps in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Learn more here.
• No admin action is required for Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you’d like to manage Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can use the Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat setting. Learn more here.
• To provide access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents, you must connect to Anthropic’s Claude model. Learn how to connect here.

[Compliance considerations:]

The following considerations are relevant to the use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents.

• Data processing outside of Microsoft: Anthropic’s Claude model is hosted outside Microsoft. Data processed by Claude is outside Microsoft-managed environments and audit controls.
• Microsoft agreements do not apply: Microsoft’s Product Terms, Data Processing Addendum, data residency commitments, audit and compliance requirements, SLAs, and Customer Copyright Commitment do not apply when using Anthropic services.
• Third-party integration: Use of Anthropic services is governed by Anthropic’s Commercial Terms of Service and Data Processing Addendum.

Introduction:

Microsoft Security Copilot agents are directly built into the flow of work for security teams in Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Purview. Today, we are introducing a dozen new agents across these products, to bring agentic defense across workflows, enabling adaptive protection.

To make the agents easily accessible and help security teams get started more quickly, we are excited to announce that Security Copilot will be included in your Microsoft 365 E5 plan as part of your core entitlement with no additional cost*. No provisioning or licensing changes are required. Rollout starts today with existing Security Copilot customers with Microsoft 365 E5 and will continue for all Microsoft 365 E5 customers in the upcoming months. 

When this will happen

• Microsoft 365 E5 customers who already have Security Copilot can get started today with this entitlement.
• All other Microsoft 365 E5 customers can get access to Security Copilot as part of a phased rollout in the upcoming months, with notifications sent 30 days prior to activation.

How this affects your organization

Your organization will have access to Security Copilot with:

• 400 security compute units (SCUs)/month for every 1,000 paid users in Microsoft 365 E5 (up to 10,000 SCUs/month across all workspaces). SCU allocation scales based on the number of users in Microsoft 365 E5.
• Core agentic experiences across Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender, and the Security Copilot portal
• Developer tools and APIs for custom agents and integrations

What you can do to prepare:

Microsoft 365 E5 customers who already have Security Copilot can get started today with:

• Security operations in Microsoft Defender: https://security.microsoft.com 
• Data security in Microsoft Purview: https://purview.microsoft.com 
• Identity and access in Microsoft Entra: https://entra.microsoft.com 
• Endpoint management in Microsoft Intune: https://intune.microsoft.com 
• Review the documentation for details of what’s included with Security Copilot in Microsoft 365 E5

All other Microsoft 365 E5 customers are encouraged to:

• Review the documentation for details of what’s included with Security Copilot in Microsoft 365 E5
• Explore supported use cases in the Security Copilot Adoption Hub
• Watch for the notification email 30 days prior to activation

*Eligible Microsoft 365 E5 customers will have 400 Security Compute Units (SCUs) per month for every 1,000 user licenses, up to 10,000 SCUs per month. This included capacity is expected to support typical scenarios. Customers will have the option to pay for scaling beyond the allocated amount at a future date at a rate of $6 per SCU on a pay-as-you-go basis. They will receive a 30-day advance notice when this option becomes available. Learn more: Learn about Security Copilot inclusion in Microsoft 365 E5 subscription | Security Copilot | Microsoft Learn

[Introduction]

The Workforce Insights agent is a Microsoft 365 Copilot agent designed to help leaders and their support staff make informed, strategic decisions about organizational structure, staffing, and skills. Starting November 24, 2025, the Workforce Insights agent will be available in Frontier and can be found in the Microsoft 365 Copilot agent store. Additional features will roll out over the following month.

The Frontier program provides customers early, hands-on access to experimental Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations in their own environment. Features designated as “Frontier” are previews intended for evaluation and feedback. Availability and capabilities may change as these features are still in development.

The Workforce Insights agent uses two main data sources:

• Organizational data: Enables insights into current staffing and team structure.
• People Skills data: Powers skill-based queries and helps users find colleagues with specific skills.

Customers with Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Microsoft 365 Copilot in Productivity Apps service plan will see the Workforce Insights (Frontier) available to deploy in the Copilot Control Center within the Microsoft 365 admin center.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025 and completes by late March 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Begins late March 2026 and completes by late December 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Organizations with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses and the Microsoft 365 Copilot in Productivity Apps service plan.

What will happen:

• Workforce Insights (Frontier) will be available for deployment in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• The agent can be installed by all M365 Copilot licensed users within Copilot or Teams.
• Requires at least 50 Copilot licenses for full functionality.
• Users will be able to:
  • Understand current team staffing.
  • Access guidance and best practices for workforce planning.
  • Identify skills and receive recommendations on organizational structure.
  • Find team members and filter by attributes such as level, location, and title.

[What you can do to prepare:]

You can manage the deployment of the Workforce Insights agent using the following controls:

• Deploy the agent: Install on behalf of users by accepting Microsoft Entra permissions.
• Restrict access: Limit availability to specific users or groups.
• Remove/block the agent: Completely block or remove from inventory if needed.
• Set up prerequisites:
  • Organizational data can be uploaded or refreshed using the Organizational Data in Microsoft 365 service. As an Organizational Data admin, you can upload public attributes and customer attributes that will be powering the Workforce Insights agent
  • People Skills needs to be set up in your tenant as a pre-requisite for the Workforce Insights agent to respond to prompts that require skills data. Review setup documentation: Overview of People Skills | Microsoft Learn.
  • Users can request delegate access from managers via the Workforce Insights Manage data access page. Starting December 8, 2025, if you would like to disable the ability for the user to assign delegates you can control access to this feature in M365 using PowerShell with the module name WorkforceInsights.
  • Licensing: Ensure at least 50 Copilot licenses are active.

Learn more: Manage agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Microsoft 365 admin center – Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

The Learning agent is now available in Frontier. This agent helps employees build skills through personalized microlearning and structured learning experiences embedded directly into Microsoft 365 tools. These experiences include personalized task-based Copilot tips to augment workflows, learning recommendations tailored to user skills, curated learning paths, and interactive role-play exercises powered by LinkedIn Learning.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 490154.

About Frontier

The Frontier program gives customers early, hands-on access to experimental Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations in their own environment. The agents and AI features designated as “Frontier” are previews, built for evaluation and feedback purposes. As these features are still in development, their availability and capabilities may change at any time.

[When this will happen:]

Frontier Availability (Worldwide): Available now.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Customers with Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Microsoft 365 Copilot in Productivity Apps service plan (excluding faculty and student SKUs).
• What will happen:
  • Learning agent (Frontier) will be available to deploy in the Copilot Control Center within Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • Users will be able to install and use the Learning agent within Microsoft 365 Copilot or Teams.
  • Admins have controls to manage deployment, including install, restrict, or remove the agent.
  • Feature is opt-in; admins must deploy or allow access.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Ensure People Skills is set up in your tenant: People Skills Overview
• Confirm licensing: Users must have an active Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Approve or deny access at tenant or user level in Microsoft Admin Center under Copilot > Settings.
• Review admin controls for agents: Settings for Agents

Frontier features are experimental and subject to change. Participation in the Frontier program is optional.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction:]

The Microsoft 365 Copilot app now features a simpler, cleaner navigation experience. We’ve flattened the menu and grouped features logically so it’s easier for users to find what matters most.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 518222.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rollout begins in mid-November 2025 and is expected to complete by late November 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in December 2025 and is expected to complete by January 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

• Who is affected: Users of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for Web, Windows, and Mac.
• What will happen:
  • Navigation is simplified with a flattened menu and logical grouping of features.
  • For users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, the Apps entry point is now located in the navigation footer, next to Settings.

Screenshot: Comparison of current (left) and refreshed (right) M365 Copilot navigation. The new design groups agents, notebooks, and recent chats directly in the left rail. Features shown may vary by license type and admin settings.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required.
• Rollout will begin for users starting in December and complete in the following weeks.
• To learn more about managing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, review Microsoft 365 Copilot app settings for IT admins | Microsoft.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction:]

Coming soon to Microsoft Teams: A new security feature to enhance external collaboration. If your organization allows external domains to contact users in Teams, we will identify if an external user is impersonating a domain owned by your tenant during their initial contact through Teams chat. If we detect potential impersonation, we will show a high-risk alert to the user, notifying them to check for suspicious name/email and proceed with caution.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 526780.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability: Begins in early December 2025 and expected to complete by mid-December 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Organizations that have enabled Teams external access.

What will happen:

• Before rollout: Teams only scanned for brand impersonation risks.
• After rollout: Teams will check for both brand and tenant-owned domain impersonation attempts.
• When impersonation is detected, users will see the warning: “This looks like a spam or phishing attempt” and must preview and validate the sender before accepting the chat invitation.
• The feature will be ON by default for all tenants that allow external access in Teams.
• There are no admin controls to manage this functionality; admins cannot disable this feature.
• No admin configuration changes are required.
• Platform availability: Android, Desktop, iOS, Mac, Web

Screenshot 1 – User sees this warning when the sender is detected as a potential impersonator of the tenant’s own domain. In this example, the sender’s domain is “fabrikarn.com”, which looks like the recipient tenant’s own domain “fabrikam.com”:

Screenshot 2 – When user clicks on “Preview their messages safely”, they can see the message from the sender, and make the decision of “Accept” or “Block”:

Screenshot 3 – If the user decides to accept, they will be prompted again to check the sender’s legitimacy and confirm that they are not phishing, before the chat is officially accepted:

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required; this security check is automatic.
• Admins can review audit logs for impersonation attempts detected.

Learn more: Security and compliance in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction:]

Microsoft Edge for Business will soon support summarization and contextual grounding with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This enhancement enables users to ask Copilot questions about multiple open browser tabs, Microsoft 365 documents (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and YouTube videos directly from the Edge side pane.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496364, 499423, and 499424.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in mid-November 2025 and expect to complete by late November 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users signed in to Microsoft Edge for Business with their Entra ID and who have access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to ask Copilot questions about open browser tabs, Microsoft 365 documents, and YouTube videos.
• The feature will be off by default.
• If Copilot is restricted from accessing page content via Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or the EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext policy, it will be suppressed to maintain DLP integrity.
• Existing DLP and policy configurations will be respected.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date; no admin action is required before rollout.
• Ensure users who need this capability have access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Ensure your tenant is configured to support Microsoft 365 Copilot and that eligible users meet all licensing prerequisites, including Entra ID sign-in and applicable Microsoft 365 service plans.
• Review your current DLP and Edge policy configurations to determine potential impact.
• Notify users about this upcoming capability.
• Update internal documentation if needed.

Learn more:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Edge and Access to Page Content | Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Learn
  
• Microsoft Edge – Policies | Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Learn
  

[Compliance considerations:]

We've released updates to the following update channel for Microsoft 365 Apps:

• Current Channel

[When this will happen:]

We'll be gradually rolling out this update of Microsoft 365 Apps to users on that update channel starting November 18th, 2025 (PST).

[How this will affect your organization:]

If your Microsoft 365 Apps clients are configured to automatically update from the Office Content Delivery Network (CDN), then no action is required.

If you manage updates directly you can now download this latest update and begin deployment.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

To get more details about this update view the following release notes:

• Current Channel

[Introduction]

The newly refreshed landing page for Copilot in the MAC (Microsoft 365 Admin Center) allows you to get an at-a-glance view of the Copilot journey across Chat, Agents, and M365 Copilot. We have added Success metrics for each pillar and new metrics like Chat active users, Assisted hours for licensed users, and Satisfaction rate. Each pillar also has multi-signal actionable, personalized insights to unblock and accelerate adoption leveraging data from configuration, readiness, security, usage, adoption, and engagement. We are also introducing a Security pivot where you can see insights into Purview capabilities and actions needed. And we are centralizing usage reports related to Copilot under the new Usage pivot.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rollout will begin mid-November 2025; expected to complete by early December 2025.
• General Availability: Rollout will begin late January 2026; expected to complete by late February 2026.

How this affects your organization:

• Who is affected: Microsoft 365 admins managing Copilot services.
• What will happen:
  • Redesigned Overview page for Copilot in the Admin Center.

  

  • Success metrics for each Copilot pillar (Chat, Agents, M365 Copilot), including:
    • Chat active users
    • Assisted hours for licensed users
    • Satisfaction rate
  • Multi-signal actionable insights leveraging configuration, readiness, security, usage, and engagement data.
  • New Security pivot for Purview-related insights and recommended actions.
  • Centralized usage reports under the new Usage pivot.
  • Feature is on by default; no additional configuration required.

What you can do to prepare:

• Review the new Overview page and pivots to monitor adoption and security posture.
• Use actionable insights to unblock configuration and accelerate readiness.
• No additional setup is required.

Before rollout, we will update this post with new documentation.

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction:]

We’re introducing a simpler way to view conversations in Viva Engage communities, organized by recent posts rather than recent activity. This new view is designed to make it easier for users to follow discussions and will be available as an option, alongside the current system, for those who prefer sorting by recent activity and filtering to new conversations only.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 513275.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in January 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

This change should align better with how people expect to browse and engage with content in their communities, while still preserving the triage flow for those who prefer it.

Who is affected: All Viva Engage users in your organization.

Current experience:

• Communities default to “new” and “recent activity” if there’s any new content (posts or replies).
• If there’s no new content, the feed falls back to “all.”
• Unread indicators on content only exist in the “new” feed.

New experience:

• The feature will be ON by default.
• Communities will default to “all” and “recent posts”:

 

• Unread indicators will exist in both the “new” and “all” feeds.
• A sticky user preference will be introduced:
  • If someone changes the feed (new/all) or sort order (recent posts/recent activity), we will maintain that setting across their communities.
  • If someone picks “new” and there’s no new content in the next community, we will fall back to “all” for that community visit, but “new” will remain the preference for that user.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No action is required.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate

[Introduction]

We’re introducing Microsoft Agent 365 to customers in the Frontier program. Agent 365 is the IT control plane for agents. It equips your agents with the same apps and protections, tailored to agent needs, saving IT time and effort on integrating agents into business processes. Agent 365 includes leading Microsoft’s security and productivity solutions: Defender, Entra and Purview to protect and govern agents; Microsoft 365 apps and Work IQ to accelerate their productivity; and Microsoft 365 admin center to manage agents.

Core capabilities include:

• Registry: Get a complete view of all agents in your organization, including those with agent IDs, agents you register, and shadow agents.
• Access Control: Bring agents under management and limit their access to only the resources they need. Prevent compromise with risk-based conditional access policies.
• Visualization: Explore connections between agents, people, and data. Monitor agent behavior and performance in real time to assess organizational impact.
• Interoperability: Equip agents with apps and data to simplify human-agent workflows. Connect them to Work IQ for context and onboarding into business processes.
• Security: Protect agents from threats and vulnerabilities. Detect, investigate, and remediate attacks targeting agents. Safeguard data agents create and use from oversharing, leaks, and risky behavior.

[When this will happen]

Rollout begins November 18, 2025, at 9:00 AM PST.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: All admins and admin-selected users in Frontier program tenants.

What will happen:

• By default, Agent 365 will be ON for all Frontier program tenants.
• Admins will see new Agent 365 features in Microsoft 365 admin center, Defender, Purview, and Entra, including:
  • Agent inventory for Entra ID first-party and third-party agents.
  • Agent third-party observability integrations with key partners.
  • Agent default policy template.
• Admins will have access to:
  • Agent 365 SDK.
  • Agent 365 tools in Copilot Studio and Foundry.
  • Users will see new Agent 365 embodiment features in Teams and SharePoint, plus agent collaboration in Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel.

Screenshot 1 – Agent Overview in the Microsoft 365 admin center:

Screenshot 2 – All Agents in the Microsoft 365 admin center:

[What you can do to prepare]

To get started:

• Visit the new Agent Overview and Inventory experience in Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Review learn documentation.

Review resources to learn more:

• Introducing Agent 365 – the control plane for agents
• Frontier_Getting-started-guide.pdf
• Announcement blog: Microsoft Agent 365: The control plane for AI agents
• Learn documentation: Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

The Frontier program provides early access to experimental Microsoft 365 Copilot innovations. Agents and AI features designated as “Frontier” are previews for evaluation and feedback purposes. Availability and capabilities may change at any time. 

• Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is used to deploy Windows security updates to Windows 10, version 22H2 devices enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU).
• Scan Cab is used to check for update compliance
• The November 2025 Scan Cab was deployed before 12:00 PM PT on November 18, 2025.

• KB5072653: Extended Security Updates (ESU) Licensing Preparation Package for Windows 10
• New update to address issue affecting organizations with Windows 10 devices enrolled on Extended Security Updates (ESU) 
• Updated Scan Cab: Download the new Scan Cab here
• Announcing a smaller WSUS Scan Cab – Microsoft Tech Community: Learn more about WSUS and the Scan Cab process
• Using WUA to Scan for Updates Offline – Win32 apps | Microsoft Docs: Windows Update Agent (WUA) can be used to scan computers for security updates without connecting to Windows Update
• WSUS and the Catalog Site | Microsoft Docs: The Catalog Site used by WSUS to import updates and drivers

[Introduction]

The new Designer editor integration in PowerPoint introduces a modern, intuitive image editing experience directly within your slides—eliminating the need to switch apps or interrupt your workflow. Whether you’re refining visuals for a pitch deck, enhancing marketing assets, or simply making your slides more engaging, the Designer editor enables fast, seamless image enhancements powered by AI.

Screenshot 1: Designer editor is now built into PowerPoint, so you can edit pictures without leaving the app. To get started, select a picture and then select Picture Format > Edit Picture, or right-click it and select Edit Picture.

Screenshot 2: Transform your visuals using AI-powered tools like Remove background, Auto enhance, and more—right from the canvas.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 508530.

[When this will happen:]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early December 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All users of PowerPoint in Microsoft 365 across commercial and education tenants.
• What will happen:
  • Users will gain access to a new AI-powered image editing experience within PowerPoint.
  • The Designer editor will be available directly in the PowerPoint interface.
  • The following capabilities will be included:
    • Generative Erase:  Remove unwanted elements from images.
    • Generative Move: Reposition objects within an image.
    • Add Text: Insert text directly onto images.
    • Edit Text: Recognize existing text in an image and edit it.
    • Upscale: Improve image resolution for sharper visuals.
    • Background Removal: Remove backgrounds for clean designs.
    • Auto Enhance (Color Adjustment): Automatically improve color balance and vibrancy.
    • Effects: Apply creative filters and styles.
  • The feature will be enabled by default for all users.
  • No changes to existing admin policies are required unless your organization chooses to manage availability.
  • AI usage limits for this feature:
    • Commercial users:
      • Copilot licensed users have fair use access to all generative AI features.
      • Entra users have capacity-limited access; in-product messaging will notify users when limits are reached.
    • Consumer users:
      • Free and Basic MSA accounts: 15 credits/month for generative AI features.
      • Personal and Family subscribers: 60 credits/month.
      • Microsoft 365 Premium and Copilot Pro (while supported): fair use access.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required to enable the feature—it will be on by default.
• Review internal documentation if you provide guidance on PowerPoint features.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk and support teams to prepare for potential user questions.
• If your organization wishes to manage availability:
  • Configure access through policy or permissions as needed.
• Be aware:
  • This feature uses AI capabilities to edit and enhance images in PowerPoint.
  • AI usage disclaimers are included within the editor interface for end users.

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction:]

To help users declutter their calendars, Outlook Mobile now supports hiding declined meetings. This aligns with existing functionality in New Outlook and Outlook for the Web, where users can choose to show or hide declined events. With this update, users can enjoy a simplified calendar experience across devices.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout begins in early December 2025 and is expected to complete by late January 2026. 

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users of Outlook Mobile who have enabled “Show declined meetings” in New Outlook or Outlook for the Web.

What will happen: 

• Users will see a new setting in Outlook Mobile to hide declined meetings: 



• This setting provides a cleaner calendar view by removing declined events.
• The feature respects existing preferences set in New Outlook or Outlook for the Web.
• No changes to admin policies or configurations are required.

Learn more: What is the Hide Declined Events Setting? | Microsoft Support

[What you can do to prepare:] 

No admin action is required at this time.

You may choose to inform helpdesk staff or update internal documentation to reflect this new setting.

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Agent Mode in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 Copilot introduces a conversational way to edit presentations while preserving your deck’s formatting, structure, and branding. This feature enables users to guide Copilot to directly update slides, refine layouts, and iterate on content using enterprise data—helping them focus on ideas and present with confidence.

To access this feature, you must have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and be enrolled in the Insiders Beta Channel.

• Frontier Public rollout: Begins in mid-November 2025 for Windows users in the Insiders Beta Channel.

• Who is affected: Users in your organization who use PowerPoint on Windows and are part of the Insiders Beta Channel.
• What will happen:
  • Users will gain access to Agent Mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot for PowerPoint:

   

  • They can interact with Copilot via chat to edit and refine presentation content.
  • Formatting and branding will be preserved.
  • Enterprise data can be used to enhance slides.
  • Feature is available by default for eligible users.

Note: Agent Mode is a Copilot Chat feature in PowerPoint that lets Copilot edit presentations directly. It isn’t available as a standalone feature in PowerPoint.

• No action is required to enable the feature.
• Consider communicating the availability of Agent Mode to helpdesk staff and other users.
• Encourage users to explore the feature to improve presentation workflows.
• Review internal documentation if you provide guidance on PowerPoint or Copilot usage.

Learn more: Agent Mode (Frontier) in PowerPoint | Microsoft Support

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot to help users create documents, workbooks, and presentations more efficiently in Copilot Chat within the Frontier program. These agents assist with creating documents, workbooks, and presentations by using web and enterprise grounding. Each agent supports multi-turn chat, enabling user to refine content through an interactive back-and-forth conversation.

[When this will happen:]

• Frontier Public Preview (Worldwide): Rollout begins today

[How this affects your organization:]

If your organization is part of the Frontier program and has enabled Anthropic usage in your tenant, users will be able to access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents via the navigation pane in the M365 Copilot app or within the Tools menu in Copilot chat across Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Additionally, users can invoke these agents by typing “@” followed by the agent name (for example, @PowerPoint).

Who is affected:

• Copilot Chat users in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app in the Frontier Program.

What will happen:

• Users will have access to the following Copilot agents:
• Word agent: Assists with research, formatting, layout, and content refinement for documents such as strategic plans, policy documents, and technical papers.
• Excel agent: Supports data analysis, formula generation, trend identification, and summarization of insights.
• PowerPoint agent: Helps generate presentations from outlines or documents, suggests layouts, and refines visual storytelling.
• Each agent supports multi-turn chat for iterative content development.
• Users can perform high-level iterations on the generated files via chat directly in the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents. For more extensive or granular editing, users can open their documents in the respective applications.



• The feature will be ON by default for tenants with Copilot access, Frontier enabled, and for tenants who have opted into Anthropic usage. If Anthropic usage is disabled by the admin, the agents will not appear in the user experience. Learn more: Connect to Anthropic’s AI models | Microsoft Learn.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required at this time.
• Communicate availability to helpdesk or content teams.
• If desired, review internal documentation or training materials to reflect the new capabilities.

Learn more: Get started with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Frontier)

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

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.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 502523.

• Targeted Release: Begins early-December 2025, completes mid-December 2025.
• General Availability
  • Worldwide and GCC: Begins early January 2026, completes mid-January 2026.
  • GCC High and DoD: Begins mid-January 2026, completes late January 2026.

Who is affected: Mac users participating in Teams meetings across Microsoft 365 tenants.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to opt in to native macOS screen and window sharing via Teams settings.
• The feature is disabled by default and must be enabled by the user.
• No application restart is required after enabling.
• The experience uses macOS native APIs for improved performance and integration.

• Notify your macOS users about this new capability.
• Update internal training materials and documentation as needed.
• No admin action is required unless you wish to communicate or document the change internally.

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing Opal (Frontier), a new Computer Use Agent experience available under the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 enterprise users. This experience is designed to be managed by tenant admins and will be accessible only to selected user groups. Opal will appear in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and website once enabled.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Tenant admins managing Copilot Settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Enterprise users with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses in selected groups.

What will happen:

• This feature will be off by default for all tenants.
• Tenant admins can enable Opal (Frontier) via Copilot Settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Additional setup will be required in Opal.
• Once enabled, users will find Opal in the left navigation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and website.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Ensure all intended users have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Confirm your organization has an Intune license.
• Select user groups for access via Copilot Settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Complete Opal setup steps in the Opal Admin Center:
  • Set up the Cloud PC pool.
  • Define website allowlist.
  • Provide organization-specific instructions.
• Review internal documentation and communicate changes to helpdesk staff.

Learn more:

• Setting up and Managing Project Opal (Frontier)
• Get started with Project Opal (Frontier)

[Compliance considerations:]

Starting November 24, 2025, Microsoft Viva Engage will begin rolling out support for manual multi-language post creation on the web. Support for Teams will follow shortly after, beginning in early December 2025. This feature enables communicators to write and publish posts in multiple languages, ensuring manually authored versions override automatic translations. It is designed to improve inclusivity and engagement across multilingual organizations.

General Availability (Worldwide) rollout begins November 24, 2025.

• Who is affected: Premium licensed users of Viva Engage who author posts; all users who read posts.
• What will happen:
  • Authors can manually create translated versions of a post in up to 41 supported languages.
  • Readers will automatically see the translated version matching their locale or can switch using a dropdown.
  • Creation is supported on web only; rendering is supported across all clients including Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and mobile.
  • Only premium licensed users can create multi-language posts; all users can read them.
  • Manual translation is limited to thread starters and does not apply to replies.
  • Notifications will display the default language version.
  • Editing and adding new language versions is supported post-publication (web only).
  • Attachments and cover photos must be reuploaded for each language translation.

• Ensure premium licenses are assigned to users who will author multi-language posts.
• Communicate to your teams that manual language translations will be visible based on user locale settings.
• Reupload attachments and cover photos for each language version.
• Update internal documentation to reflect this new capability.

Learn more: Multi-language posts for global communication | Microsoft Support

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

[Introduction]

Stay on top of your inbox with the new Microsoft 365 Copilot voice experience in the Outlook mobile app—simply open Copilot, tap Voice catch-up, and manage your messages through a natural, conversational flow. Copilot starts by summarizing your most recent unread emails and then offers you actions like flagging, pinning, archiving, deleting, or drafting a reply that you can choose to take—all without the hassle of navigating your inbox by hand. You can interrupt or redirect Copilot at any point in the conversation:

• Ask Copilot follow-up questions on a specific topic
• Read an email thread from start to finish or provide a more detailed summary
• Take a triage action for a specific email – flagging, pinning, archiving, or deleting
• Draft a reply to an email or email thread, which Copilot will save to your drafts folder

The end result: A new way to manage your Outlook mobile inbox that is conversational, hands-free, and convenient for working on-the-go, and more accessible than ever.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Rollout begins in mid-November 2025 and completes by early February.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in early February 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected:
  • All users of the Outlook mobile app on iOS and Android with Microsoft 365 Copilot enabled.
  • A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.
• What will happen:
  • Users will see a new Voice catch-up option in the Copilot interface within Outlook mobile.
  • Copilot will summarize recent unread emails and offer actions such as flagging, pinning, archiving, deleting, and drafting replies.
  • Users can interrupt or redirect Copilot at any time to ask follow-up questions, read full threads, or take triage actions.
  • The experience is conversational and hands-free, enhancing accessibility and productivity.
• Key benefits:
  • Helps users stay on top of their inboxes while they’re on-the-go (hands-free, using headphones, on a walk, in between meetings, and beyond)
  • Enables a more accessible Outlook mobile experience
  • Delivers a more consistent, conversational inbox triage experience than the user would otherwise experience when starting with prompts like “Summarize the emails I got today.”
  • Natural, conversational flow – feels as though you’re triaging your inbox live with support from a helpful human

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Ensure users update to the latest version of Outlook mobile on iOS and Android.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk and support teams.
• Update internal documentation if you provide guidance on Outlook mobile or Copilot usage.
• No admin configuration is required; feature will be available by default for eligible users.
• To get access to Voice catch-up during the preview period, organizations must email [email protected] to join the preview on iOS Test Flight and Android Beta.

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

We’re introducing the SharePoint page agent, a declarative Copilot agent that enables users to create and refine SharePoint pages directly within Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences. Declarative agents respond to user intent expressed in natural language—users describe what they want, and the agent handles how to do it. This update allows users to generate structured content like meeting recaps, announcements, and project updates without switching apps or manually opening SharePoint.

Screenshot 1: SharePoint page agent

Screenshot 2: SharePoint page agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Screenshot 3: SharePoint page agent – page card

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025, expected to complete by mid-February 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Begins mid-November 2025, expected to complete by mid-March 2026.

• Who is affected: 
  • Users with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences, including Copilot Chat in supported apps such as Teams, Outlook, and Word.
  • A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.
• What will happen:
  • Users will be able to create SharePoint pages or news posts directly from within supported Copilot-enabled apps.
  • The agent supports structured content creation such as meeting summaries, announcements, and project updates.
  • The feature is available as a Frontier Public Preview and requires opt-in.
  • Admins can disable the agent via the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • No changes to existing SharePoint authoring workflows unless the agent is enabled.

• Review whether your organization wants to participate in the Frontier Public Preview.
• Communicate this new capability to helpdesk and support teams.
• Update internal documentation if you provide guidance on SharePoint page creation.
• To disable the agent, use the admin toggle in the Microsoft 365 admin center (path: Settings > Org Settings > Copilot Agents > SharePoint page agent).

Learn more:

• Bring the power of SharePoint page creation into Microsoft 365 Copilot
• SharePoint showcase

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction:]

We’re introducing the ability to use Microsoft 365 Copilot directly from the OneDrive activity center on macOS. This update enables users to perform Copilot actions—such as summarizing documents, generating FAQs, and asking questions—by selecting a file and clicking the vertical ellipsis. This enhancement brings Copilot closer to where users work, helping them extract insights and take action faster.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): Rollout began in mid-November 2025 and is expected to complete by early December 2025.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users of OneDrive on macOS with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to access Copilot actions from the OneDrive activity center by selecting a file and clicking the vertical ellipsis.
• Available actions include summarizing documents, generating FAQs, and asking questions:

 

• The feature is ON by default and does not require admin configuration.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot availability depends on market and language support.
• A qualifying Microsoft 365 enterprise or business plan is required.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Inform users about the new Copilot capabilities in the OneDrive activity center.
• Review your organization’s Copilot licensing and availability.

Learn more: Get started with Copilot in OneDrive | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations:]

Question	Explanation
Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI/ML or agent capabilities that interact with or provide access to customer data?	Yes – This feature enables users to interact with Microsoft 365 Copilot, which uses AI to process and summarize file content.
Does the change provide end users any new way of interacting with generative AI?	Yes – Users can now initiate Copilot actions (e.g., summarization, Q&A) directly from the OneDrive activity center on macOS.

[Introduction]

Starting January 6, 2026, Zero-hour auto-purge (ZAP)—a feature that moves malicious messages from internal Microsoft Teams chats and channels to admin quarantine—will be turned on by default for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1. This enhancement helps protect your organization by removing phishing or malware URLs from Teams conversations and placing them in the admin quarantine within the Microsoft 365 Security portal. For details on managing quarantined Teams messages, refer to Use the Microsoft Defender portal to manage Microsoft Teams quarantined messages.

Screenshot: Example of Admin quarantine showcasing all quarantined Teams messages

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 529816.

[When this will happen:]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins early January 2026 and will complete by mid-January 2026.
• Default ON setting effective January 6, 2026, unless your tenant opts out before that.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• All tenants using Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 with Microsoft Teams.

What will happen:

• ZAP will automatically move internal Teams messages detected as phishing or malware to the admin quarantine tab in the Security portal.
• By default, ZAP protection for Teams will be ON for all tenants.
• Existing ZAP settings apply; no policy changes are required unless you choose to opt out.
• End users will not see quarantined messages in Teams; admins can review and manage quarantined content in the Security portal.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review ZAP settings in the Microsoft 365 Security portal before January 6, 2026.
• If you want to opt out of the default ON setting, do so via ZAP settings in the Security portal between December 6, 2025, and January 5, 2026.
• Communicate this change to your helpdesk and update internal documentation as needed.

Learn more:

• Configure ZAP for Teams protection in Defender for Office 365
• Use the Microsoft Defender portal to manage Microsoft Teams quarantined messages

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.

[Feedback:]

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Updated November 18, 2025: We have updated the timeline and content below. Thank you for your patience. 

What it is

Microsoft is rolling out a new feature to streamline how app and agent availability is managed across Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Until now, IT admins configured availability settings separately in both the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (MAC) and the Teams Admin Center (TAC), which led to mismatches. With this update, you’ll be able to unify availability policies for apps and agents across both portals, making app management more consistent and efficient.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 393931 and 503105.

When this will happen:

We will begin rolling out this feature late September 2025 and expect to complete by end of June 2026 (previously mid-November 2025).

1. Phase 1 – Default Tenant Unification

We will begin rolling out this feature at the end of September 2025. This initial phase targets tenants that have never modified their organization-wide defaults, app availability, or block/unblock in either the Microsoft 365 admin center or the Teams admin center. At the end of this phase, agent and app manageability will be unified across both Microsoft 365 admin center and Teams admin center ensuring agent and Microsoft 365 apps availability policies are in alignment for all future administrative changes. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 393931.

2. Phase 2 – Modified Tenants Unification

This phase targets tenants that have previously modified their organization-wide defaults, app availability, or block/unblock settings in either admin center. These tenants will be transitioned to a unified management experience across both Microsoft 365 and Teams admin centers.

• For tenants with no agent or app availability differences across both admin centers, guidance will be provided to help maintain unified availability policy for all future changes. We will begin rolling out this feature in early November 2025.
  
  • This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 503105.
• For tenants with agent or app availability differences across both admin centers, a wizard in the Teams admin center will help identify affected agents and apps and guide through resolving discrepancies.
  • As part of this phase we will also enable administrators to manage Microsoft 365 certified SaaS applications within their tenant through org-wide settings for third-party apps. We will begin rolling out this feature in January 2026.
    
  • This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 485712.

Note: In this phase, no changes will be applied to org-wide settings or app-level settings without administrator action.

3. Phase 3 – Automatic Unification

Tenants that haven’t transitioned as part of Phase 1 & Phase 2, will be automatically moved to unified app agent management. We will update this post with a timeline and more details later.

How this will affect your organization

Before this rollout, managing Teams apps that work in Outlook and the Microsoft 365 app was fragmented between the Integrated apps page in the Microsoft 365 admin center for Outlook and the Microsoft 365 app, and the Teams admin center for Teams. This sometimes resulted in different settings for the same app in the two admin centers. With Unified agent app management, you will be able to manage apps on the Integrated apps page in the Microsoft 365 admin center or in the Teams admin center, and any changes made in either admin center will synchronize.

• You’ll gain a consolidated view of agent and Microsoft 365 app availability across both Microsoft 365 and Teams admin centers.
• Changes made in either admin center to the agent and app availability will automatically apply across all supported hosts.
• Organization-wide defaults for both admin centers will be in sync and govern app availability across Teams, Outlook, and the Microsoft 365 copilot app.

 What you need to do to prepare

To ensure a smooth transition, review your tenant-level and individual agent/app settings (app allow/block & user availability) in both the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and the Teams Admin Center. If different departments within your organization manage these settings, we suggest coordinating efforts to complete the review collaboratively.

This update will be rolled out automatically by the stated date, and no immediate action is required. However, it’s a good time to update any internal documentation related to agent and app management policies. 

Learn more: Unified agent and app availability management across Microsoft 365 and Teams Admin Centers – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn