Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 20-11-2025

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

To improve meeting clarity and reduce confusion caused by connectivity issues, we’re adding a new Network Strength Indicator. 

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 414513

[When this will happen:]

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

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

This feature will display your current network quality using a simple 3-bar system: Good (3 bars), Poor (2 bars), and Bad (1 bar). When your connection is limited, we’ll suggest actions to help conserve bandwidth and maintain meeting performance. You’ll also be able to see when other participants are experiencing poor or bad network conditions, providing better context for disruptions in the meeting.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

You may consider updating your training and documentation as appropriate.

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Prompt categories will be available in Microsoft Copilot Dashboard in Microsoft Viva Insights on the web to help you understand key Copilot use cases for your organization. In Microsoft Copilot Chat (work), which is grounded in work data, these prompt categories will include Ask and find, Catch up, Draft and brainstorm, and Other. These metrics will be added to the metrics library in the advanced insights app.

Learn more about Copilot Dashboard licensing requirements in Connect to the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard for Microsoft 365 customers | Microsoft Learn

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 486698.

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out in early September 2025 (previously mid-September) and will complete by late September 2025

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling early December 2025 (previously mid-November) and expect to complete by end of December 2025 (previously end of November).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Users enabled to view Copilot dashboard will see these updates:

1. Adoption tab: Prompt categories will be available at Viva Insights > Microsoft Copilot Dashboard > Adoption > Adoption by app > Copilot Chat (work) dropdown:

2. Impact tab: Admins can go to Viva Insights > Microsoft Copilot Dashboard > Impact > Copilot chat card > Explore more button to access the prompt categories as metrics in the Copilot impact trend section and the Comparison between groups section:

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 admins and/or users about this change and update internal documentation.

Review and assess the impact for your organization. You might consider reviewing with your works council and updating your training and documentation as appropriate.

Learn more: Connect to the Microsoft Copilot Dashboard for Microsoft 365 customers | Microsoft Learn

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

Starting in December 2025, Microsoft will begin automatically installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices that have Microsoft 365 desktop client apps. This app provides a centralized entry point for accessing Copilot experiences and AI-powered capabilities across Microsoft 365. This change simplifies access to Copilot and ensures users can easily discover and engage with productivity-enhancing features.

When this will happen

Rollout begins in early December 2025 (previously early October) and completes mid-December 2025 (previously mid-November)

How this affects your organization

Who is affected:

• Organizations with Windows devices running Microsoft 365 desktop client apps
• Customers outside the European Economic Area (EEA) (EEA customers are excluded)
• Admins responsible for managing Microsoft 365 Apps deployments
• Users on eligible devices who will see the Microsoft 365 Copilot app appear in their Start menu

What will happen:

• The Microsoft 365 Copilot app will be automatically installed on Windows devices that have Microsoft 365 desktop apps, unless administrators opt out.
• The app will appear in the Start menu as a new entry point for accessing Copilot experiences across Microsoft 365.
• On devices where the app is already installed, no visible change will occur.
• The app installation is enabled by default and does not require user interaction.
• This change does not apply to customers in the European Economic Area (EEA).

What you can do to prepare

Admin Actions

• Review the documentation for more details and instructions on how to manage this.
• You can opt out of the installation in the Microsoft 365 Apps Admin Center. 
• Consider notifying helpdesk and users to reduce confusion and support requests.
• Update internal documentation if you reference installed apps or Copilot access points.

User Impact

• Users may see a new app icon for Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Start menu.
• On many devices, the app may already be installed, resulting in no visible change

Compliance considerations

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

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction:]

To help users quickly identify external participants in Microsoft Teams and reduce the risk of oversharing sensitive information, we’re introducing Trust Indicators—visual labels (badges or icons) next to people’s names. These indicators signal whether someone is external to your organization, a guest, or an anonymous meeting participant.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 515169.

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: Begins rolling out late September 2025; expected completion by late November 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Begins rolling out mid-January 2026 (previously late November 2025); expected completion by early February 2026 (previously early January).

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users across commercial, GCC, GCC High, and DoD environments.

What will happen:

• Users will see badges or icons next to names of external participants in Teams:





• The visual indicator will vary depending on the relationship (guest, external, anonymous):



• These indicators will appear across multiple Teams surfaces.
• No admin action is required to enable this feature; it will be ON by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No action is required to enable the feature.

Admins can:

• Review the documentation to understand the types of Trust Indicators and their behavior: Representation of users outside your organization | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn
• Communicate this change to helpdesk or support teams.
• Update internal documentation if you reference user identity indicators in Teams.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction]

We are introducing two new Microsoft Graph APIs that enable admins to programmatically access and manage agents and apps within their organization. These APIs provide greater flexibility for reporting and integration scenarios without relying on manual UI workflows.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 502875.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins managing Copilot agents and apps within Microsoft 365 environments.

What will happen:

• New Graph API endpoints will be available:
  • GET graph.microsoft.com/copilot/admin/catalog/packages – Retrieves a complete inventory of all agents and apps (Microsoft, External, Shared, and Custom).
  • GET graph.microsoft.com/copilot/admin/catalog/packages/{id} – Fetches detailed metadata for a specific agent or app, including properties and manifest details.

• These APIs allow for automated reporting and integration workflows.
• No changes to existing UI workflows or admin policies.
• These Graph API endpoints are available to users with an existing Microsoft 365 license; no additional license or add-on is required.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review the Microsoft Graph API documentation to familiarize yourself with usage and capabilities at this time.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

We are introducing Copilot-powered summaries and insights as a landing page within Copilot Notebooks. This feature is designed to help users quickly gain an understanding of the references in their notebooks.

The feature will initially be available in the web experience (Preview and General Availability), with mobile availability (iOS and Android) planned for a future release.

A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 512430.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of Copilot Notebooks with eligible licenses.

What will happen:

• Users will see summaries and insights as the default landing page in Copilot Notebooks:

 

• The landing page is powered by a fine-tuned prompt for Copilot.
• This feature is enabled by default.
• Existing Copilot Notebooks admin controls will continue to apply.
• No changes to user workflow unless customized by admin.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No action is required to enable the feature. However, to ensure users can access it:

• Confirm that your organization has Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses assigned to intended users.
• Review your Microsoft 365 licensing documentation or contact your Microsoft account representative to verify eligibility.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

We’re introducing more flexible and precise audience targeting in Viva Engage, starting with Storyline Announcements. This update allows leaders and their delegates to define a custom audience at the time of posting—without relying on pre-configured Leader Audiences. Audiences can include organizational attributes (such as reporting structure, country, department, job title), existing groups (Microsoft 365 Groups, DLs, SGs), or individual users by name. This flexibility enables more timely, targeted communication, helping leaders reach the right people with the right message. Notifications and delivery channels (such as Teams, email) will continue to follow existing Storyline Announcement behavior, ensuring a seamless experience for recipients.

This feature is ideal for leaders who want to tailor communications to specific departments, locations, or existing groups, enhancing relevance and engagement across the organization.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 499895.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Leaders and delegates using Viva Engage Storyline Announcements in tenants enrolled in public preview.

What will happen:

• This capability is being introduced as part of the public preview for Viva Engage. During this phase, leaders and their delegates can actively experiment with flexible audience targeting for Storyline Announcements—defining a custom audience at the time of posting, rather than relying solely on pre‑configured Leader Audiences.
• Audiences can include organizational attributes (such as reporting structure, country, department, job title), existing groups (Microsoft 365 Groups, DLs, SGs), or individual users.
• Notifications and delivery channels (Teams, email, Viva Engage Inbox) remain unchanged for recipients.
• No dependency on IT or advance audience setup—leaders can act immediately when communication needs arise.
• Available only in public preview; functionality and targeting options may evolve before general availability.
• Admins should ensure organizational attributes in Entra ID or Organizational Data in Microsoft are accurate to support successful targeting.
• Available platforms: Desktop and web.
• Licensing requirements: This feature requires a premium license available through Viva or Communications and Communities (C&C). Availability may vary depending on your organization’s Microsoft 365 licensing agreement.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required for rollout. To prepare, you may want to:

• Validate organizational attributes (reporting structure, country, department, role, job title) in Microsoft Entra ID or Organizational Data in Microsoft.
• Confirm leader and delegate assignments to ensure the right people can use Storyline Announcements and the new targeting control.

Learn more:

• Use your organizational data in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Viva | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timing of this change below. Thank you for your patience.

On July 1, 2026, you may encounter issues if you haven’t updated your analytic rules, automation rules/playbooks, workbooks, hunting queries, or custom integrations to be precedence-aware for account entity naming. We’ve standardized the account entity naming logic in Microsoft Sentinel incidents and alerts, where the account entity naming priority is: UPN prefix → name → display name. Please update your queries and automations to use the new precedence pattern.

You are receiving this message because our reporting indicates your organization may be using Microsoft Sentinel incidents, alerts (AlertV3), or related automation.

[When this will happen:]

July 1, 2026 (previously February 13, 2026)

[How this will affect your organization:]

If you don’t fix this problem, these queries, automations, dashboards, and reports that reference account names may be affected:

• Analytics (KQL) that filter by, join on, or normalize account names
• Automation rules & playbooks (e.g., Logic Apps) that map Account.Name or compare it to other identity fields
• Workbooks & dashboards that show account name or aggregate by that value
• Hunting queries that coalesce or parse account identity fields
• Any users or systems relying on display name as the account identifier

[What you need to do to prepare:]

To fix this problem you need to update your KQL queries and automation logic to use the new precedence-aware pattern for account entity naming. Specifically, use a coalesce pattern (e.g., coalesce(Name, DisplayName)) wherever you reference the account name, and validate your workbooks, dashboards, and playbooks against the new logic. Test changes in a nonproduction workspace before rollout.

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

The Rate My Call survey is a feedback screen that the Teams client will occasionally present to users after their Teams call or meeting has completed. Currently, the rating presents 1-5 stars on the first page and a list of potential issues (called problem tokens) on the second page.

We will be rolling out a new streamlined feedback experience for Teams on Windows, Mac, and Web that presents the feedback on a single screen with a thumbs up / thumbs down rating system and problem tokens for the user to select, plus an area to provide details. In testing, we found higher feedback returns with this new design, and clearer insights into call quality issues.

Screenshot 1: New Rate My Call User Interface

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rollout begins early December 2025 (previously mid-November), completes by mid-December 2025 (previously late November).

Who is affected: Users of Microsoft Teams on Windows desktop, Mac, and Web clients

What will happen:

• Users will see a new Rate My Call screen after calls and meetings
• The new screen includes:
  • Thumbs up / thumbs down rating
  • Optional problem tokens
  • Optional free-text field for additional details
• Feedback Rating values in Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) will change:
  • 5: Thumbs up / Good
  • 1: Thumbs down / Had issues
  • 0: Survey shown but not submitted
  • Null: Survey not shown
• Problem tokens will still be recorded even if a rating (thumbs up or down) is not submitted
• Admins may notice an increase in poor feedback metrics due to the new rating method; this does not reflect a decline in service quality

• Communicate this change to helpdesk and support staff
• Update internal documentation to reflect the new feedback format
• Monitor PCR (Poor Call Rate) telemetry until it stabilizes, then set your own threshold

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Q: Will a higher PCR mean calls are worse?
A: No. The new design captures more dissatisfied users by reporting a higher willingness to report poor calls. The increase is a measurement effect, not a quality regression.

Q: What is the new PCR target or threshold for your workstreams?
A: We cannot provide a fixed PCR threshold. Your action is to monitor your own PCR telemetry until it stabilizes (both volume and value relatively flat), then set your threshold. Stabilization may take weeks and once the data converges, you can then set your own.

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

[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:]

Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

[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-December 2025 (previously mid-November), 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-January 2026 (previously mid-December).

[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 excited to announce new enhancements to the rollback feature in Cloud Update, available in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center (config.office.com). These updates provide IT admins with greater flexibility and control, making it even easier to keep Microsoft 365 Apps current, secure, and Copilot-ready, while ensuring a safety net for your organization.

With the latest improvements, you can now roll back updates by device, group, or across all eligible devices, helping you quickly address issues and maintain productivity with minimal disruption.

When this will happen

Public Preview (Worldwide): The enhanced rollback experience is rolling out now and will be available to all Cloud Update customers over the coming weeks.

How this affects your organization

You’ll have new options available for rolling back devices, including support for Microsoft Entra ID groups and the ability to roll back all eligible devices. The experience is streamlined and integrated into the existing Monthly Enterprise profile page.

To access the new rollback capabilities:

1. Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center at https://config.office.com/.
2. From the navigation bar, expand Cloud Update and select Monthly Enterprise. If this is your first time visiting this experience, review the documentation in the Learn More section and enable Cloud Update.
3. From the Monthly Enterprise profile page, select Actions > Roll back devices.

Key benefits

• Rollback by group: Roll back updates for Microsoft Entra ID groups, ideal for scenarios affecting larger sets of users or devices.
• Rollback all devices: Roll back updates for all devices on the latest Monthly Enterprise Channel release (N-0), eliminating the need for individual device or group management.
• Resume by device: Resume updates for select devices to support testing and validation.
• Resume all devices: Resume updates for all devices once you are ready to proceed with your rollout or resume automatically when the next update is available.

What you can do to prepare

• Review the new rollback options in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center.
• Ensure devices are on the Monthly Enterprise Channel and managed by Cloud Update.
• Test the new group and all-device rollback scenarios in your environment.
• Share your feedback. Your input is essential to help us refine these features before general availability. Use the feedback button in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center.

Learn more

• Overview of cloud update in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center – Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn
• Enabling and configuring cloud update – Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

[Introduction]

We’re updating how the featured conversations capability works in Microsoft Viva Engage for public communities. Today, when you feature a conversation from a community, it is elevated for every user who has access to that community. With this change, featured conversations will only be elevated for members of the community. Users who are not members, even if they have access, will no longer see the conversation featured. This helps ensure that only the intended audience sees the featured conversation, improving relevance and reducing unnecessary noise.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in December 2025 and expect to complete in December 2025.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

• All Microsoft Viva Engage users in public communities.
• Engage admins, verified admins, and corporate communicators.

What will happen:

• Employees who have access to a public community but are not members will no longer see the featured post elevated in their feeds or email digests.
• Engage admins, verified admins and corporate communicators who feature a conversation in a public community, will only see it elevated for members of that community, not for all users who have access:

 

• Behavior for All Company, private communities, and Storyline remains unchanged.
• No changes to how admins or communicators feature conversations.

Note: There are no changes to the user experience; the update applies solely to how the feature functions. See highlighted difference below:

[What you can do to prepare]

• Inform corporate communicators and administrators about this change.
• No configuration changes or admin action required.
• Update internal documentation if you describe featured conversation behavior.

Learn more: Feature a conversation in Viva Engage | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction:]

We’re bringing the power of Microsoft Copilot AI Actions directly into your daily file management experience in Windows. This update enables users to interact with Copilot AI Actions in File Explorer to summarize documents and generate frequently asked questions about OneDrive files—streamlining productivity and enhancing file insights.

A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to access this feature.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout will begin in late September 2025 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of OneDrive on Windows with access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to select a file in File Explorer, right-click to open the context menu, and access Copilot AI Actions via a new AI Actions submenu:

 

• Available actions include summarizing documents and generating frequently asked questions.
• No admin configuration is required to enable this feature.
• Feature is available by default for eligible users with Copilot access.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Inform end users about the new Copilot AI Actions available in File Explorer.
• Update internal documentation if you provide guidance on file management or Copilot usage.

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

[Compliance considerations:]

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

• Evaluation Criteria: This feature allows supervisors to create a form containing questions with answer choices, scoring metrics, and detailed instructions for Quality Evaluation Automation (QEA). This criteria is used to assess interactions, with QEA predicting responses and assigning quality scores, providing insights into the overall quality score of the contact center.
• Evaluation Plan: This feature enables supervisors to establish plans that define the timing of evaluating interactions. Supervisors can select cases based on specific conditions and apply the appropriate evaluation criteria to conduct these evaluations systematically. The QEA also provides insights for AI supervisors by summarizing all case evaluations conducted within customer service. It highlights action plans and recommendations on the quality insights dashboard.

• Windows security and resiliency innovations to help mitigate risk
• The ability to scale resiliency with new recovery tools
• Ways to improve your update experience with Windows Autopatch update readiness, quality update reports, and automatic or manual approvals for security, non-security, and out-of-band updates
• Sysmon functionality coming natively to Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 next year
• The public preview of native support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) on Windows and other Windows platform investments

• Comprehensive Data Access: Connect to Dataverse environments, retrieve, create, update, and delete records.
• Query Support: Build and execute advanced queries using Python syntax.
• Authentication Integration: Securely authenticate using Azure Active Directory and other supported methods.
• Automation and Scripting: Automate repetitive tasks and business logic with Python scripts.
• Extensibility: Allows integration of Dataverse capabilities into your custom solutions.