Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 27-01-2026

Updated January 26, 2026: We have updated the content Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction]

Agent in Viva Engage communities are now available in Public Preview. Community admins can add agents to communities to help draft answers to questions without best or verified answers based on community content and add context to posts by answering follow up questions using the community’s conversations and SharePoint site and library.

We’re now adding the option for community admins to specify additional SharePoint sites outside the community as grounding sources. The agent will only use sites that community admins select, and it drafts answers from items that community members can view (Read).

We are also adding a new capability: tagging by community members. Tagging by community members enables Microsoft 365 copilot-licensed users to @-mention the community agent in the comments and replies of threads with follow up questions and requests to add context to posts. When tagged, the community agent will reply in the post. Tagging by community members will be enabled by default, but can be disabled by community admins in the agent settings.

[When this will happen:]

• Agents in communities Public Preview: available now
• SharePoint Grounding on Community site and library Public Preview (Worldwide): available now
• Grounding on SharePoint sites and libraries outside the community and tagging by community members Public Preview (worldwide): Starting Feb. 16th, expected to complete by mid-March.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Begins late March 2026, expected to complete by late April 2026

• Who is affected: Viva Engage community admins and members with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses; Global and Engage admins managing Viva Engage networks
• What will happen:
• During Public Preview:
• Admins can opt their network into the preview via the Engage admin center: Engage admin center > Tenant Settings > Enable Community Agent Public Preview.

Figure i. Add agent to community​

The agent will proactively draft answers to unanswered questions using past conversations.

By default, the agent posts answers automatically.

Admins can configure whether the agent posts answers automatically or only after approval and if tagging by community members is enabled.

Figure ii. Configure the agent’s capabilities and knowledge sources

[Grounding on SharePoint sites outside the community]

• Community admins can add SharePoint sites and libraries outside the community as additional grounding sources (for sites/libraries they administer).
• When an admin adds a site or library, they’ll be prompted to grant the community’s Microsoft 365 group Read access if it doesn’t already have permission.
• The agent only drafts answers using content that all community members can view (Read).
• By default, the agent uses the community’s SharePoint site and library. Any sites outside the community are optional and add to (not replace) the default grounding.

If Require review is enabled, admins and designated experts will be notified when the agent drafts an answer. They can approve, edit, or dismiss the response.

Figure iii. Community admins and experts can review agent suggestions​

If tagging by community members is enabled, then community members can @-mention the agent in messages.

Coming soon (General Availability):

The agent will only use content that all community members can access.

Admins must be owners of the SharePoint sites they wish to configure.

Admins can add additional SharePoint sites to expand the agent’s grounding knowledge.

The agent will be grounded by default on the community’s SharePoint site.

Community members can tag the community agent in community posts.

All Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users will have access to the Community Agent by default.

The Community Agent Public Preview toggle will be retired.

• If participating in preview:
• Opt your network into the preview via the Engage admin center
• Communicate this change to helpdesk staff. 
• Update internal documentation that references Viva Engage Community Agent behavior or setup.
• No action is required at GA; the feature will be on by default.

Learn more: Set up and manage agents in Viva Engage communities | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

Updated January 26, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction:]

Microsoft is enhancing Copilot (Microsoft 365) with Context IQ (CIQ), a set of AI capabilities that allows users to search for, select, and insert relevant enterprise or personal data directly into their prompts or conversations. When writing Copilot prompts in the chat box, users will be able to use Context IQ to search for and select Teams channels. This helps ground prompts in contextually relevant data, improving the accuracy and usefulness of Copilot responses.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 429645.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) with access to Teams channels.

What will happen:

• Users will begin seeing their recent Teams channels in Context IQ (only the channels they have access to) when writing Copilot prompts: 



• This feature is enabled by default.
• Only channels the user has access to will be surfaced.
• No impact to tenant admins or existing configurations.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required before or after rollout. However, you may want to:

• Notify users about this change.
• Update internal documentation if you reference Copilot or Context IQ capabilities

Learn more: Using Context IQ to refer to specific files, people, and more in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated January 15, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re improving scheduled channel meetings in Microsoft Teams by reducing automatic meeting updates in channel conversations. This change helps keep channels cleaner and focused on real user replies, while meeting details remain accessible when you open the meeting thread.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out mid-January 2026, expected to complete by late January 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out early February 2026, expected to complete by late February 2026.
• General Availability (GCC, GCCHigh, DoD): Rolling out early March 2026, expected to complete by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users participating in scheduled channel meetings.
• What will happen:
  • Automatic meeting updates in channel conversations will be reduced.
  • Channel threads will appear cleaner and reply counts will reflect actual user responses.
  • Meeting details remain accessible by opening the meeting thread.
  • No admin configuration changes are required; the feature is enabled by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required. This update will roll out automatically.
• Optional: Communicate this change to helpdesk staff to reduce potential confusion.
• For more information on channel meetings, visit: Meetings in Teams.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated January 26, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Teams meeting Notes, powered by Loop, are now available for instant calls and meetings, like those started from Meet now and calls started from chat. Meeting notes are Loop components in Teams meetings and chats that allow users to collaboratively build agendas, capture notes, and create action items. Once added, they stay in sync and can be shared and edited in the Loop app in your web browser.

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, and Teams for the web and is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 541831.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: We will begin rollout mid-March 2026 (previously early February) and expect to complete late March 2026 (previously late February).
• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rollout early April 2026 (previously late February) and expect to complete late April 2026 (previously late March).
• General Availability (GCC): We will begin rollout mid-May 2026 (previously late April) and expect to complete late May 2026.
• General Availability (GCC High): We will begin rollout late May 2026 (previously mid-May) and expect to complete mid-June 2026.
• General Availability (DoD): We will begin rollout early June 2026 and expect to complete early July 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• All users who participate in instant meetings in Microsoft Teams.
• Admins managing Teams, SharePoint sharing defaults, or Loop settings.

What will happen:

• Users can add meeting notes using the Notes button in meeting controls.
• Notes appear in a right-side pane with an option to open in the browser.



• Notes are Loop components and stay in sync across Teams and the Loop app.
• Users can co-create agendas, take notes, and assign tasks.
• Tasks sync with Planner and To Do and send email notifications.
• After the meeting, notes are accessible in the Recap tab → Notes.



• Note: The new meeting notes file will generate a Company Shareable Link (CSL) unless your organization has set People Specific Link (PSL) as the default. If PSL is the default, only users included on the original meeting invite will be able to access the notes. Users who were forwarded the meeting or nudged into it will need to request access to the notes.
• This feature is enabled by default.
• Known limitation: Meeting notes are not available for Teams calls.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required.

• Review your organization’s SharePoint sharing defaults.
• Notify users or helpdesk staff about this change.
• Update internal documentation as needed.
• Manage this feature via PowerShell if necessary:
  Set-SPOTenant -IsCollabMeetingNotesFluidEnabled (boolean)

Learn more: Settings management for Loop functionality in Teams

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated January 26, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re retiring the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) API and XDR Advanced Hunting API and transitioning customers to the Microsoft Graph Security API. This update aligns our security integrations with a unified interface and schema across Microsoft Defender products. The Microsoft Graph Security API provides broader data coverage, improved consistency, and better scalability for automation and security workflows.

[When this will happen] 

• Retirement start: February 6, 2026
• Full retirement: February 1, 2027
• After February 1, 2027, the MDE and XDR APIs will no longer function.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: 

• Organizations using the MDE or XDR Advanced Hunting API for automation, integration, or custom workflows.
• You are receiving this message because our reporting indicates your organization may be using these APIs.

What will happen:

• The MDE and XDR Advanced Hunting APIs will stop functioning after February 1, 2027.
• Existing scripts, automations, and workflows that rely on these APIs will fail if not updated.
• The Microsoft Graph Security API will be the supported API for accessing Microsoft security data.
• No automatic migration will occur; manual updates will be required.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Migrate all existing API workflows to the Microsoft Graph Security API by January 31, 2027.
• Update internal documentation, automation scripts, and integration endpoints to use the Microsoft Graph Security API.
• Communicate these changes to your security operations, engineering, and development teams.
• Review Microsoft documentation to plan your migration: Use the Microsoft Graph security API.
• If your organization uses custom solutions, validate that new queries and response schemas work as expected before the retirement date.

Learn more:

• Advanced hunting – Use the Microsoft Graph security API | Microsoft Graph | Microsoft Learn
• Migrate from the older APIs – Use the Microsoft Graph security API | Microsoft Graph | Microsoft Learn
• (to be retired) Advanced Hunting API – Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Microsoft Learn
• (to be retired) Microsoft Defender XDR advanced hunting API – Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

• Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2: KB5078127
• Windows 11 Enterprise versions 25H2 and 24H2: Hotpatch KB5078167
• Windows 11, version 23H2: KB5078132
• Windows 10 ESU (22H2) and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021: KB5078129
• Windows Server 2025: KB5078135
• Windows Server, version 23H2: KB5078133
• Windows Server 2022: KB5078136
• Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition: Hotpatch KB5078238
• Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019: KB5078131

• Expedite Windows quality updates in Microsoft Intune
• Deploy an expedited quality update using Windows Autopatch

[Introduction]

Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning is introducing new templates in Agent Builder designed for tasks such as drafting complex documents, validating documents against organizational guidelines, and editing to match a distinct writing style. Users with Copilot Tuning enabled can further customize the template-based agents by tuning the context, tools, and underlying models with their organization’s proprietary data, processes, and standards. This empowers your teams with customized agents aligned to how your organization works.

[When this will happen]

Public preview (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in mid‑February 2026 and expect to complete by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

• All Microsoft 365 tenants with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.
• Agent tuning is available to organizations with 5,000 or more Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses.

What will happen:

• New agent templates will become available in Agent Builder for all users licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Users can immediately use these templates to build agents for common Microsoft 365 tasks.
• Organizations with 5,000+ Copilot licenses can tune agents by adjusting:
  • Context
  • Tools
  • Models

Data handling, privacy, and residency

• Copilot Tuning creates a snapshot of user‑selected SharePoint content solely for tuning the agent.
• Snapshots are stored in a tenant‑isolated Microsoft 365 environment and are used only within the Copilot Tuning service.
• DLP policies applied to the source SharePoint content do not apply to the snapshot.
• During public preview:
  • Snapshot data is retained while the tuned agent remains active.
  • Snapshot data is deleted when the tuned agent is deleted.
  • Data used for tuning may be retained for up to two years unless deleted earlier.
• Copilot Tuning does not change Microsoft 365 data commitments; all data remains within the Microsoft 365 service boundary under existing Microsoft 365 Copilot privacy and security commitments.
• Snapshot metadata may be requested through Microsoft Customer Support.
• Snapshots are not automatically updated; if underlying SharePoint content changes, agents must be retrained.

Regional processing

• During public preview:
  • EU tenant traffic remains within the EU Data Boundary.
  • Global tenant traffic may be processed in other regions for large language model operations.
  • Microsoft personnel do not access customer data unless explicitly requested by the customer and approved through Customer Lockbox.

Advanced Data Residency (ADR)

• Copilot Tuning is not enabled by default for tenants with ADR during public preview.
• ADR customers may opt in by formally waiving ADR requirements through their Microsoft account team.
• If waived, snapshot data is stored in the nearest macro region in a tenant‑isolated Microsoft 365 environment and governed by existing Microsoft 365 Copilot data protection commitments.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No enrollment action is required; organizations are automatically enrolled.

Admins can:

• Manage and restrict access to Copilot Tuning in the Microsoft Admin Center by navigating to: Copilot > Settings > Copilot Tuning
• Scope tuning access to specific users or groups or disable it entirely.
• Review internal data governance, privacy, and regulatory requirements before enabling tuning.
• Communicate the new capability to internal support teams if needed.
• Update internal documentation as appropriate.

Learn more: (video, 45 minutes): Customized AI that understands your business with Copilot Tuning | Microsoft Ignite 

[Compliance considerations]