Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 05-03-2026

Updated March 4, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing the Adaptive Front-of-Room Experience for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android in Town Hall scenarios. This update helps create a distraction-free experience for attendees while giving presenters full control over what’s shown on the front-of-room display. It’s designed to support hybrid Town Halls where presenters and attendees share the same physical space.

A Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro license is required to use this feature.

This message is associated with RMID 500378.

[When this will happen:]

Targeted release: Rollout will begin in early December 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin by early February 2026 (previously mid-December 2025) and is expected to be completed by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Organizations must have a Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro license to benefit from this feature. It applies to Teams Rooms on Android devices used in Town Hall scenarios.
• What will happen:
  • Teams Rooms added will join Town Hall meetings in a presenter role by default.
  • The front-of-room display will default to attendee view, showing only stage content and hiding backstage distractions.
  • The console will retain full presenter capabilities, including:
    • Green Room access
    • Backroom chat
    • Off-stage management tools
  • Presenters can switch the front-of-room display to presenter view when needed, without disrupting attendees.

Screenshot – New adaptive Front-of-Room Experience for Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android:

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Confirm your organization has a Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro license.
• When scheduling a Town Hall, add the Teams Room and assign it a presenter role.
• Ensure the room device is running the latest version of the Teams Rooms app.
• Communicate this new capability to Town Hall organizers and facilities teams.
• Update internal documentation if you provide guidance on Town Hall participation.

Learn more: Get started with town hall in Microsoft Teams | Meetings | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations:]

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

• Dataverse Choice fields: The Choice field is a common data type in Dataverse which is similar to a picklist or enumeration. Dataverse choice fields can generally be identified by the ‘code’ suffix Dataverse adds to the display name of the column, such as gendercode. Instead of having to enter a numeric code for fields, Choice fields are now shown as a list of choice names and their code, such as: GenderCode * Male (1) * Female (2).
• Numeric and String fields: Numeric and string fields are analyzed and if there are < 200 distinct values, the distinct values will be displayed in a dropdown combo box allowing you to select from the existing distinct values or to enter a different value. For performance, we will sample the first 10,000 rows from a data lake for distinct values.

Updated March 4, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new drafting experience in Outlook that enables users to collaborate directly with Microsoft 365 Copilot while composing email. This experience helps users move from a blank message to a polished draft more efficiently by allowing them to iterate with Copilot in chat next to the compose view, while staying in full control of the final content.

[When this will happen]

• General availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by late April 2026.
• Initial availability includes Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows, with Outlook for iOS, Android, and Mac following shortly. Support for classic Outlook for Windows will arrive later in 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Users in your organization who have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and use Outlook on supported clients.

What will happen

• Users will see a new Copilot side‑by‑side drafting experience when composing email
• Users can collaborate with Copilot in real time to refine, expand, or rewrite content directly within the compose surface:

  

  

• The experience is enabled by default for licensed users.
• Existing policies related to email access, governance, and protection continue to apply; there are no changes to admin controls at this time.
• There is no change to existing workflows outside the compose experience.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required.

You may choose to:

• Update internal training materials to help users understand this new drafting experience.
• Review upcoming Learn and help documentation as it becomes available.

[Compliance considerations]

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

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 March 3rd, 2026 (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]

We’re introducing new capabilities for Channel Agent in Microsoft Teams to improve how agents support collaboration within channels. These updates enhance agent welcome messages, give users more control over agent creation, and expand agent actions within channels to help teams work more efficiently.

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, Teams for the web, and Teams for iOS/Android and is associated with Roadmap ID 557555.

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: Rolling out early March 2026 and completing by late March 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Microsoft Teams users who create or interact with Channel Agents
• Admins managing Teams preview features
• A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to use this feature.

[What will happen:]

• New Channel Agents generate customized welcome messages based on channel context.
• Users can disable automatic Channel Agent creation during team or channel setup.
• Improved scheduling suggestions using updated calendar logic.
• Users can ask the agent to add members to a channel with a simple prompt such as “@agent add John Doe to this channel.”
• Channel Agents can post messages directly to a channel.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required if your organization is not opted into Targeted Release.
• Ensure your tenant is opted into Targeted Release if you want to receive this update earlier.
• Confirm Channel Agent is enabled for your tenant.
• Notify helpdesk staff of the new behaviors.

Learn more:

• Get started with Channel Agent for Teams channels | Microsoft Support
• Set up a Channel Agent for Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

Channel Agent can access channel roster data to support member management actions. No other compliance impacts have been identified.

[Introduction]

We are retiring the Skills agent (currently in Frontier) in Microsoft 365 Copilot as part of an evolution to streamline the Copilot experience.

Skills data and capabilities are now available directly in Microsoft 365 Copilot and through two agents available now in Frontier: the Learning agent and the Workforce Insights agent.
Frontier agents help us learn what users value most and how they want to experience M365 Copilot. Skills agent feedback provided by Frontier customers has directly shaped our broader approach to improving people experiences in Copilot. Integrating current skills capabilities directly into Copilot, the Learning agent, and the Workforce Insights agent, gives organizations consistent access to skills data while supporting broader scenarios for employees and leaders. 

 [When this will happen]

• Skills data is already available for people-based queries in M365 Copilot. The Learning agent and Workforce Insights agent are available now for testing through the Frontier program.
• The Skills agent will be removed from the agent store for new installations on March 16, 2026.
• The Skills agent will be fully retired at the end of March 2026, at which point existing users will lose access.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations currently using the Skills agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot through the Frontier program.
• Leaders who previously used the Skills agent for organization-wide skills insights or delegated access.

What will happen

• The Skills agent will no longer be available for installation after March 16, 2026.
• Existing users will lose access when the retirement is complete at the end of March 2026.
• Skills-based experiences will continue through:
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot, which now surfaces skills and people discovery through natural, chat-based queries.
  • Learning agent, which provides personalized skill-based learning paths and recommendations.
  • Workforce Insights agent, which provides organizational insights including team structure, skills mix, and talent visibility.
• Delegation settings previously configured in the Skills agent will not carry over and must be reconfigured in the Workforce Insights agent.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Begin transitioning your users from the Skills agent to Microsoft 365 Copilot, the Learning agent, or the Workforce Insights agent before March 16, 2026.
• If leaders in your organization relied on delegation within the Skills agent, reconfigure delegation in the Workforce Insights agent. Manage delegation: Manage delegation policies – Workforce Insights agent
• Review internal documentation and update any references to the Skills agent.
• Visit the Agents in Microsoft 365 Adoption site and the Ignite 2025 announcement blog for the latest information about the new Copilot agents.

Learn more:

• Agents in Microsoft 365 | AI Agents Hub | Microsoft Adoption
• Frontier program – Microsoft Adoption 
• Introducing new Microsoft 365 Copilot agents to drive workforce transformation | Microsoft 365 Copilot Blog
• Manage delegation policies – Workforce Insights agent | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

Updated March 4, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We are retiring SharePoint One‑Time Passcode (SPO OTP) authentication in OneDrive and SharePoint starting July 2026. Beginning in May 2026, new external sharing invitations and authentication will start using Microsoft Entra B2B instead of SPO OTP. This transition simplifies external collaboration, aligns authentication with Microsoft identity standards, and enables consistent guest lifecycle management, governance, and Conditional Access coverage across Microsoft 365.

[When this will happen]

• May 2026: Invitation and authentication for new external sharing begins transitioning to Microsoft Entra B2B. Users who previously authenticated via SPO OTP will continue to have access to specific people links even without a B2B guest account yet.
• July 2026: Retirement of SPO OTP authentication begins. External users without a guest account get access denied on previously shared specific people links. To restore access, a guest account must be created in Entra B2B, or an allowed user must share/re-share at least one file/folder/site.
• Retirement is expected to complete by August 31, 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All Microsoft 365 tenants (commercial, government, sovereign).
• All external users who access OneDrive or SharePoint files, folders, or sites.

What will happen

• The EnableAzureADB2BIntegration setting will no longer control external sharing behavior beginning May 2026.
• SPO OTP authentication will retire beginning July 2026.
• The option to disable Entra B2B integration will be removed.

Impact on external users

• External users who already have an Entra B2B guest account in your directory:
  • No change in behavior.
• External users without a B2B guest account:
  • Specific people links shared after changes rolled out to your tenant:
    • A guest account will be automatically created via the Entra B2B Invitation Manager.
    • Authentication will use Entra B2B (email OTP available if enabled).
  • Specific people links shared before changes rolled out to your tenant:
    • SPO OTP authentication continues until July 2026.
    • After July 2026, these users will receive access denied until a matching B2B guest account exists.

Restoring access after retirement

• Admins can manually create a guest account for the external user at any time.
• Alternatively, an internal user with permissions needs to share or re-share at least one file, folder, or site, which will automatically create the guest account and restore access to all previously shared content.

[What you need to do to prepare]

No admin action is required. However, to ensure a smooth transition:

• Inform users that some external collaborators may see access denied beginning July 2026 for older links authenticated via SPO OTP.
• If your organization relies on email OTP authentication via Entra, ensure it is not disabled in Entra External ID settings. See Email OTP for B2B guests.
• Review external sharing policies and conditional access settings for guests in SharePoint and Entra admin centers.
• Optionally, identify external collaborators without guest accounts via external sharing reports. Proactively create guest accounts to retain access.
• Update internal documentation.

Learn more:

• Add and manage B2B collaboration users in the Microsoft Entra admin center | External ID | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn
• Email one-time passcode authentication for B2B guest users | External ID | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn
• Frequently Asked Questions: Improvements to external sharing in OneDrive & SharePoint | SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn
• Overview: B2B collaboration with external guests for your workforce | External ID | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn
• Quickstart: Add a guest user and send an invitation | External ID | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn
• SharePoint and OneDrive integration with Microsoft Entra B2B | SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

[Introduction]

As previously announced in MC1219792, PowerPoint will update the Microsoft 365 Copilot experience by enabling Agent mode for several on‑canvas authoring features, including rewrite, translate, and speaker notes. These enhancements will support more intelligent multi‑step reasoning and allow users to interact with Copilot through chat while performing actions directly on their presentations. This update aligns with our goal of delivering a more consistent, flexible, and powerful Copilot experience across Microsoft 365 apps.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in mid‑March 2026 starting with PowerPoint for the web, followed by PowerPoint for Windows (Win32) and PowerPoint for Mac, and is expected to complete by end of April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Users of PowerPoint for the web, Windows, and Mac in Microsoft 365 tenants with Copilot access

What will happen

Rewrite

• Rewrite actions will be processed through Copilot Agent mode chat.
• Users will see progress and outputs directly in chat.
• Updated text will automatically appear on the slide.
• Existing rewrite entry point and options will remain unchanged.
• Partial text rewrite will not be supported.
• Rewrite will continue to not support tables, charts, or other non‑text objects.
• Rewrite will be enabled by default for tenants with Copilot access.

Translate

• Users will be able to initiate translation for a text box, a selected slide, or an entire presentation using Copilot Agent mode chat.
• Users will be able to prompt chat with: “Translate this presentation to [language].”
• The Copilot slide menu (sparkle icon) for translation will be removed starting in mid‑March for PowerPoint for the web, followed by Windows and Mac in April.
• Presentation‑level translation will continue to function as before.
• Translation will not support presentations larger than 1M text characters, with a large number of slide masters, or file sizes larger than 500MB.
• All Copilot‑supported languages will be available; however, English and Spanish will not support regional variants.
• During the transition, Copilot may edit the current file. Users should save a copy before initiating translation if needed.
• Translate will be enabled by default for tenants with Copilot access.

Speaker notes

• Users will be able to generate speaker notes for a slide or an entire presentation through Agent mode chat.
• Users will be able to prompt: “Add speaker notes to this slide.”
• Notes will be inserted directly into the Notes pane and can be refined using chat.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required.

However, you may consider the following optional steps:

• Inform users of upcoming changes to rewrite, translate, and speaker note workflows.
• Ensure that users intending on using this feature have an active Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Update internal training or documentation related to Copilot in PowerPoint.
• Encourage users to save a copy of large or critical presentations before initiating translation during the transition period.
• Notify users if your organization currently trains or instructs users to rely on the sparkle icon, as it will be removed.

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

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

Exchange Online includes email‑sending limits based on three factors: recipient rate limit, recipient limit, and message rate limit. To support customers whose internal communication needs exceed these standard limits, we are introducing High Volume Email (HVE) for Microsoft 365. HVE is designed for large‑scale internal communications and integrates with business applications and devices to support operational and mass‑mailing scenarios. It uses a transactional pricing model based on the number of recipients.

HVE is available at no additional cost during Public Preview. Pricing for General Availability (GA) will be announced with the GA release, and billing will begin in May 2026 following a free promotional period after GA in March 2026.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 382633.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview: Available now.
• General Availability (worldwide): Rollout begins in late March 2026 and is expected to complete early April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Admins managing Exchange Online mail flow and reporting
• Organizations with large-scale internal email distribution needs

What will happen

• A new High Volume Email page will appear under Mail flow in the Exchange admin center.
• Admins can create and manage Mail User accounts enabled for HVE.
• HVE accounts use a dedicated SMTP endpoint for high-volume sending.
• A new High Volume Email report will appear under Reports > Mail flow to help admins monitor HVE usage per account.
• HVE is opt‑in; it does not modify default sending limits or existing mail flow behavior.

Screenshot 1 – Create new HVE specific accounts: 

Screenshot 2 – Manage HVE accounts, including assigned billing policies:

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required to prepare for this change.

You may want to:

• Review and update any internal documentation that describes email‑sending processes.
• Learn more about setup and configuration: Manage high volume emails for Microsoft 365 Public preview | Mail flow best practices | Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

Microsoft is introducing licensing updates that simplify access to advanced collaboration, workplace coordination, and events capabilities across Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places. These updates expand access to capabilities previously available only with Teams Premium, helping organizations scale intelligent collaboration for hybrid work, large meetings, and in‑office coordination.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): These changes will go into effect in early April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations with users licensed for Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Places, or Microsoft 365 suites that include Outlook and Teams calendars
• Admins who manage Teams events, shared devices/spaces, or workplace coordination features in Places

What will happen

• Advanced Teams events features included with Teams Enterprise
  • Advanced event capabilities will be available to all users with a Teams Enterprise license (previously required Teams Premium).
  • Users can organize and run events with up to 3,000 concurrent attendees.
  • Included capabilities:
    • Streaming chat
    • Interactive reactions
    • Real-time insights
    • Theme and email customization
    • eCDN
    • Immersive events
    • Additional organizer and attendee enhancements
• New attendee capacity pack licenses
  • Capacity packs will allow events larger than 3,000 attendees.
  • Sizes include: 5k, 10k, 25k, 35k, 50k, 75k, and 100k attendees.
• Teams Shared Space license (formerly Teams Shared Device)
  • One license can now manage up to:
    • Four desks
    • A common area phone
    • A Teams panel
    • A shared meeting room
    • A hot-desking device
  • Adds:
    • Advance desk reservations
    • Space Analytics
  • No admin action is required for the transition; additional spaces require assignment of a no‑cost license.
• Expanded workplace coordination capabilities in Microsoft Places
  • Users with licenses that include Outlook and Teams calendars will gain access to:
    • Places Finder
    • Places Explorer
  • Applies to licenses such as:
    • Microsoft 365 E3/E5
    • Business Basic, Standard, and Premium
    • Outlook 365 E1/E3/E5
    • Exchange Online
    • Various Teams and Microsoft 365/Office 365 licenses
• Teams Premium continues to offer advanced value
  • You will still have access to Teams Premium capabilities including:
    • Advanced communication features
    • Meeting protection
    • Advanced Collaboration Tools for admins
    • Intelligent recap
    • Queues app for Teams Phone
    • Enhanced Bookings and virtual appointment capabilities

[What you can do to prepare]

No immediate admin action is required.

To prepare, you can:

• Review your current Microsoft Teams, Teams Premium, and Microsoft Places licensing allocations.
• Determine whether upcoming events require new attendee capacity packs.
• For Shared Space usage, assign no‑cost licenses if you plan to manage multiple desks under the expanded four-space entitlement.
• Update internal documentation that refers to Teams Premium dependencies for events, shared devices, or Places features.
• Communicate upcoming changes to:
  • Teams event organizers
  • Facilities or workplace experience teams

Learn more

• Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places licensing update – Licensing updates extend access to advanced capabilities in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places | Microsoft Teams blog
• For a full list of current Teams Premium features – Microsoft Teams Premium – Overview for admins
• Teams’ events announcement – Microsoft Teams events: A new unified experience makes it easier to discover, create, and manage events | Microsoft Teams blog

[Compliance considerations]

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

• View tenant-level notifications about your environment resources directly in PPAC.
• View product announcements and updates related to Microsoft Power Platform.
• View service advisories and communications regarding issues that affect your Microsoft Power Platform services.
• Notifications will automatically appear in PPAC, where admins can read or dismiss them to keep their feed clean and organized.

[Introduction]

We’re adding the ability to preview content directly within Insider Risk Management (IRM) alerts in Microsoft Purview. This enhancement removes the need to create a case to view potentially risky content, helping investigators quickly evaluate alerts and accelerate triage. This feature aligns with customer feedback requesting faster, more streamlined investigation workflows.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557189.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rolling out in early April 2026 and expected to complete by late April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC‑High, DoD): Rolling out in mid‑June 2026 and expected to complete by late July 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

• Organizations using Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management.
• Only users with Investigator permissions will have access to content preview.

What will happen

• A new Content preview tab will appear within activity details in IRM alerts: 

  

• Investigators will be able to view supported content directly from the alert without creating a case.
• Supported activity types include:
  • Viewing, downloading, syncing, or sending activities involving content from SharePoint, OneDrive, or Exchange.
• Unsupported activity types include:
  • State changes, permissions changes, deletions, and Endpoint activities.
• The feature is enabled by default for tenants licensed for Insider Risk Management.
• No impact on end‑user experience outside of investigators handling alerts.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required to enable this feature.

If your organization uses IRM for investigations, you may want to:

• Confirm which users hold Investigator permissions.
• Update internal investigation workflows or playbooks to reflect new alert‑level content preview.
• Inform your security operations or compliance teams of the new capability.
• Review supported content preview scenarios documented here:
• Learn more about investigating alerts in Insider Risk Management.
• To use content preview when available:
  • Navigate to Insider Risk Management.
  • Open Alerts.
  • Select an alert.
  • Open an activity marked as content preview available.
  • View content in the Content preview tab.

Learn more: Investigate Insider Risk Management activities | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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