Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 14-11-2026

Updated November 13, 2026: We have decided not to move forward with this change at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

[What and Why:]

We are introducing Smart Table of Contents (Smart TOC) in the Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint PDF viewer on the web for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. When a PDF does not already contain a table of contents, users can ask Copilot to generate a hierarchical, clickable structure that makes it easier to navigate long documents and move between sections. This feature is available only on the web in the initial release and is generated only when a user explicitly requests it.

[Rollout Schedule:]

• Targeted Release (Worldwide): We have decided not to move forward with this change at this time.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, DoD): We have decided not to move forward with this change at this time.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

• Who is affected: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license who access PDF files in OneDrive and SharePoint on the web.
• Platforms/Services: OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft 365 Copilot, PDF viewer on the web.

What will happen:

• The Smart TOC entry point will appear when an eligible user opens a PDF that does not already contain table-of-contents information.
• The feature is available only in the OneDrive and SharePoint PDF viewer on the web during the initial release.
• Mobile and desktop applications are not included at this time.
• Copilot analyzes document structure and generates nested, clickable entries mapped to pages or page ranges.
• Users with edit permissions can save the generated table of contents into the PDF.
• The saved table of contents can be displayed by compatible PDF editors.
• Users with view-only permissions can generate and use Smart TOC for navigation but cannot save the generated table of contents.
• Smart TOC is available only to users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• AI-generated content may be inaccurate, particularly for scanned or OCR-based PDF files.

[Action Required/Recommendations:]

No immediate admin action is required.

Before rollout, you may want to:

• Review Microsoft 365 Copilot license assignments for users who should have access to this capability.
• Inform eligible users, helpdesk personnel, and support teams about the new PDF navigation experience.
• Update internal documentation to clarify that saving a generated table of contents requires edit permissions on the PDF.
• Encourage users to validate AI-generated table-of-contents entries when accuracy is important.

[Compliance considerations:]

• Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? Yes. Copilot processes PDF content that the licensed user is already authorized to access in order to generate a table of contents for navigation. Existing file permissions are respected, and saving changes requires edit permissions.
• Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI/ML or agent capabilities that interact with or provide access to customer data? Yes. Copilot analyzes PDF document structure and generates an AI-created hierarchical table of contents. The experience is user-initiated and does not run automatically.
• Does the change provide end users any new way of interacting with generative AI? Yes. Eligible users can request Copilot to generate a table of contents for PDF files that do not already contain one.
• Does the change allow a user to enable and disable the feature themselves? Yes. The feature is user-initiated and only runs when a licensed user chooses to generate a Smart TOC.

The experience will clearly indicate that the table of contents was AI generated and may contain inaccuracies.

Updated November 13, 2026: We have updated the Rollout schedule to reflect timing for Standard and Deferred audiences.

[What and why]

The Chat experience in the Copilot app will suggest a better-fit mode based on the user’s prompt, if applicable. For example, it will suggest Cowork or other supported modes as they become available. Users will see a suggestion card after they send a prompt in Chat, with an explanation of the better-fit mode and an option for the user to switch to the suggested mode. Their chat conversation will be attached to the prompt in the new mode to maintain context. Only users who have the Copilot mode (example Cowork) enabled will see this experience.

[Rollout schedule]

• Standard (Worldwide): Beginning in mid-November 2026 and expected to complete by late November 2026
• Deferred (Worldwide): Beginning in mid-December 2026 and expected to complete by late December 2026

[Impact on your organization]

Who is affected

• Users who have access to supported Copilot modes, such as Cowork.

Platforms and services

•  Microsoft Copilot

What will happen

• After sending a prompt in Chat, if Copilot determines that another Copilot experience available to the user may better fit a request or task, the user may see a banner suggesting that experience.
• In the banner, the user will see an option to switch to the suggested experience (ie. Cowork) or remain in Chat. 
• If the user selects the option to switch, they will be brought directly to the suggested experience with the prompt already sent, along with the context from their Chat conversation attached.
• Users will see suggestions only for experiences they can access. For example, users who do not have access to Cowork will not see a suggestion to use Cowork.

[Action required and recommendations]

No admin action is required to prepare for this change.

Consider informing your users and help desk that Copilot may suggest another Copilot mode when that mode may better fit a request or task.

Consider reviewing which users are included in a spending policy that grants Cowork access, and confirm your intended usage-based billing configuration. 

[Compliance considerations]

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

• SharePoint document-library thumbnails not loading
• SharePoint-stored Images displayed through Image control not loading
• For the Word Online (Business) connector, CreateWordFileWithContent currently returns a pre-authorized URL that can be used to download the generated document without additional authentication. After temporary authentication is removed, customers should no longer rely on this URL as an unauthenticated file-download mechanism.

[What and Why:]

We are retiring a set of compatibility options in Microsoft Word (desktop app) for documents in Compatibility Mode. These settings help preserve how documents were laid out in older versions of Word. We are introducing this change in phases to simplify how Word handles document layout and provide a more consistent experience across platforms. Learn more.

Rollout schedule: Word for Windows starting December 2026; Word for Mac starting early 2027.

[Rollout Schedule:]

We will begin rolling out on early December 2026 and expect to complete by late December 2026.

General Availability (GCC): We will begin rolling out on late December 2026 and expect to complete by early January 2027.

General Availability (GCC High): We will begin rolling out on late December 2026 and expect to complete by early January 2027.

General Availability (DoD): We will begin rolling out on late December 2026 and expect to complete by early January 2027.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

Who is affected: Organizations with documents created or last saved in Word 2010 or earlier that use the affected legacy compatibility settings.

Platforms and services: Microsoft Word.

What will happen:

• Some legacy compatibility options will be retired.
• Affected documents may show layout differences, such as text reflow, changes in spacing or page count, or images and shapes moving to another page.

[Action Required/Recommendations:]

No action is required for the change to take effect. If exact page layout matters for your organization, consider reviewing important older documents before the change reaches your users. To preserve a copy of a document’s current appearance, consider exporting it to PDF before the change.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[What and Why:]

Copilot Chat in Outlook on iOS and Android is getting updated! We are refreshing the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience in Outlook mobile to deliver a more consistent and intuitive experience across Microsoft 365 apps, with improvements to the chat interface, suggested prompts, response presentation, and navigation between chat views – making it easier for users to interact with Copilot while staying in the context of their work in Outlook.

[Rollout Schedule:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out on mid December 2026 and expect to complete by late January 2027.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

After this update, users accessing Copilot Chat in Outlook on iOS or Android will notice:

• Refreshed chat experience: A more consistent One Copilot design across Microsoft 365 apps, including updated suggested prompts, input box, and side navigation.
• Temporary Chat: Moved from the top-right corner to the (…) More options menu.

Users can continue using Copilot for general conversations or within supported Outlook workflows. Existing Copilot capabilities and access controls remain unchanged.

[Action Required/Recommendations:]

No admin action is required.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[What and why]

Microsoft Entra ID is adding safeguards to protect telephony-based multifactor authentication (MFA) from automated fraudulent activity. Some users who use SMS or voice for MFA may be asked to complete a risk-based anti-bot verification step (CAPTCHA) before Microsoft sends an SMS verification code or initiates a verification call.

This change is separate from the planned retirement of SMS and voice authentication and does not affect the retirement timeline.

[Rollout schedule]

• Worldwide: Beginning in mid-November 2026.

[Impact on your organization]

Who is affected

• Users who use SMS or voice for Microsoft Entra ID multifactor authentication

Platforms and services

• Microsoft Entra ID
• SMS and voice authentication methods

What will happen

• Some users may be prompted to complete a risk-based anti-bot verification step (CAPTCHA) before Microsoft sends an SMS verification code or initiates a verification call.
• The verification step will appear only for authentication attempts that meet sufficiently high-risk thresholds.
• Users with restrictive network or firewall settings may be unable to complete SMS or voice MFA if the verification experience cannot load.

[Action required and recommendations]

We recommend that administrators take the following actions:

• Prepare your help desk and notify users that some SMS and voice MFA attempts may require an additional CAPTCHA verification step.
• Review the risk-based anti-bot verification documentation for network-readiness guidance. If your organization uses restrictive firewalls, proxies, or web filtering, ensure that the required resources can load during authentication.
• Continue moving users to phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as passkeys, where possible.

Learn more

• Passkeys by default and retirement of Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
• Risk-based anti-bot verification (CAPTCHA) for telephony-based sign-in – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
• Understanding telephony fraud risk for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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