Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 04-11-2025

Updated November 3, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint will soon support the use of your organization’s branded images when creating slides. By integrating enterprise assets stored in SharePoint Organization Asset Libraries (OAL) or Templafy (third-party solution), users can generate slides that use your brand images.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap IDs 496365, 496366, and 496367.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early November 2025 (previously early September) and expect to complete by early December 2025 (previously late September).

How this will affect your organization

After this rollout, brand managers and admins can connect enterprise image libraries from either SharePoint Organization Asset Libraries (OAL) or Templafy to Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint. Once connected, users will be able to generate slides using branded images from your organization’s asset library, helping ensure brand consistency.

This feature will be available by default for admins to configure. If no enterprise image library is connected, the option to use branded images will be disabled in the image source menu, and only Microsoft 365 images will be available.

Sharepoint OAL setup

To enable this feature with SharePoint OAL, admins must:

• Create an organization asset library in SharePoint for your company’s brand images.
• Run a Microsoft PowerShell command to connect the image library to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Ensure that images include robust metadata (keywords, titles, and alt-text) to support searchability.

Templafy setup

To enable this feature with Templafy, admins must:

• Have an active Templafy account configured with your company’s brand assets.
• Enable the Microsoft Graph Connector in your Templafy account settings to establish the Copilot connection.
• Ensure that images include robust metadata (keywords, titles, and alt-text) to support searchability.

Once setup is complete, users can select the New Slide Copilot icon in the PowerPoint ribbon, enter a prompt, and choose their preferred image source—either Microsoft 365 images or their organization’s branded image library—via the Image Source menu.

Admins can email [email protected] to request connection of their enterprise assets to Copilot in PowerPoint.

Note: We recommend enabling this feature only if your image library contains more than 1,000 images with robust metadata.

After setup, the option to select branded images from your organization’s library will be enabled when generating slides with Copilot in PowerPoint: 

Copilot in PowerPoint allows users to enter a prompt and choose image sources, including your organization’s branded image library, if connected.: 

What you can do to prepare:

Admins should:

• Notify brand managers of this new capability.
• Decide if you’d like to connect SharePoint OAL or Templafy to Copilot. Email [email protected] to connect enterprise assets.
• If enabled, inform employees that Copilot in PowerPoint can now use organizational images when generating slides.

Learn more: Keep your presentation on-brand with Copilot | Copilot in PowerPoint

Compliance considerations:

Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? – Maybe. If the image libraries contain sensitive or regulated content, enabling Copilot to access and use them could change how that data is accessed and surfaced.

Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI/ML or agent capabilities that interact with or provide access to customer data? – Yes. This feature expands Copilot’s generative AI capabilities by integrating branded image libraries into slide generation.

Does the change provide users any new way of interacting with generative AI? – Yes. Users will be able to generate slides with Copilot that automatically incorporate organizational images, which is a new interaction model.

Updated November 3, 2025: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

We’re introducing a new request and approval experience in the Microsoft 365 admin center for Microsoft agents. This update enables users to request access to agents—even those currently unavailable due to your organization’s configuration—directly from the Agent Store.

You can manage these requests centrally from the Copilot > Agents & connectors page in the Microsoft 365 admin center, streamlining access control and improving visibility into user interest.

Note: This request flow applies exclusively to agents built by Microsoft and does not extend to other agents available in the store.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 494809.

When this will happen

Rollout will begin late November 2025 (previously late October) and complete in mid-December 2025 (previously mid-November).

How this affects your organization

This update enhances flexibility and transparency in agent access management:

• Admins retain full control over access decisions and benefit from:
  • Centralized management of agent access requests.
  • Granular control to approve or reject requests at the individual user level.

This feature is on by default and requires no configuration to enable.

What you can do to prepare

No setup is required—this feature will roll out automatically.

To prepare:

• Visit the Copilot > Agents & connectors page in the Microsoft 365 admin center to view and manage agent access requests.
• Approve or reject requests based on your organization’s policies.

Compliance considerations

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

Updated November 3, 2025: We are making additional fixes which will delay this release. Our updated plan is to make this feature available by end January, 2026. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction:]

To enhance the extensibility of Microsoft 365 Copilot, we’re introducing support for Declarative Agents in Copilot Chat within classic Outlook for Windows. Declarative Agents will be available for Copilot Chat users (without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license) and Microsoft 365 Copilot users (with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license). Declarative Agents allow users to customize their Copilot experience by integrating plugins, enterprise connectors, and orchestration logic. This update aligns classic Outlook with other Copilot Chat experiences, delivering consistent agent capabilities across platforms.

This update is tracked under Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 481559.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Organizations using classic Outlook for Windows with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
• Admins managing Copilot extensibility and agent deployment

What will happen:

• Declarative Agents will be available in Copilot Chat within classic Outlook for Windows
• Users will see a right-side panel in Outlook showing:
  • Agents previously installed by the user
  • Agents deployed by the admin
  • Entry points to browse agents in the app store
  • Option to create a new agent
• Declarative Agents in Copilot Chat are enabled by default for Microsoft 365 tenants with Copilot licenses
• No admin opt-in is required to use agents in Copilot Chat
• Advanced agent capabilities (access to SharePoint or Graph connectors) require explicit admin opt-in and billing setup
• Admins can manage agents through the Integrated apps section of the Microsoft 365 admin center, including:
  • Enabling or disabling Declarative Agents for the organization
  • Assigning access to specific users or groups
  • Blocking or removing agents from the organizational catalog
  • Managing agent visibility and availability

Licensing tiers:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Users get full access to Declarative Agents, including those integrated with plugins, enterprise connectors, and advanced orchestration features
• Copilot Chat: Designed for users without the Copilot license. These users can still access Copilot Chat and build knowledge-only Declarative Agents, but with limited capabilities

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Review agent management settings in the Integrated apps section of the Microsoft 365 admin center
• Ensure Copilot extensibility is enabled for your organization if you plan to use agents.
• If you plan to use advanced agent capabilities (such as Graph or SharePoint connectors), configure billing and opt-in via the Microsoft 365 admin center or Power Platform admin center.
• Communicate this update to helpdesk and support teams.

Learn more: 

• Declarative agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot overview | Microsoft Learn
• Manage agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Integrated Apps

Updated November 3, 2025: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

We’re introducing enhancements to OneDrive that simplify the process of managing files when employees leave your organization. These updates improve visibility, streamline bulk transfers, and help ensure important content remains accessible and shared appropriately.

This feature is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 493946.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, DoD): We will begin rolling out in mid-October and expect to complete by early November 2025.

How this affects your organization

Managing OneDrive content for departing employees is now more efficient. Key improvements include:

• Redesigned notifications: Account cleanup emails are now more prominent, reducing the chance of being overlooked.
• Improved filtering: New filters help managers quickly locate shared or important files.
• Bulk file transfer with preserved sharing: The “Move and keep sharing” feature allows multiple files to be transferred while retaining existing sharing permissions.
• Consolidated alerts: When six or more files are moved, collaborators receive a single streamlined notification.

These updates help ensure a smooth handover and reduce the risk of losing critical files.

When a user account is deleted, OneDrive access is automatically granted to the manager or designated secondary owner. The recipient receives an email notification with access details and information about the OneDrive retention period. Seven days before the retention period ends, a second reminder email is sent, stating that the OneDrive will be permanently deleted in seven days.

Steps to transfer files:

1. From the email, click View files to access the departing user’s OneDrive.
   
2. Use the Shared filter to view only shared files, or All to see everything.
3. Select files using the checkbox in the table header.
   
4. Click Move to, choose a destination, and check Keep sharing with the same people.



5. Click Move to again to complete the transfer.

Collaborators will receive a single notification once the move is complete:

What you can do to prepare

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

• Inform managers and secondary owners about the new experience.
• Update internal documentation to reflect the new transfer process.
• Watch this guided walkthrough: Simplified file transfer for departing employees

Learn more: OneDrive retention and deletion – SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

Updated November 3, 2025: 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 late November 2025 (previously early November) and is expected to complete by early December 2025 (previously late November).

[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.

1. Register a Microsoft Entra application: A Power Platform Administrator creates an Entra app to securely authenticate between Copilot Studio and the chosen external monitoring provider. This can be done using a provided PowerShell script or manually through the Azure portal.
2. Configure integration in Power Platform Admin Center: The administrator enters the Entra app details and the REST API endpoint from the security partner in the Admin Center’s threat detection settings.

• Automatically linked contact and account information.
• Enriched information from linked accounts and contacts.
• The ability to de-link an auto-linked record and manually link another record if needed.

Retirement of Visio Data Visualizer Add-in for Excel

We’re retiring the Visio Data Visualizer add-in for Excel to streamline diagramming experiences and focus development efforts on Visio Plan 2 and the Visio desktop app. This change aligns with our commitment to delivering more robust, data-connected diagramming capabilities through supported platforms.

When this will happen:

• December 8, 2025: The Visio Data Visualizer add-in will be removed from the Excel add-in store, templates, and ribbon.
• March 2, 2026: The service powering the add-in will be shut down. Existing diagrams created with the add-in will no longer render or refresh.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected: All Microsoft 365 users who use the Visio Data Visualizer add-in in Excel, and admins managing centralized deployment of Office add-ins.

What will happen:

• Starting December 8, 2025, the add-in will be removed from the Excel add-in store, templates, and ribbon. Users will no longer be able to create new Data Visualizer diagrams using the add-in.
• By March 2, 2026, the service powering the add-in will be shut down. Existing Data Visualizer add-in diagrams embedded in Excel will no longer load or refresh after this date, though the underlying Excel table data will remain intact.
• In November, users will start seeing a business bar in the Data Visualizer add-in frame notifying them of the upcoming retirement. The business bar will include a link to a detailed, user-facing article explaining how to save their diagrams as Visio (.vsdx) files.

What you can do to prepare:

• If your tenant does not use centralized deployment of add-ins, no action is required. The change will be applied automatically on the specified dates.
• If your tenant uses centralized deployment of add-ins in the Microsoft 365 admin center:
  • Turn off the Data Visualizer add-in by December 8, 2025.
  • After the service shuts down on March 2, 2026, delete the add-in.
  • Learn more: Manage add-ins in the Microsoft 365 admin center
• Inform your users about this change and its timelines.
• Encourage users to save any existing Data Visualizer diagrams as Visio (.vsdx) files before March 2, 2026. After that date, diagrams embedded in Excel will no longer be accessible or refreshable.
• Update any relevant user documentation to reflect that the add-in will no longer be available after December 8, 2025 and that the service will be fully decommissioned on March 2, 2026.
• Share information about alternate options, such as Visio Plan 2 and creating data-backed diagrams via the Visio desktop app.

Steps for users (Microsoft 365 subscribers):

• Open the Excel file containing the Data Visualizer diagram.
• In the diagram area, select the More options menu (…) and choose Open in web.
• If prompted, sign in with a Microsoft 365 work or school account.
• A Visio (.vsdx) file corresponding to the diagram will be created and saved to OneDrive or Visio for the web.
• After March 2, 2026, the data connection and refresh features will no longer function, but the saved Visio file will remain accessible.
• Learn more: Retirement of the Visio Data Visualizer add-in for Excel and next steps

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization

• Hotpatch updates that help you achieve security and compliance more quickly 
• A new policy to remove select provisioned in-box apps without custom imaging and complex scripts 
• New settings for Windows 11, version 25H2 in the Microsoft Intune Settings Catalog 
• 10 key Microsoft Intune capabilities that will help simplify the upgrade to Windows 11 
• New features and improvements released in the Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2 October 2025 non-security update 
• Additional improvements released in October 

• Windows IT Pro Blog 
• Microsoft Intune Blog 
• Microsoft Intune Customer Success Blog 
• Microsoft Security Blog 
• Windows 11 update history 
• Windows Server update history

Updated September 26, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

Coming soon: Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 usage in your tenant will be added to the Microsoft Graph API to facilitate the creation of customized reporting and analytics. Metrics included in the Graph API will match those available in the Copilot for Microsoft 365 usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center, including tenant-level count of enabled users and active users, as well as last activity date per user (totals for each Microsoft 365 app and a grand total). A Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 license is required to use this feature.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 396562 and with MC724835 Microsoft 365 admin center Usage report: Microsoft Copilot with Graph-grounded chat (Preview) (published March 2024).

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out early September 2024 and expect to complete by mid-September 2024.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out late October 2025 (previously late September) and expect to complete by late November 2025 (previously late October). 

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, the Graph API did not include Copilot for Microsoft 365 usage.

After this rollout, admins can use the Graph API to create customized reporting and analytics for Copilot for Microsoft 365 usage.

Sample request for one of the three APIs: getMicrosoft365CopilotUserCountSummary.

Sample response:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

Content-Type: application/json

Content-Length: 537

{

"@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/reports/getMicrosoft365CopilotUserCountSummary(period='D7')?$format=application/json",

"value": [

{

"reportRefreshDate": "2024-06-26",

"adoptionByProduct": [

{

"reportPeriod": 7,

"anyAppEnabledUsers": 354590,

"anyAppActiveUsers": 144022,

"microsoftTeamsEnabledUsers": 354449,

"microsoftTeamsActiveUsers": 88737,

"wordEnabledUsers": 354449,

"wordActiveUsers": 17493,

"powerPointEnabledUsers": 354449,

"powerPointActiveUsers": 7245,

"outlookEnabledUsers": 354449,

"outlookActiveUsers": 38140,

"excelEnabledUsers": 354449,

"excelActiveUsers": 2554,

"oneNoteEnabledUsers": 354449,

"oneNoteActiveUsers": 1382,

"loopEnabledUsers": 354449,

"loopActiveUsers": 955,

"copilotChatEnabledUsers": 354449,

"copilotChatActiveUsers": 64401

}

This feature is on by default.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

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

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

To learn more about Microsoft’s own review of this product with its works councils, please consider reading: https://aka.ms/Copilot/MSWorksCouncilsArticle 

Updated October 1, 2025: As previously announced in the October 31st, 2024, post, we will be retiring the Utility.SendEmail API on October 31st, 2025. 

As a reminder, you are able to identify usage of the API via the Purview audit logs in the admin center

1.  As a tenant admin, navigate to the Microsoft Purview Portal available within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Open Audit to search for activities.
3.  Select a date range to run the audit search for (recommend running it for at least 90 days)
4. Put the following text, “SendEmailApiInvoked” into the “Activities – operation names” textbox and click search.
5. The request will be queued, and results will be available once processed.
6. Click on the results and review each of the items.

Use the UserAgent and ApplicationDisplayName to help identify the caller.

[NOTE:] If the ApplicationDisplayName = “Workflow” then the items will be unaffected by this API retirement but will follow the SharePoint 2013 Workflow retirement. We will be retiring the Utility.SendEmail API from SharePoint. The SP.Utilities.Utility.SendEmail could be used to send emails from custom applications or processes within SharePoint Online, including Power Automate, and custom workflows.

From custom code the API can be referenced via REST as (“/_api/SP.Utilities.Utility.SendEmail”) while for CSOM, it would be “Utility.SendEmail” with more information on the original implementation at Utility.SendEmail method for CSOM.

[When this will happen:]

October 31, 2025

[How this will affect your organization:]

Any components, custom code, or Power Automate connections that utilize the SP.Utilities.Utility.SendEmail API, should be updated before the end of life date. The API will stop providing services on the retirement date and will no longer send any email requests from that date.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Migrate any custom code, power automate, processes or policies running within SharePoint Online that have been configured to send email using the SP.Utilities.Utility.SendEmail API.

The following are recommended or alternative approaches:

1. Use Microsoft Graph to send email using the user: SendMail API (Part of the Outlook mail workload) Automate creating, sending, and processing messages
2. Customizations through Power Automate may also utilize the Outlook connector and utilize “Send an email” within the Actions. Overview of using Outlook and Power Automate 

Learn more:

1. Retirement of the SharePoint SendEmail API
2. Automate creating, sending, and processing messages
3. Overview of using Outlook and Power Automate
4. Learn about the Microsoft Purview portal | Microsoft Learn