Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 04-12-2025

Updated December 3, 2025: We have updated the timeline. This feature will now be included as part of another update referenced in MC796790. Administrators will gain the ability to manage Microsoft 365 certified SaaS applications through org-wide settings for third-party apps. No changes will be applied to tenant-wide settings unless initiated by an administrator. Thank you for your patience.

This feature will empower administrators to manage the availability of trusted Microsoft Teams apps based on rules, for enhanced security. Admins will be able to manage Microsoft 365 certified apps in the Teams admin center through a new control in Org-wide settings. You can further customize the availability of these apps based on permissions accessed and publisher names. The system automatically checks the Microsoft 365 certified apps that meet all the conditions you specify and makes those apps available.  

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 485712.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, you cannot manage at bulk the availability of Microsoft 365 certified apps. They are only controlled by third-party app tenant settings.

After this rollout, you can manage Microsoft 365 certified apps availability from org-wide settings in the Teams admin center at Manage apps > Actions > Org-wide app settings > Microsoft 365 certified apps. 

You can configure additional criteria from the Customize availability option:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before or after the rollout. Review your current configuration to assess the impact on your organization. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation. This new control will be disabled by default.

Learn more: Manage org-wide app settings in Manage your apps in the Microsoft Teams admin center – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout)

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

 What and Why

We’re introducing a new capability that allows users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to scope and control Copilot Chat responses by selecting specific content sources. This enhancement is designed to improve the relevance and accuracy of Copilot responses by limiting them to user-selected sources, aligning with customer feedback for more transparent and customizable AI interactions.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496596

Rollout Schedule

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

Impact on Your Organization

• Who is affected:
  • Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• What will happen:
  • Users will see a new option to select content sources when using Copilot Chat.
  • Copilot responses will be scoped only to the selected sources, improving control and precision.
  • This feature will follow a standard rollout and is enabled by default.
  • There is no impact to admin settings or policies.
  • No changes to existing Copilot behavior unless users actively select sources.

Action Required/Recommendations

• No admin action is required.
• This feature does not impact admin controls or require configuration.
• We recommend:
  • Informing helpdesk staff of this new user-facing capability.
  • Updating internal documentation if you provide guidance on Copilot usage.

Compliance Considerations

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

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

Introduction

We’re introducing a new way to build automations in SharePoint using Workflows—the same fast, intuitive experience available in the Teams Workflows app. This update simplifies automation across SharePoint, Teams, and Microsoft 365, helping users streamline tasks like notifications, approvals, and file actions with just a few clicks.

Powered by Power Automate, Workflows offers a consistent experience across platforms and reduces the complexity of previous automation methods.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 491632 and MC1121517.

When this will happen

• Targeted Release: Begins early January 2026 (previously mid-November 2025); expected completion by end of January 2026 (previously end of December 2025).
• General Availability: Begins early February 2026 (previously mid-October); expected completion by end of February 2026 (previously mid-November).

How this affects your organization

As part of this update, list and document libraries will have a new Workflows button on the command bar menu. We’ll also be consolidating the existing Automate and Integrate menus into a single menu dropdown.

Figure i. Updated Workflows button on the command bar menu

The new Workflows experience introduces:

• A streamlined interface for creating automations directly in SharePoint lists and libraries, Teams chats, and channels.
• A redesigned template library for faster discovery of common workflows.
• Natural language-to-flow capabilities to describe automation goals.
• A Madlib-style editor for easy customization using plain language and dynamic placeholders.

Figure ii. Workflows experience opening in a SharePoint list

Figure iii. Creating a new Workflow from a template in a SharePoint document library

Workflows is powered by Power Automate and retains enterprise-grade reliability, security, and extensibility. Existing workflows and compliance processes remain unaffected. The feature is on by default and requires no admin configuration.

What you can do to prepare

No admin action is required at this time. However, you may:

• Inform users about the new Workflows experience in SharePoint.
• Update existing training and documentation that used the Integrate menu and Power Automate to create flows
• Reassure users that existing Power Automate workflows and policies will remain unchanged.
• Learn more:
  • Browse and add workflows in Microsoft Teams (will be updated before WW rollout)
  • Create a flow for a list or library (will be updated before WW rollout)

Compliance considerations

This feature leverages the Default Environment in Power Platform, if your organization has specific controls or environment policies, Workflows experiences in Teams & SharePoint will be included in those policies.

Updated December 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

Introduction

Microsoft Edge for Business will soon support Rewrite, a new feature powered by Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This capability helps users draft and rephrase editable text directly within Edge, enhancing productivity and writing quality. Users can access Rewrite by highlighting editable text and right-clicking to open the context menu.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 420335.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late January 2026 (previously early December 2025).

How this affects your organization

• Rewrite will be enabled by default for Edge for Business users. 
• Users can access Rewrite by highlighting editable text and right-clicking to open the context menu.

• If Microsoft 365 Copilot is restricted from accessing page content due to Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, Rewrite will not function on that content.
• Admins can manage this feature using the InlineComposeEnabled policy setting.

What you can do to prepare

No admin action is required before rollout.

We recommend:

• Reviewing your current DLP configurations to understand how they may impact Rewrite functionality.
• Notifying users about this new capability.
• Updating internal documentation to reflect this change.

Learn more about how DLP affects Copilot access to page content: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Edge and Access to Page Content | Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

To help you manage agent adoption for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, we are introducing a new usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center. The report provides visibility into how users in your organization are actively using agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and includes metrics such as: 

• Total number of active agent users and active agents 
• Usage breakdown per user, per agent, and per user-agent pair 
• Segmentation by license state (licensed vs. unlicensed Microsoft 365 Copilot users) 
• Segmentation by agent creator type (i.e. agents built by your organization, Microsoft, or Microsoft partners) 

The new report is rolling out in preview and will be available under Reporting > Usage > Microsoft 365 Copilot > Agent. During the preview stage, the report will display a maximum of 30 days of history. In addition, usage information from prior to August 19 2025 will not be available in the report. This report only includes declarative agents. Usage data for SharePoint agents and Custom engine agents will be available in a future update.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 497999

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview (Worldwide): Available now.

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Updated December 3, 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 mid-January 2026 (previously early December 2025) and is expected to complete by end of January 2026 (previously mid-December 2025).

[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 December 3, 2025: We have updated the content and timelines. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re improving the reliability of Copilot chat by ensuring that conversations are preserved even when users navigate away from a chat. With this update, a session entry is created in the navigation pane as soon as a prompt is submitted. This allows users to return to the conversation later without losing context or progress.

This capability will be available to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot users.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 500638.

[When this will happen:]

• Worldwide (General Availability): Rolling out from December 3, 2025 (previously November 5), to December 18, 2025 (previously November 30)
• GCC: Rolling out from January 3, 2026 (previously November 19, 2025), to January 30, 2026 (previously November 30, 2025)
• GCC High: Rolling out from January 3, 2026 (previously November 26, 2025), to January 30, 2026 (previously November 30, 2025)
• DoD: Rolling out from January 3, 2026 (previously November 19, 2025), to January 30, 2026 (previously November 30, 2025)

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot users in commercial, GCC, GCC High, and DoD environments.

What will happen:

• A session entry will now appear in the navigation pane immediately after a prompt is submitted.
• Users can navigate away from a chat and return later without losing the conversation.
• This update improves continuity and reduces the risk of session loss.
• No changes to admin settings or policies are required.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required at this time. You may wish to:

• Inform helpdesk staff of this behavior change.
• Update internal documentation if you describe Copilot chat behavior.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated December 3, 2025: The previously announced date of December 8, 2025 for removing the Visio Data Visualizer add-in from the Excel add-in store, templates, and ribbon has been extended until at least January 2026. Exact revised date will be shared in a future update. The service shutdown date remains unchanged. Admins should NOT turn off the add-in on December 8, 2025 (or take any other action) so that users can continue using the add-in until the revised removal date and the service shutdown. Furthermore, no admin action is required for this retirement moving forward, regardless of whether centralized deployment of add-ins is used.

Thank you for your patience. 

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:

• January 2026: 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 January 2026, 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
• 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 January 2026 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

Updated December 3, 2025: We have updated the timeline. This feature will be enabled for en-US only initially. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction:]

Audio summaries help users absorb content quickly, but they’ve traditionally been passive, one-way experiences. Listeners can’t clarify, explore, or dive deeper without breaking flow — forcing them to pause, switch modes, and manually search for answers. Based on feedback for more dynamic and immersive audio experiences, Microsoft is introducing real-time voice interactions in Podcast. The new interactive podcast feature transforms this into a dynamic, conversational experience, where users can join the hosts’ discussion of their document, ask questions in real time, and uncover insights naturally — staying immersed while gaining understanding faster.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 523206.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early January 2026 (previously late November 2025) and is expected to complete by end of January 2026 (previously late December 2025).

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: Customers with Copilot licenses who generate audio overviews.
• What will happen:
  • Users will be able to join podcast conversations and ask questions in real time.
  • The feature enhances document-based podcasts with interactive voice capabilities.
  • The feature will be ON by default for eligible users.
  • No changes to existing admin policies are required.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk staff.
• Update internal documentation if you reference podcast or audio overview features.
• For more information, refer to upcoming documentation in the Microsoft Learn portal.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated December 3, 2025: We have updated the timeline. This feature will be enabled for en-US only initially. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction:]

Read Aloud is evolving from a passive listening tool into an interactive experience. By integrating Copilot Q&A, users can now ask questions and refine their understanding of document content in real time—without interrupting their workflow. This enhancement supports accessibility, improves comprehension, and helps users stay focused while gaining insights faster.

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

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 523205.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early January 2026 (previously late November 2025) and is expected to complete by end of January 2026 (previously late December 2025).

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All users of Read Aloud in Microsoft 365. Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription will receive the enhanced experience.
• What will happen:
  • Users with Copilot will see a new interactive voice-driven Read Aloud experience.
  • The entry point remains the same as classic Read Aloud.
  • Users without Copilot will continue to use the classic Read Aloud functionality.
  • No changes to admin policies or configurations are required.
  • The feature is enabled by default for eligible users.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required.
• Notify your users about the upcoming change.
• Update internal documentation if you reference Read Aloud functionality.
• If you manage helpdesk communications, consider sharing a short blurb about the new experience.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

To improve collaboration and streamline meeting workflows, Microsoft Teams is introducing the ability to consult and merge Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) callers into active meetings—even when those callers are behind auto-attendants or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems that require Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) navigation. This enhancement allows users to reach subject matter experts via dial-in and seamlessly bring them into the broader conversation.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 518218.

• Targeted Release: Rolling out early February 2026 (previously early January), expected to complete by mid-February 2026 (previously mid-January).
• General Availability:  Rolling out mid-February 2026 (previously early January), expected to complete by end of February 2026 (previously mid-January).

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All Microsoft Teams users who initiate or manage meetings with PSTN participants. Administrators overseeing Teams meeting policies and call configurations.
• What will happen:
  • Users can consult with PSTN or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) participants via the Participants panel.
  • A new interface will allow users to access a dialpad to navigate IVR systems and auto-attendants using DTMF tones.
  • Once the external party is reached, users can merge them into the ongoing meeting.
  • No changes to existing administrator policies; feature is enabled by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No administrator action is required for this rollout.
• If your organization uses custom training or helpdesk documentation, consider updating it to reflect this new capability.
• Before rollout, we will update this post with new documentation.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated December 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction:]

Microsoft Edge for Business will soon support summarization and contextual grounding with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This enhancement enables users to ask Copilot questions about multiple open browser tabs, Microsoft 365 documents (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and YouTube videos directly from the Edge side pane.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496364, 499423, and 499424.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late January 2026 (previously November 2025).

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users signed in to Microsoft Edge for Business with their Entra ID and who have access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to ask Copilot questions about open browser tabs, Microsoft 365 documents, and YouTube videos.
• The feature will be off by default.
• If Copilot is restricted from accessing page content via Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or the EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext policy, it will be suppressed to maintain DLP integrity.
• Existing DLP and policy configurations will be respected.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date; no admin action is required before rollout.
• Ensure users who need this capability have access to Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Ensure your tenant is configured to support Microsoft 365 Copilot and that eligible users meet all licensing prerequisites, including Entra ID sign-in and applicable Microsoft 365 service plans.
• Review your current DLP and Edge policy configurations to determine potential impact.
• Notify users about this upcoming capability.
• Update internal documentation if needed.

Learn more:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Edge and Access to Page Content | Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Learn
  
• Microsoft Edge – Policies | Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Learn
  

[Compliance considerations:]

• Trend Chart: Visualize adherence patterns for individual customer service representatives or the entire team over time.
• Metrics Dashboard: Track adherence percentage, total scheduled time, and time spent out of adherence.
• Activity Summary View: Access detailed activity logs for each customer service representative, including precise durations for granular analysis.

[Introduction]

We’re extending the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements to the Teams Phone porting process in all markets. Teams administrators will need to submit general business information and supporting documents via Teams Admin Center before initiating a port-in request. This one-time process allows Microsoft to validate businesses and fulfill regulatory requirements, helping protect our phone services from misuse, such as spam calls and voice phishing (vishing).

If your organization has already completed the KYC onboarding (for example, when acquiring new telephone numbers), no further action is required. You will not need to complete the process again and can disregard this message. If you are unsure of the KYC status of your organization, please visit the Know Your Customer page in the Teams Admin Center to verify it and complete it if necessary.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Teams administrators managing port-in requests for Teams Phone in all markets.

What will happen:

• Teams administrators must complete a KYC process in the Teams Admin Center before submitting port-in requests.
• Admins will be required to submit business information and supporting documentation.
• The vetting process typically takes a few hours but may take up to two business days.
• No port-in requests can be processed until the submitted information is validated.
• Existing telephone numbers are not affected.
• These requirements apply globally and are consistent across all Calling Plans markets.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Complete the KYC process in advance by visiting the Know Your Customer page in the Teams Admin Center.
• Ensure your Teams administrators are ready to provide the following information:
• Business email address
• Company name
• Tax ID, DUNS number, or Business Registration Number
• Business address
• A copy of the Business Registration, Registry Extract, or Articles of Incorporation
• This process applies to all tenants, including those on free trials. No specific license tier is required to complete the KYC onboarding.
• Learn more: Teams Phone Know Your Customer overview – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

We’re expanding the Interpreter agent in Microsoft Teams to include real-time speech-to-speech interpretation for Teams calls. This brings the same functionality previously available in meetings to calls, enabling users to speak and listen in their preferred language.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 526777 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop.

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out early January 2026 and expect to complete by mid-January 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out late January 2026 and expect to complete by early-February 2026.
• Note: Government and Special clouds are not supported at this time, and there is no timeline for availability.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license participating in Teams calls.

What will happen:

• Interpreter can now be enabled during Teams calls (previously meetings only).
• Users can:
  • Choose their listening language.
  • Adjust audio balance between original and interpreted speech.
  • Select a voice option, including a simulated version of their own voice for interpretation.
• No additional setup is required for meetings; this update applies only to Teams calls.
• Interpreter works best in structured conversations and may not be ideal for fast-paced exchanges.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• If you want to enable Interpreter for calls, configure policies using:
• Enable users to use interpreter in calls: Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy (MicrosoftTeams) | -AIInterpreter | Microsoft Learn
• Enable users to user to use the voice simulation feature while being AI interpreted in calls: Set-CsTeamsCallingPolicy (MicrosoftTeams) | -VoiceSimulationInInterpreter | Microsoft Learn
• Communicate to users that Interpreter works best in structured conversations and may not be ideal for fast-paced exchanges.
• Update internal documentation and helpdesk guidance.

Learn more:

• Manage Interpreter agent for your organization | Microsoft Learn
• Interpreter in Microsoft Teams meetings | Microsoft Support 

[Compliance considerations:]

Introduction

We’re introducing new Microsoft Secure Score recommendations for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) to help organizations strengthen their security posture. These recommendations are designed to proactively block common attack techniques and improve endpoint protection.

When this will happen

Public Preview: Rollout will begin at the end of November 2025 and is expected to complete by mid-December 2025.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Secure Score.

Licensing requirements: This functionality is available to Microsoft 365 E5 customers or those with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 (P2).

What will happen:

• Customers in Public Preview will see new recommendations in Microsoft Secure Score:
  • Disable Remote Registry Service on Windows
• Secure Score will update based on the implementation of these recommendations.

What you can do to prepare

• Review the new recommendations in Microsoft Secure Score once available.
• Complete the recommended actions to improve your organization’s security posture.
• Communicate these changes to your security and endpoint management teams.

Learn more: 

• Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Learn
• Microsoft Secure Score | Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

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

[Introduction]

This feature empowers organizations with powerful insights into the adoption and usage of M365 Copilot Chat by users who are not licensed for M365 Copilot. Insights include usage trends, retention and usage intensity insights, app-level breakdowns, and filtering by organizational attributes.

Screenshot: Copilot chat adoption in Copilot Dashboard

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 501581.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in mid-January 2026 and expect to complete by end of January 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

• Tenants with at least one Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned.
• Admins and users enabled for Microsoft Copilot Dashboard.

What will happen:

• Feature will be enabled by default; no admin action required.
• New analytics cards and visualizations will appear in the Copilot Dashboard adoption tab.
• Insights will include:
  • Usage Trends Over Time: Visualize how Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat adoption evolves at your organization, by measuring the number of active users over time.
  • Adoption by Group: Compare adoption across organizational attributes, such as organization or job function to uncover where Copilot Chat is gaining traction and where further engagement may be needed.
  • Usage intensity and retention insights: Analyze how consistently users return to Copilot Chat and how many Copilot actions are being taken, with metrics on recurring usage and usage intensity.
  • App-Level Breakdowns: Identify which entry points and applications are driving Copilot Chat adoption.
  • Filtering and drilldown capabilities will be available for both Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot views on the adoption and impact tabs.
  • Filtering and Drilldown: Filter by org attributes to explore adoption patterns, enabling Copilot Dashboard users to tailor their change management and support approaches for maximum impact.

Administrator Controls:

Global administrators, Viva Insights Administrators, and AI administrators will continue to have the following controls:  

• Create a policy for the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in Copilot Dashboard feature through Viva Feature Access Management (VFAM) in Microsoft Admin Center or PowerShell.
• Create a policy for access to the Viva Insights web app through Viva Feature Access Management (VFAM) in Microsoft Admin Center or PowerShell. 
• Exclude certain users or groups of users of Microsoft 365 Copilot chat from being included in the aggregated insights through the exclusion feature. 

Learn more: 

• Manage access to Viva Insights web app for individual users and groups in Microsoft 365 admin center
• Control access to features in Microsoft 365

[What you can do to prepare:]

• Read the Microsoft announcement regarding Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
• Review and assess the impact on your organization.
• Update training and documentation as appropriate.
• No additional configuration is required; metrics will be enabled by default.

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

This message applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop and Teams for the web.

Screenshot: @mention notification with message preview

[When this will happen:]

• Targeted Release (Worldwide): Rollout begins mid-December 2025; expected to complete by mid-December 2025
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins mid-January 2026; expected to complete by mid-January 2026
• General Availability (GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout begins mid-January 2026; expected to complete by late January 2026

[How this affects your organization:]

• Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Teams on Windows and Mac desktop clients and Teams on the web.
• What will happen:
  • Notifications for channels, mentions, and reactions will include a message preview, unless the message preview is disabled by users.
  • Users can disable previews:
    • On Windows and Web: via Teams Notification Settings.
    • On Mac: via OS Notification Settings.
  • No changes to existing admin policies; no policy updates required.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No admin action is required; the feature will be available automatically once users update to the supported Teams client build.
• Consider notifying your users about this update and how they can manage notification settings.

[Compliance considerations:]

[Introduction]

We’re enhancing Microsoft Purview | Information Protection by adding the ability to preview email attachments directly in Activity explorer for Exchange Online. Previously, only the message body was viewable, limiting visibility into flagged sensitive content. This update helps admins quickly investigate incidents without downloading emails, improving efficiency and security.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 527834.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rollout begins early December 2025 and completes by mid-December 2025.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins mid-January 2026 and completes by late January 2026.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins managing Exchange Online and using Activity explorer in Microsoft Purview.

What will happen:

• Admins can preview email attachments flagged for sensitive data directly in Activity explorer.



• No need to download emails for investigation.
• Feature is enabled by default; no configuration changes required.
• Existing DLP (data loss prevention) and Information Protection policies remain unchanged.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required; the feature will be available automatically after rollout.
• Optional: Communicate this update to your security and compliance teams.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

We are introducing three new ways to simplify how Admins manage People Skills:

1. Admin control: Turn off People Skills user experiences



2. Feature access management: Configure People Skills settings in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center



3. Ability to import custom skills library: Upload from your local device

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 529865.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins managing People Skills in Microsoft 365.

What will happen:

Admin control to turn off People Skills user experiences: 

As an Admin, you can use the Turn off People Skills user experiences control to manage how People Skills appears across your organization. This control lets you:

• Disable People Skills user experiences for your entire organization, user group subsets, or individual users.
• Pilot People Skills to a small group of users in your organization before rolling it out broadly.

When People Skills is turned off for a user, all People Skills user experiences will be removed for that user. Refer to Where does People Skills data appear? for a list of applications that use People Skills data and will be impacted by this Admin Control.

Why use this new admin control?

• Privacy and compliance: Organizations in regulated industries or Workers Council regions may need to prevent skills data from appearing on user profiles for certain users or groups. Such organizations may use this new Admin Control to turn off People Skills for a specific geographic region (e.g., Germany) who may have Workers Council requirements to limit exposure of People Skills data for impacted users.
• Pilot control: Deploy People Skills to a limited audience scope before full rollout.
• Deployment flexibility: Limit skills exposure during testing or phased deployment.

Feature access management interface for People Skills settings: 

You can configure People Skills directly in the Microsoft Admin Center using Feature access management—no need to rely on PowerShell commands anymore. This will make configuration of People Skills settings much easier. People Skills Admin settings you can manage directly in the M365 Admin Center interface include:

• People Skills user experiences control: Turns all People Skills user experiences on or off for selected users.
• People Skills AI inferencing control: Determines whether AI can generate Skills for users and add them to their profiles on their behalf.
• People Skills profile visibility control: Controls whether a user’s skills (AI-generated, Confirmed, or Imported) are shared with others on the Microsoft 365 Profile card.
• Show AI Skills control: Controls whether AI-Generated Skills appear on a user’s profile.
• Show Imported Skills control: Allows or restricts imported skills (organization-added skills) from appearing on user’s profile.

Ability to import custom Skills library from your local device: 

• We will offer the option of importing a custom Skills Library directly from your local device. This allows you to have greater flexibility in how you upload and manage your custom Skills Library.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• This message is for awareness, and no action is required.
• If you plan to limit or disable People Skills, review the new admin controls in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center after rollout.
• For details on applications impacted when People Skills is turned off, refer to Microsoft documentation.

Learn more: Manage privacy and sharing controls in People Skills

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

We are introducing a new dashboard in Teams Admin Center (TAC) that gives admins new visibility into user voice and face enrollment data to help organizations better understand usage of AI-dependent capabilities such as speaker attribution, voice isolation, and face-based room experiences. Dashboard data includes enrollment status, counts, and aggregate metrics

This update also adds the ability for admins to view and delete end-user voice and face enrollment data directly from TAC. These controls strengthen compliance posture and provide more direct management of sensitive data.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 506750.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): We will begin rolling out mid-January 2026 and expect to complete by end of January 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

• Who is affected: Admins managing Microsoft Teams in Teams Admin Center.
• What will happen:
  • A new voice and face enrollment dashboard will appear in Teams Admin Center.

  

  • Admins will gain data deletion capabilities, allowing removal of voice or face enrollment data for individual users or batches of users.
  • Deleted data is permanently removed, and users will need to re-enroll to continue benefiting from features such as speaker attribution or personalized AI meeting experiences.
  • There is no change to default enrollment behavior. Existing policies and user controls remain unchanged.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

• No action is required to enable this feature. It will appear automatically as part of the rollout.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

[Introduction]

We’re introducing Auto Archiving for Exchange Online to help prevent mail flow disruptions caused by mailboxes reaching their storage quota. This update ensures real-time mailbox health monitoring by automatically moving the oldest items to the archive when mailbox usage exceeds 96% of its quota. This feature addresses customer feedback for proactive mailbox space management and helps maintain business continuity.

[When this will happen:]

• Public Preview: Rollout began in mid-November 2025 and is expected to complete early December 2025
• Worldwide rollout: Rollout begins in early January 2026 and is expected to complete late January 2026

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: Admins managing Exchange Online mailboxes with provisioned archive mailboxes.

What will happen:

• When a primary mailbox exceeds 96% of its quota, Managed Folder Assistant will automatically archive the oldest items until usage drops below the threshold.
• Applies to both IPM folders and Recoverable Items folders.
• Honors Never Move to Archive tags.
• Enabled by default for all tenants.
• Archive mailbox must be provisioned and have available space for auto-archiving to occur.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No immediate action is required unless you want to adjust or disable this feature.
• To disable auto-archiving for a mailbox:

  Set-Mailbox <user-smtp-address> -AutoArchivingEnabled $false

• To adjust the organization-level threshold (default = 96%, valid range = 80–100):

  Set-OrganizationConfig –AutoArchivingThresholdPercentage <value>

• If set to 100, auto-archiving will not occur for the tenant.
• Review internal documentation and communicate this change to helpdesk staff.

Learn more:

• Auto-archiving in Exchange Online | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Introduction

As part of Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, we’re updating our Content Security Policy for the Microsoft Entra ID sign-in experience. This change adds an extra layer of protection by allowing only scripts from trusted Microsoft domains to run during authentication, blocking unauthorized or injected external code. This proactive measure helps safeguard users against threats like cross-site scripting (XSS), further strengthening security for your organization.

When this will happen

General Availability (Production/Worldwide only):

• Rollout begins mid-October 2026
• Expected completion by late October 2026

Periodic communications will be sent closer to release.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected:

• Organizations using browser-based sign-in experiences on URLs starting with login.microsoftonline.com.
• No impact to Microsoft Entra External ID tenants.

What will happen:

• A new Content Security Policy header will be added to Microsoft Entra sign-in pages.
• Scripts will only be allowed from Microsoft trusted CDN domains.
• Inline script execution will only be allowed from trusted Microsoft sources.
• Browser extensions or tools that inject code into the sign-in page will stop working, though users can still sign in.

What you can do to prepare

• If you do not use tools or extensions that inject code into the sign-in experience, no action is required.
• If you do use such tools, switch to alternatives that don’t inject code.
• Test your sign-in flows thoroughly before rollout to identify and resolve any issues early. Testing instructions can be found on our CSP Guide for Microsoft Entra ID.

Learn more:

• Content Security Policy Overview for Microsoft Entra ID 
• Microsoft Entra ID Content Security Policy Public Blog Post on Techcommunity
• Microsoft Secure Future Initiative
• The CSP nonce guide | Content Security Policy (CSP) quick reference guide
• The CSP script-src directive guide | Content Security Policy (CSP) quick reference guide
• Why XSS still matters: MSRC’s perspective on a 25-year-old threat | Microsoft Blog

Compliance considerations

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

Starting in July 2026, the Insert Data from Image feature will no longer be available in Microsoft Excel on Windows devices using the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.

We’ll remove the feature beginning with Version 2602, scheduled for release in July 2026. It won’t be included in future Semi-Annual releases. The feature will continue to work in Semi-Annual Version 2508 until September 2026.

We’re developing an enhanced version of this feature that integrates with Copilot chat for Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel users. Copilot chat is not currently available for Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel users. We’ll notify users when the new version becomes available.

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

Coming soon: Users will be able to automatically see their automapped calendars when toggling from classic Microsoft Outlook to new Outlook for Windows. This message applies to classic Outlook for Windows desktop and new Outlook for Windows desktop.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 415168.

[When this will happen:]

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

General Availability: We will begin rolling out in early February 2026 (previously early January) and expect to complete by late February 2026 (previously late January).  

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, users were not able to see their automapped calendars when toggling from classic Outlook to new Outlook.

To access an automapped calendars, users can go to Microsoft Outlook > Calendar icon on left of screen > My Calendars > Automapped calendar.

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 users about this change and update any relevant documentation.

Learn more

• The section called Use the shared calendar from the shared mailbox in Open and use a shared mailbox in Outlook – Microsoft Support
• Definition of automapping: Remove automapping for a shared mailbox – Outlook | Microsoft Learn

#newoutlookforwindows

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

Admins will be able to ensure that new Loop workspaces are connected to and managed by an existing Microsoft 365 Group, similar to SharePoint Team sites.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 422725

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out early March 2026 (previously late November 2025) and expect to complete by late March 2026 (previously late December 2025). 

[How this will affect your organization:]

Once Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 422728 is available, end-users will have the ability to choose existing Microsoft 365 Groups for managing new Loop workspaces. This means that new Loop workspaces can optionally be connected to and managed by an existing Microsoft 365 Group, similar to how SharePoint Team sites are managed.

Additionally, Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 422725 covers the capability to ensure that new Loop workspaces are connected to and managed by an existing Microsoft 365 Group, similar to SharePoint Team sites (it will not be an option for users to skip selecting an existing Microsoft 365 group if this policy is configured).

While this setting may align with existing governance processes, it’s important for admins to note that scenarios like automatic aggregation of Teams meeting content into a Loop workspace, or the creation of small, short-term project workspaces, will be more challenging for end-users unless they can skillfully select an existing M365 group during creation. Please consider this tradeoff in your adoption strategy.

If your organization has governance tools for SharePoint Communication sites that work effectively in a reactive manner (i.e., governance is applied after the site is created), Microsoft recommends extending this process to include Loop workspaces rather than using this policy.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

There is nothing you need to do to prepare. This capability will roll to your tenant automatically.

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

Your organization can already apply Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to Microsoft Fabric, but soon you will also be able to restrict access to Fabric sematic models and lakehouses by applying DLP policies. After this rollout, admins will be able to configure DLP policies that automatically detect sensitive information in sematic models and lakehouses and then restrict access to this data to internal users or data owners

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 422501.

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: DLP restrict access for sematic models is already available in Public Preview as of November 2024. For Fabric lakehouse, public preview of restrict access will begin rollout mid-April 2025 and is expected to complete by late April 2025. 

General Availability: We will begin rolling out June 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout, you can configure DLP policies for Fabric workspaces to audit and notify users through Policy Tips based on sensitive content.

After this rollout, DLP policies can also be configured to block or restrict access to internal users or data owners. This action is especially valuable when your organization has guest users, and you want to enforce proper restrictions to ensure these users do not accidentally access sensitive information.

This change is available by default for admins to configure.

Configuring the Restrict access action in DLP policy for Fabric:

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date with no admin action required before the rollout. If your organization does not wish to start using the Restrict access action for Fabric, no additional action is required. If you would like to start restricting access to internal users or data owners, your security or compliance admin will need to update or create new DLP policies for Fabric to include the new Restrict access action.

Review your current configuration to determine the impact for your organization. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation.

Learn more

• Data loss prevention policies in Microsoft Fabric – Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
• New Capabilities for Microsoft Purview DLP