Microsoft Roadmap, messagecenter and blogs updates from 28-02-2026

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

We’re excited to announce the rollout of a new built-in role-based access control (RBAC) role in the Microsoft Teams admin center called Teams Reader. This role is designed to provide read-only access across all* pages in the Teams admin center, enabling secure visibility without the risk of unintended changes.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): We will begin rolling out early June 2025 and expect to complete by late June 2025.

[How this will affect your organization:]

The new Teams Reader role is ideal for scenarios where visibility into Teams admin settings is required without granting edit permissions.

The new role can read everything* that the Teams admin can manage but not update anything.

*Role limitations

• No access to view Teams management (will be added soon; we will update this post when available)
• No access to Meetings & Calls details of users (will be added soon; we will update this post when available)
• No access to Notifications & Rules management (will be added soon; we will update this post when available)
• No access to Frontline worker deployment management
• No access to the Collaboration activity dashboard

Global admins can perform assign/unassign operations for the new RBAC role from the Microsoft Entra admin center or Microsoft 365 admin center. This new role will be available to be assigned to Administrative units as well from the Entra admin center or the Microsoft 365 admin center.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout. Review your current configuration to assess the impact on your organization. Notify your Global admins about the availability of this new role. Update internal documentation and training materials to reflect the new role and its capabilities.

Learn more: Use Microsoft Teams administrator roles to manage Teams – Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout)

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.

In response to customer feedback, we are introducing enhanced flexibility, greater scalability, and streamlined compliance management for private channels in Microsoft Teams.

Note: It is important for compliance managers to review and take appropriate action before migration starts for these changes to private channels.

[What’s changing?]

Private channels will transition use a channel mailbox instead of individual user mailboxes.

Organizations with compliance policies (retention, legal hold, data loss prevention, or eDiscovery) for private channels must review these policies and must apply policies to the Microsoft 365 group for the channel’s team before migration begins to ensure continuity of the policy for a private channel. Existing policies will continue to apply to user mailboxes; post-migration, new data will be governed by policies on the group. Note that policies applied to the team’s group can apply to all channels in the team.

After the transition to updated private channels in your organization, private channels will be updated as follows.

1. Private channels are no longer limited to 30 per team. Instead, private channels can be added up to the limit of 1000 total channels per team.
2. Private channels can now have up to 5000 members, instead of 250.
3. Meetings can now be scheduled in private channels.
4. Compliance policies for private channels are part of the team’s group policies instead of the individual user level.

The migration of private channels will begin in early October 2025 and continue through March 2026. During this period, private channels will continue to operate normally. Admins and compliance managers should complete any required policy changes by October 2025, before the migration begins. Changes to private channel limits and meeting scheduling will follow in early April 2026.

As part of this change, newly created private channels will not be created with a document library by default; the root folder is used as a default location for any new files.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out private channel migration early October 2025 (previously late September) and expect to complete by March 2026 (previously February). Updated channel limits and meeting scheduling will complete in April 2026. Restricted clouds rollout will begin in March 2026.

[Action required by compliance managers and admins]

1. Purview eDiscovery and Legal Hold

With this change, private channel data will move from user mailboxes to the group mailbox, aligning with how shared channels data is stored. Previously, legal holds were applied to user mailboxes since private channel data resided in each member’s mailbox. Post-migration, the latest version of private channel message data from each user’s mailbox is moved to the private channel’s group mailbox. Message edits and deleted messages will not be copied into the group mailbox.

Note: For users on hold, copies of message edits and deleted messages will remain in the user’s preserved library folder until the hold expires, while the latest version of private channel message data from each user’s mailbox is copied to the private channel’s group mailbox.

Before migration

If a legal hold exists for a private channel, admins must also apply the policy to the team’s group, in addition to the policy already applied to users’ mailboxes, in order for a hold to apply to new data generated and stored in the private channel’s mailbox. Note that policies applied to the team’s group can apply to all channels in the team.



Screenshot 1: Setting up a new hold in Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

After migration

For existing holds admins will need to ensure that the hold is applied to the user mailbox as well as the new group mailbox, in order for a hold to apply to existing and new message data. Any new legal holds will need to be applied to the group.

For complete eDiscovery, include both the private channel’s users’ mailboxes and the team’s group mailbox to retrieve pre-migration messages, message history, and post-migration new content.



Screenshot 2: Configuring an eDiscovery search in Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

2. Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

With this change, private channel messages will be included as a part of the DLP policy scoped to the private channel’s team’s group, as opposed to the user mailbox.

Before migration

Admins must modify the “Teams chat and channel messages” policy for private channels to add the team’s group containing the private channel, in addition to the user mailbox, in order to include new private channel messages in a policy. Note that policies applied to the team’s group can apply to all channels in the team.

After migration

Ensure that “Teams chat and channel messages” policy for private channels is scoped to the team’s group containing the private channel.



Screenshot 3: Configuring a data loss prevention policy in Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

3. Purview Retention Policy

After this change, creation of new private channel-specific policies will not be possible in the Purview portal. Instead, “Teams channel messages” policies applied to the team’s group will now include private channels. Existing private channel policies will remain in effect and preserve all held message data in user mailboxes. Editing of existing policies will not be supported but policies can be removed.

Before migration

Apply current private channel retention policies (previously on user mailboxes) to Teams channel messages to include the team’s group, in order to include new private channel messages in a policy. In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, go to solutions > Data Lifecycle Management > Retention policies. Note that policies applied to the team’s group can apply to all channels in the team.

After migration

If the parent team’s group retention policy differs from the private channel’s policy, create a new or equivalent policy to ensure consistent retention.



Screenshot 4: Configuring “Teams channel messages” for a retention policy in Microsoft Purview compliance portal.




4. Microsoft policies for Optical Character Recognition

Before Migration:

• In Microsoft Purview compliance portal, go to Settings, -> Optical character recognition (OCR), -> Select locations and scope to [1] all users and groups or [2] specific users and groups

After Migration:

Set the settings for “all users and groups” to cover private channels as specific users and groups are not supported.

Frequently asked questions

1. How can admins identify a user’s private channel memberships?
   • Use Teams Admin Center under team settings, or run PowerShell: Get-TeamChannelUser to list members.
2. When is compliance manager action required?
   • If a policy (legal hold, eDiscovery, retention, DLP) applied to a user’s mailbox, in order to include private channel messages, differs from the team policies for the team hosting the private channel. Policies must be applied to the team’s group in order to include new private channel messages in a policy. Note that policies applied to the team’s group can apply to all channels in the team.
   • During eDiscovery for users on hold or during migration, search both user mailbox and group mailbox for complete data on a private channel.
3. What if no action is taken?
   • User-level policies will not apply to a private channel’s new message data. Team-level policies will apply to private channels.
4. Why isn’t Microsoft automatically applying policies from user mailboxes to a private channel’s team?
   • Tenant admins and compliance managers must assess and apply policies as needed. Group policies apply to all channels in the Team. Some user mailbox policies are intended for all of a user’s messages, and some are intended for private channel messages. Each organization must review and decide on policies.
5. Is there any impact to end users?
   • During migration, users may see duplicate search results in Teams searches—both links will navigate to the same content in Microsoft Teams.
6. When will migration happen for my tenant and how long will it take?
   • Migration can start or end at different times for each tenant during the rollout period and can take some weeks depending of the tenant. To track progress, a new PowerShell command is available for tenants to check whether their migration has started or is completed. The command will be: Get-TenantPrivateChannelMigrationStatus -TenantId <tenantId>
   • The response now has additional data on channel counts in the details including “totalChannels”, “migratedChannels”, “remainingChannels” for a tenant when the migration is InProgress or Completed.

Please refer to this blog post for more information: New enhancements in Private Channels in Microsoft Teams unlock their full potential 

We appreciate your attention to this important update.

Please refer to this blog post for more information: New enhancements in Private Channels in Microsoft Teams unlock their full potential 

We appreciate your attention to this important update.

Updated February 27, 2026: We have paused rollout of this item at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

As a follow up to MC804771, based on Admin feedback, we are updating the behavior for automated hiding of inactive channels to be opt-in (suggestions) only. With this update, Teams will offer users suggestions on channels that are inactive, and the user is prompted to review their inactive channels and hide them only if they choose. The user will also be able to view when they last visited the channel to help them decide if they would like to hide the channel. The settings support this opt-in workflow and there are no changes to the on demand hiding process.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID: 325780

[When this will happen:]

Targeted Release: Available now.

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): We will announce via Message center when we are ready to proceed.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout:

Users had to manually manage their relevant channels list by hiding inactive and irrelevant channels.

After this rollout:

Manage preferences for automated suggestions via Teams Settings

If users prefer to manage channels manually, they can opt out of the auto-suggestions process. Simply go to Teams settings, select General, and toggle off “Suggestions for hiding inactive channels.”

Hide inactive channels on demand when needed

Users can manually view which channels are inactive and choose to hide some or all of them whenever you need. This can be done from Settings, under General, by clicking the “Get Suggestions” button. Note that this action can be performed once every 24 hours.

Automated suggestions of inactive channels

With this, Teams will suggest channels that have been inactive for the user. Once the inactive channels are identified, the user is notified with the coach mark message, “Looks like you haven’t visited some channels lately. Hide them to help you focus.”

The user can select Review and Hide to see the details and decide which channels they would like to hide. The user can choose not hide any channels by selecting Not Now.

If a user has less than or equal to 25 shown channels, no channels will be suggested for that user. This feature is on by default and all Teams users on the affected platforms will have access to it.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Admins need to be aware of this feature, but no additional action is needed.

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

To enhance wireless content sharing in meeting spaces, Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows devices will soon support Miracast. This complements existing options like Teams Cast and HDMI ingest and is available for devices including touch boards. This feature is exclusive to Teams Rooms Pro.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 506748.

• Targeted release: We will begin rolling out in early May 2026 (previously mid-March) and expect to complete by mid-May 2026 (previously end of March).
• General Availability: We will begin rolling out mid-May 2026 (previously end of March) and expect to complete by late May 2026 (previously mid-April).

Who is affected: Admins managing Teams Rooms on Windows devices with Teams Rooms Pro licenses.

What will happen:

• Miracast will be available as a wireless sharing option in Teams Rooms on Windows.
• The feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled via a tenant-wide toggle in the IT admin portal.
• Laptop devices must support Miracast to use this feature.
• No impact to end-user workflow unless enabled by admin.

• Review your Teams Rooms device compatibility with Miracast.
• Enable the feature via the IT admin portal if desired.
• Communicate the availability of Miracast to helpdesk and meeting room support staff.
• Update internal documentation to reflect the new sharing option.

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

Turn scanned PDF files into editable, searchable text using built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in the OneDrive mobile app. This feature helps users reuse information, speed up document workflows, and make content easier to find.

[When this will happen:]

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

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of OneDrive mobile apps on iOS and Android.

What will happen:

• Users can recognize text in scanned PDF files directly within the OneDrive mobile app.
• The feature is enabled by default.
• To use the feature:
1. Open the OneDrive mobile app.
2. Open the scanned PDF you want to make searchable.
3. Long-press the page and select Recognize Text (on iOS) or Recognize text (on Android).
4. After OCR completes, users will see the message: Text is now selectable.

[What you can do to prepare:]

• No action is required from admins.
• Some users may see this feature before others as rollout progresses.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk staff to assist users with the new functionality.
• Update internal documentation if you provide guidance on OneDrive mobile features.

Learn more: How to use optical character recognition to read PDFs in OneDrive – Microsoft Support 

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction:]

We’re introducing the ability to add public web links as references in Microsoft Copilot Notebooks. This enhancement allows users to ground Copilot responses on specific public web pages, expanding the types of content that can be used to inform and contextualize their work.

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

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 516040.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in late March 2026 (previously mid-February) and is expected to complete late March 2026 (previously end of February).

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Copilot Notebooks with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

What will happen:

• Users will be able to add public web links as references in their Copilot Notebooks.
• This expands current capabilities, which already support referencing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other file types.
• Users can now ground Copilot on public web content without needing to convert it to a file format (such as PDF).
• The feature will be enabled by default.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No specific preparation is required. However, we recommend:

• Informing users about the upcoming capability to enhance their productivity.
• Updating internal documentation if you provide guidance on using Copilot Notebooks.

[Compliance considerations:]

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re updating Microsoft 365 Copilot image generation experiences by introducing OpenAI’s latest image generation model—GPT‑Image‑1.5—into Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat. This update improves prompt adherence, image editing precision, visual fidelity, and generation speed, enabling users to create higher-quality, more accurate visuals across Copilot Chat entry points and the Create experience in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.

• Rollout start (web, Windows, macOS, and mobile): Late December 2025
• Rollout end (web, Windows, macOS, and mobile): Late January 2026
• General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in mid-December 2025 and expect to complete by end of March 2026 (previously late January).

Who is affected:

• Tenants where Copilot image generation experiences are currently available.
• Access level depends on licensing:
  • Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license have priority access.
  • Users without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license have standard access, which may vary based on service capacity.
    • Learn more: Standard versus priority access to features in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat | Microsoft Support

What will happen:

• GPT‑4o will be replaced by GPT‑Image‑1.5 for supported Microsoft 365 Copilot image generation scenarios.
• New image generation and supported image editing requests will automatically use GPT‑Image‑1.5.
• No new admin controls or configuration changes are introduced; existing policies continue to apply.

What users may notice:

• Improved instruction following for text-to-image requests.
• More accurate rendering of requested styles, composition, and on-image text.
• More reliable region-specific image editing with fewer unintended changes.
• Higher-quality visuals with more realistic lighting, textures, and composition.
• Faster generation—up to 4× improvement for many prompts.
• More consistent preservation of facial likeness, lighting, and color tone during iterative edits.

What does not change:

• No change to admin controls or governance settings.
• Compliance, security, and privacy commitments remain the same.
• Customer data handling, storage locations, and processing paths are unchanged.
• Existing Copilot image safety and compliance controls continue to apply.

• No action is required. Eligible tenants will automatically receive this update during the rollout window.
• If helpful for internal readiness, you may:
  • Inform helpdesk or support teams of expected improvements in image quality and editing behavior.
  • Review Copilot image governance documentation as needed.

Additional resources:

• Introducing OpenAI’s GPT‑Image‑1.5 in Microsoft Foundry | Microsoft Community Hub
• Understanding foundation model changes in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Community Hub

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

To help admins detect unusual or potentially risky interactions with external organizations, Microsoft Teams is introducing the External domains anomalies report. This report analyzes cross-tenant communication patterns for your tenant and highlights sudden spikes or abnormal engagement activity. These insights support proactive investigation and help protect your organization while enabling secure external collaboration.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 536572.

[When this will happen]

• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in early April 2026 (previously early March) and expected to complete in mid-April 2026 (previously mid-March).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected:

• Teams administrators can view this report for their Microsoft 365 tenant if their organization collaborates with external organizations.

What will happen:

• A new External domains anomalies report will be available in the Microsoft Teams admin center under Protection reports.
• Admins can select Communication anomalies, choose a date range, and run the report to view results:
• Insights include external domains with unusual communication activity:
  • External domain name
  • Total anomalies detected
  • New 1:1 threads created by that domain
  • New group threads created by that domain
• A Block option is available directly in the report for managing external domains:

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required to access the report.

To receive proactive alerts:

• Enable External domains anomalies alerts in the Teams admin center:
  • Go to Notifications & alerts > Rules.
  • Select External domains anomalies.
  • Set status to Active.
• Specify a Teams channel for notifications if desired.



• Daily alerts will summarize the top five domains with unusual activity.

[Compliance considerations]

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience. 

[Introduction]

We’re introducing the Advanced Review Set Explorer (public preview) for review sets in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium).

eDiscovery has long supported Keyword Query Language (KeyQL) because it provides a familiar, approachable, and powerful way to search and filter content—while working consistently across both search and review experiences. For many users and workflows, KeyQL remains the recommended and most efficient way to build queries.

At the same time, we understand that power users and advanced reviewers often need greater flexibility to slice, aggregate, and analyze review set data in more sophisticated ways. To meet this need, we’re adding a Kusto Query Language (KQL)–based experience to review sets through the Advanced Review Set Explorer.

With this update, reviewers will have two query options:

• KeyQL, for familiar, streamlined search and filtering experiences
• KQL, for advanced data exploration, aggregation, transformation, and visualization within a review set

The new Advanced review set explorer’s key capabilities include:

• Run advanced review set explorer using Kusto Query Language (KQL)
• Apply complex filters, aggregations, and transformations
• Visualize results with bar, column, and pie charts
• Query across more than 100 metadata properties
• Identify trends, detect patterns, and analyze data distribution

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 484086.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview (Worldwide, excluding government clouds): We will start rolling out in February 2026 and expect to complete in February 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We will start rolling out in late August 2026 (previously July) and expect to complete in late August 2026 (previously July).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected: Organizations using Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium).

What will happen:

• A new Advanced Review Set Explorer will be available in review sets.
• The feature is enabled by default.
• Users with eDiscovery review permissions can run KQL queries.
• Users can continue using existing KeyQL‑based searching within review set without change.
• No existing queries or workflows are modified.
• Existing admin policies and permissions are unchanged.

[What you can do to prepare]

• Inform eDiscovery teams that both KeyQL and KQL are supported, and users can choose the option that best fits their needs.
• Consider providing KQL training or reference materials.
• Update internal documentation or workflows as needed.
• Inform eDiscovery teams about this new capability.
• Review Microsoft Learn content on eDiscovery solutions.

Learn more: 

• Kusto Query Language overview | Microsoft Learn
• Learn about eDiscovery | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations]

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

Updated February 26, 2026: We are extending the rollout timeline to give customers additional time to complete AI governance reviews and configure Viva Glint Copilot access policies in the Microsoft 365 admin center. We have also added additional content providing you with more resources and details surrounding this change. Thank you for your patience.

Copilot in Viva Glint will align with Microsoft’s enterprise AI governance platform: enabling your IT and compliance teams to use centralized governance tools for access management and unified monitoring and reporting across all AI deployments in your tenant. Viva Glint will now use Viva Feature Access Management (VFAM) as the single control plane for Copilot access, consistent with other Microsoft Copilot experiences. As part of this change, the existing Glint service‑level Copilot toggles will be removed, and Copilot will default to ON at the Glint service level.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 551197.

Why We’re Making This Change to Copilot Access Management

Aligns Viva Glint with Microsoft’s enterprise AI governance platform: Managing Copilot access control with the Microsoft 365 admin center enables your IT and compliance teams to use centralized governance tools for access management and unified monitoring and reporting across all AI deployments in your tenant. This reduces governance complexity and audit burden by providing a single control plane for managing AI features across Microsoft 365.

Dynamic Entra Groups for Automatic Access Management 

Dynamic Entra groups in the Microsoft 365 admin center automatically maintain Copilot access based on user attributes (department, location, job title, manager status). When VFAM policies are scoped to dynamic groups, membership updates automatically as employees join, leave, or change roles – eliminating manual policy maintenance. For more information, see Create or update a dynamic group in Microsoft Entra ID. 

Who can manage Viva Glint Copilot Access in M365 Admin Center

• Viva Glint Tenant Administrators
• AI Administrators 
• Microsoft 365 Global Administrators 

Three Common Setup Scenarios for Viva Glint Copilot Access Control 

Administrators can configure Copilot access using one of three approaches: 

Scenario 1: Enable for all Viva Glint users (default) – The organization-wide setting is turned ON with no custom policies. All licensed users with appropriate Viva Glint permissions can access Copilot features.

Scenario 2: Pilot mode with specific groups – The organization-wide setting is turned OFF, and custom policies enable Copilot only for selected Microsoft Entra groups (for example, HR team, senior leadership). This approach supports phased rollouts or limited pilots before broader enablement.

Scenario 3: Broad enablement with exclusions – The organization-wide setting is turned ON, and custom policies disable Copilot for specific Microsoft Entra groups (for example, users in regions pending works council approval). All other users have access by default. 

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by the end of April 2026 (previously late March 2026).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All organizations using Viva Glint.
• Viva Glint service admins who previously managed Copilot toggles within Glint.
• Global/M365/Viva Glint Tenant Admins who manage feature access using VFAM.
• Users with Glint permissions (Reports + Comments access) who will see Copilot by default unless restricted in VFAM.

What’s changing

• The Copilot enable/disable settings currently found in Viva Glint admin pages (per survey program, per role, and Company Admin settings) will be removed.
• Copilot will default to ON for all customers at the Glint service layer.
• VFAM becomes the single, authoritative control for Copilot access in Viva Glint.

What stays the same

• VFAM access policies (tenant, group, user) continue to apply and default to ON. Learn more: Manage Viva Glint Copilot access in Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Users will only see Copilot if they have the required Glint permissions (Reports access and Comments access).

Impact

• Glint service admins: No more Copilot toggles to manage.
• Global/M365/Viva Glint Tenant Admins: Manage Copilot access exclusively in VFAM.
• Users: Copilot will appear by default, unless disabled in VFAM.

Licensing & Compliance Clarifications

• A license for Viva Glint, Microsoft Viva Suite, or Microsoft Viva Workplace Analytics and Employee Feedback is required to access Copilot in Viva Glint.
• A license for Microsoft 365 Copilot is not required to access Copilot in Viva Glint.

For compliance refer to:

• Data, privacy, and security compliance for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Glint

[What you can do to prepare:]

Resources for AI Governance Review and Setup 

AI Governance Fact Sheet: Comprehensive documentation addressing common questions from legal, privacy, security, and AI ethics committees, including data privacy protections, confidentiality thresholds, regulatory compliance (such as GDPR, EU AI Act), and responsible AI reviews. See Data, privacy, and security for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Glint.

Setup Instructions for Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Step-by-step guidance for configuring the three common access scenarios, including how to create custom policies, scope policies to Microsoft Entra groups, use Dynamic Entra Groups, and understand policy precedence. See Manage Viva Glint Copilot access in Microsoft 365 admin center

Review your VFAM settings

• Go to admin.microsoft.com → Settings → Viva → Viva Glint → Manage settings for Microsoft Copilot in Viva Glint.
• Verify tenant‑level Copilot access.
• If you need to restrict Copilot for specific groups or users, configure custom VFAM policies.

Inform your Glint service admins

• They will no longer manage Copilot access inside the Glint admin portal.

Compliance considerations:

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

[Introduction]

Consecutive Interpretation is a new interpretation mode available as an add‑on to the existing Interpreter agent in Microsoft Teams. It enables structured multilingual conversations in meetings by providing shared, meeting‑level interpretation when enabled by a Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed user.

This mode uses consecutive (turn‑by‑turn) interpretation, meaning participants speak one at a time and each speaker’s words are interpreted before the next speaker begins. This structured flow reduces overlap, improves interpretation accuracy, and helps everyone stay aligned in real time.

Consecutive Interpretation is ideal for back‑and‑forth, interactive discussions where participants need to respond, clarify, and build on each other’s input across languages, such as working sessions, negotiations, and cross‑functional collaboration.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557180.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rollout begins in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by mid‑March 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in late April 2026 and is expected to complete by early May 2026.

[How this will affect your organization]

Who is affected

• All Microsoft 365 tenants using Microsoft Teams meetings where users are licensed with Microsoft 365 Copilot.

What will happen

• For tenants
  • The new Consecutive Interpretation mode extends the existing Interpreter agent to support structured, interactive multilingual meetings.
  • The existing Interpreter experience remains unchanged unless this new mode is enabled.
• For admins
• No new tenant‑level configuration is required.
• The feature is available to all users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Existing compliance, privacy, and data‑handling policies for Interpreter continue to apply.
• For users
• When a Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed user enables the mode, interpretation becomes a shared meeting‑level experience rather than an individual setting.
• Participants speak consecutively, with each turn interpreted and delivered before the next participant begins.

[What you need to do to prepare]

• No action is required to maintain current behavior.
• Ensure any users who intend to use this mode have an active Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Consider providing guidance to users about when this mode is best suited (for example, working sessions, negotiations, or detailed multilingual collaboration).

[Compliance considerations]

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

[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 the compose window, 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 (screenshots 1 and 2):

  

  

• Users can collaborate with Copilot in real time to refine, expand, or rewrite content directly within the compose surface (screenshot 3):

  

• 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.

[Introduction]

We’re introducing a new flexible layout option in Teams meetings to give users more control over how shared content and participant videos appear. A resizable divider in the top gallery lets users adjust the space between shared content and the video gallery. This allows users to prioritize presentation content or video tiles, and to swap their positions based on personal preference. This update supports spotlighted speakers, pinned videos, and Speaker View, and provides a more personalized experience—especially on large or ultra‑wide displays.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 554925.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out in April 2026 and expected to complete in April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in early April 2026 and expected to complete by late April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All Teams users who participate in meetings where content is shared.

What will happen

• Users will see a new resizable divider in the top gallery of Teams meetings during content sharing.
•  Users can adjust the meeting layout to prioritize shared content or participant video tiles: 

  

• Users can swap the positions of shared content and the video gallery: 

  

• The feature works with spotlighted speakers, pinned videos, and Speaker View.
• This feature is enabled by default; no admin configuration is required.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required. To prepare for the rollout, you may want to:

• Update training materials and FAQ to explain:
  • How to locate and use the resizable divider.
  • How to adjust layouts during content sharing and in Speaker View.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk and support staff, especially for users with large or ultra‑wide monitors.

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We are introducing a reimagined SharePoint experience that simplifies how users discover knowledge, publish content, and build solutions. This update delivers an intuitive design, a streamlined information architecture, and foundational support for future AI‑assisted creation scenarios in SharePoint Online. A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to access the AI capabilities in this update.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 547732.

[When this will happen]

• Public Preview: Rolling out in early March 2026; expected completion by late April 2026.
• Targeted Release: Rolling out in late April 2026; expected completion by early May 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rolling out in early May 2026; expected completion by late May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• Organizations with users who have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Organizations that choose to enable the new SharePoint experience in the SharePoint admin center.

What will happen

If your organization enables the new SharePoint experience in the SharePoint admin center, licensed users will see:

• A redesigned SharePoint app bar, including:
  • Discover – a refreshed start experience to quickly find relevant sites, content, and news:

     

  • Publish – A unified publishing hub in SharePoint that brings together pages, news and campaign-style communications powered by Amplify:

    

  • Build – A centralized experience to create, manage, and scale Sites, Lists, Libraries, and Agents all with a streamlined surface: 

    

  • OneDrive – Provides quick access to files.
  • Home – Displayed when a Home site with global navigation is enabled, with the appropriate logo and name as configured in global navigation.

• Updated page, news, library, and list experiences with improved content elevation
• Neutral theming applied across core product surfaces (site‑level branding remains unchanged)

If you do not enable the preview, there is no impact to your users or admin experience.

[What you can do to prepare]

If you plan to enable the new experience:

• Verify that users who need access have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned to access the AI capabilities in this update.
• Enable the experience in the SharePoint admin center: Settings → SharePoint → New SharePoint Experience
• Review instructions for enabling the experience: Enable the new SharePoint experience (preview) | SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | SharePoint | Microsoft Learn
• Communicate expected UI changes to helpdesk and affected teams before enabling.
• Update internal documentation if you describe SharePoint navigation or app bar elements.

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We’re introducing improvements to the code block experience in Microsoft Teams Compose. These updates make reading, sharing, and referencing code more efficient by adding default line numbers and enhancing keyboard navigation. These changes also support better accessibility and help users who frequently share code in chats or channels.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 554933.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out in April 2026 and expected to complete in April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in April 2026 and expected to complete in May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

All users who compose and share messages in Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, and Web.

What will happen

Users will see enhancements to the code block experience, including:

• Default line numbers appearing automatically when a code block is inserted, supporting easier line-by-line collaboration and review.
• Improved keyboard navigation within code blocks, allowing users to move more easily through code using keyboard commands, improving overall accessibility.
• Consistent language selection for syntax highlighting; Teams will remember the last language a user selected.
• Support for collaborative editing, with the option to convert a code block to a Loop component before sending.
• Multiple insertion methods remain supported (slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, and Markdown), ensuring familiarity and flexibility for users.
• This feature is enabled by default, and no admin controls or configuration changes are required.

These updates improve the development and engineering collaboration experience in Teams and help achieve better parity with other industry-standard collaboration tools.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required. 

Optional steps:

• Inform helpdesk or support teams that users may notice changes to how code blocks appear and behave in Teams.
• Update any internal documentation for engineering teams or developer communities that rely on code sharing within Teams.
• Review Microsoft Support documentation for additional user-facing guidance about inserting, formatting, and collaborating on code blocks in Teams.

Learn more:  Use code blocks in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We’re introducing improvements to the code block experience in Microsoft Teams Compose. These updates make reading, sharing, and referencing code more efficient by adding default line numbers and enhancing keyboard navigation. These changes also support better accessibility and help users who frequently share code in chats or channels.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 554933.

[When this will happen]

• Targeted Release: Rolling out in April 2026 and expected to complete in April 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out in April 2026 and expected to complete in May 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

All users who compose and share messages in Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, and Web.

What will happen

Users will see enhancements to the code block experience, including:

• Default line numbers appearing automatically when a code block is inserted, supporting easier line-by-line collaboration and review.
• Improved keyboard navigation within code blocks, allowing users to move more easily through code using keyboard commands, improving overall accessibility.
• Consistent language selection for syntax highlighting; Teams will remember the last language a user selected.
• Support for collaborative editing, with the option to convert a code block to a Loop component before sending.
• Multiple insertion methods remain supported (slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, and Markdown), ensuring familiarity and flexibility for users.
• This feature is enabled by default, and no admin controls or configuration changes are required.

These updates improve the development and engineering collaboration experience in Teams and help achieve better parity with other industry-standard collaboration tools.

[What you can do to prepare]

No admin action is required. 

Optional steps:

• Inform helpdesk or support teams that users may notice changes to how code blocks appear and behave in Teams.
• Update any internal documentation for engineering teams or developer communities that rely on code sharing within Teams.
• Review Microsoft Support documentation for additional user-facing guidance about inserting, formatting, and collaborating on code blocks in Teams.

Learn more:  Use code blocks in Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

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

[Introduction]

We are updating the entry points for Copilot in Word to provide a clearer, more consistent, and more intuitive experience. These changes unify how users access Copilot and introduce Word Agent in the chat pane as the primary Copilot interface. This update improves discoverability, simplifies the user workflow, and creates consistency with other Microsoft 365 apps.

[When this will happen]

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH and DoD): We will begin rolling out in early March 2026 and expect to complete by late April 2026.

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

All users of Microsoft 365 apps for Word on Windows, macOS, and Web.

What will happen

• The existing Copilot entry point in the left margin will be replaced by a consolidated entry point positioned in a consistent corner location.
• Users will see contextual Copilot entry points when selecting content:
  • Windows and Web: inside the selection floatie
  • Mac: in the right‑click context menu
• Word Agent in the right-side chat pane becomes the primary Copilot experience for prompts and responses.
• All Copilot entry points—consolidated and contextual—will connect to Word Agent to ensure a unified experience.
• There is no change to admin configuration, policy behavior, or Copilot availability settings.

[What you can do to prepare]

No action is required.

You may optionally:

• Inform your users about the new Copilot access points and updated experience in Word.
• Update internal help content or training materials if you document Copilot entry points.

[Compliance considerations]

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

Updated February 27, 2026: We have paused rollout of this item at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Note: Hiding inactive channels

Based on Admin feedback, we are updating the behavior for automated hiding of inactive channels to be opt-in (suggestions) only. With this update, Teams will offer users suggestions on channels that are inactive, and the user is prompted to review their inactive channels and hide them only if they choose. The user will also be able to view when they last visited the channel to help them decide if they would like to hide the channel. The settings support this opt-in workflow and there are no changes to the on-demand hiding process.

This feature is enabled for targeted release, and we will roll out to General Availability targeting January 2026.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 325780.

[When this will happen:]

The feature is in public preview.

Targeted Release: Available now.

General Availability (Worldwide) and all clouds: We will announce via Message center when we are ready to proceed.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Before this rollout: Users had to manually manage their relevant channels list by hiding inactive and irrelevant channels.

After this rollout:

Manage preferences for automated suggestions via Teams Settings

If users prefer to manage channels manually, they can opt out of the auto-suggestions process. Simply go to Teams settings, select General, and toggle off “Suggestions for hiding inactive channels.”

Hide inactive channels on demand when needed

Users can manually view which channels are inactive and choose to hide some or all of them whenever you need. This can be done from Settings, under General, by clicking the “Get Suggestions” button. Note that this action can be performed once every 24 hours.

Automated suggestions of inactive channels

With this, Teams will suggest channels that have been inactive for the user. Once the inactive channels are identified, the user is notified with the coach mark message, “Looks like you haven’t visited some channels lately. Hide them to help you focus.”

The user can select Review and Hide to see the details and decide which channels they would like to hide. The user can choose not hide any channels by selecting Not Now

If a user has less than or equal to 25 shown channels, no channels will be suggested for that user. This feature is on by default and all Teams users on the affected platforms will have access to it.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

Admins need to be aware of this feature, but no additional action is needed.