Two new updates to Microsoft 365 Copilot for Word: Smarter Creation and Researcher agent

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What’s New in Microsoft 365 Copilot for Word Microsoft continues to evolve its Copilot capabilities in Word, bringing powerful new features that enhance productivity and streamline workflows. Two newly announced updates are rolling out this fall: First out of the gate is the integration of the Researcher Agent, allowing great content generation within Word itself. The second update is bringing more of the search and creation capabilities we have in Chat directly into Word. These updates represent a meaningful step toward closing the functionality gap between Copilot in Word and Copilot Chat. For me, this is a most welcomed improvement, making it easier for end users to get the results they want even faster, with less friction and more flexibility. Deep Research with the New Researcher Agent in Word Not too long ago, Microsoft introduced the Researcher agent in Copilot Chat, but moving and editing that content required copy/paste and jumping between applications. With this coming update...

The new Teams and an update on avatars

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The new Teams is rolling out in GA, and all users will start to see the "New Teams" toggle soon, if it's not already there. For now, users can choose to switch back and forth between the clients, but admins can control how this toggle behaves. With the "Teams Update Policy" it is possible to choose what the default mode should be, let Microsoft control when it shifts or disable the new client all together. I am guessing the old client will be disabled in the end, but here is the guide on how to control things for now.

Here is a heads-up on changes to Avatars in Teams. First of all, there will be a new license introduced to eligible users (MESH_AVATARS_FOR_TEAMS). This will be added to users with one of the following licenses: Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 E3/E5, and Office 365 E1/E3/E5.
Also, please note that avatars will not be available to users not meeting the minimum hardware requirement of a CPU with 2 cores and 6GB ram. This is done to ensure the right experience.