New Copilot Updates for Outlook Scheduling, Word Agent Mode, and PowerPoint Agent Mode

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Microsoft has announced Copilot enhancements across Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint that improve scheduling, document creation, and presentation building. Here is a summary of some of the features I think can come in handy. Be aware that timelines may change as deployments progress, some of these have already been pushed back a couple of months. All of the following features requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, and will be enabled by default for users with such a license. Automatic rescheduling of 1:1 meetings Automatic rescheduling of flexible 1:1 meetings and personal events in Outlook with Copilot, helping users resolve conflicts with minimal manual effort is coming soon. This will be in addition to the already released auto rescheduling of meeting rooms. Originally this feature was planned for mid‑November 2025 to mid‑January 2026, but is now hopefully coming between to mid‑February 2026 and the end of February 2026. A Microsoft Copilot license is required to use the capability....

Copilot: Self-Service Purchase coming soon

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According to the message center Microsoft will roll out the new license request feature and self-service purchase option for Microsoft 365 Copilot by the end of March. These features will be available to users with various Microsoft 365 plans, including E1, E3, E5, and standalone products. Both features will be integrated within Microsoft 365 apps, such as Copilot Chat.

The License Request feature I find quite beneficial, as it empowers end-users to justify their usage and request access. At least as long as the organization is already rolling out Copilot to their employees. However, the Self-Service Purchase option may raise concerns for organizations that are not yet prepared to deploy Copilot. It is advisable for all organizations to review their self-purchase settings and make decisions to allow or deny access based on their readiness state.

License Request: This feature allows users to request a Microsoft 365 Copilot license directly from their admin. It helps efficiently assign unused licenses or purchase additional ones based on user requests. Global admins, license admins, and user admins can manage these requests seamlessly in the Microsoft 365 admin center, with options for standard or custom messaging.

Self-Service Purchase: Users can purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses directly with their credit cards. If your organization has previously disabled self-service purchase for Microsoft 365 Copilot, those settings will be honored. To check the org status, sign into the Microsoft 365 admin center as a global admin, go to "Settings" > "Org settings" > "Self-service trials and purchases". From here you select the product you want to control.