New Year, New Momentum: Here are three Copilot updates to get you started into 2026

on
It's a new year, so I thought I'd start the year by mentioning three features already released, or soon going to be released. One of the features improves the workflow of sharing files with comments, the other improves the application specific Copilot, and the last feature makes it easer to find the nest available timeslot for a 1:1 meeting. As with all of my other posts, timelines can shift, and the timelines in this post is as written in the Message Center at the time of posting. AI-Summary experience when sharing files. With this new feature, copilot intent to help users share files with clearer context in just a few steps. Users will get the capability to generate a concise summary of a file and include it when sharing from the File Explorer share dialog or the OneDrive activity center. This will make it easier to share the context of a file and giving the receiver a faster understanding of what a document or file contains before they open it. General Availability announced...

Smarter AI Workflows in Microsoft 365 Copilot has been announced on the roadmap: Tools, Source Control, and Agents

on

Tool Selection in Copilot Chat: Making AI Features More Discoverable

One of the most helpful updates in my opinion, is the introduction of the new “Tools” button in Copilot Chat. Users will soon see this button directly in the chat prompt box, offering quick access to a curated set of Copilot features such as Researcher, Analyst, Pages, and image generation. 

This will hopefully help users with an easier path to the different tools at their disposal. The feature is turned on by default, with no admin configuration required. This feature is associated with Roadmap ID 497298, and is expected to roll out in the last weeks of August.

Source Control in Copilot Chat: Scoped Responses for Greater Relevance

Another user-friendly enhancement coming up, is the ability to scope Copilot Chat responses to specific content sources. This feature will allow users to define exactly which documents, folders, or repositories Copilot should reference when generating responses. It’s a subtle but powerful shift that gives users more control over the relevance and accuracy of the AI’s output.

This update addresses a common concern I’ve heard from many of my customers: "How can we trust the source of the information we are receiving". Users often wonder where Copilot is pulling its information from and whether it’s relevant to their current project. By allowing users to narrow the scope of Copilot’s reasoning, Microsoft is helping reduce noise and increase precision two things that are essential for building confidence in AI-assisted workflows. 

This feature is associated with Roadmap ID 496596, and will also be enabled by default and doesn’t require any admin setup, though helpdesk teams should be prepared to support users who may have questions. It’s also a good idea for organizations to update internal documentation and training materials to reflect this new capability.

Source Control in Agents: Researcher Gets Granular

Microsoft is not only introducing Source Control in Chat, they are also introducing Source Controls for the Researcher Agent. This enhancement allows users to specify exactly where the Researcher Agent should look when generating insights. Previously, the agent had broad access to both internal and external sources, which could sometimes lead to overly general or irrelevant results. With this update, users will be able to choose between Web content, internal organizational data, standard Microsoft Graph entities like emails and files, and soon external data sources via connectors.

The feature will respect any existing policies, and will roll out automatically to users. It looks like we have to wait a little longer for this update, as it is currently scheduled to be released in the September timeframe.