Microsoft is unlocking the "Full Potential" of Private Channels in Microsoft Teams: What You Need to Know

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It has been a while since I posted something just about a Microsoft Teams update, as a lot have been Copilot in Teams to be honest. But here is a real Microsoft Teams update I think is worth knowing about, and it involves Security and Compliance as well. Microsoft is rolling out a "major" update to private channels in Teams, starting in late September 2025 and continuing through mid-December. This biggest change in this update is a shift in how private channel data is stored from individual user mailboxes to a dedicated channel mailbox. Not only will this simplifie compliance management, it will also and align private channels with shared channels, making governance and experience more consistent across Teams. This update promises to increase the support up to 1000 channels per team and 5000 members per channel, removing previous limitations. Teams will also allow meetings to be scheduled directly within private channels, enhancing collaboration.  For organizations using Micr...

Three new Microsoft 365 Copilot Updates IT Pros Should Know

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Here are three new updates to Copilot that will make it smarter, more intuitive, and better integrated into everyday workflows. These changes focus on personalization, user experience, and collaboration. Here’s what you need to know.

Communication Memory: Smarter, Context-Aware Assistance

I know I have mentioned this before, but starting in September 2025, the new feature called Communication Memory is rolling out. This enhancement allows Copilot to summarize and learn from emails, chats, and meeting transcripts that a user already has access to. The goal is to provide more personalized, context-aware responses across Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Teams, and Word.

Instead of starting from scratch, Copilot can now recall relevant details from past conversations, making tasks like drafting follow-up emails or summarizing meetings faster and more accurate. Communication Memory is enabled by default for Copilot-licensed users, and all summaries are stored privately in the user’s mailbox. Admins can manage this feature through Enhanced Personalization controls in Microsoft Graph, including the ability to disable it for specific groups if needed.

As this is a default feature, you might want to inform users about the feature and its privacy safeguards, as well as review internal policies.

Users can control this feature through their "Copilot Settings" within Teams or Outlook respectively.

Outlook Copilot Chat (on the web): A More Familiar Interface

Microsoft is also updating the Copilot Chat experience in Outlook by moving the navigation pane from the right side of the window to the left. This change, which began rolling out in mid-August 2025, aligns Outlook with the layout used in Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps. The new left-side pane includes quick access to Copilot agents, conversation history, and an “All Conversations” page for easy navigation.

This design update unifies the way Copilot Chat works for the Chat application it self and within Outlook. Making it all more familiar to the end-user.

SharePoint Agents in Teams Channels: Knowledge Where You Work

Last but not least, Microsoft is bringing SharePoint-based Copilot agents into Teams Channels in a more streamlined way. This feature, rolling out from late August through mid-September 2025, allows users to @mention a SharePoint agent directly in a channel conversation to retrieve summaries, answers, or documents without leaving Teams.

This update reduces context switching and makes organizational knowledge instantly accessible in the flow of work. The feature will be available by default. 

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