Play of the Week
October 2, 2025
The Microsoft Teams Facilitator agent works alongside you and your team to help you manage your meetings. Throughout the meeting, Facilitator takes notes that everyone can co-author, manages the time and agenda, and can quickly surface relevant information from the web or the conversation itself. Users can now use the Facilitator agent in both scheduled hybrid and impromptu in-person meetings using AI.
Microsoft 365 Roadmap Updates for October 2, 2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Meetings search using categories added in Outlook
This unblocks customers from searching for meetings specifying the categories they have added in Outlook.
ID: 413720 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Outlook: Account Manager
Users can use the new Account Manager feature to learn more about their Microsoft account, display their profile picture, and add new accounts (if permitted by their organization).
ID: 497546 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Say “Hey Copilot” to activate voice conversations with the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows
With the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows, say “Hey Copilot” to activate real-time voice conversations with Copilot. The wake word keeps you in flow, helping you draft content, analyze data, and get critical insights without having to navigate to a separate app or window. Built for enterprise, it respects your organization’s compliance and privacy settings, activating only when called.
ID: 497848 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft 365 app: Microsoft Places Support to GCCH and DoD
“Microsoft Places is an AI-powered workplace app for flexible work. Places helps organizations reimagine flexible work with AI, enables employees to connect more easily in person so that they can make the most of in-office days.
ID: 497998 Release: Microsoft 365 – GCC High, DoD Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Viva: Unread News Notifications in Connections
After further review, this has been delayed to a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience. Users will receive a weekly notification in the Connections apps in Microsoft Teams on mobile and desktop linking them to relevant SharePoint news that they might have missed in the preceding week. This unread news will be available in the “News” tab in the Connections app under the “unread” pill.
ID: 498323 Release: Microsoft Viva – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft 365: SMTP onboarding to App Role Based Access Control
We’re simplifying how organizations grant applications permission to send email on behalf of mailboxes. Today, customers must manually assign permissions to each individual mailbox using PowerShell, which is time-consuming and inefficient. With this new capability, admins can assign the SMTP.SendAsApp role to an app through App Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), enabling group-based or scoped access to mailboxes. This eliminates the need for per-mailbox configuration and streamlines onboarding for SMTP clients using OAuth. It’s a scalable, secure, and modern approach to managing mailbox access for applications.
ID: 498356 Release: Exchange, Microsoft 365 – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Viva: Flexible targeting of Storyline Announcements
We’re introducing more flexible and precise targeting capabilities in Viva Engage, starting with Storyline Announcements. This new feature allows leaders and their delegates to define a custom audience at the time of posting, without relying on pre-configured Leader Audiences. Audiences can be built, and saved for reuse, using organizational attributes such as department, job title, or country, existing groups like M365 Groups, distribution lists, or security groups, and even individual users by name. This flexibility enables more relevant communication, helping leaders reach the right people with the right message. Notifications and delivery channels, including Teams and email, will continue to follow existing Storyline Announcement behavior, ensuring a seamless experience for recipients. This feature is designed to help leaders tailor communications to specific departments, locations, or groups, enhancing engagement and relevance across the organization.
ID: 499895 Release: Microsoft Viva – GCC Tags: January CY2026
Microsoft Teams: Audit logs for Give control, Take control, and Screensharing available for Gov clouds
IT administrators for Gov cloud customers now have the ability to access detailed logs for both the “Give and Take Control” and “Screenshare” features. These logs will provide comprehensive information, including the names and timestamps of the individuals involved in each action. Specifically, the logs will indicate who initiated or received control, as well as who started the screenshare session, along with the corresponding timestamps and names. This enhancement ensures greater transparency and accountability for all control and screenshare activities. Accessible in Microsoft Purview Portal. Available for GCC, GCC-High, and DoD cloud environments.
ID: 500893 Release: Microsoft Teams – GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Replace stock video footage with AI-Generated Images in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Easily swap stock visuals for AI-generated images in your videos using the Create experience in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Powered by OpenAI’s latest image generation model, this feature helps you tailor content, explain concepts more clearly, and help make your videos stand out.
ID: 501570 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Unique Counting of EDM Matches
Providing a new mode to count EDM Matches where each row is counted once in addition to the current behavior where each primary element is counted once
ID: 502551 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): GPT-5 in Copilot Studio (embedded Microsoft 365 Copilot experience)
Create GPT-5-powered agents using Copilot Studio (lite), the embedded agent-building experience in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
ID: 502552 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Teams: New Policy Setting to Require Explicit Consent for Recording and Transcription in Teams 1:1 Calls
We’re expanding the capability to require explicit consent for recording and transcription to include 1:1 calls in Microsoft Teams. A new setting in the Teams Calling policy allows admins to enforce this requirement before recording or transcription can begin. When a user with the policy initiates recording, transcription, or both in a 1:1 call, the other participant is automatically muted, with their camera and content sharing turned off. The participant will see a prompt asking whether they consent to be included in the recording and transcription.
ID: 503295 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Customize the screen in Teams Town halls through ‘Manage what attendees see’ [Teams Premium]
The enhanced “Manage what attendees see” experience enables organizers to take their Town hall presentations to the next level. Organizers and presenters can apply layouts, backgrounds, theme colors, and name tags to deliver events that are polished, professional, and highly engaging. This feature is available to organizers with a Teams Premium license.
ID: 503299 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Emojis in Section Names
Choose an emoji to accompany section names in your chats and channels list.
ID: 503300 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Authoritative content management for Microsoft 365 Copilot Search
Specify and manage SharePoint sites deemed as authoritative content to enhance their relevance and ranking in Microsoft 365 Copilot Search. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, under Copilot > Search > Authoritative content, add and manage up to 100 SharePoint sites. #copilotcontrolsystem
ID: 503553 Release: Microsoft 365 admin center – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Edge: Adding protection against malicious sideloaded extensions
Microsoft Edge will detect and revoke malicious sideloaded extensions.
ID: 503593 Release: Microsoft Edge – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: November CY2025
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Endpoint Data Loss Prevention-Endpoint DLP support classification of Azure RMS protected Office documents
Endpoint DLP can now classify Office files stored in Windows devices that have Azure RMS protection applied. Classification will be triggered when file is used in applications or when just-in-time classification is enabled.
ID: 503780 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: January CY2026
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Updates to Memory and Personalization in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot now uses chat history to provide more relevant, contextual responses. Updated settings make it easier to view and manage what Copilot remembers and your personalization preferences.
ID: 503955 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Apps in Shared Channels for Microsoft Teams
Bring the apps your team relies on—tabs, bots, and message extensions—directly into Shared Channels in Microsoft Teams. This update lets channel owners add apps to a specific shared channel, so everyone collaborating there (including invited collaborators from other teams or organizations, subject to admin policy) can work in one place without switching contexts.
ID: 505791 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: eDiscovery – Metadata Field Enhancements in Process Reporting
Introducing enhancements to metadata reporting in item.csv exports and Add To Review set CSVs, including new fields such as error details, isEncrypted, and sensitivity label. These updates provide clearer, more detailed insights into items processed during export and review workflows.
ID: 506220 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft 365: PAYGO consumption-based meter for your extra SharePoint storage needs
Use the new PAYGO consumption-based meter to pay for your extra SharePoint storage needs. This reduces the operational overhead associated with purchasing extra storage packs and more seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 Archive.
ID: 506743 Release: Microsoft 365 – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: February CY2026
Microsoft 365: Department Billing for Microsoft 365 Backup
Department Billing for Microsoft 365 Backup enables administrators to configure backups by granular scopes—such as departments, geographic locations, or member firms—and manage pay-as-you-go charges across multiple Azure subscriptions. With Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), department-specific backup administrators can be assigned, ensuring management control, and tailored backup management aligned to organizational boundaries.
ID: 506744 Release: Microsoft 365 – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal: Information Protection-Aggregate option in Export-ContentExplorerData cmdlet
The Aggregate parameter switch returns the folder level aggregated numbers instead of returning details at the item level. You don’t need to specify a value with this switch.
Using this switch significantly reduces the export time. To download the items in a folder, run this cmdlet for specific folders.
When you use this switch with the TagName, TagType and Workload parameters, the command returns the following information:
SiteUlrs: OneDrive and SharePoint.
UPNs: Exchange Online and Teams.
The count of items stamped with that tag.
ID: 506745 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: October CY2025
Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal: Information Protection-Email Attachment Preview in Content Explorer
This feature allows admins to view the attachments of an email inside content explorer.
ID: 506746 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: October CY2025
Outlook: Sharing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint local files through the new Outlook for Windows
When users are in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint apps, and they want to share a file that is saved locally in their device (not stored in a cloud location), the new Outlook for Windows will show up as a share target and they will be able to easily email the file. #newoutlookforwindows.
ID: 397094 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Online archive for shared mailboxes in the new Outlook for Windows
Online archive mailboxes will appear in the folder pane alongside other accounts, making it easier to access archived content for shared mailboxes. #newoutlookforwindows
ID: 473439 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Facilitator Agent
The Facilitator agent works alongside you and your team to help you manage your meetings effortlessly. Throughout the meeting, Facilitator takes notes that everyone can co-author, manages the time and agenda, and can quickly surface relevant information from the web or the conversation itself. Users can now use the Facilitator agent in Teams Rooms on Windows for real-time notes and action items during both scheduled hybrid and impromptu in-person meetings using AI. In hybrid meetings, the agent appears in the notes panel. For in-person meetings, a participant can scan the QR code on the display in the room to invoke the agent as the group’s assistant.
ID: 478611 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365), Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Read-only access to calendars within a PST file in new Outlook for Windows
With this update of support for .pst files (a.k.a. Outlook Data File) in the new Outlook for Windows, users will be able to browse and read calendars and events within a .pst file. Future releases of new Outlook will expand the support for .pst file capabilities. #newoutlookforwindows #pstfilesupport.
ID: 485746 Release: Outlook – GCC Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Read-only access to contacts within a PST file in new Outlook for Windows
With this update of support for .pst files (a.k.a. Outlook Data File) in the new Outlook for Windows, users will be able to browse and read contacts within a .pst file. Future releases of new Outlook will expand the support for .pst file capabilities. #newoutlookforwindows #pstfilesupport.
ID: 485756 Release: Outlook – GCC Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Grid keyboard navigation in calendar month view via arrow keys in new Outlook for Windows and Web
When focused on the calendar grid, you will be able to navigate the time slots on the calendar via left/right/up/down arrow keys in month view. #newoutlookforwindows
ID: 486838 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Polls support in Teams Town hall [Premium]
Organizers can now create and share polls directly within Teams Town halls, gathering real-time feedback from participants through multiple-choice questions and other types of polls. This feature is available for town hall organizers that have an active Teams Premium license.
ID: 489808 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Researcher available in Copilot Notebooks
Use Researcher without needing to leave your Copilot Notebook to conduct complex, multi-step research across your enterprise data sources using OpenAI’s deep researcher model with chain-of-thought based iterative reasoning.
ID: 493288 Release: Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365), OneNote – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Add topic(s) through Copilot to your existing presentation
Now, you will be able to add more content to your existing presentation using Copilot. It would help you generate/add new topic(s) with slides that are consistent in look and feel of your existing presentations
ID: 496137 Release: PowerPoint, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Add topic(s) through Copilot to your existing presentation
Now, you will be able to add more content to your existing presentation using Copilot. It would help you generate/add new topic(s) with slides that are consistent in look and feel of your existing presentations
ID: 496138 Release: PowerPoint, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Folder Deletion Warning for Rules
Outlook will show warning when you try to delete a folder that’s used in a rule. This helps prevent accidental rule breakage and ensures your email flow remains uninterrupted. You’ll be prompted to review or update affected rules before the folder is removed. #newoutlookforwindows
ID: 496144 Release: Outlook – GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Purview compliance portal: eDiscovery – Export download with pre-authorized link support
This update enhances the export download experience in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery by introducing support for both pre-authorized and non pre-authorized links. Pre-authorized links offer faster downloads and maintain session continuity for a specified duration. Non pre-authorized links require re-authentication after each connection loss and are needed for restricted environments that allow access only to limited Microsoft 365 IP ranges.
ID: 498160 Release: Microsoft Purview compliance portal – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: External tag in profile cards
For users that are external to your organization, an “External” tag will be shown in the top part of their profile card.
ID: 498231 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Planner: Information Barrier support in Planner
Information Barrier (IB) support in Microsoft Planner will enable organizations to restrict access to plans and tasks based on user groups. IB will help prevent data leakage, enforce internal policies, and support regulatory mandates by limiting plan visibility and collaboration to authorized segments.
ID: 499077 Release: Planner – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Automatic Draft Minimize
When users close a draft in progress, it automatically minimizes instead of closing completely. The minimized draft can now be quickly accessed via a button that appears in the message list.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
ID: 499901 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Chat for Outlook iOS and Android
On phone devices, users currently access Copilot Chat in Outlook Mobile via a tab at the bottom of their screen (or in Apps). Outlook is introducing a new Copilot Chat overlay experience, allowing users to chat with Copilot while continuing to interact with their email, calendar, and contacts. This overlay will be context-aware—understanding what the user is viewing—so users can ask Copilot about the content on their screen.
Users with M365 Copilot licenses will also benefit from Copilot’s ability to draw on Microsoft 365 Graph to provide richer, more personalized responses.
ID: 500160 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Outlook: Snooze, Pin and Ignore in the read pop-out ribbon in New Outlook and Outlook for Web
Snooze, pin, and ignore actions are available in the read pop-out ribbon in Outlook for Web and Windows to improve triage efficiency and user control. #newoutlookforwindows
ID: 500390 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Facilitator can help manage tasks and create documents
Facilitator can help users manage tasks and create documents during meetings. In addition to the tasks that the agent is automatically capturing during the meeting, users can ask Facilitator directly through the meeting chat to create, edit, and assign tasks, which sync to Planner. For tasks related to document creation, users can assign to Facilitator and it will draft the document based on the meeting discussion. Users can also ask the agent to create a draft document on a topic discussed in the meeting.
ID: 500701 Release: Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Preview changes before sending content live in ‘Manage what attendees see’
An enhancement to the ‘Manage what attendees see’ feature allows organizers and presenters to preview changes to what is going to be displayed on or off the screen before sending the changes live to attendees. This capability is only available for Town hall.
ID: 500871 Release: Microsoft Teams – GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Channel Agent
Channel agent works alongside you and your team to help you manage projects. It can create status reports, send emails, schedule meetings, co-author documents, and answer questions. Channel agent understands context from meetings, chats, and files, and uses that knowledge to help you move work forward. It’s designed to save time, reduce manual effort, and make collaboration more intelligent.
ID: 502526 Release: Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Teams: Mute a conversation from Teams for iOS & Android
Engage network admins and corporate communicators can mute conversations to remove a thread from distribution in the home feed and in email digests directly from the Engage app in Teams for iOS & Android.
ID: 503019 Release: Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
SharePoint: SharePoint Agents in Teams Channels
SharePoint agents can be used in a Teams Channel similar to how they can be used in a Teams Group Chat.
ID: 481822 Release: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
SharePoint: SharePoint agents are available in Teams app Store
You can find and add SharePoint agents from the Teams app Store.
ID: 481824 Release: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Add multiple SharePoint agents in a single Teams conversation
Users can include more than one SharePoint agent as a participant in a Teams group chat, meeting chat, or channel.
ID: 481826 Release: SharePoint, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365), Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Edge: v.140 – Improved Navigation to Extension Surfaces
To improve visibility and discoverability, Microsoft Edge is introducing two navigation improvements for extensions. First, if a user has at least one enabled extension, the puzzle icon will be persistent on the toolbar. Second, from the Settings and more menu, the Extensions option will allow users to reach edge://extensions and the Edge Add-ons Store directly.
ID: 497141 Release: Microsoft Edge – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025
Outlook: Quick steps in the pop-out ribbon
Quick Steps are now integrated into the ribbon of email pop-out ribbon in the new Outlook for Windows and Web. Users can access and execute their configured Quick Steps directly while reading emails in separate windows. #newoutlookforwindows
ID: 497834 Release: Outlook – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GCC, GCC High, DoD Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Copilot Dashboard: Copilot Chat (Web) in Teams & Outlook metrics
Copilot Analytics users can now view metrics about their Copilot Chat (Web) usage in Teams and Outlook. These updates enable users to better understand both active usage and action counts in Teams and Outlook and will be available in the Copilot Dashboard, as well as with additional query support.
ID: 499426 Release: Microsoft Viva, Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365) – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: September CY2025
Microsoft Viva: New card for Viva Engage conversations in Viva Connections dashboard
After further review we have decided not to proceed with this change at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience. We’re excited to announce a new integration between Viva Engage and Viva Connections—an Engage feed card in the Connections dashboard. Users will be able to view and interact with their Viva Engage feed conversations directly in Viva Connections through a new card in the dashboard. This is possible when the admins/operators add the Engage card into their tenant Viva Connections dashboard. Users can then click on the card to engage with their Viva Engage feed conversations directly in Viva Connections without being redirected out of the app.
ID: 471446 Release: Microsoft Viva – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: December CY2026
Microsoft Teams: Search with apps and agents personalized suggestionss
We will not be releasing this feature at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are enhancing Teams search personalized suggestions to include apps and agents. When searching in Teams you will now also get apps and agent suggestions which dynamically update as you type.
ID: 483252 Release: Microsoft Teams – Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) Tags: October CY2025