Archive

Copilot Studio Authors tenant setting renamed to Copilot Studio pay-as-you-go users

Microsoft renamed the Copilot Studio Authors tenant setting in the Power Platform admin center to "Copilot Studio pay-as-you-go users" (MC1483430). Microsoft states the setting was never built as a governance feature: it is a licensing access-control mechanism that makes the Copilot Studio pay-as-you-go meter usable by granting maker-portal access on a pure pay-as-you-go plan.

Why it matters: Any tenant that treated this setting as the gate on who can build agents in Copilot Studio is not actually restricting authoring, so re-check the real governance controls.

m365admin.handsontek.net

GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 begin rolling out in Microsoft Copilot

Both models started rolling out on 30 September in Cowork and Copilot Studio with usage-based billing, followed by a phased rollout across Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Chat in the week after under the Microsoft 365 Copilot user subscription licence. Access to Claude Sonnet 5.5 additionally requires the Anthropic subprocessor to be enabled. Per-model usage limits apply, with in-product notifications and a fallback to Auto mode or another model.

Why it matters: Model choice in Copilot now spans two vendors with different billing paths, so the subprocessor toggle and the USL/UBB split decide which users actually see which model.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Updated Copilot experience in Microsoft Edge

Copilot in Microsoft Edge gets a new icon across all entry points, a simplified sidepane UX and upgraded Copilot Voice and Vision functionality, rolling out worldwide from mid-October 2026. Security, compliance, privacy and enterprise controls stay unchanged and existing policies remain available. Microsoft points admins at MC1462915 to allow connections to copilot.cloud.microsoft before the Copilot URL redirect.

Why it matters: No admin action is required for the UX change itself, but tenants that have not yet allowed copilot.cloud.microsoft on the network need to do so or Copilot in Edge breaks at the redirect.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Microsoft Copilot chat experience in Business Central

Business Central adopts the updated Microsoft Copilot chat interface, modernising the chat panel and taking on the navigation and interaction patterns used across the wider Microsoft Copilot surface. Public preview is targeted for October 2026, worldwide on the web cloud instance (roadmap 573362).

Why it matters: Customers running Business Central alongside Microsoft 365 Copilot get one chat pattern across both, which cuts the retraining effort when users move between the ERP and Copilot Chat.

microsoft.com

Microsoft Agent Framework .NET 1.23.0

The release adds origin pinning for the Foundry toolbox MCP client, fixes handling of HTTP variables in declarative workflows, and improves edge-multiplicity comparison in workflow topology.

Why it matters: Origin pinning closes a trust gap for agents calling Foundry toolbox MCP endpoints, and the declarative-workflow fixes matter for anyone shipping workflows as configuration rather than code.

github.com

AL language intelligence available to AI coding agents and other LSP editors

The standalone AL language server can run outside Visual Studio Code, exposing completion, navigation, references, rename, formatting and other project-aware Language Server Protocol features to any LSP client. General availability is targeted for October 2026 (roadmap 573338).

Why it matters: AL development opens up to agentic coding workflows and editors beyond VS Code while keeping project-aware navigation and refactoring, which pairs with the AL MCP server work already shipping.

microsoft.com

Business Skills in Work IQ turn on by default

Business Applications in Work IQ - searching and querying Dataverse business data, Semantic Modeling, Business Skills, and access to declarative agents in Dataverse - were enabled by default on 30 September 2026 for new environments where Microsoft Copilot Premium and either Power Apps Premium or Dynamics 365 products are active. Enabling the capability creates additional supporting indexes and consumes tokens in use. Microsoft states that certain exceptions apply for tenants located in the EEA, or those relying on FedRAMP accreditation, which will be offered the ability to opt into these new features instead.

Why it matters: EEA and FedRAMP tenants stay opt-in, so Swiss and EU customers keep control of the switch, but everyone else gets Dataverse grounding and token consumption turned on for them in new environments.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Agent 365 meets all FedRAMP High controls

As of 1 October 2026, Microsoft Agent 365 meets all FedRAMP High controls as reviewed by Microsoft's independent third-party assessor. Final authorization by Microsoft's accrediting agency is still pending.

Why it matters: Public-sector pursuits can now cite an assessed FedRAMP High control set for Agent 365, though the pending authorization means it is not yet an authorization to operate.

learn.microsoft.com

AI mode for the Agent 365 registry

AI mode, now in public preview, turns the Agent 365 registry from static browsing into natural-language discovery. Administrators can prompt the registry to find, filter and explore agents by contextual attributes, for example agents without owners, inactive agents, or agents that warrant closer review.

Why it matters: Large registries become searchable without hand-built filters, which is the practical difference between an agent inventory that is audited and one that is only collected.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Role-based access controls for Dynamics 365 ERP agents

Dynamics 365 ERP security administrators will be able to apply agent-specific restrictions that take effect only when a user reaches the ERP through an agent, assigning roles, duties and privileges scoped by legal entity so an agent session runs with narrower permissions than the same user holds working directly. Preview is targeted for October 2026 and general availability for December 2026, on worldwide, GCC and GCC High (roadmap 571677).

Why it matters: This is the pattern partners should expect across agent-enabled business apps: the agent inherits a deliberately reduced slice of its user's rights rather than the full set.

microsoft.com

Support Agent is generally available in the Power Platform admin center and the legacy support experience retires

The AI-powered Support Agent became the default support experience in the Power Platform admin center on 1 October 2026, replacing and retiring the legacy support experience. Admins describe problems in plain language; the agent draws on Microsoft public and community sources plus internal Known Issues and Service Health alerts, asks for missing context to route cases, and can create support requests. A fallback support experience preserves the inputs given during a Support Agent session for a warmer handoff if the agent fails.

Why it matters: The documented path to raising a Power Platform support case now runs through an agent, so runbooks and internal guidance that describe the old menu-driven flow need rewriting.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Staged storage validation for Dataverse-only tenants

From 9 November 2026 Microsoft introduces staged storage validation for supported Dynamics 365 applications on Dataverse-only tenants. Exceeding entitled Database, File or Log capacity immediately restricts environment creation, copy, restore and recover; after 30 days over capacity, sandbox environments without pay-as-you-go billing enter Administration mode, and after 60 days they are disabled. Production environments stay accessible but remain blocked for create, copy, restore and recover operations. Rollout completes 4 December 2026.

Why it matters: Tenants sitting over their Dataverse entitlement now face a timed path to sandbox lockout, so capacity cleanup, added capacity or pay-as-you-go on sandboxes needs planning before 9 November.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Self-service migration of finance and operations environments to the Power Platform admin center

A self-service migration feature moves management of finance and operations environments out of Dynamics Lifecycle Services and into the Power Platform admin center, targeted for December 2026 (roadmap 573244).

Why it matters: Environment administration for finance and operations consolidates into the same admin center as the rest of Power Platform, which simplifies delegation but moves the runbook.

microsoft.com

Hide organizer names in Calendar View on Teams Panels

A new Show organizer name setting lets administrators choose whether organizer names appear in Calendar View on Teams Panels, configurable from the Teams Rooms Pro Management portal or directly on the panel device. Organizer names continue to be displayed by default. The setting requires Teams Rooms Pro or Teams Shared Spaces licences and rolls out worldwide in early October 2026.

Why it matters: A small but real privacy control for shared spaces: panels in public areas stop advertising who booked the room.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Multi-line call history tabs in the Teams Calls app

For Teams Phone users with multi-line calling enabled, the Calls app gets a dedicated tab per assigned phone line, organising call history, voicemails and recordings by the line they belong to. Targeted Release begins early October 2026; general availability for worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD begins early November and completes mid-November 2026. The feature enables automatically for eligible users and single-line users are unaffected.

Why it matters: Delegates, receptionists and anyone holding several numbers stop having to untangle one merged history, and the GCC High and DoD dates mean regulated tenants are in the same wave.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Side conversations during Teams meetings

Participants will be able to start one-to-one or small-group conversations during a meeting without disrupting the main discussion, targeted for November 2026 (roadmap 573156).

Why it matters: Expect questions about what is captured and retained in these side threads, since they sit inside the meeting but outside the main transcript.

microsoft.com

ExchangeOnlineManagement PowerShell module 3.10.1 or later required

Security enhancements to Exchange Online PowerShell authentication shipped in ExchangeOnlineManagement 3.10.1. Enforcement of strict logon requirements begins 31 March 2027, with rollout from late March to late April 2027, after which modules earlier than 3.10.1 may fail in interactive authentication scenarios. The failure case is particularly relevant where PowerShell 7 runs with Web Account Manager disabled; certificate-based authentication, WAM-based authentication and Windows PowerShell 5.x are not affected.

Why it matters: Automation hosts and admin workstations pinned to an older module have a long runway, but the ones that break are exactly the unattended PowerShell 7 jobs nobody looks at.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Brand Guidelines and Style removed from new Brand Kit creation in PowerPoint

As of late September 2026, Brand Guidelines and Style are no longer offered when creating a new Brand Kit in Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft states these components are not currently used by Copilot and removing them streamlines setup. Existing Brand Kits keep any Brand Guidelines and Style already added, and no content is removed.

Why it matters: Brand managers mid-rollout lose two fields in the setup flow, so internal branding documentation and training that walks through them is now wrong.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Usage-based billing on by default for new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business licences in CSP

From 1 December 2026, usage-based billing is enabled by default for new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business licences purchased through the CSP programme, with a preset monthly limit and pay-as-you-go as the default configuration.

Why it matters: Partners transacting Copilot Business need to set expectations on the default spend path before December, because the billing posture changes without the customer asking for it.

learn.microsoft.com

Delete content and containers for departed users at scale

Data lifecycle management gains the ability for administrators to delete inactive OneDrive accounts and mailboxes, and their containers, at scale for departed users, across government and standard clouds. Targeted for December 2026 (roadmap 569721).

Why it matters: Tenants carrying years of orphaned OneDrive and mailbox data get a supported bulk path, which also means retention and legal-hold scoping needs checking first.

microsoft.com

Passkey support for B2B users

B2B users will be able to register and sign in with passkeys from resource tenants to satisfy multifactor authentication requirements. B2B users already in scope for passkeys are enabled automatically. Targeted for October 2026 (roadmap 569432).

Why it matters: Guest access stops depending on the partner organisation's own MFA posture, which removes a recurring blocker in cross-tenant collaboration.

microsoft.com

What's New in Microsoft Teams | August - September 2026

Quarterly roundup of the Aug-Sep Teams releases, and the post confirms What's New in Teams moves from a monthly to a quarterly rhythm with the next editions in December, March and June.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

What's New in Microsoft Copilot | September 2026

Monthly recap covering the refreshed Copilot Chat, Teams Phone Agent, Word citations, PowerPoint Skills and Brand Kit, and Copilot in SharePoint and OneDrive reaching general availability.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Your AI transformation starts with what you've already built

Power Platform blog argument for building the next generation of business applications on existing apps and automations rather than starting over.

microsoft.com

Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn leadership update

Corporate announcement of a leadership transition covering Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn.

blogs.microsoft.com

Microsoft 365 Business Premium security add-on CSP promotion

Partner Center announces a 7.5 percent CSP promotion on the Business Premium security add-on.

learn.microsoft.com

Growth margin reaches general availability for partners

The growth margin incentive moves to general availability in Partner Center, following the earlier early-access growth margins API.

learn.microsoft.com

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, build skills to secure the future

Microsoft Learn opens role-based cybersecurity skilling including the Defend the Tenant Challenge competition and the Cyber Genius hands-on experience.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Skills catalog in Copilot Studio

Makers can discover, reuse and selectively share approved organizational skills from a shared catalog powered by the Microsoft 365 App Store, instead of recreating the same instructions and workflows in every agent. Shared skills extend across Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Cowork; preview Sep 2026, GA Oct 2026, Web, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) (roadmap 571880).

Why it matters: Standardizing agent instructions in one governed catalog cuts the per-agent rebuild work on every customer engagement.

microsoft.com

Microsoft Copilot: GPT 6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 beginning to roll out today

Microsoft Copilot is rolling out GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 AI models starting September 30, 2026, across Cowork, Copilot Studio, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Chat. Access requires enabling Anthropic and OpenAI subprocessors. Usage limits apply, with notifications and fallback options available. No action needed to enable.

mc.merill.net

Self-learning for Copilot Studio agents

Agents identify repeated tool sequences from completed runs and recommend turning them into workflows, with supporting evidence, expected impact and the related instruction and tool changes; makers accept, configure, test and publish a refined copy. Preview Sep 2026, GA Oct 2026 (roadmap 570432).

Why it matters: It converts observed agent behavior into deterministic workflow steps, which is the main lever for cutting agent run costs.

microsoft.com

Persistent identity for Copilot Studio agents

Makers can give a Copilot Studio agent its own governed Microsoft 365 identity with a mailbox, Teams presence and Office access, so it participates in shared business processes as a first-class entity that admins govern for access, policies and use. Preview Sep 2026, GA Nov 2026 (roadmap 570430).

Why it matters: An agent with its own account changes licensing, mailbox and Conditional Access design, so tenant plans need revisiting before the Nov GA.

microsoft.com

Teams Phone Agent is generally available

Teams Phone Agent is now generally available to all customers, leaving the Frontier public preview it entered on Jun 15 2026. It extends Auto Attendant and Call Queue with an AI voice agent and supports attaching Copilot Studio custom voice agents published to the Teams Phone channel.

Why it matters: Voice agent work for Teams customers can move from Frontier pilots to production deals, though the Copilot Studio integration is still a gated preview.

learn.microsoft.com

Sales in Microsoft 365 Copilot links meetings to CRM records automatically

Upcoming customer meetings are matched by AI to the most relevant CRM record - an open opportunity when confidence is sufficient, otherwise an account - and that record feeds opportunity and account insights during meeting preparation. Meetings stay soft-linked until the user confirms, and users can review, accept, change or remove the suggested match. Automatically enabled for users who use meeting preparation and have access to Dynamics 365 or another connected CRM, Worldwide (MC1482188).

Why it matters: It turns on by default for anyone with CRM access, so sellers see AI-suggested record matches without any admin step.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Automatic Recording for Teams Phone Agent moves to Teams admin center

Automatic Recording for Teams Phone Agent can now be configured in the Teams admin center; it was PowerShell-only since Aug 17 2026.

Why it matters: Recording policy for voice agents becomes an admin-portal setting, so it no longer needs a scripted rollout.

learn.microsoft.com

Configurable Teams Phone Agent call length with a disconnect message

Maximum call length with a configurable disconnect message can now be set in the Teams admin center, adding the disconnect message to the call-length cap that arrived in August.

Why it matters: It caps runaway agent calls and controls what the caller hears when the cap is hit.

learn.microsoft.com

Teams Phone Agent refreshes Questions and Answers URLs daily

URLs used as grounding for the Questions and Answers tool are now refreshed daily.

Why it matters: Public web content behind a phone agent's answers stays current without a manual reindex.

learn.microsoft.com

Intelligent call delegation in Microsoft Teams

AI-powered calling assistance answers incoming Teams calls, gathers context and helps the user decide whether to pick up, and can schedule follow-up appointments through an integration with Microsoft Bookings. Preview Oct 2026, GA Nov 2026 (roadmap 565216).

Why it matters: An AI answering calls on a user's behalf raises recording, consent and transcript-retention questions that Swiss and EU customers will ask first.

microsoft.com

GPT 6 Astra in the Cowork model selector

GPT 6 Astra is now available in the Cowork model selector as the latest model for tough problems.

Why it matters: Another frontier model in the selector means another line in the usage-based billing forecast and another model to allow or block per group.

learn.microsoft.com

Dynamics 365 Sales tools, skills and plugin in Copilot Cowork

The updated Sales plugin brings expanded Dynamics 365 Sales context, actions and guided workflows to Cowork, building on the native Sales skills already there. Native Sales skills invoke tools published through the Dynamics 365 MCP server, and ship inside the Sales plugin delivered through the updated MOS package for the Sales app. GA Sep 2026 (roadmap 573373).

Why it matters: Sellers act on CRM data inside Cowork, and admins get a packaged, governed way to deploy it rather than per-tenant connector work.

microsoft.com

Dynamics 365 Customer Service tools reach Chat, Cowork, Code and Scout

The updated Service application brings Dynamics 365 Customer Service context, actions and guided workflows into the supported Copilot experiences. First-party tools delivered through the Service package on Dynamics 365 MCP respect Dynamics 365 business logic and the user's existing permissions on each call; availability is tracked separately per experience. GA Sep 2026 (roadmap 571678).

Why it matters: Permission enforcement happens on each MCP call, so service agents inherit the user's CRM scope instead of a shared service account's.

microsoft.com

App skill builds apps from a description in Cowork

Create lightweight, interactive apps from a description without writing code, refine the app in chat, then open, publish and share it inside the organization.

Why it matters: Knowledge workers publishing apps from a chat prompt is a governance surface that needs an owner before the Frontier gate lifts.

learn.microsoft.com

Dynamics 365 Customer Service tools, skills and plugins for Scout

The updated Service application brings Dynamics 365 Customer Service context, actions and guided workflows into Scout, so service teams work with service information and take supported actions without switching to Dynamics 365. First-party tools delivered through the Service package on Dynamics 365 MCP respect Dynamics 365 business logic and the user's existing permissions on each call. GA Sep 2026 (roadmap 573382).

Why it matters: Scout gains a governed first-party CRM tool set, which is the pattern partners should copy for their own MCP packages.

microsoft.com

Dynamics 365 Customer Service tools, skills and plugins for Code

The same Service package lands in Copilot Code, giving the solution-building surface Dynamics 365 Customer Service context, actions and guided workflows under the same permission checks on each MCP call. GA Sep 2026 (roadmap 573381).

Why it matters: Code can now assemble service solutions against live CRM data, so the Frontier rollout reaches app building and not just chat.

microsoft.com

Plugin registry for Microsoft Copilot

Developers and partners package related skills, connectors and the metadata and configuration needed to reach MCP servers and other enabled tools into one plugin, then publish and update that package once instead of maintaining separate deployment artifacts per Copilot experience. Admins adjust assignments, review new versions, see where a plugin is in use, and decide when to expand, limit or retire it. More than 100 plugins are already available. Basic registry and management capabilities are included with qualifying Microsoft cloud subscriptions; some connectors are still rolling out.

Why it matters: One package and one review per plugin replaces per-experience deployment, which materially shortens the path for a partner solution to reach a tenant.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Copilot UX components reach general availability in October

Copilot UX components, the rich interactive experiences rendered directly in Microsoft 365 Copilot, are on track for general availability in October 2026 for all customers worldwide, together with SharePoint Framework 1.24. They now carry their final name, are live in every tenant and ship with ready-made samples; version 1.24 Beta 5 shipped in September with a preview update and fixes from the previous beta.

Why it matters: Web parts and portal pages can be rebuilt as agent-reachable components on a GA-supported surface within the month.

devblogs.microsoft.com

Business Central MCP server runs custom data queries

New MCP tools let an application define, validate and run custom data queries against Business Central data for which no existing API exists. GA Oct 2026 (roadmap 573312).

Why it matters: Agents can read Business Central data without waiting for a bespoke API, which removes the usual blocker on BC agent scenarios.

microsoft.com

SharePoint Framework 1.24 GA adds Node.js 24 and 26 support

SPFx 1.24 reaches general availability in October 2026 with Copilot UX components GA, React 18 support for SPFx solutions, Node.js 24 and Node.js 26 support, and fixes for new npm audit findings. Version 1.25 is scheduled for December 2026 or January 2027.

Why it matters: Node.js 24 and 26 plus React 18 set the toolchain floor for SPFx builds, so build agents and dev images need updating this month.

devblogs.microsoft.com

AL MCP server activity can be written to a log file

AL MCP server diagnostics can be written to a configurable file at a selectable detail level, or file logging turned off when not needed. GA Oct 2026 (roadmap 573349).

Why it matters: Intermittent agent failures against Business Central become diagnosable after the fact instead of only while reproducing them.

microsoft.com

AL MCP workspaces can be configured at runtime

The AL MCP server can start without a predefined project, accept AL projects at runtime and use configured connection details in headless scenarios without authentication prompts. GA Oct 2026 (roadmap 573348).

Why it matters: One reusable MCP server can serve several agent sessions and CI jobs, instead of one process per preconfigured workspace.

microsoft.com