Archive

Outlook: Categorize emails by dragging them onto a favorite category

A category can be pinned to Favorites and messages dragged onto it to apply that category, instead of opening menus or right-clicking each message. Roadmap 567319, updated 8 September 2026, for new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant).

Why it matters: A small triage change worth folding into end-user guidance for tenants already moved to the new Outlook.

microsoft.com

Planner: Task History

Planner adds a task history view showing recent activity on a task: what changed, when it changed, and progress over time. Roadmap 569933, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), on web and in Teams.

Why it matters: Gives Planner an audit trail that teams currently have to reconstruct from notifications.

microsoft.com

Planner: Add times to task start, finish, and due dates

Tasks gain specific times on start, finish and due dates. A plan can define its own time zone and working hours to supply default task times, and members choose whether to view times in the plan time zone or their local one. Roadmap 570153, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), on web and in Teams.

Why it matters: Makes Planner workable for distributed teams whose deadlines currently collapse to a date with no time zone.

microsoft.com

Microsoft 365: Teams Channel Backup

A backup and recovery feature that restores Teams team and channel data to a previously known good state after accidental changes or a security compromise. Supported items are the team, standard, private and public channels, and the underlying data including files and channel messages; the supported retention period is 30 days. Roadmap 570668, Targeted Release, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), surfaced in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Why it matters: First-party recovery for Teams channel data, which today usually means a third-party backup product in the tenant.

microsoft.com

ASPX updates to uncover opportunities

The AI Business Solutions and Security Partner eXperience moves from a reporting tool to an action engine, with five FY27 priorities covering free-to-paid signals, Microsoft 365 E7 targeting, Copilot Cowork usage, Frontier account targeting and a simplified API v1.5 for CRM and reporting integration.

learn.microsoft.com

Copilot, Microsoft 365 & Power Platform Community Call

Weekly community call scheduled for 10 September 2026, with demos of Document Analysis in AI Builder, building a Power BI AI agent with Copilot Studio, and integrating SPFx UI elements into Copilot.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Power BI subscriptions: changes to notification delivery and sender experience

Power BI is changing how subscription notifications are delivered, to improve reliability and sender reputation: the sender identity changes and the previous sender address is replaced, email formatting changes, and Copilot-generated summary presentation changes in some subscription scenarios. Phased worldwide rollout runs from late September 2026 through early January 2027 (MC1467355).

Why it matters: Any tenant with mail flow rules, allow-lists or archiving keyed to the old Power BI sender address will silently misroute subscription mail unless those rules are updated before the rollout reaches it.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Updated header and dashboard for chats and channels on Teams mobile

Teams mobile gets a redesigned header plus a lightweight dashboard for chats and channels, pulling channel details, people and pinned content into one surface and aligning mobile navigation with desktop. Targeted Release starts late September 2026 and general availability follows in early October 2026 for Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD; no user action is required (MC1467357).

Why it matters: Regulated tenants get this on the same timeline as commercial ones, so GCC High and DoD customers need change communication and updated mobile screenshots ready before early October.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Create videos with Copilot from the Clipchamp Start page

Copilot generates a video directly from the Clipchamp Start page: from a prompt or an existing document it drafts the script, selects visuals, adds narration and assembles the video, which the user then reviews, refines and exports. Roadmap 553215 is Launched for Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) on desktop, Mac and web, GA date April CY2026.

Why it matters: Gives internal comms and enablement work a Copilot-native path to video without a separate editing skillset.

microsoft.com

OpenAI GPT-6 Astra available in Copilot Cowork and Copilot Studio

GPT-6 Astra joins the frontier models in Copilot Cowork and Copilot Studio, aimed at delegating larger tasks rather than guiding work step by step, with Work IQ grounding it in files, meetings, chats and business data inside existing permissions. Availability may vary by region and organization, and admins manage access and configure availability through the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Why it matters: Model choice for delegated work moves both cost and output quality, and the region and organization variability means availability has to be verified per tenant before it is promised to a customer.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Anthropic Claude Fable 5.1 available in Copilot Cowork and Copilot Studio

Claude Fable 5.1 joins the frontier models in Copilot Cowork and Copilot Studio, described as built for long-running work, financial analysis and front-end visual coding, with tighter up-front plans and more concise closing summaries. It rolls out to eligible users only, availability may vary by region and organization, and admin access control runs through the AI subprocessor connection setting.

Why it matters: Two frontier models landed in the same surfaces within three days, so model selection guidance written before September is already out of date.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Workflows built from scratch can take multiple steps

Teams Workflows lets a user add multiple steps when building a workflow from scratch instead of being held to a single step. Roadmap 569209 is rolling out to Targeted Release and Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) on Desktop and Mac, GA date September CY2026.

Why it matters: Raises what an end user can automate inside Teams without opening Power Automate, which changes where simple automation requests land.

microsoft.com

Refreshed file browsing and filtering in OneDrive Web

OneDrive Web gets multiple simultaneous filters across Home, Shared, People, Meetings and Favorites, the same filtering in folder views such as My files and shared folders, and file-type filtering through both filter pills and the filter pane. The modern SharePoint document library experience also comes to OneDrive Web with an updated layout and navigation. Roadmap 566316 is rolling out to Targeted Release and Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) on web, GA date August CY2026.

Why it matters: A visible end-user UI change, so adoption material and support screenshots showing the old OneDrive Web layout need reshooting.

microsoft.com

Viva Insights leaders and analysts can create and customize Power BI reports

Viva Insights leaders and analysts can open a Power BI report and edit the time range, filters, attributes and visuals to fit their organization, then save the report to view later. Roadmap 566317 is rolling out Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) on web, GA date September CY2026.

Why it matters: Removes the round trip to a BI team for routine Viva Insights reporting changes.

microsoft.com

Planner tab support for shared and private channels in Teams

Microsoft Planner can be added as a tab in shared and private Teams channels, so tasks are created and managed inside the channel. Roadmap 558928 is Launched for Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) on Desktop, Mac and web, GA date August CY2026.

Why it matters: Closes a long-standing gap for teams that run their work in private or shared channels rather than standard ones.

microsoft.com

Text and shape animations in the Clipchamp video editor

Clipchamp Editor supports preset in and out animations on text layers, with control over duration and direction and a preview before export, across web and native desktop. Roadmap 564968 is Launched for Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), GA date July CY2026.

Why it matters: Small but visible polish for internal communications video produced in Clipchamp.

microsoft.com

Endpoint DLP device health reporting dashboard reaches the government clouds

The Microsoft Purview Endpoint Data Loss Prevention dashboard shows device health across all devices so admins can confirm systems are ready to receive policy updates and identify the ones that are not. Roadmap 561033 is Launched for GCC, GCC High and DoD on web, GA date July CY2026; the entry lists no Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) availability.

Why it matters: Endpoint DLP coverage gaps fail silently, and this is the government-cloud rollout of the report that exposes them.

microsoft.com

What's New in Microsoft Copilot | August 2026

Monthly roundup covering effort level and cost control in Cowork, text selections and session sharing in Copilot Chat, Copilot Notebooks changes, meeting recap languages in Teams, and Copilot updates in Word, Excel, SharePoint and Outlook.

techcommunity.microsoft.com

Explain this presentation skill in Copilot for PowerPoint

A built-in Copilot skill reads a whole deck (slides, charts, tables and speaker notes) and returns an impartial guide covering the gist, the ask, key takeaways, key numbers and open questions. Announced 2026-09-03 for Windows desktop (MC1466328), Mac (MC1466326) and web (MC1466327); rolling out through September 2026, gated to the Frontier program and requires a Copilot licence.

Why it matters: A reader-side skill rather than an authoring one, which is the gap in most Copilot deck workflows - it makes someone else's deck legible before the meeting.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Sharpen slide titles skill in Copilot for PowerPoint

A built-in Copilot skill rewrites slide titles as takeaways that state the conclusion, so anyone skimming the headlines gets the argument. Announced 2026-09-03 for Windows desktop (MC1466323), Mac (MC1466321) and web (MC1466322); rolling out early September 2026, Frontier-gated, requires a Copilot licence and needs no admin configuration.

Why it matters: A one-click fix for the most common deck-review comment, so it belongs in internal presentation guidance rather than being left to discovery.

m365admin.handsontek.net

QR code protection in Teams messaging

Images containing QR codes sent by external users will be obscured by default in Teams messages, and recipients must reveal them before viewing or scanning. Roadmap entry updated 2026-09-03; Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant) and Targeted Release, on Android, desktop, iOS and Mac. GA October 2026.

Why it matters: QR phishing is the gap most tenant phishing controls still have, and this closes it by default with no admin policy to configure.

microsoft.com

Centralized notification settings for channels

Teams adds a single Settings > Notifications and activity > Manage channel notifications surface where users view and manage preferences across all channels, organised by team and channel with a filter for channels that have customised settings. Announced 2026-09-03 (MC1466307); Targeted Release early October and worldwide early to late October 2026, on Teams desktop and web. Enabled by default, existing settings are preserved and no admin action is required.

Why it matters: Channel notification sprawl is a top driver of Teams disengagement, and one surface is what makes a tenant-wide notification hygiene push practical.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Report security concerns in Teams meetings

Participants will be able to report suspicious, malicious or fraudulent behaviour during or after a meeting, and the relevant meeting metadata plus limited contextual information is collected and surfaced to admins in Microsoft Defender and the Teams admin center. Announced 2026-09-03 (MC1466296); Targeted Release late September 2026, worldwide mid to late October 2026, on Windows, Mac and web. Enabled by default.

Why it matters: It routes meeting-based social engineering into the same Defender queue as mail phishing, so the SOC needs a triage path before a default-on rollout.

microsoft.com

Planner usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center

A new Planner usage report gives admins tenant-level and user-level Planner activity across basic and premium plans, including username, active days and last activity date. Announced 2026-09-03 (MC1466299); GA rollout ran in early September 2026 across Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD. No admin action is required, but the report exposes identifiable user data, so admin role permissions and any internal notification duty need reviewing.

Why it matters: It lands in DoD alongside commercial, and the identifiable-user data means works councils and privacy policies should be checked before it is used for adoption reporting.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Project Online Essentials reaches end of life on 1 October 2026

Project Online Essentials retires on 1 October 2026, and tenants must move affected users to Project and Planner Plan 1 or Plan 3 before that date to keep access and licensing rights for Project Online, Project Server and Planner Premium. Announced 2026-09-03 (MC1466302).

Why it matters: Under four weeks of lead time on a licence retirement, so any tenant still holding Essentials seats needs a reassignment plan this month.

m365admin.handsontek.net

Partnering for Success Together monthly partner session

Registration opened for the first session in a new monthly partner skilling series on 9 September, hosted on the Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub and covering updates across Microsoft's commercial solution areas.

learn.microsoft.com

7 features it's not too late to try out this year

Microsoft 365 Insider round-up of seven already-released features across Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook and Word, including Copilot meeting conflict resolution in Outlook and org-authored Copilot prompt suggestions.

techcommunity.microsoft.com