Friday, 2 October 2026

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