← Back
Copilot in Microsoft OneNote for Windows Desktop Update
MC1185440 · build prod-20251231-200323
Category
planForChange
Severity
normal
Major change
True
Last modified
2025-11-12 23:45:26
Summary source
Azure OpenAI (gpt-4.1)
Action by (Graph)
Action by (AI)
Services
Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365)
Tags
Feature update, User impact, Admin impact
Master tags
Roadmap IDs

One-line summary

Starting December 12, 2025, Copilot features in OneNote for Windows desktop will move to the Copilot Chat pane for a more integrated experience; no admin action required.

Similar updates

More like this
MC1187387 (Updated) New features coming to Copilot Notebooks for Frontier users
... Copilot Notebooks in Copilot apps and OneNote will get improved navigation, personalization, and AI features; rollout starts Nov 19, 2025,[Introduction] We’re introducing new features to the Copilot Notebooks module in the following apps: M365 Copilot App for Desktop (Windows and macOS) M365 Copilot App for Web OneNote Win32.
MC1152323 (Updated) Microsoft 365 Copilot Apps installation on devices with Microsoft 365 Apps
(Updated) Microsoft 365 Copilot Apps installation on devices with Microsoft 365 Apps Starting early December 2025, Microsoft will auto-install the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps (excluding EEA), unless admins opt out. Introduction Starting in December 2025, Microsoft will begin automatically.
MC1173931 (Updated) Copilot Pages: New feature—M365 Copilot Chat can now answer questions about the currently open page
(Updated) Copilot Pages: New feature—M365 Copilot Chat can now answer questions about the currently open page Copilot Chat can now answer questions using content from the open Copilot Page in side-by-side mode; rollout starts early October 2025 and completes by early February 2026. Updated December 16, 2025: We have updated the timeline..
MC1085684 (Updated) Realtime voice is now available in M365 Copilot Chat and M365 Copilot
(Updated) Realtime voice is now available in M365 Copilot Chat and M365 Copilot Voice chat is coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot, enabling users to interact with Copilot hands-free across platforms; rollout starts early September 2025 and completes by January 2026. Updated December 15, 2025: We have updated the content. We’re introducing voice chats.
MC1189001 Microsoft 365 Copilot: Voice chat in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Voice chat in Microsoft 365 Copilot Voice chat is coming to Microsoft 365 Copilot on desktop, web, and mobile apps, enabling users to interact with Copilot by speaking; rollout starts December 2025 for general availability. Introduction In early November, we announced voice in the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile app. Now.
MC1182698 (Updated) Microsoft Copilot Notebooks: Overview page with Copilot-powered summaries and insights
(Updated) Microsoft Copilot Notebooks: Overview page with Copilot-powered summaries and insights Copilot Notebooks will show AI-powered summaries and insights as the default landing page, rolling out on web from mid-November 2025 and generally available starting January 2026. Updated November 19, 2025: We have updated the timeline. We are.

Details

Summary
Starting December 12, 2025, OneNote for Windows desktop will update Copilot features to open in the Copilot Chat pane instead of separate windows or direct canvas insertion. This change applies to all users automatically, with no required action, and maintains enterprise grounding and compliance.

Body (from Message Center)

[Introduction]

Starting December 12, 2025, Copilot in Microsoft OneNote for Windows desktop will improve the experience for on-canvas Copilot features. Instead of opening a separate window or inserting content directly on the OneNote canvas, features such as Take Notes with Copilot, Summarize Page, Create a Task List, and Rewrite Page will now open in the Copilot Chat pane. This update enables the latest Copilot Chat capabilities for these features, providing a more consistent and integrated experience.

Previous experience:


New experience:

[When this will happen:]

Rollout begins December 12, 2025 and will apply to all versions of OneNote for Windows desktop.

[How this affects your organization:]

  • Who is affected:
    • All users of the Microsoft OneNote Windows desktop application.
  • What will happen:
    • On-canvas Copilot features will open in the Copilot Chat pane instead of a separate window or inserting content directly on the canvas.
    • Users will no longer be able to explicitly refer to “this section” or “this notebook” in prompts.
    • Enterprise grounding remains unchanged.
    • The update will be applied automatically; no admin or user action is required.
[What you can do to prepare:]

  • No action is required for this change to take effect.
  • If needed, communicate this update to helpdesk staff and update internal documentation.
  • For additional support, use Help > Support in OneNote for Windows or contact your Microsoft support team.
[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization

Raw JSON (for debugging)

Expand/collapse the full payload below.
Show/hide raw
{
  "snapshot_item": {
    "action_required_by": null,
    "ai_action_required_by": null,
    "ai_actions": [
      "Inform helpdesk staff",
      "Update internal documentation if needed"
    ],
    "ai_master_tags": [],
    "ai_model": "gpt-4.1",
    "ai_summary": "Starting December 12, 2025, Copilot features in OneNote for Windows desktop will move to the Copilot Chat pane for a more integrated experience; no admin action required.",
    "ai_topics": [
      "Copilot",
      "Onenote"
    ],
    "category": "planForChange",
    "details_map": {
      "Summary": "Starting December 12, 2025, OneNote for Windows desktop will update Copilot features to open in the Copilot Chat pane instead of separate windows or direct canvas insertion. This change applies to all users automatically, with no required action, and maintains enterprise grounding and compliance."
    },
    "id": "MC1185440",
    "importance": 4,
    "is_major_change": true,
    "last_modified": "2025-11-12T23:45:26Z",
    "ms_products": [
      "Copilot"
    ],
    "platforms": null,
    "roadmap_ids": [],
    "services": [
      "Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365)"
    ],
    "severity": "normal",
    "tags": [
      "Feature update",
      "User impact",
      "Admin impact"
    ],
    "title": "Copilot in Microsoft OneNote for Windows Desktop Update"
  }
}