MC1187671 – M365 Change Digest

One-line summary

Copilot Chat users without a Copilot license will get expanded Outlook inbox reasoning and new Agent Mode features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, starting rollout January 2026.

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Details

Summary

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat will expand Outlook support to entire inbox and calendar, add Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using web data and referenced files, and introduce specialized agents powered by Anthropic’s Claude model. Rollout starts January 2026; no admin action required except connecting to Claude.

Body (from Message Center)

[Introduction]

We’re introducing new capabilities for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat users (without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license) to help them better manage their day in Outlook and create and refine Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations. These updates include:

Copilot Chat in Outlook will expand from reasoning over a single email thread to reasoning over a user’s entire inbox, calendar, meetings, and other enterprise data.
Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint uses web data and referenced files to help users create and refine content in the apps.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents allow users to create high-quality documents, workbooks, and presentations in Copilot Chat using web data and referenced files.

Please find our Microsoft Ignite announcements here.

[When this will happen:]

We will begin rolling out early January 2026 and expect to complete by late March 2026.

[How this will affect your organization:]

Who is affected: Eligible Copilot Chat users with a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription. There is no change for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
What will happen:
- Copilot Chat in Outlook will understand the entire inbox, calendar, meetings, and other enterprise data for a user. Additional documentation will be provided closer to rollout. Users will be able to ask Copilot to source information across their inbox, uncover action items, or manage their calendar.
- Users will be able to access Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through the Tools menu in the Copilot Chat input box in each individual app. Agent Mode lets users create and refine content as they are working. Agent Mode will use web data and referenced files but will not have access to work data.
- Users will be able to access the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents in Copilot Chat from the Tools menu in the input box or by typing “@” and selecting the agents. These agents use several models, including Anthropic’s Claude model, to help create high-quality documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. These agents will use web data and referenced files but will not have access to work data.

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No admin action is required for Copilot Chat in Outlook. If you’d like to manage Copilot Chat in Outlook, you can use Integrated Apps in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Learn more here.
No admin action is required for Agent Mode in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you’d like to manage Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can use the Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat setting. Learn more here.
To provide access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents, you must connect to Anthropic’s Claude model. Learn how to connect here.

[Compliance considerations:]

The following considerations are relevant to the use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents.

Data processing outside of Microsoft: Anthropic’s Claude model is hosted outside Microsoft. Data processed by Claude is outside Microsoft-managed environments and audit controls.
Microsoft agreements do not apply: Microsoft’s Product Terms, Data Processing Addendum, data residency commitments, audit and compliance requirements, SLAs, and Customer Copyright Commitment do not apply when using Anthropic services.
Third-party integration: Use of Anthropic services is governed by Anthropic’s Commercial Terms of Service and Data Processing Addendum.

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    },
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