Microsoft will retire Targeted release for Microsoft 365 in January 2027 and replace it with the three-tier model (Frontier, Standard release, and Deferred release), managed in a new unified setup. Admins should review current Targeted release assignments.
Live captions in Microsoft Teams get a new right-side panel layout and a single settings menu, plus an automatic start option for future meetings.
Microsoft is rolling out Hero Links in OneDrive and SharePoint. Every file and folder gets a single primary sharing link that can be updated after it has been shared.
Microsoft 365 Backup now includes a critical action approval configuration that protects your backups from hard-to-reverse actions, such as shortening the offboarding grace period.
Microsoft enables Teams user reporting in Defender for Office 365. The updated setting collects reported submissions from Teams messages, calls, and meetings in the Defender portal and, depending on the configuration, submits them to Microsoft. Organizations can opt out before 25 October 2026.
Microsoft has released Custom Skills in Declarative Agents to general availability. A skill bundles instructions, scripts, templates, and related files into one reusable unit that users can add to any agent, making answers more accurate and agents easier to maintain.
Microsoft is retiring the SharePoint Page Agent, introduced in November 2025. Copilot in SharePoint now offers the same AI-assisted page and news post creation experience.
Microsoft will enable the Attach file and Drag & Drop experiences in Teams chats with guests. The change applies only to tenants that have never updated the file attachment setting since July 2025.
Users who act as sponsors for external B2B guest accounts can now review and manage those guests directly in My Account, including extending or ending their sponsorship. This capability is currently in public preview.
Microsoft is aligning access to App Governance in Defender with Defender XDR Unified RBAC. Some Microsoft Entra admin roles will gain or lose permissions in October 2026.
Microsoft Purview retention policies now cover Copilot Memory, preserving previous versions of edited or deleted memory items for a set period.
Microsoft is adding a capability to temporarily pause all Teams notifications for a set period, helping users reduce interruptions during focused work and meetings.
Microsoft has now renamed the Windows 365 Frontline license SKUs to Windows 365 Flex. Only the display name changed, while SKU ID, term, and price stay the same.
Microsoft added SharePoint and OneDrive usage-based billing for advanced work to the Copilot Cost Management policies in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Microsoft quietly retired the SharePoint Premium product name. Autofill columns moved to Copilot in SharePoint, and the remaining Syntex features will likely follow soon.
Organizers and presenters in Microsoft Teams with a Copilot license can now turn Meeting AI, including Copilot and Facilitator, on or off during a meeting. This should give users more flexibility during sensitive meetings.
Admins can now pin the Copilot desktop app to the Windows taskbar for selected user groups instead of everyone or no one.
Webinar and Town Hall settings in the Teams Events policy decide which event types users can create in the Events app. Worth knowing if you use the Teams Events app.
Webinars in Teams now support breakout rooms with up to 1,000 participants and 100 rooms, up from 300 participants and 50 rooms.
The new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web no longer create preview cards for pasted links. Links now appear as regular clickable hyperlinks.