Microsoft is rolling out Researcher and other prebuilt Copilot agents (like Analyst and Surveys) in Word for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
The Researcher agent combines OpenAI’s deep research model with Copilot orchestration and Microsoft Search capabilities to support complex, multi-step research across both work content and the web.
The rollout applies to Word on Windows, Word on the web, and Word for Mac.
Timeline
The rollout should be completed by October 2025.
Impact on your organization
Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license will get access to Researcher and other Microsoft prebuilt agents in Word.
The Researcher agent is your intelligent assistant built into Microsoft 365 Copilot. Think of it as a supercharged research partner that helps you gather, analyze, and summarize information—whether from the web, your work documents, or both. Researcher delivers a structured, easy-to-read report tailored to your question to help you make better decisions faster.
To get started, open Copilot Chat in Word and use one of the following methods:
- @mention Researcher, Analyst, or Surveys
- Click on the + and select to chat with an agent
If the rollout is not yet ready in your tenant or Word app, the Microsoft prebuilt agents will appear but are inactive; see the screenshot below.
As usual, accounts with the AI Administrator role can manage available agents in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
