M365 Copilot What's New for Jan and Feb 2026

I reviewed the recent updates for both January and February 2026. Below are several noteworthy developments that I observed.

January 2026 >> https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-365-copilot--january-2026/4488916 

• Agent mode is now available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, allowing users to edit and refine documents collaboratively with active assistance based on user prompts.
• The introduction of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Agents streamlines file creation, enabling users to generate new documents with a single prompt through Copilot Chat.
• Voice chats in the Microsoft 365 Copilot application have been enhanced to reference user memory, delivering more personalized results.
• Outlook's interactive voice experience summarizes unread emails and provides hands-free actions such as drafting, deleting, archiving, pinning, and flagging messages.
• Implicit grounding for emails and text allows Copilot Chat to automatically incorporate open emails as contextual sources for prompts. When text within an email is highlighted, Copilot dynamically updates its context to focus solely on the selected text.
• Users are now able to perform common email triage actions in Outlook and the M365 Copilot App using natural language commands. This includes marking messages as read or unread, pinning, flagging, and archiving (e.g., "Flag all unread emails from my manager").
• Automatic replies can now be set up using natural language, enabling users to toggle replies on or off, specify date ranges, and draft response templates efficiently.
• Copilot Excel now supports locally stored workbooks that are not saved on the M365 platform.
• In PowerPoint's view-only mode, users can leverage Copilot to review presentations and pose questions about the content.
• Microsoft Purview integration within the M365 Admin Center enhances security management for M365 Copilot, offering features including oversharing risk assessment, DLP for Copilot policy, and a Copilot Overview screen with suggested administrative actions.
• A new overview and readiness report will soon be available in the M365 Admin Center. The redesigned Copilot overview page offers a centralized, comprehensive, and contextual dashboard for monitoring Copilot across the tenant.

February 2026 >> https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft365copilotblog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-microsoft-365-copilot--february-2026/4496489 

• In Copilot Chat, users can pick specific text from Copilot responses and then ask focused follow-up questions about that selection.
• Users have the option to base their Copilot prompts on SharePoint lists or sites by typing a slash “/” followed by the desired location's name.
• In Outlook, users can highlight message text and start a grounded discussion based on what they've highlighted.
• The Project Manager Agent is a new tool that helps users plan, organize, and manage projects with AI-assisted tracking. It will be available for public preview in March.
• Copilot Chat now works alongside Copilot Search, making it possible for users to review previous search results and interact with Copilot simultaneously.
• Teams meeting recaps will soon feature visual highlights with summaries; for example, key recap points may include an image of a slide or a screenshot from a screenshare as part of the notes.
• Customizable Teams meeting recap templates are being introduced, enabling users to personalize AI-generated notes according to their team's workflow. Users specify their preferences, and Copilot follows those instructions.
• New features in Copilot for Outlook allow it to suggest meeting times, and if no suitable options are found, Copilot expands its search and explains the recommendations.
• In Outlook, Copilot can schedule meetings directly from an email thread—simply select “Schedule with Copilot” and the process is handled automatically.
• OneDrive agents allow users to create an agent capable of understanding an entire document set and responding with answers based on that collective content.
• In Copilot Chat, Agent Recommendations offer proactive suggestions to users; for instance, if a specialized agent is available, it will be suggested.
• AI agents can collaborate to complete complex tasks by invoking one another as tools, allowing specialized agents to benefit from each other's expertise.
• The new Power User Report will be added to the Copilot Adoption dashboard, helping you understand how power users, regular users, and non-users are engaging with Copilot.