Microsoft 365 Copilot February 2026 Updates | 36 New Features You Must Know

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What's New · · by Susanth Sutheesh · 5 min read

As we move further into 2026, Microsoft 365 Copilot continues to evolve rapidly with 36 new updates this month designed to make work smarter, faster, and more efficient.

A special shout-out to Shelly Blackley, whose hard work and persistence continue to power this monthly update series.

1. Agent Mode in Excel for Copilot Chat Users

Now available for Microsoft 365 subscribers without a paid M365 Copilot licence. Agent Mode enables multi-step workflows — create tables, charts, PivotTables, and formulas directly in your workbook.

📖 Agent Mode in Excel

2. Copilot with OneDrive Files in macOS Finder

Interact with Copilot directly in Finder to ask questions about your OneDrive files. Enabled by default.

3. PowerPoint: Steer Presentation Length, Tone, Style & Images

You can now adjust the length, tone, style, and AI-generated images when creating presentations with Copilot.

4. Copilot Search: Source-Specific Filters

Dynamic filtering in Copilot Search lets you refine results by selecting data sources (Outlook, SharePoint, Jira, Copilot Chats) with tailored filters for each.

5. File Preview & Chat on Android

Opening Office files in the M365 Copilot app on Android now shows a preview experience with Copilot Chat for Q&A.

6. Auto-Summary on File Open in Word

When you open a document, Copilot automatically generates a summary in the Word window. You can hide it or open Copilot chat for follow-up questions.

7. Document Comments Summary in Word

Copilot adds a Discussion tab at the top of your document to summarise open comments, helping you quickly understand feedback.

8. Chat Can Modify Copilot Pages

When Chat and a Page are open side by side, prompts within Chat can now modify or add to the contents of the Page.

📖 Copilot Pages documentation

9. Ask Questions About Open Copilot Pages

You can now ask questions in chat about your open page, and Copilot provides answers based on the page’s contents.

10. Auto-Generated Copilot Pages

Copilot Chat automatically creates and opens a Copilot Page side-by-side when it detects a relevant scenario, enabling instant editing and sharing.

11. PowerPoint from Copilot Pages

Use Copilot to generate a PowerPoint grounded on a Copilot Page. Reference it with / in your prompt or the paperclip icon.

12. Improved Python-Powered Answers in Excel

Copilot in Excel now provides improved direct answers using Python for data analysis.

13. Teams Channels in Context IQ

Search for and select Teams Channels in Context IQ to ground your prompts. Click the + and choose ‘Channels’.

14. Summarise Email in Outlook (No Copilot Licence Required)

Users without a paid licence can now summarise emails in a single click using Copilot Chat in both Classic and New Outlook.

15. AI-Generated Agent Icons

Use AI to describe how your agent’s icon should look — helping inform users of the agent’s function. Enter custom prompts or use the agent description to generate the icon. Icons capped at 1 MB (192px).

16. Designer in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Designer is now part of M365 Copilot. Copilot Suggestions brings Designer slide layout and template suggestions in a vertical gallery.

17. Facilitator: Task Management & Document Creation in Meetings

Facilitator can help meeting participants manage tasks and create documents. Ask it to create, edit, and assign tasks (syncs to Planner), or draft documents based on meeting discussion.

📖 Facilitator in Teams meetings

18. Copilot Actions in SharePoint Document Libraries

The Copilot button now appears when selecting items in SharePoint document libraries and Teams, offering contextual actions.

19. Agents in OneDrive

Build, use, and share your own agents using files stored in OneDrive. Requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.

20. Copilot Chat Reasons Over Full Inbox & Calendar

Users without a paid licence can now use Copilot Chat in Outlook to reason over their entire inbox and calendar.

21. Edit Scheduled Prompts

You can now edit your scheduled prompts after creating them.

22. Scheduling with Copilot

Schedule meetings directly from chat. Ask Copilot to find available times, book rooms, draft agendas, and send invites — all within the chat experience.

23. Agents in Classic Outlook

Agents are now available in Classic Outlook for Windows, not just New Outlook. Use @ mention to access agents.

24. Share with Summary for OneDrive Files

Summarise files and send the summary within the share dialog in File Explorer and OneDrive Activity Center.

25. Floating Copilot Icon in OneDrive File Previewer

A new Copilot button at the bottom-right corner of the file previewer surfaces contextual prompts and quick access to Copilot.

26. Voice Q&A During Read Aloud in Word

While your document is being read aloud, ask questions with your voice — “What does this mean?” or “Summarise this section” — and get instant answers. Currently en-US only.

27. Filter Search As You Type

Use person and source filters right in the Search box. Type “person” or “source” and relevant filter suggestions appear.

28. Search Matches on Department

Copilot Search can now match on a person’s department and find all people in a given department.

Copilot Search returns matching people for broader search queries. Discover contacts through the People data source by skills like “Project leadership” or “Artificial Intelligence”.

30. Agent Mode in Excel Desktop

Agent Mode now available on Windows and Mac desktop apps (previously web-only). Eligible licences can select which model to use, including both OpenAI and Anthropic models.

31. Scatter Image Effect

Apply scatter image effect to AI-generated or uploaded images in Copilot Chat — creating a sense of motion, depth, and energy.

32. Updated Copilot Notebooks Interface

Cleaner layout with fixed navigation on the left and chat on the right. Auto-generated overviews and suggested notebooks.

33. Quick Image Edit in PowerPoint

Edit images directly in PowerPoint with Copilot — improve resolution, remove backgrounds, and more without switching apps.

34. Meeting Recap Includes Screen-Shared Content

Intelligent meeting recap now incorporates content shared on screen in the AI summary, capturing unspoken insights.

📖 Meeting recaps documentation

35. Calendar Search for Delegates

Delegates with calendar access can now search for meetings using Copilot Chat, saving time on scheduling tasks.

36. Memory & Personalisation Updates

Copilot uses chat history for more relevant responses. Updated settings for viewing and managing what Copilot remembers.

📚 Official Microsoft Resources

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Originally published on LinkedIn. This article accompanies a video tutorial on the A Guide to Cloud & AI YouTube channel.

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