Plugins at Microsoft Ignite 2026

Microsoft

Nov 12, 2026

Plugins are becoming a common way across the industry to bring reusable AI capabilities together, and they’re central to how users extend Microsoft Copilot. By bringing skills, tools, and agents into a connected offering, plugins help users complete more workflows in the context of the apps and experiences they already use.

Plugins can include any combination of:

Skills capture reusable instructions that teach Copilot how to perform a task consistently.
Tools enable Copilot to retrieve information or take action through defined inputs, outputs, and permissions. Connectors are included within this tools definition.
Agents reason, decide, and take action toward a goal, orchestrating skills and tools to get work done.

In September we introduced the plugin registry – a unified place to discover and govern plugins for Microsoft Copilot. Now, as the new Copilot Home brings Chat and Cowork together, you’ll begin seeing plugins in navigation, keeping familiar agents easy to find while introducing the broader plugin experience.

For end users, this means an easier way to discover capabilities and get work done in Copilot. For IT, the management experience stays the same, with no back-end changes required to support this navigation update.

To compliment the unified experience within Copilot, we’re also launching a new publicly available Plugin Catalog on microsoft.com where you can explore the broader Microsoft plugin ecosystem and available offerings. The new Plugin Catalog will launch on Nov 17th at Ignite at this link: https://aka.ms/CopilotPluginCatalog.

The Plugin Catalog is a starting point for discovering what's available. At Microsoft Ignite, you can take the next step and explore plugins in more depth.

Microsoft Ignite returns November 17–20, 2026, at Moscone Center in San Francisco and online. Plugins will be an important part of the story across keynotes, technical sessions, hands-on labs, certifications, and expert conversations. Explore the sessions below to make the most of your Microsoft Ignite experience.

Explore the session lineup

Most sessions will also be recorded and made available on demand after the event. We'll update this guide throughout the event with the latest information.

Plugin session lineup:

Breakout Sessions
Date/Time	ID	Title	Summary
11/19 4:00-4:45PM PT	BRK221	Govern Once, Use Everywhere: Scale Copilot with One Plugin Registry	Explore how the plugin registry brings publishing, approval, discovery, and governance together to help organizations scale trusted Copilot extensibility.
11/20 11:30AM -12:15PM PT	BRK237	Plugins for Copilot: build once, govern once, use everywhere	Follow the plugin lifecycle from building and importing through publishing, discovery, deployment, governance, evaluation, and maintenance across supported Copilot experiences.
11/19 10:15-11:00AM PT	BRK220	Connect Once: Unlock enterprise knowledge with Copilot Connectors	Learn how Copilot Connectors bring enterprise knowledge and systems into Copilot and agentic workflows, helping users find information and take action.
11/19 9:00-9:45AM PT	BRK222	What's new in Microsoft Copilot for functional roles	See how Copilot plugins and Microsoft apps bring business and industry data into workflows across legal, finance, HR, and other functions.
11/20 9:00-9:45AM PT	BRK223	Getting work done with Copilot as a small business	Discover how plugin packages combine prebuilt skills, scenarios, and business-system connections into turnkey experiences for common small-business tasks.
Theatre Sessions
11/18 2:50-3:15PM PT	THR851	Skills in Microsoft Copilot	Discover how skills capture your processes, examples, and standards as reusable instructions- so you can spend less time explaining recurring tasks and bring a more consistent approach to everyday work. Learn how to create, refine, and share skills across supported Microsoft Copilot experiences.
Lab Sessions
11/17 2:00-3:15PM PT	LAB652	Delegate complex work: Hands-on with Copilot Cowork	Build a real Cowork workflow: turn a complex process into a skill, extend it with plugins and automations, and delegate work across systems and apps.
11/17 6:15-7:30PM PT	LAB654	Copilot Connectors: Connect once. Use enterprise knowledge everywhere.	Build a custom connector, configure authentication, define actions, and publish it for use in Copilot to connect proprietary business systems.
Lightning talks
11/19 4:15-4:30PM PT	LTG1220	WIQD in 15 minutes: Build, validate, and publish plugins	See Work IQ Dev Tools in action as you build, validate, and publish a Copilot and Cowork plugin, from project scaffolding to organizational sharing.
11/19 11:25-11:40AM PT	LTG1181	Skills for agents: reusable expertise that scales	Learn when to use reusable, task-specific skills, how to design them effectively, and how they help agents deliver more consistent results.

Swing by the Microsoft IQ Expert Meetup

Joining us in person? Visit the Microsoft IQ Expert Meetup to connect with product experts, explore hands-on demos, and ask questions.

Where to find us: Expert Meet Up Station

Look for: Microsoft IQ EMU (# 2)

Build Your Ignite Schedule

Ready to dive deeper? Explore sessions across the Microsoft stack and create an agenda tailored to your interests:

Browse the full session catalog to discover relevant keynotes, breakouts, theatre sessions, and labs.
Save your favorites to build a personalized Microsoft Ignite experience.