Recent Discussions
Data Extraction and Manipulation
Right. So I have been trying to achieve the following; Extract Key Data from a structured PDF > Push this Key Data into a Word/Excel document I can get parts of this process to work. Copilot seems pretty good at extracting data from PDFs and Excel files etc, it will show me the correct data in the chat. BUT when I ask it to push this into a pre-existing word template it just doesnt work. The best result I had was when Copilot added the Key Data to the end of the Word doc. Not what I wanted but not a million miles off. Its also fine with putting this into a new word document. So it feels like Copilot has all the functionaility required but just wont combine this with using a pre-existing word/excel template. I even tried content control boxes. For some context, this sort of thing (basically copying pasting data from one doc to another) is incredibly time consuming and there is a LOT of this in my industry. Hoping that there is a way to achieve this, even if it means multiple steps etc! đ
Restrict Copilot from accessing OneDrive Files.
A recent question I was asked about copilot for Microsoft 365 is: "Can I restrict Copilot from accessing or 'Analysing' certain documents on OneDrive/SharePoint or does it read everything by default?" I was stomped since I never thought of that. However, my first instinct was to think that it's possible through Microsoft Purview. Turns out the reality is much more complicated, and I still don't have a straight answer. I Know I can restrict users from having copilot return data from files they don't have access too: That is NOT what I'm asking. My question simply is, Can I have a file within the "Microsoft 365 boundary"; SharePoint or OneDrive, you name it and not let Copilot or semantic indexing read it or even have access to it? if so, how can it be done?
Using CoPilot for Shared Calendars
Hi - As an Administrative Assistant, I'm very excited about using CoPilot. At the moment, it's very limited for me because I cannot use it with the shared calendars I manage for others. I am really looking forward to being able to create an agent that will find events of based on categories in shared calendars. Is that something that is in the pipeline? It would greatly expand useability for those of us who spend our days in the calendar. Thank you.
Copilot Sparkle in Excel missing
Hello everybody, one of my collegues has a problem in Excel Desktop. He is full licensed with Copilot for M365. Everything works fine, but the little icon (known as sparkle) beside a cell in Excel is not showing up. In the browser version, everythings works as expected. In the desktop version he has to use the context menu to reach the Copilot function. This behavior occurs on 2 different installations. Any idea to solve the problem? Thanks for you help. Best regards AndrĂŠ
How to make the most of Copilot in Human Resources?
Here is a bit of a different question than I have seen in this forum. What are some best practices and interesting use cases you all have seen with Copilot in HR departments? I want to make sure our team is using it effectively. Any automation scenarios or hr tools that integrate with Copilot?
Change to Microsoft Admin Center for Agents
Is anyone else who is managing agents within their company now seeing that you cannot see the publisher who created the agent on the main page? I also attempted to export a list and thought it would make it easy to get a full list of users who have created agents, but when exported the fields are completely different and there is no column for publisher. Earlier this week I manually took note of all publishers because that field was still showing on the "All Agents" page (which took many hours) but since Monday the UI has completely changed and more agents are showing now so I have to start over. We are trying to start our governance process for agents and a note was meant to go out to leadership of who on their team is creating agents but now I have to start from scratch with no visibility to who is making agents unless I click into each individual agent. Does anyone have a workaround as to how I can pull the list of publishers with their names? I don't understand why this field was taken out of the view because it gives to way to see who is creating agents across our large organization. Any help would be very appreciated.Microsoft Ignite 2025: The Dawn of the AI-Agent Era
Microsoft Ignite 2025 wasnât just another tech conference â it was a redefinition of the modern workplace. Instead of incremental upgrades and predictable product updates, Microsoft used the event to signal the beginning of a new era: an agent-driven, AI-first workplace where intelligent copilots, governed automation, and deeply connected data systems form the backbone of how organizations operate. From massive transformations in Microsoft 365 to the emergence of fully governed AI agents with their own identities, Ignite 2025 delivered a bold roadmap. In this blog, we unpack the biggest announcements and explore why they matter â not just for IT leaders or developers, but for anyone who uses technology to get work done. https://dellenny.com/microsoft-ignite-2025-the-dawn-of-the-ai-agent-era/
Microsoft's Copilot: A Frustrating Flop in AI-Powered Productivity
Microsoft's Copilot was supposed to be the game-changer in productivity, but it's quickly proving to be a massive disappointment. The idea was simple: integrate AI directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office tools to make our lives easier. But when it comes to actually performing specific functions, Copilot falls flat. Hereâs the problem: when you ask Copilot to alter a document, modify an Excel file, or adjust a PowerPoint presentation, itâs practically useless. Instead of performing the tasks as requested, it often leaves you hanging with vague suggestions or instructions. Users don't want to be told how to perform a taskâthey want it done. This is what an AI assistant should do: execute commands efficiently, not just offer advice. What makes this even more frustrating is that other AI tools, like ChatGPT, can handle these tasks effortlessly. When you ask ChatGPT to perform a specific function, it does so without hesitation. Itâs able to understand the request and deliver exactly whatâs needed. But Copilot? It struggles with the basics, and thatâs unacceptable, especially from a company like Microsoft. Itâs frankly embarrassing that Microsoft canât get this right. The whole point of integrating AI into these tools was to streamline workflows and boost productivity. But if Copilot canât even manage simple tasks like formatting a document or adjusting a spreadsheet, then whatâs the point? Users donât need another tool that tells them how to do somethingâthey need one that does it for them. Microsoft, youâve missed the mark with Copilot. It's not just a minor inconvenience; it's a serious flaw that undermines the value of your Office suite. When other AI tools can easily accomplish what Copilot can't, it's time to reevaluate. Users expect more, and frankly, they deserve more for their investment. Whatâs been your experience with Copilot? Is anyone else finding it as frustrating as I am? Letâs talk about it.Analyzing Sales Data with Simple Natural Language Prompts in Copilot Excel
In todayâs fast-paced business world, being able to efficiently analyze sales data is crucial for making informed decisions. Traditionally, this required advanced spreadsheet skills, experience with formulas, or even specialized data analysis tools. But with the introduction of Copilot in Excel, anyoneâfrom beginner to expertâcan now analyze data using simple natural language prompts. Instead of writing complex formulas or constructing pivot tables manually, users can simply type a question like, âShow me total revenue by region,â and Copilot does the heavy lifting. This transformation signals a major shift in how organizations and individuals work with spreadsheets. It gives non-technical users the ability to uncover insights that were previously either time-consuming or out of reach. In this blog, weâll explore how Copilot in Excel works, how to use it for sales analysis, and why this new approach is a game-changer for data-driven decision making. https://dellenny.com/analyzing-sales-data-with-simple-natural-language-prompts-in-copilot-excel/How to Generate Formulas Using Copilot in Excel
In recent years, artificial intelligence has transformed the way we work in productivity tools, and Microsoft Excel is no exception. With the introduction of Copilot in Microsoft 365, users can now generate formulas, automate workflows, and analyze data with natural language commands. Instead of struggling to remember complex syntax or nested functions, Copilot acts as your intelligent assistantâinterpreting your requests and building formulas for you. Whether youâre a beginner who always forgets how VLOOKUP works or a power user wanting to prototype formulas faster, Copilot offers an intuitive way to work smarter in Excel. In this guide, weâll walk through how to generate formulas using Copilot in Excel, step-by-step, along with examples and tips on getting the best results. https://dellenny.com/how-to-generate-formulas-using-copilot-in-excel/Step-by-Step: Your First Data Analysis with Copilot in Excel
Data analysis has traditionally required a combination of technical skills, domain knowledge, and familiarity with complex Excel formulas. Today, Microsoft Copilot in Excel makes the process faster, more intuitive, and more approachableâeven for beginners. Copilot works as an AI-powered assistant within Excel, helping you analyze spreadsheets, clean messy data, create insights, and build visualizations using natural language prompts. Whether you are new to data analysis or looking for smarter ways to explore information, this guide walks you through performing your first analysis using Copilot in Excel, step by step. https://dellenny.com/step-by-step-your-first-data-analysis-with-copilot-in-excel/
Microsoft 365 Copilot License for Small Business Question
Hi! I'm the Global Admin for Microsoft 365 for a small company. Recently the CEO wanted to try Microsoft 365 Copilot(not the chat!) and I purchased a license for him. No one else have a license, not even me. So I purchased the license and assign it to him through the admin portal. So far he hasn't been able to use anything else but the chat. What am I missing here? I 've been checking settings and such and everything seems right. Any advice?Goodbye, Hours of Chart-Making: Hello, Copilot
Taking a neat table of numbers and turning it into a beautiful, insightful chart can feel like a chore. You know, clicking through menus, tweaking axis labels, and hoping you picked the right type of chart to tell your dataâs story. Itâs time-consuming, and for many people, itâs a stumbling block on the road to getting real value from their data. What if you could skip all that manual work? What if you could simply talk to your data tool and have it instantly whip up the perfect bar graph, line chart, or scatter plot? Itâs a powerful change in how we interact with spreadsheets and data analysis platforms. This blog post will dive into how Copilot can automatically generate charts and graphs, making you a data visualization superhero with almost zero effort. https://dellenny.com/goodbye-hours-of-chart-making-hello-copilot/Chat icon disappears in the M365 Copilot Chat
Hi, We are an Education tenant and have an issue where the "Chat" icon disappears from the left hand navigation in the M365 Copilot Chat app (or Web) after you click on e.g. "Search". The only way to get the Chat icon back is to restart the app or refresh the web page. This only happens to unlicensed users while users with a paid license don't have this issue. Version we are running is: bizchat.20251030.51.4 Anyone else experiencing this issue? ** Screenshots ** 1. When starting the M365 Copilot Chat app the "Chat" icon is present 2. Clicking the "Search" (or any other icon) then "Chat" disappears and will not come back until you restart the app. Same behavior in Web.
agent doesnt appears en my session
I have Microsoft Premium, and when I go to https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat/, the AI ââagent options don't appear. I contacted support, and after hours of trying incognito windows, different browsers, and the mobile app, it still doesn't work, and they told me to post here. When I open the agent dropdown, nothing appears.Stop Guessing Your Guide to Asking Copilot Questions About Your Spreadsheets
Letâs be honestâhow many times have you opened an enormous Excel file and instantly felt your brain shut down a little? You know the insights are in there somewhere⌠the trend that matters, the weird outlier, the formula that will finally make the numbers make sense. But digging them out can feel like you need a data science degreeâand two quiet hours with no interruptions. Iâve been there too. Iâve spent more mornings than Iâd like to admit wrestling with complex VLOOKUPs or manually sorting through hundreds of comments. Exhausting, right? https://dellenny.com/stop-guessing-your-guide-to-asking-copilot-questions-about-your-spreadsheets/Calling Copilot Studio Agent from custom M365 Copilot
Hi All! I am trying to use custom Copilot Studio Agent from custom Copilot for M365. I added Agent as a tool but when trying to test that in the conversation I receive error message: "Error Message: The connector 'Microsoft Copilot Studio' returned an HTTP error with code 400. Inner Error: Invalid request body Error Code: ConnectorRequestFailure Conversation Id: 832800f4-48fd-4ab4-a3e1-ec1f58f2b0c3 Time (UTC): 2025-11-18T19:40:16.710Z" It is happening even for 'empty' Copilot Studio Agents. I have all the required user licenses. Does anyone succeeded with that?
Recent Blogs
- Microsoft Ignite 2025 in San Francisco was an electrifying gathering that brought together over 30,000 tech professionals, business leaders, and innovators from around the globe. This yearâs event se...Nov 24, 2025
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