Microsoft 365 Insider Blog articles

Simplify cross-tenant user migrations with Microsoft 365 orchestrator

Rebecca_W_Wood — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:03:03 GMT

Hi, Insiders! I am Rebecca Wood, a Product Manager on the Enterprise and Cloud team. I’m excited to tell you about cross-tenant orchestrated user data migration in Microsoft 365, our new product for moving user data and workloads between separate Microsoft 365 tenants.

Simplify cross-tenant user migrations with Microsoft 365 orchestrator

The orchestrator, also known as cross-tenant orchestrated user data migration, is a self-service product for customers undergoing mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.

It was made for customers who wanted to use an in-house Microsoft solution that keeps all Microsoft 365 data within the Microsoft boundary. For the first time, we’re offering a product that moves Teams Chats! In addition, we have built an improved experience for migrating Teams Meetings.

How it works

Orchestrator is an opt-in feature that runs through PowerShell, where tenant admins can batch and schedule the migration of a user's mailbox, OneDrive, Teams meetings, and Teams chats.

Learn more.

Scenarios to try

This feature is best used with mergers and acquisitions scenarios, whether you’re aiming for tenant consolidation or tenant separations.

Availability

Cross-tenant user data migration is available as an add-on to the following Microsoft 365 subscription plans:

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, and Premium
Microsoft 365 F1/F3/E3/E5
Office 365 F3/E1/E3/E5
Exchange Online
SharePoint in Microsoft 365
OneDrive
EDU

It is available to customers who have a license under an Enterprise Agreement, cloud solution providers, Web direct customers, Small Business, and Education customers. It is an opt-in feature that requires the purchase of an add-on Cross-Tenant User Data Migration license for each migrating user.

Feedback

Please share your feedback with the experience here.

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Make spring gardening simple with help from Microsoft Copilot

StephanieParry — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Spring is inching closer, and for many of us, that means it’s time to dust off the gardening gloves and give our outdoor spaces a fresh start. Whether you're nurturing a long‑loved garden or finally committing to planting something, Copilot can help you ease into the season with confidence. With a few well‑crafted prompts, you can turn Copilot into your personal landscape architect.

Below are three spring‑ready prompts and what they can help you accomplish.

Kickstart your garden with a spring prep checklist

Spring prep can feel like a lot: debris to clear, soil to refresh, and early plantings to get in the ground before the season runs away from you. Copilot makes it easier by giving you a simple, actionable checklist tailored to your needs.

Copilot prompt:

I want a garden that is blooming with color by early May and through September. Create a step-by-step spring garden prep checklist, including clearing debris, soil prep, early planting tasks. I also want a plan and watering system recommendation for optimal watering from now throughout summer, based on my location.

Copilot response:

Keep your garden thriving with only a few hours each week

If your schedule is packed but you still want a flourishing spring garden, a short, consistent routine is your best friend. Copilot can help you build one that's realistic, sustainable, and effective.

Copilot prompt:

I have only 2–3 hours per week to maintain my garden. Help me design a low-maintenance plan that keeps my garden healthy and attractive from spring through fall. Prioritize native or drought-tolerant plants, simple routines, and seasonal tasks.

Copilot response:

A custom garden plan that’s designed to your specifications

A beautiful garden is not just about picking plants you like. It starts with designing intentionally, the same way a landscape professional would. When you pair a clear vision with a simple site assessment, you can make choices that support how you want to feel in the space, how you plan to use it, and how much time you want to spend maintaining it. With a few well‑crafted prompts, Microsoft Copilot can help you plan your layout, define zones, build a cohesive plant palette, and create a practical path from idea to installation.

Copilot prompt:

I’ve always wanted a professional landscape designer to help me create a mindful, beautiful garden design plan. Based on the details I give you about my yard’s size, sun exposure, and how I want to use the space, propose a conceptual layout with zones, flow, and key features.

Copilot response:

Spring is a season of fresh starts, and with Copilot as your garden companion, you can grow something wonderful—no overwhelm required. Here’s to a bright, blooming season ahead.

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Agent mode in Excel now works with your local files

Prash_MSFT — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:21:11 GMT

Hello Insiders! I am Prash Shirolkar, a Product Manager on the Excel team. I am thrilled to announce that Agent mode in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat now enables you to query modern (.xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm) locally stored Excel workbooks on Windows and Mac desktop.

Agent mode in Excel now works with your local files

Previously, insights and analysis from Excel Agent mode were limited to Excel workbooks stored in the cloud. With this new feature, analyzing your locally saved Excel workbooks with Excel Agent mode makes it possible to stay productive even when you’re offline.

How it works

In Excel for Windows or Excel for Mac, open a local file saved on your computer or network share.
In the ribbon, click the Copilot icon. In the Copilot pane, if you don’t see Agent mode in the input box, then select Tools. Choose Agent mode and then type your query or data modifications.

Availability

This feature is rolling out to Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac users with a Copilot Chat-eligible Microsoft 365 subscription running:

Windows: Version 2601 (Build 19628.20204) or later
Mac: Version 16.105 (Build 26011018) or later

What's next

In addition to addressing your feedback and making this capability available more broadly, we are working on adding foils to show changes made by Agent, restoring from a backup copy, enabling Agent for new or unsaved workbooks as well as non-Modern workbooks, like .csv, and .xls.

Feedback

We’d love to hear from you! Let us know what you think by selecting Help > Feedback and including #LocalFilesAgent in your comments so we can easily find them!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Copilot can reschedule conflicting events in Outlook

Julia Foran — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:41:02 GMT

Hi, Insiders! I’m Julia Foran, a Principal Product Manager on the Microsoft Time and Places team. I’m excited to share with you a new Microsoft 365 Copilot capability in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook for the web that can help you manage conflicting meetings and appointments in your busy calendar.

Copilot can reschedule conflicting events in Outlook

You can now have Copilot in Outlook reschedule personal appointments and one-on-one meetings if a conflicting event arises that takes priority.

Imagine you have a recurring check-in meeting, but it doesn’t have to be at the exact same time each week. Just ask Copilot to manage the meeting: It will keep an eye on your calendar and reschedule the event if you schedule or accept another meeting at the same time.

This feature offers numerous benefits:

Resolve conflicts fast: You can easily fix overlapping meetings and avoid double-booking.
Save time: Managing your schedule no longer requires manual intervention.
Improve productivity and collaboration: Copilot provides seamless scheduling and a well-organized calendar.
Remain in control: You decide the dates and times that are acceptable if Copilot needs to reschedule for you, and you can check what Copilot has rescheduled in the Outlook notifications pane and change your settings at any time.

How it works

Open new Outlook for Windows or Outlook for the web.
Select New > Event to create an event or a series, or open an existing event or series.
Toggle on If conflicts arise, let Copilot reschedule this event.
Under Acceptable times, select the day(s) and timeframe(s) you’re available to find the best alternatives if Copilot needs to reschedule the event or series for you.

NOTE: This step is optional, but you’ll get better results if you choose specific days and times.

Tips and tricks

Copilot will automatically reschedule your event based on your acceptable days and times only if:
- You accept a new event that occurs at the same time.
- Schedule or reschedule a new event to occur at the same time.
Only conflicting events with status of Busy or Out of office will be considered when evaluating conflicts. This means that if there’s a conflict on your calendar with an event that has automatic rescheduling with Copilot turned on, but your status for the conflicting meeting is set to Tentative, Copilot won’t reschedule it.

Known limitations

This feature does not yet support delegates creating or updating meetings on shared calendars.
If you create a series and automatic rescheduling with Copilot is turned off, you can’t turn it on for a single instance of the series later. If you create a new series and turn on automatic rescheduling with Copilot, the option can be turned off for a single instance later, but you can’t change your acceptable day(s) and time(s) for a single instance.
For more information on this feature, visit our Support page.

Availability

This feature is rolling out to Teams, Outlook for the web, and new Outlook for Windows (learn more) users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise license.

Feedback

Tell us what you think of this feature by going to Help > Feedback in Outlook. You can also send feedback on a specific meeting by selecting the thumbs up or down button on the update that appears in your Outlook notifications pane (learn more).

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat

Prash_MSFT — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:32:05 GMT

Hi, Insiders! I am Prash Shirolkar, a Product Manager on the Excel team. I’m excited to share that you can now query modern Excel workbooks (like .xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .ods) stored locally on your device using Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat on Windows and Mac. Now you have the flexibility to query Copilot Chat wherever your Excel files are located.

Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat

Previously, insights and analysis from Copilot Chat were limited to Excel workbooks stored in the cloud. With this new feature, analyzing your locally saved Excel workbooks with Copilot Chat makes it possible to stay productive even when you’re offline.

How it works

In Excel for Windows or Excel for Mac, open a local file saved on your computer.
In the ribbon, click the Copilot icon, select Chat, and then type your query.

Tips and tricks

If you make changes to your data, Copilot Chat will detect that a change has been made and will remind you to save your work. Saving your data ensures that Copilot Chat is working with the latest version of your file.

Availability

This feature is available to Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac users with a Copilot Chat-eligible Microsoft 365 subscription running:

Windows: Version 2511 (Build 19530.20108) or later
Mac: Version 16.104 (Build 25121423) or later

Feedback

We’d love to hear from you! Let us know what you think by selecting Help > Feedback and including #LocalFilesCopilot in your comments so we can easily find them!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science with help from Copilot

StephanieParry — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:31:01 GMT

February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, is about more than recognizing past achievements. It’s a moment to look forward. Who gets encouraged to pursue science. Who gets access to role models. And who feels like they belong in technical spaces early enough to imagine themselves there long term.

Organizations play a critical role in this pipeline. Not just through who they hire, but through how they show up in classrooms, communities, mentorship networks, and family conversations that shape future scientists and technologists.

With Microsoft Copilot by your side, it’s easier than ever to design meaningful initiatives and events that shine a light on diversity in IT. To help you get started, here are three ready-to-use prompts you can try with Copilot to bring this important day to life in your organization.

Designing a mentorship program to support women in IT

Mentorship is a proven way to support and encourage women in technology careers. . When mentorship programs work best, they’re intentional about career stage and scope. A first‑career professional has very different questions than someone preparing for a leadership role. Clarifying who the program is for from the start helps ensure mentors and mentees both get real value.

Here’s a sample prompt and Copilot’s response to help you get started:

Copilot prompt:

Design a mentorship program for early-career women in technical roles, with light-weight time commitments for busy mentors, including structure, suggested activities, and ways to measure success.

Copilot’s response:

From global icons to everyday role models

While global trailblazers like Ada Lovelace or Grace Hopper helped shape the field, recognition often feels most powerful when it’s personal. Consider spotlighting women whose work has directly impacted your teams or students. This could include:

Engineers or technical leads inside your organization
Women working in partner or customer organizations
Alumni, interns, or educators connected to your community

Copilot prompt:

Help me create a short, inclusive spotlight recognizing women in science or technology who are connected to our organization or community. Keep it practical, personal, and focused on real work rather than titles or awards. Include guidance on where and how we might share these spotlights.

Copilot's response:

Creating pathways for girls in science and technology

Celebrating women already working in science and technology is only part of the story. The “girls” in International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a reminder that curiosity, confidence, and access often begin long before a first job offer.

Even organizations without youth employees can play a meaningful role by supporting early exposure to science and technology and by helping girls see themselves as capable, curious problem‑solvers.

One way Copilot can help is by turning complex work into stories that feel approachable and age-appropriate.

Example Copilot prompt:

Help me turn what our team works on into a short, engaging story for middle school girls that explains why science and technology matter in everyday life, using simple language and real‑world examples rather than job titles.

Teams can use Copilot like this to shape talks, classroom visits, family-friendly events, or community outreach moments that spark interest without overwhelming technical detail.

Other ways organizations can support girls in science and technology include:

Partnering with local schools, libraries, or community groups to offer short, informal sessions that introduce girls to science and technology careers through storytelling and demonstrations.
Inviting employees to share what first sparked their interest in science, focusing on curiosity and exploration rather than résumés or titles.
Supporting existing programs that already work with girls in STEM through volunteering, sponsorship, or simply amplifying their work.

With Copilot as a brainstorming and planning partner, organizations can turn good intentions into inclusive, meaningful moments that resonate with women today and inspire the scientists and technologists of tomorrow.

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Plan smarter with Copilot

When time is limited, planning becomes your superpower. Copilot can help you create a roadmap that prioritizes what matters most.

Copilot prompt:

Copilot, create a February project roadmap that prioritizes tasks based on deadlines and resource availability.

Copilot's response:

Stay on track with recurring task checklists

Recurring tasks can eat up time if they’re not organized. Copilot can generate a checklist that keeps your team aligned and avoids last-minute scrambles.

Copilot prompt:

Generate a checklist for February’s recurring tasks and highlight any dependencies.

Copilot's response:

Reclaim your calendar with meeting optimization

Meetings can quickly consume your short month. Copilot can help you consolidate overlapping sessions and free up time for deep work.

Copilot prompt:

Suggest ways to consolidate overlapping meetings and free up 5 extra hours this month.

Copilot response:

With Copilot as your productivity partner, February’s short span becomes an opportunity to work smarter, not harder, so you can finish the month ahead of the game.

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Make math inclusive for everyone with Microsoft 365

PeteWu — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Hi, Insiders! I’m Peter Wu, a Principal Software Engineer on the PowerPoint team. Last fall, I shared many improvements to math in Microsoft 365, and I’m back this semester with even more.

Make math inclusive for everyone with Microsoft 365

Whether you are an economist forecasting the outlook for the next quarter, an engineer designing prosthetic limbs, a researcher studying new medical treatments, or a student pursuing your dreams in one of these fields, math is essential. It’s extremely important for math to be accessible so that everyone has the opportunity to learn, create, and explore. That’s why I’m so excited about the recent improvements in Microsoft 365 for inclusively communicating and collaborating with math, which we made in collaboration with DAISY Consortium, researchers, educators, instructional designers, and others who use math.

Reading and writing math is more accessible

Keyboard shortcuts

PowerPoint now has keyboard shortcuts that make it faster and easier to insert and edit native Office Math similar to the ones available in Word. This is especially helpful for people who can’t easily use a mouse or other pointing device. This is also useful for people who use LaTeX because conversion to and from professionally formatted math isn’t done automatically as you type.

To do this:	Press
Insert or toggle math	Alt + Equals in Word or PowerPoint for Windows Control + Equals in Word for Mac Control + Option + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac
Convert from linear format (UnicodeMath or LaTeX) to professional format	Ctrl + Equals in Word for Windows Ctrl + Alt + Equals in PowerPoint for Windows Command + Equals in Word for Mac Command + Option + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac
Convert from professional format to linear format (UnicodeMath or LaTeX)	Ctrl + Shift+ Equals in Word for Windows Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Equals in PowerPoint for Windows Command + Shift + Equals in Word for Mac Command + Option + Shift + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac

To do this:

Press

Insert or toggle math

Alt + Equals in Word or PowerPoint for Windows

Control + Equals in Word for Mac

Control + Option + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac

Convert from linear format (UnicodeMath or LaTeX) to professional format

Ctrl + Equals in Word for Windows

Ctrl + Alt + Equals in PowerPoint for Windows

Command + Equals in Word for Mac

Command + Option + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac

Convert from professional format to linear format (UnicodeMath or LaTeX)

Ctrl + Shift+ Equals in Word for Windows

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Equals in PowerPoint for Windows

Command + Shift + Equals in Word for Mac

Command + Option + Shift + Equals in PowerPoint for Mac

Feedback with sound

The Microsoft 365 apps for Windows now provides feedback with sound when you enter and exit native Office Math. This prevents you from accidentally inserting content inside the math zone that you intended to insert outside the math zone, and vice versa.

Go to File > Options > Accessibility and check Provide feedback with sound to turn it on.

Editing math with a screen reader

When editing native Office Math while using a screen reader such as Narrator, it reads the content to the right of the insertion point, as well as context information, that lets you know precisely where you are. For example, as you press Right Arrow to navigate through the equation for the area of a circle, it reads:

cap A

equals

pi

r squared

start base, r

end base

start superscript, 2

end superscript

Want to insert text at the end of the base but not in the superscript? Just listen to it read as you navigate to find the right spot.

Reading math with a screen reader

Narrator in Windows 11 25H2 Build 26200.7623 and later has improved the reading of native Office Math in PowerPoint Slide Show and Word using MathCAT, the industry-leading technology for math reading. PowerPoint and Word for Windows provide MathML in the accessibility tree that all screen readers and assistive technologies can use for a better experience.

Exporting PDFs with math

When you save or export your file as a PDF, PowerPoint and Word now include MathML in the PDF for the native Office Math. When reading the PDF with Adobe Reader and JAWS or NVDA with MathCAT, you can read the math part-by-part so you don’t miss anything.

Easily work with math across apps and webpages

Pasting math into OneNote

Now when you copy content that contains math in MathML format from webpages such as Microsoft 365 Copilot or Wikipedia and paste into OneNote, the math is preserved as native Office Math. It was recently added to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (in shapes and SmartArt) and now it is available in OneNote as well. Gathering math content from the web has never been easier!

You can also copy MathML code from a text editor such as Notepad and paste into OneNote to insert it as native Office Math. You can even copy MathML from the xFormula keyboard on iOS into OneNote to easily enter math on the go.

Pasting math into Word and PowerPoint

In Word and PowerPoint, MathML is now listed as one of the formats in the Paste Special dialog if the app that you copied from supports it, giving you more control over how math is imported into your documents. When you choose MathML, it is inserted as native Office Math.

Improved MathML support

Recent versions also include many improvements to importing and exporting MathML for great compatibility across apps and webpages.

Convert Equation Editor and MathType objects to native Office Math

If you or your organization have been using the Microsoft 365 apps for many years, you may have Equation Editor objects in your documents and presentations. Equation Editor was included with the Microsoft 365 apps from 1991 up until it was retired in 2018. You can convert Equation Editor objects to native Office Math so that you can edit and format them and experience the improved accessibility described above.

In Word and PowerPoint, Convert to Office Math is now available on Mac as well as Windows. And there is also a Convert All to Office Math command in Word and PowerPoint for Windows and Mac to convert all Equation Editor objects in the document or presentation to native Office Math at once. You can access both commands on the context menu for an Equation Editor object that appears when you right-click or press Shift + F10 (on Windows) or Control + Return (on macOS 15 or later).

Conversion also works on MathType for Windows objects.

Please share your experiences

What are you creating with math in Microsoft 365? Whether you are a student working on a science project, a data scientist publishing a report, or an engineering professor preparing slides for a course, please share your experiences and creations with this community to inspire others. Save your documents to OneDrive, create a sharing link, and promote it on social media with #Microsoft365Math.

Availability

Keyboard shortcuts for entering and editing math are generally available in Word for Windows and Mac. They are available in PowerPoint for Windows in Version 2512 (Build 19530.20000) or later and in PowerPoint for Mac in Version 16.104 (Build 25120915) or later.
Feedback with sound and the improved screen reader experience when editing math are available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote for Windows in Version 2601 (Build 19628.20000) or later.
Improved reading of math with Narrator is available in Windows 11 25H2 Build 26200.7623 or later in Slide Show in PowerPoint for Windows in Version 2511 (Build 16.0.19426) or later and is generally available in Word for Windows.
Improved accessibility of exported PDFs with math is generally available in Word on all platforms. It is also available in PowerPoint for Windows in Version 2602 (Build 16.0.19623.20000) or later.
Paste MathML from webpages and other apps is available in OneNote for Windows in Version 2601 (Build 19628.20000) or later and in OneNote for Mac in Version 16.105 (Build 26010535) or later.
Paste Special as MathML and Convert All to Office Math are available in Word and PowerPoint for Windows in Version 2602 (Build 19711.20000) or later and in Word and PowerPoint for Mac to Beta Channel users running Version 16.106 (Build 26011120) or later.

Don’t have it yet? It’s probably us, not you.

Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.

Feedback

Please click Help > Feedback in the app you are using to submit your thoughts about these features. We’re excited to hear from you!

We’re thrilled by the feedback we’ve received from users about recent math enhancements to Microsoft 365:

From Patrick Binning, Department Chair, Johns Hopkins University Space Systems Engineering Program: on creating accessible math in PowerPoint: "Get me LaTeX input!". On seeing a demo of LaTeX input in PowerPoint from Sara Shunkwiler: “Oh S%$T that's cool and will be a massive time saver.... next time I build a course! 😉“.
From Sara Shunkwiler, disabled engineer, STEM educator, and Instructional Designer at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering: “Patrick's class on the Physics of Space Security has been widely discussed in popular and space news media. The recent Office Math and general accessibility updates enabled my team to retrofit an entire companion course in early January, taking it from 0% accessible to 99% in a matter of weeks - just in time for term launch. These accessibility updates are life changing for neurodivergent and disabled students, faculty, and staff - yet benefit everyone else, as well. An inclusive engineering future begins with an inclusive education today.”
From Baiyun Chen, Senior Instructional Designer and Program Director of Personalized Adaptive Learning at the Center for Distributed Learning, University of Central Florida: “It’s great to see Microsoft 365’s continued commitment to improving math accessibility. As a Microsoft campus, we're excited to see how these new features will support instructors and instructional designers in creating more inclusive course materials. These enhanced accessibility features reduce barriers for learners and give instructors more confidence that their content aligns with accessibility standards.”

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Education: A year in review with AI-powered learning tools

AlyseMaguire — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:39:37 GMT

Hi Insiders!

Our mission continues to focus on promoting equitable and successful learning outcomes for all students. Last year, we made updates to our products and services to further impact our goal, whether it was providing new AI experiences for educators and students to spark their curiosity and master crucial skills or enhancing accessibility and security features for a safe and inclusive school environment.

Let’s look back at some of 2025’s biggest achievements with Microsoft Education offerings.

AI-powered teaching and learning

Our 2025 AI in Education Report found that while a majority of educators use AI, roughly a third are unsure how to use it effectively and responsibly. For this reason, we’ve invested in building tools and experiences that make AI adoption and usage optimal for everyone. A few examples are the M365 Teach Module for educators, which helps streamline class prep with AI assistance in lesson planning and student monitoring and Study and Learn agent and Minecraft agent, which provide adaptive experiences to foster critical and reflective thinking and skills-building. Microsoft 365 LTI simplifies Learning Management Systems integration, enabling educators and students to access Microsoft 365 tools directly within Canvas, Schoology, Brightspace, Blackboard, and Moodle. Reading Coach provides personalized reading practice with real-time feedback and progress tracking to keep students motivated and engaged, while Math Progress serves as a powerful assessment tool for conveying complex math concepts to diverse audiences. We also announced Microsoft Learning Zone, a free, AI-powered learning app and the first Copilot+ PC experience purpose-built for educators to create customized learning activities.

Learn more:

Accessibility updates

Last year, we introduced major accessibility features to help all students reach their full potential. Immersive Reader, built into Reading Coach, improves reading comprehension and supports learning differences. Presenting math across Microsoft 365 is also a lot easier and more inclusive, thanks to improved MathML and LaTeX support, and expanded AutoCorrect commands and symbols.

Learn more:

Security and data empowerment

We know how important it is to create safe and secure learning environments for students. Windows 11 continues to evolve to meet that need, with cloud-based device management, real-time protection through Microsoft Defender, and centralized management for IT teams through Microsoft Intune. Educators can also easily gather data and pull useful insights to maximize classroom performance with Microsoft Fabric and agents.

Learn more:

More educator support

Learning never stops, even for teachers, specialists, and administrators! Educators can better master AI and other crucial skills with expanded access to Microsoft 365 Copilot in your favorite apps, a library of AI literacy resources, ongoing webinars for hands-on practice, and our partnership with Pearson geared toward reskilling educators in the age of AI.

Learn more:

Your feedback makes us better

We hope that these announcements have inspired you to take advantage of new and improved capabilities for educators and students. We value your ongoing support and insightful feedback as it inspires us to continually innovate and enhance our products as an essential tool for millions around the globe. Every suggestion and comment you share plays a pivotal role in our journey towards excellence. Please keep them coming and help us make Microsoft 365 the best product it can be for YOU using any of these methods!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Your Data, Your Choices: Understanding Microsoft’s Privacy Commitments

MSArmelle — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:42:39 GMT

Today, we celebrate National Data Privacy Day. At Microsoft, privacy is more than a legal requirement, it’s a foundation for customer trust and a core part of how products and services are built. As digital life expands and technologies like artificial intelligence play a bigger role in everyday tasks, we continue to invest deeply in privacy, transparency, and responsible innovation.

Learn more about Privacy at Microsoft

Privacy principles at Microsoft

For Microsoft, privacy is a fundamental human right, and this principle guides how we design and operate our products. The Microsoft Privacy Principles, outlined in the Microsoft Trust Center, emphasize that:

You control your data.
You can access, delete, or move your data at any time.
Microsoft won’t use your data for advertising or unrelated purposes without consent.

These commitments are reinforced through privacy-by-design engineering practices, independent audits, and strong internal governance.

Learn more:

Microsoft 365 Copilot for organizations

With the rise of AI, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, customers want to know how their data is being used and protected. Here are some key points to know about Microsoft 365 Copilot:

Your prompts, responses, and data aren’t used to train foundation large language models (LLMs), including those used by Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Your organizational data stays protected within your Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is governed by the same identity controls, permissions, compliance standards, and data protections that already secure Microsoft 365.

Learn more:

In addition, our Responsible AI practices require transparency and risk mitigation to help keep AI systems behaving safely and ethically.

Learn more:

Microsoft 365 Copilot for consumers

Our privacy principles and our Responsible AI practices also apply to when you’re using Microsoft 365 Copilot with your personal software at home.

Prompts, responses, and your file contents when using Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps aren't used to train foundation models.

Learn more:

Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps for home: your data and privacy

In conclusion

National Data Privacy Day gives us an opportunity to spotlight these long-standing commitments and help you, our customers, better understand the choices and protections available to you. By combining strong security, clear privacy practices, and responsible innovation, we continue to build and maintain the trust of the people and organizations who rely on our technologies every day.

Microsoft 365 Accessibility, a year in review: Building accessible experiences with support from AI

AlyseMaguire — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:43:28 GMT

Hi, Insiders! You are at the forefront of how we design every new feature and update. Your feedback, suggestions, and insights help everyone have a great experience using our products. In 2025, we continued co-creating with internal and external blind and low vision and deaf and hard-of-hearing communities to make collaborating and creating content across Microsoft 365 seamless. Here’s a look back at some of our biggest accessibility enhancements over the past year:

AI-assisted accessibility

A strong foundation of accessibility is critical for AI tools like Copilot to deliver the most value. Last year, we upgraded the Copilot experience to enable anyone to create polished documents from voice notes, present math and other complex topics with ease, and quickly catch up on discussions with intelligent summaries. With alt text powered by generative AI, you can write richer image descriptions that provide screen readers with ample context for understanding your content. Finally, our expanded library of Copilot prompts help you share sensitive information and communicate more confidently and empathetically, whether at work or at school, or when dealing with a personal matter.

Building a better experience for people who are blind or have low vision

According to the World Health Organization, over 2 billion people globally have some kind of vision disability. To address the needs of this population, we continue to invest in the screen reader experience across Microsoft 365, including making Narrator more seamless and intuitive, enhancing keyboard shortcuts, adding support for Braille devices and verbosity, and improving navigation and comprehension of images, tables, comments, and more. In Outlook, screen readers now provide consistent announcements for misspelled words, grammatical errors, and confirmation when text formatting changes are applied, and you can use the up and down arrow keys to move between ribbon tabs and actions in Mail. Other updates, such as Dark Mode in Excel, Screen Curtain in Narrator, and Teams layout flexibility, enable you to build a workspace that suits your unique working style and needs.

Building a better experience for people who are deaf or hard of hearing

In 2025, we worked closely with the deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) community to support the unique needs of signers and their interpreters in Teams meetings. Sign language mode uses sign language detection to identify when a D/HH participant is actively signing and elevates them to active speaker status. This enhances the discoverability of signers and ensures their contributions are clearly visible. The introduction of Real-time text (RTT), pop-out captions, AI-powered audio recaps and real-time agent assistance in chats, makes conversations even more accessible for everyone.

Learn more:

Easier workflows for creating accessible content

Many of you asked for better ways to make your documents, presentations, emails, and spreadsheets more accessible – and we heard you! Accessibility Assistant now handles tables and shapes smarter so you can focus on truly impactful changes, while the Reading Order Pane in PowerPoint allows you to visualize how your content is read by screen readers and adjust the order as needed. Captioning videos has never been easier, either, with speech recognition and added support for SRT files.

Your feedback makes us better

We hope that these announcements have inspired you to take advantage of new and improved accessibility features. We value your ongoing support and insightful feedback as it inspires us to continually innovate and enhance our products as an essential tool for everyone. Every suggestion and comment you share plays a pivotal role in our journey towards excellence. Please keep them coming – if you have thoughts or suggestions for a specific app, select Help > Feedback or type Alt + Y1 + K.

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Snow big deal: Winter activities worth braving the cold from Copilot

AlyseMaguire — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:41:14 GMT

Hi, Insiders! Whether you want to cozy up indoors or get outside and enjoy the snowy weather, Microsoft Copilot can help you entertain family, get in the winter spirit, and make the most of this season – especially if the post-holiday blues are kicking in.

Plan the perfect winter getaway

In desperate need of a January vacation? Ask Copilot to find spots on a budget, or suggest ways to get away without taking too much time off work.

Sample prompt

I live outside Chicago and want to try skiing for the first time. What are the best mountains to visit for beginners that are within a five-hour drive. Also, list 3-5 hotels I can stay in for less than $200 a night.

Copilot’s response

Find places to explore locally

You don’t have to leave your local area to have fun – Copilot can easily recommend activities for solo adventures, family outings, and friend meet-ups.

Sample prompt

I want to have a winter-themed day, but I live in San Francisco. What shops/restaurants/events can I visit this January to get me in the seasonal spirit, especially if I want to bring a friend?

Copilot’s response

Make your own fun at home

Save time, money, and effort traveling by bringing winter celebrations right to your home. Just ask Copilot for ways to keep your kids engaged on snow days, or set up a romantic evening with your partner.

Sample prompt

My 3 kids under the age of 10 are home from school for a snow day. Create an itinerary to entertain and educate them using stuff I should have at our house between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM.

Copilot’s response

Keep cool (or stay warm) and carry on this winter!

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Microsoft Clipchamp, a year in review: cohesive, AI-powered video creation and editing experiences

AlyseMaguire — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 20:59:09 GMT

Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! Since joining the Microsoft family in 2021, Clipchamp has become a favorite tool for creators, educators, and businesses worldwide to create engaging, on-brand videos fast. In 2025, we added new capabilities aimed at improving accessibility, creativity, and precision as well as increased productivity and we made a number of updates to the editing interface. Let’s take a walk down memory lane!

A cohesive video experience

Last year, we learned from many of you about key overlaps between two of our video offerings within Microsoft 365: Clipchamp and Stream, our enterprise video experience. To capitalize on each product’s unique advantages and reduce friction for users navigating video at work, we spearheaded a new, cohesive Microsoft video experience by evolving Clipchamp and Stream into a single, streamlined video solution. Videos continue to be stored in SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive, while maintaining the same familiar experiences for sharing, searching, and commenting across other Microsoft 365 apps. Enterprise organizations can now enhance productivity and efficiency, while improvements to video playback capabilities will continue to improve user engagement.

Learn more: The future of video in Microsoft 365

More ways to customize and get creative

Greater customization was a priority in 2025, with many of our improvements geared toward helping you create on-brand and professional-looking videos with ease. Our refreshed brand kit stores logos, fonts, and other key elements for making organization-specific content, while the new color picker allows you to easily pick colors from your media files for precise color matching. Paired with the ability to create and share video templates, you can facilitate better collaboration and promote efficiency. Plus, we’ve expanded our library of stock images, text styles, vector shapes, gradient backgrounds and more design elements to suit your unique tone and drive better audience engagement.

Learn more:

A seamless interface

Using Clipchamp feel natural and enjoyable, and over the past year we’ve refreshed the interface to make that experience even smoother. We introduced both dark and light modes to suit your working preferences and a collapsable side bar and timeline. In addition, it’s now more intuitive to take common actions such as zooming in and out of the timeline, undoing and redoing edits, and changing the aspect ratio of videos.

Learn more:

AI-powered productivity

Microsoft 365 Copilot Create experience makes it easier to create videos from a prompt. Add a file, your organization's brand kit to help consuming and sharing information more dynamic and engaging. And if you need to catch up on what's happening across your company, from missed meetings to the latest townhall, Clipchamp has it all in one place. With the help of Copilot, leverage your transcripts to summarize your videos and get answers to your questions.

And to top it off, at Ignite 2025, we announced the availability of OpenAI’s latest video model, Sora 2, in Frontier—bringing advanced video generation capabilities to Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users.

Looking ahead, our focus is on strengthening video creation and consumption by making it easier for people to create high-quality video inside their everyday tools, and in turn enabling those videos to be discovered, shared, and reused across the organization. By tightening this loop, we aim to accelerate learning, collaboration, and the impact of video throughout Microsoft 365.

Learn more:

Your feedback makes us better

We hope that these announcements have inspired you to take advantage of new and improved capabilities in Clipchamp and supercharge your video creation. We value your ongoing support and insightful feedback as it inspires us to continually innovate and enhance our products as an essential tool for millions around the globe. Every suggestion and comment you share plays a pivotal role in our journey towards excellence. Please keep them coming and help us make Clipchamp the best product it can be for YOU using any of these methods!

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Bring data into Excel with the new Import Functions

Gal_Zivoni — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:39:00 GMT

Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! My name is Gal Zivoni, and I’m a Product Manager on the Excel team. I’m excited to share a new way to bring your data into Excel’s grid in Excel for Windows.

Bring data into Excel with the new Import Functions

Bringing data into Excel is a core part of so many workflows, yet it can often feel more complex than it needs to be. Many of you shared that while Power Query is powerful, its UI can feel heavy for simple import tasks — especially when all you want is to pull a .csv or .txt file directly into the grid.

With Import Functions you now have two faster, more intuitive ways to bring text-based data directly into Excel. These new functions — including IMPORTTEXT and IMPORTCSV — let you load your data into a refreshable dynamic array with a single formula.

How it works

IMPORTTEXT

IMPORTTEXT is a flexible new function that lets you import data from.txt, .csv, and .tsv files directly into a dynamic array in the grid. It’s designed for scenarios where you want full control over how your data is parsed, with options for delimiters, encoding, row filtering, and more.

In Excel, select the cell where you want your imported data to appear.
Type =IMPORTTEXT.
Enter the path to your file — this can be a local path or a URL — and optionally add parameters such as the delimiter by which to parse the data, rows to skip or take, encoding, or locale.
Press Enter, and the data from your .txt, .csv, or .tsv file is imported into the grid as a dynamic array.
If needed, use Data > Refresh All to refresh the data.

IMPORTCSV

IMPORTCSV is intended to be a shorthand for IMPORTTEXT, designed specifically for importing data from .csv files directly into a dynamic array in the grid. It provides a simplified experience with smart defaults, such as comma delimiting and UTF‑8 encoding, so you can bring CSV data into Excel quickly with fewer parameters.

In Excel, select the cell where you want your imported data to appear.
Type =IMPORTCSV.
Enter the path to your .csv file — local or URL — and optionally specify rows to skip or take, or a locale if needed.
Press Enter, and the data from your .csv file is imported into the grid as a dynamic array.
If needed, use Data > Refresh All to refresh the data.

Tips and tricks

You can specify fixed-width columns by passing a comma-separated array of ascending integers in the delimiter argument.
Example: =IMPORTTEXT("C:\Data\fixedwidth.txt", {1,3})
You can use the CHAR function to specify special characters for the delimiter argument.
You can use Import Functions as context for the =COPILOT function and ask questions about the imported data.
For more information about Import Functions, see IMPORTTEXT and IMPORTCSV.

Availability

This feature is available to Beta Channel users who are running Windows Version 2502 (Build 18604.20002) or later. If you’re not seeing it yet, make sure your account is enabled for Insider features and that you’re using an up-to-date version of Excel.

Feedback

We want to hear from you! If you have any feedback or suggestions, you can submit them by clicking Help > Feedback in Excel. You can also submit new ideas or vote for other ideas via Microsoft Feedback.

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Shelf-control: Make a fresh start and declutter with Copilot

StephanieParry — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:42:23 GMT

Hello, Insiders! Let’s face it: After the holiday whirlwind, January’s clean slate beckons us to rescue our spaces from the grips of last year’s clutter. With Microsoft Copilot, you can make your home and workspace shine without any heavy (organizational) lifting!

Celebrate “Clean Your Desk” day

January 12 is National Clean Your Desk Day, and is all about starting the new year with a clear mind and a clean, organized desk. This year, ask Copilot for tips for tackling mess or organizing piles of paperwork.

Sample prompt

Create a 30-minute detox for my desk I can do right now, plus suggest simple cleaning supplies it makes sense to have within reach and a file organizer I can buy online for less than $50.

Copilot’s response

Reset your digital space

There’s something undeniably refreshing about an organized desktop and browser. Have Copilot set you up for success with suggestions for doing a quick and painless digital detox.

Sample prompt

My New Year's resolution for work this year is to better organize my to-dos, digital files, and notes. Give me 5 easy apps or techniques I can use to stay organized and know where to find things when I need them.

Copilot’s response

Get inspired to refresh your home

After the chaos of the holiday, you may want to start the new year off with a fresh look for your living room. Lean on Copilot for a reasonable and motivating checklist and ideas for new furniture or aesthetics on a budget.

Sample prompt

I want my living room décor to reflect every season, but I'm not big on flashy seasonal pieces. Suggest a few elements I can introduce that make it feel seasonally trendy, modern, and fun. My budget is $400.

Copilot’s response

This January, make room for more joy (and less stuff) with Copilot by your side. Organization has never sounded so fun – or so easy!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Microsoft OneDrive, a year in review: AI-powered file management and smarter collaboration

AlyseMaguire — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 17:14:05 GMT

Hi, Insiders! For almost two decades, Microsoft OneDrive has been helping people store and manage everything from family photos to work files in the cloud. As our digital demands continue to grow, OneDrive too has evolved to keep the pace, delivering smarter tools for your everyday work and life.

This past year alone, we’ve introduced enhancements including AI-powered support and improved annotation options, many of which were influenced by your feedback and suggestions! Here’s a look at how OneDrive upgraded in 2025:

Transform documents into actionable insights with Copilot

With Microsoft 365 Copilot in OneDrive, turning information into action has never been easier. Quickly gather information about your files to make smarter decisions and accelerate your work. Copilot can provide concise summaries of multiple files at once, compare and highlight key differences between files, and answer questions about your documents, meeting recordings, or images.

Audio overviews in OneDrive offer a new and enjoyable way to digest content, while Copilot in File Explorer can take over the tedious task of generating FAQs around your lengthy files’ contents.

Photos Agent helps you find the exact photo you need via a simple prompt, and Moments and photo shuffle curate personalized slideshows to resurface forgotten memories.

Learn more:

More options for saving and sharing

We know how important it is for many of you to be able to easily secure and access your files, so we’ve released several features geared toward making this process intuitive, such as the ability to name files on Mac using special characters (like “ and ?) and automatic saving to the cloud in Word.

We also announced the hero link, which removes the headache of needing to create, delete, and manage multiple links to your files. New annotation and markup features improve collaboration by allowing you to use digital, hand-drawn ink, highlight text, draw shapes, and even insert sticky notes directly onto your PDFs. Finally, we added support for external, non-removable drives for Mac users for seamless syncing and better flexibility, as well as the ability to transfer ownership of files in just a few easy clicks.

Learn more:

Stronger and more reliable performance

OneDrive’s performance got even faster and more dependable in 2025, with updates including added shortcuts to keep shared library content side-by-side with your individual files and Microsoft 365 Archive, which offers a simple archiving solution to declutter workspaces, reduce costs, and keep legacy content discoverable.

Copilot + OneDrive: Watch all these features and more in action

Want to dive even deeper? Cath the full on-demand video from our third-annual OneDrive event. From our product leaders Jeff Teper to Jason Moore, to the experts building these features every day, it’s packed with valuable content!

Explore all the content:

Thank you for all your feedback and contributions to OneDrive’s journey over the last year! For more OneDrive tips and tricks, check out: Get the most out of OneDrive with these little-known features!

Your feedback makes us better

We hope that these announcements have inspired you to take advantage of new and improved capabilities in OneDrive. We value your ongoing support and insightful feedback as it inspires us to continually innovate and enhance our products as an essential tool for millions around the globe. Every suggestion and comment you share plays a pivotal role in our journey towards excellence. Please keep them coming and help us make OneDrive the best product it can be for YOU using any of these methods!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

Add links to text faster in Word

jye — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:52:42 GMT

Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! I’m Jenny Ye, a Product Manager on the Word team. I’m excited to share an update to Word for the web, Word for Windows, and Word for Mac that makes it easier to add hyperlinks to your documents.

Add links to text faster in Word

We believe that tasks you do every day in Word, like hyperlink text, should feel effortless – which is why we’ve made the whole process a lot quicker. Now, you can simply highlight a word or phrase and paste the link directly onto it, and this will automatically add a hyperlink. Whether you’re sharing resources with your team or citing articles in a report, this feature helps you stay in the flow by reducing clicks and letting you focus on your words instead of formatting.

How it works

In a browser, copy the link you want to include in your document.
In Word for the web, Word for Windows, or Word for Mac, select the text you want to add the link to, and then paste the hyperlink.

Availability

This feature is available to all Word for the web users, and rolling out to users running:

Windows: Version 2511 (Build 19530.20006) or later.
Mac: Version 16.104 (Build 25120915) or later.

Feedback

We’re always looking for ways to help you work smarter, so let us know what you think of this new feature! Please submit your comments by selecting Help > Feedback in the app and using the hashtag #overpaste in your feedback!

Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!

2025 Microsoft 365 Insider Blog Awards

MSArmelle — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:35:29 GMT

Happy New Year, Insiders, and welcome to 2026! Grab your popcorn—it’s time for our third Annual Awards. Think of it as the Oscars of Microsoft 365, minus the awkward acceptance speeches. We’re spotlighting the features that stole the show in 2025 and giving a standing ovation to our brilliant authors.

2025 Microsoft 365 Insider Blog Awards

We’re thrilled to announce the newest round of Microsoft 365 Insider Blog Awards, with winners in 4 categories. Keep reading to discover who made the list!

Most viewed posts

This list tells us that our blog is a source of information and not just news – the most viewed post provides guidance as we ended support for a popular app. You’re also loving the AI innovation we’re delivering and still very much value the basics – like shortcuts! So, keep the comments rolling in. We’re all ears and occasionally jazz hands.

OneNote for Windows 10 support is ending – 471,252 page views
Paste Text Only shortcut in Word – 338,021 page views
Updated default paste option in Word for Windows – 328,517 page views
New Zoom shortcuts in Word – 225,821 page views
Bring AI to your formulas with the COPILOT function in Excel – 173,207 page views

Most engagement on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is where we come to connect, share, and learn which makes it a great platform for us to connect with YOU. It's always fun to see what you responded to the most! Look at that variety of topics – our top 5 posts (from an engagement POV) are about 5 different apps!

Get the most out of OneDrive with these little-known features! – 8,400 engagements (including 3,213 coming from the carousel)
See your day at a glance with the new Calendar app – 5,911 engagements (including
Introducing new productivity apps People and File Search engagements – 3,891 engagements
Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks available in OneNote on Windows – 3,344 engagements
Stay on brand with video templates in Clipchamp for work - 1,906 engagements

Most engagement on X

Twitter is where people show up to feel informed, entertained, or surprised - often all within the same scroll. We love engaging with you there and getting your "reaction" to our posts and Microsoft 365 news and announcements. Just as on LinkedIn, the top 5 posts are about 5 completely different topics! Couldn't agree more with whoever said that "variety is the spice of life"?

Work smarter with Copilot in the People, Files, and Calendar apps – 1,391 engagements
OneNote for Windows 10 support is ending – 863 engagements
New Microsoft 365 icons for the AI era – 764 engagements
Liquid Glass and template category filters in Word Excel and PowerPoint for iOS - 481 engagements
Audit logs for screensharing and Take control for Teams admins - 425 engagements

Most prolific authors

Bola Soneye contributed an astonishing 9 posts to our blog, all focused on OneNote and more specifically addressing customer feedback and delivering productivity boosting capabilities. Way to go, Bola!

We also want to recognize another author, Shireen Salma, who brought us 6 fantastic posts. With a focus on Accessibility, Shireen’s posts highlight both updates and innovation that make our products and services accessible to people with disabilities while also benefiting everyone. Shireen, you’re proof that inclusion is innovation!

2025 gave us plenty of buzzworthy features and experiences, and we loved every minute of it. Now it’s 2026’s turn! Get ready for more Microsoft 365 news, tips, and insights than you can shake a keyboard at. Keep the feedback flowing, and let’s make this year even brighter. ✨ Happy New Year!

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Automatic alt text generation in Word and PowerPoint on Copilot+ PCs

shireensalma — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:46:12 GMT

Hello, Insiders! I’m Shireen Salma, a Product Manager on the Office Accessibility team. I’m excited to share that rich alt text is automatically generated when you insert an image in Word and PowerPoint on a Copilot+ PC device.

Automatic alt text generation in Word and PowerPoint on Copilot+ PCs

This new experience is designed to make documents and presentations more accessible from the moment images are added, while also prioritizing performance, privacy, and user control.

Copilot+ PCs are equipped with NPUs capable of over 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second), enabling high-quality AI experiences to run directly on the device. By leveraging the NPU, Word and PowerPoint can now generate descriptive, context-specific, and meaningful alt text without relying on the cloud, leading to:

Faster, on-device processing
Enhanced privacy, with no data ever leaving the device
More energy-efficient AI workloads

For more information, visit Learn more about Copilot+ PCs and Windows 11 PCs from Surface.

How it works

To add alt text when inserting an image

Insert an image in a Word document or PowerPoint presentation on your Copilot+ PC, and notice that alt text is automatically added as an option at the bottom of the image.
To apply the alt text as is, select Approve, or select Edit to open the Alt Text pane, review the description, and make changes.

To add alt text to existing images

In Word or PowerPoint on your Copilot+ PC, select an image, and then select Picture Format > Alt Text. NOTE: You can also select Review > Check Accessibility > Missing Alt Text.
Select Generate alt text for me, and notice that the alt text is rich, contextual, and meaningful.

Tips and tricks

You can turn off this feature by selecting File > Options > Accessibility, and then unchecking Enable the option to generate alt text using AI.
For more information, read Richer alt text in Word and PowerPoint, powered by generative AI.

Availability

This update is available to Word and PowerPoint for Windows users with a Microsoft 365 subscription and running Version 2512 (Build 19530.20006) or later on a Copilot+ PC.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how this update is working! Open Accessibility Assistant in Word or PowerPoint, then select Give Feedback to provide feedback. Alternatively, you can select Give feedback on this alt text in the Alt Text pane for specific feedback on alt text.

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Microsoft 365 Insider Blog articles

Simplify cross-tenant user migrations with Microsoft 365 orchestrator

Simplify cross-tenant user migrations with Microsoft 365 orchestrator

How it works

Scenarios to try

Availability

Feedback

Make spring gardening simple with help from Microsoft Copilot

Kickstart your garden with a spring prep checklist

Copilot prompt:

Copilot response:

Keep your garden thriving with only a few hours each week

Copilot prompt:

Copilot response:

A custom garden plan that’s designed to your specifications

Copilot prompt:

Copilot response:

Agent mode in Excel now works with your local files

Agent mode in Excel now works with your local files

How it works

Availability

What's next

Feedback

Copilot can reschedule conflicting events in Outlook

Copilot can reschedule conflicting events in Outlook

How it works

Tips and tricks

Known limitations

Availability

Feedback

Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat

Query your local Excel files with Copilot Chat

How it works

Tips and tricks

Availability

Feedback

Celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science with help from Copilot

Designing a mentorship program to support women in IT

Copilot prompt:

Copilot’s response:

From global icons to everyday role models

Copilot prompt:

Copilot's response:

Creating pathways for girls in science and technology

Example Copilot prompt:

More logical navigation through Word documents for screen readers

More logical navigation through Word documents for screen readers

How it works

Availability

Feedback

Short month survival guide: Planning, checklists, and calendar wins with Copilot

Plan smarter with Copilot

Copilot prompt:

Copilot's response:

Stay on track with recurring task checklists

Copilot prompt:

Copilot's response:

Reclaim your calendar with meeting optimization

Copilot prompt:

Copilot response:

Make math inclusive for everyone with Microsoft 365

Make math inclusive for everyone with Microsoft 365

Reading and writing math is more accessible

Keyboard shortcuts

Feedback with sound

Editing math with a screen reader

Reading math with a screen reader

Exporting PDFs with math

Easily work with math across apps and webpages

Pasting math into OneNote

Pasting math into Word and PowerPoint

Improved MathML support

Convert Equation Editor and MathType objects to native Office Math

Please share your experiences

Availability

Feedback

Education: A year in review with AI-powered learning tools

AI-powered teaching and learning

Accessibility updates

Security and data empowerment