Access to Office App Context and Setting CEA as Default in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Hello everyone, I’m exploring Custom Engine Agents (CEA) in Microsoft 365 Copilot and have two questions regarding their integration with Microsoft 365 applications. Can a Custom Engine Agent access the current Office application context? When a CEA is added to Microsoft 365 Copilot, is there a supported way for the CEA to access the content of the Microsoft 365 application where Copilot is currently being used? For example: Word: Can the CEA read and/or modify the document currently open in Word? Outlook: Can the CEA access the current email/thread and perform write operations such as drafting or modifying content? PowerPoint: Can the CEA access and modify the presentation currently open? Other Microsoft 365 applications: Are similar capabilities available in other applications where Microsoft 365 Copilot is supported? Essentially, I’m trying to understand whether a Custom Engine Agent can leverage the same application context and read/write capabilities that the native Microsoft 365 Copilot has within these applications. If this is supported, what APIs, SDKs, or integration patterns should be used? Can a Custom Engine Agent be configured as the default mode? Is there a supported way to: Disable or bypass the default Microsoft 365 Copilot experience/mode, and Configure a Custom Engine Agent as the default agent/mode that users interact with when they open Copilot? For example, if an organization has a custom agent that should handle the majority of Copilot interactions, can that agent be configured as the default instead of the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot? I’d appreciate any clarification on the current capabilities, limitations, and recommended architecture for these scenarios. ThanksAccess to Office App Context and Setting CEA as Default in Microsoft 365 Copilot
<p>Hello everyone,</p> <p> I’m exploring <strong>Custom Engine Agents (CEA) in Microsoft 365 Copilot</strong> and have two questions regarding their integration with Microsoft 365 applications. </p> <p><strong>1. Can a Custom Engine Agent access the current Office application context?</strong></p> <p> When a CEA is added to Microsoft 365 Copilot, is there a supported way for the CEA to access the content of the Office application where Copilot is currently being used? </p> <p>For example:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Word:</strong> Can the CEA read and/or modify the document currently open in Word?</li> <li><strong>Outlook:</strong> Can the CEA access the current email/thread and perform write operations such as drafting or modifying content?</li> <li><strong>PowerPoint:</strong> Can the CEA access and modify the presentation currently open?</li> <li>Similarly, can it access the context of other Microsoft 365 applications where Copilot is available?</li> </ul> <p> Essentially, I’m trying to understand whether a <strong>Custom Engine Agent can leverage the same application context and read/write capabilities that the native Microsoft 365 Copilot has within these applications</strong>. </p> <p> If this is supported, what APIs, SDKs, or integration patterns should be used? </p> <p><strong>2. Can a Custom Engine Agent be configured as the default mode?</strong></p> <p> Is there a supported way to: </p> <ul> <li>Disable or bypass the default Microsoft 365 Copilot experience/mode, and</li> <li>Configure a <strong>Custom Engine Agent as the default agent/mode</strong> that users interact with when they open Copilot?</li> </ul> <p> For example, if an organization has a custom agent that should handle the majority of Copilot interactions, can that agent be configured as the default instead of the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot? </p> <p> I’d appreciate any clarification on the current capabilities, limitations, or recommended architecture for these scenarios. If there is any official documentation covering these capabilities, please share it as well. </p> <p>Thanks!</p>Access to Office App Context and Setting CEA as Default in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Hello everyone, I’m exploring **Custom Engine Agents (CEA) in Microsoft 365 Copilot** and have two questions regarding their integration with Microsoft 365 applications. ### 1. Can a Custom Engine Agent access the current Office application context? When a CEA is added to Microsoft 365 Copilot, is there a supported way for the CEA to access the content of the Office 365 application where Copilot is currently being used? For example: - **Word:** Can the CEA read and/or modify the document currently open in Word? - **Outlook:** Can the CEA access the current email/thread and perform write operations such as drafting or modifying content? - **PowerPoint:** Can the CEA access and modify the presentation currently open? - Similarly, other Microsoft 365 applications where Copilot is available. Essentially, I’m trying to understand whether a **Custom Engine Agent can leverage the same application context and read/write capabilities that the native Microsoft 365 Copilot has within these applications**. If this is supported, what APIs, SDKs, or integration patterns should be used? ### 2. Can a Custom Engine Agent be configured as the default mode? Is there a supported way to: - Disable or bypass the default Microsoft 365 Copilot experience/mode, and - Configure a **Custom Engine Agent as the default agent/mode** that users interact with when they open Copilot? For example, if an organization has a custom agent that should handle the majority of Copilot interactions, can that agent be configured as the default instead of the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot? I’d appreciate any clarification on the current capabilities, limitations, or recommended architecture for these scenarios. Thanks
Microsoft Copilot 365 Personal Premium limits
In my Copilot Notebook, I deliberately loaded 20 PDF files in order to test Copilot’s grounding behavior across the full set of available references. At the time this testing setup was created, 20 references represented the effective grounding limit described for Copilot Notebooks, meaning that these references were expected to form the source base used by Copilot when generating grounded responses. The references consisted of fully functional, original academic textbooks containing relevant and up-to-date scientific information, mostly published within the last ten years. Importantly, the sources do not differ from one another in terms of accessibility, file type, availability, or how they were added to the notebook. They are all PDF files, they are all available in the same environment, and there is no obvious difference in access conditions that would explain why some are consistently used while others are repeatedly treated as inaccessible, unavailable, summarized, or skipped. The purpose of the test was therefore not simply to see whether Copilot could access 20 files, but whether it could actually ground its answers in the complete reference set when explicitly instructed to analyze all available sources. Despite this, in approximately 99.9% of my tests, Copilot appears to ground its responses in only 3 to 5 of the 20 available references, often repeatedly using the same documents. When I ask what happened to the remaining sources, Copilot gives different explanations. Sometimes it says that it does not have access to certain files. Sometimes it says that it only received a summary of the file. Sometimes it says that a step involved in retrieving or processing the information failed. The way Copilot explains this often makes it sound as if access to the uploaded files depends on some external or intermediate system, rather than being something Copilot itself can directly control. This is difficult to understand from a user perspective because the files are already uploaded into the Copilot environment and were specifically provided as source material for analysis. The practical result is that a task explicitly requesting analysis of 20 sources often produces an answer based on only 3 to 5 of them. For academic or research use, this is a serious limitation. If 15 to 17 out of 20 carefully selected sources are not actually examined, then the final synthesis cannot realistically represent the full source base. This also creates uncertainty about what Copilot means when it claims to have used the provided materials. My question to Microsoft is: Is there a technical limit on how much information Copilot can actually retrieve, open, and analyze from uploaded files during a single task or session? If such a limit exists, what is that limit? And why, when 20 valid PDF sources are uploaded and Copilot is explicitly instructed to analyze all of them, does it so often appear to open only 3 to 5 files, while describing the others as inaccessible, summarized, or unavailable because some retrieval step failed?Microsoft Copilot 365
To Microsoft: Serious Concerns Regarding the Actual Capabilities of Microsoft Copilot Microsoft, After 12 consecutive days of intensive testing of Microsoft Copilot, for approximately eight hours per day — around 96 hours of practical use in total — I have serious concerns about the accuracy of the way Copilot's functions and capabilities are described and presented by Microsoft. What I have observed in actual use is repeatedly and substantially different from what the product is presented as being capable of doing. This conclusion is not based on a single unsuccessful prompt, an isolated error, or a short test. It is based on repeated testing over many days, involving continuous academic, analytical, document-based, and multi-step tasks. One of the most serious problems is Copilot's inability to reliably maintain and use conversational context even within the same active session. For example, Copilot can generate a substantial piece of text and, in the immediately following interaction, claim that it cannot see or access that same text. It may ask the user to provide again information or content that Copilot itself generated only one response earlier. This makes it impossible to rely on the system for genuine sequential work. During testing, the same general problem has appeared in different forms: Copilot fails to return reliably to earlier tasks, loses access to information already established within the conversation, fails to connect consecutive instructions, and sometimes behaves as though previous parts of the same active session do not exist. This is particularly serious when Copilot is used for academic or research work. A workflow may require the system first to generate or analyse material, then classify it, compare it with another part of the work, identify its sources, reorganise it, and finally continue developing it. If Copilot cannot reliably access the result of the immediately preceding step, such a workflow becomes fundamentally unreliable. After approximately 96 hours of direct testing, it is increasingly difficult to regard these problems simply as occasional technical limitations. The discrepancy between Microsoft's descriptions of Copilot and the behaviour actually observed during sustained use is substantial enough to raise a much more serious question: whether the functions and capabilities attributed to Copilot in Microsoft's product descriptions accurately represent what the system can actually and reliably do in normal use. From the user's perspective, the current experience creates the impression that Microsoft's claims about Copilot's capabilities are misleading. A capability should not be considered a genuine product capability merely because the system can occasionally perform it under favourable conditions. If a feature is presented to users as part of the product's functionality, users should reasonably be able to expect that functionality to operate consistently enough to be relied upon. After 12 days of testing, that has not been my experience. The difference between the advertised or described capabilities and the actual behaviour of Copilot is not minor. In several fundamental areas — particularly conversational continuity, access to previous work within the same session, multi-step task execution, and reliable reuse of previously generated content — the practical experience does not correspond to the expectations created by Microsoft's descriptions of the product. After nearly 100 hours of testing, I am therefore questioning not simply the quality of Copilot, but the accuracy and transparency of Microsoft's representation of what Copilot is actually capable of doing. If Microsoft describes Copilot as possessing capabilities that repeatedly cannot be reproduced in sustained real-world use, then the issue is no longer merely whether Copilot occasionally makes mistakes. The issue is whether users are being given an accurate representation of the product they are being asked to use and pay for.Managing agent inventory and costs
This fast-paced session will showcase how AI admins can confidently manage agents and control costs. You’ll see how Microsoft empowers organizations to govern agent inventories, create billing policies, and gain visibility and control over usage and cost. Whether you're scaling agents across departments or fine-tuning consumption at the department level, this session will demonstrate how Microsoft 365 admin center brings clarity and control to your AI operations. How do I participate? No registration is required. Select "Add to calendar" to save the date, select "Attend" to receive event reminders, then join us live on February 26th ready to learn and ask questions! Feel free to post questions and comments below. You can post during the live session and/or in advance if the timing doesn't work for you. This session is part of the IT management and security in the AI era. Add it to your calendar, select "Attend" for event reminders, and check out the other sessions! Each session has its own page where the session livestream and discussion space will be available at the start time. You will also be able to view sessions on demand after the event.Copilot & agent reporting: Measuring AI adoption and impact
Join us for a focused, fast paced walkthrough of the latest reporting capabilities in Copilot and Agent Analytics. We’ll show you how organizations can track adoption, understand usage patterns, and measure the impact of both M365 Copilot and Agents using our newest reports. This session includes a live demo of the updated Copilot Dashboard, newly added Copilot Chat reporting, enhanced benchmarks, and the all-new Agent Dashboard—designed to give leaders and analysts a unified, actionable view of AI usage and performance across their environment. How do I participate? No registration is required. Select "Add to calendar" to save the date, select "Attend" to receive event reminders, then join us live on February 26th ready to learn and ask questions! Feel free to post questions and comments below. You can post during the live session and/or in advance if the timing doesn't work for you. This session is part of the IT management and security in the AI era. Add it to your calendar, select "Attend" for event reminders, and check out the other sessions! Each session has its own page where the session livestream and discussion space will be available at the start time. You will also be able to view sessions on demand after the event.IT management and security in the AI era
Join us for insights, demos, and deep dives into the latest features and controls for securing and managing your environment while unlocking AI’s value. Learn how to prepare your environment for Copilot and agents, and deep dive into the latest innovations to secure, manage, and analyze Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and agents across your organization. What to expect A breakdown of the built-in protections in the Copilot platform that help proactively safeguard your organization Practical ways to reduce exposure to common attack vectors in an increasingly AI-forward digital work environment Technical guidance for protecting sensitive data while maintaining productivity Best practices for managing agents and controlling costs Insights on measurement, analytics, and usage trends Guidance on enabling users and measuring the impact of M365 Copilot and agents Live AMAs with Microsoft product team members throughout the event Time Session Title Speaker(s) 8:00–8:30 AM PT Copilot trust & safety: Controls to manage AI risk Tanner Briggs 8:30–9:00 AM PT Secure Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents against data loss Erica Toelle, Sophie Ke 9:00–9:30 AM PT Microsoft Baseline Security Mode: Simplify, secure, succeed Adriana Wood 9:30–10:00 AM PT Managing agent inventory and costs Samer Baroudi 10:00 AM–10:30 AM PT Copilot & agent reporting: Measuring AI adoption and impact Mike Walsh, Steph Tung How to Participate Register for the Microsoft Tech Community using your email if you haven’t already. This allows you to post comments and ask questions. Visit each individual session page during its scheduled time to join the conversation. You can post your questions in the comments, and product team members will respond live during the AMA. Watch the session live or catch the recording on demand after the event. Keep the conversation going in the Microsoft 365 Copilot Tech Community discussion space after the sessions conclude. It’s a great place to follow up, share what’s working, and connect with others exploring similar topics. Hope to see you there! Come ready to learn and ask our experts all of your burning questions!Copilot trust & safety: Controls to manage AI risk
As generative AI adoption accelerates, IT, security and compliance leaders must balance access to innovation with responsibility and governance. In this session on Copilot trust & safety you’ll learn about the Microsoft-built protections embedded in the platform, see how Copilot safety investments map to real-world risk scenarios, and get a clear understanding of how to proactively safeguard your organization through policy, compliance, and risk management tools while unlocking AI’s value. How do I participate? No registration is required. Select "Add to calendar" to save the date, select "Attend" to receive event reminders, then join us live on February 26th ready to learn and ask questions! Feel free to post questions and comments below. You can post during the live session and/or in advance if the timing doesn't work for you. This session is part of the IT management and security in the AI era. Add it to your calendar, select "Attend" for event reminders, and check out the other sessions! Each session has its own page where the session livestream and discussion space will be available at the start time. You will also be able to view sessions on demand after the event.
