The next chapter for AI-powered work management in Microsoft Planner
Today at Microsoft Ignite, we’re excited to share the next major evolution in work management—one that builds on the journey we began in April 2024, when we unified Microsoft To Do, Planner, and Project for the web into a single, modern experience we called the new Planner. Now available in Microsoft Teams and as a web app, Planner has further been enhanced with the Project Manager Agent, an AI-powered assistant that helps streamline your planning process. Now, we’re taking the next step by bringing advanced AI skills through Project Manager Agent to our platform—delivering intelligent automation and a seamless planning environment that can help empower teams to move faster, stay aligned, and deliver results with less friction. A day in the life: From conversation to coordination It’s Monday morning. A product launch team gathers—some in person, some remote. Instead of action items getting lost in chat threads or emails, Facilitator and Project Manager Agent are now part of the meeting experience. During the meeting, Facilitator listens for spoken intent and captures decisions as actionable tasks. Team members can also prompt Facilitator through the meeting chat to add, update, or assign tasks in real time. This ensures that nothing is missed and that tasks are created directly from the flow of conversation. Project Manager Agent structures these tasks within Planner, assigning owners and due dates as directed by the team. The agent helps team members organize and track their work efficiently by making it easier to create, assign, and update tasks within Teams meetings. Furthermore, the Project Manager Agent works alongside Facilitator to generate a marketing plan, so the team can use the document as a reference for stakeholders. The agents are able to create the document, pulling context from the meeting transcript, meeting chat, and files shared during the meeting. The document is posted in the meeting chat and is also available as an attachment to the task in the meeting plan. As the meeting wraps up, the plan is live in Planner, with clear ownership and next steps. Everyone leaves the meeting aligned, knowing exactly what needs to be done and who is responsible. This is the story we’re showcasing at Ignite: how Planner and agents are helping teams drive work across Teams. What’s rolling out soon to general availability Below is a list of features that are currently available in public preview and rolling out to general availability in the next two weeks. Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings: Leveraging the skills of Project Manager Agent, Facilitator can create tasks during meetings and automatically extract tasks from meeting transcripts to ensure nothing is overlooked. These tasks are captured in meeting notes and seamlessly synced to Planner for enhanced post-meeting tracking. Additionally, the Facilitator can generate documents from meetings, helping resolve the "cold start" challenge. Simply @mention Facilitator to create, assign, or access tasks, or to generate required documents. Project Manager Agent skills in Teams channels: Leveraging the skills of Project Manager Agent in Teams channels, users can create tasks, set due dates, and assign tasks seamlessly within their collaborative workspace by @mentioning the respective Channel Agent. Learn more about Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings and channels in our announcement blog post. What’s new for Project Manager Agent and Planner Below is a list of features that are new to Project Manager Agent, Channel Agent in Teams, and Planner. Workback plans in Teams channels: Project Manager Agent and the Channel Agent together now support the creation of AI-powered workback plans, automatically generating a reverse timeline of tasks and milestones based on the target deadline and goal provided. A screenshot of a Teams channel shows a conversation with the Channel Agent. The Channel Agent has created a workback plan with tasks and due dates. Ask questions about your plans in Teams channels: You can now ask the Channel Agent questions related to your plans in Planner. Simply @mention the Channel Agent directly in your channel conversation with questions such as: What tasks are assigned to me? What tasks need to be completed this week? Create and update tasks with Channel Agent: You can also ask the Channel Agent to create new tasks and update existing ones. Simply @mention the Channel Agent with prompts such as: Create a task to complete the Quarterly Business Review deck. Assign the LT review prep task to Daniel. For more information, see how to create project tasks using Channel Agent. Status reports with Planner data: Channel Agent uses its knowledge to create status reports for channel members. These status reports are delivered as a Loop file within the channel, allowing team members to review, edit, collaborate, and share with others. Previously, the Channel Agent would generate status reports based on messages in its respective channel, as well as meeting summaries for any meetings the agent was added to. Now, status reports generated by the Channel Agent are enriched with Planner data to provide additional context, improve project visibility for all stakeholders, and enable better decision making by highlighting progress, risks, and blockers. Learn how to generate a status report using Channel Agent. Please note, these new capabilities in Teams channels are currently available in public preview. A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to create, interact with, and manage Channel Agent in Teams. Learn how to get started with Channel Agent for Teams channels. Support for Information Barriers: Microsoft Purview Information Barriers are policies in Microsoft 365 that a compliance admin can configure to prevent individuals or groups from communicating and collaborating with each other. Support for Information Barriers in Planner enables organizations to restrict access to plans and tasks based on user groups. This feature can help prevent data leaks, enforce internal policies, and support regulatory mandates by limiting plan visibility and collaboration to authorized segments. Support for Information Barriers is now generally available in basic plans only across: Planner for the web Planner in Teams (web, desktop, and mobile) Learn more about Information Barriers in Microsoft Planner. What’s coming soon to Planner Below is a list of additional compliance features that are currently rolling out or starting to roll out in Planner next month. Please note, these features are not being demoed at Ignite. Check the Microsoft 365 public roadmap for rollout status and additional details. Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) label support in Planner: Up until now, Planner has supported container labels for Microsoft 365 Group-backed and Roster plans, restricting access based on label permissions. This update will enable support for content labels, enforcing Data Loss Prevention controls, such as: Preventing users from copying task content, exporting plans to Excel or other formats, and forwarding tasks or plans to unauthorized users. Restricting users from printing plans or tasks when the content label includes a “block print” directive and restricting users from any form of hard copy generation of sensitive plans. Displaying watermarks on plans and tasks when required and ensuring watermark visibility across all supported clients (web, desktop, and mobile). Inheriting content labels from Loop Task List components or other linked containers, applying the same restriction to the Roster plan created from a Loop file, and respecting label changes. Informing users when label restrictions are in effect, preventing actions that violate label policies, and offering downgrade prompts if label changes would revoke access for certain users. With this rollout, users will be able to apply and modify content labels on Group-backed plans. Roster plans created from meetings will inherit the meeting label. eDiscovery support for Roster plans: Up until now, Planner has only provided eDiscovery support for modern Group-backed plans. This update will enable eDiscovery support for Roster plans as well. Once rolled out to your organization, admins will be able to pull the task data relevant to a user by selecting the individual’s mailbox. When the eDiscovery admin selects a user’s mailbox as the data source, they would see the task that the user was assigned to. Join our sessions at Ignite 2025! Whether you’re on site at the Moscone Center or joining us online, dive deeper with demos and Q&A. We’ll share additional details on the features above and announce some exciting updates coming soon to Planner. Theater session (THR761): Accelerating productivity with Planner and Project Manager agent in Microsoft Teams Time: Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 AM Pacific Speakers: George Bullock, Robyn Guarriello Duration: 25 minutes (in person, live Q&A) Breakout session (BRK287): Planner & agents: Driving work across Teams, Outlook, and Copilot Chat Time: Thursday, November 20 at 4:45 PM Pacific Speakers: Howard Crow, Robyn Guarriello Duration: 45 minutes (in person, streamed live, and on demand) Expert meetups: Visit the Copilot & Agents station for hands-on demos and unblocked Q&A with product experts. Learn more Watch the on-demand Breakout session from Ignite 2025. Sign up to receive future communication about Planner. Check out the Planner adoption page and Planner help & learning page to learn more about Planner. Visit the Microsoft 365 roadmap for feature descriptions and estimated release dates for Planner. Walk through the interactive demos for Project Manager Agent in Planner and Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings. Take these hands-on learning courses to enhance your AI business solutions with Copilot and agents at work.Announcing general availability of the new Microsoft Teams app for Windows and Mac
Today, we are excited to announce general availability of the new Microsoft Teams app for Windows and Mac including education customers. We’re also beginning to roll out new Teams to public preview for our Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and government cloud customers.
Making Teams Updates Seamless: Smarter Delivery with Peer-to-Peer download and Scattered Rollouts
Updating Microsoft Teams is an important part of keeping collaboration smooth and secure. The latest Teams updater makes this process more efficient than ever by introducing two innovative strategies: Delivery Optimization and Scattered Update. These approaches work together to minimize bandwidth usage, reduce impact on networks, and ensure updates happen seamlessly—so users can stay productive without interruptions. Why Bandwidth Optimization Matters In large organizations, updates often need to reach thousands of devices. If they all download at the same time, it can put extra pressure on the network and slow down other important activities. By optimizing how updates are delivered, IT teams can keep everything running smoothly and ensure users stay connected without interruptions. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference for a seamless experience. Delivery Optimization in Detail Delivery Optimization is a built-in Windows feature designed to make updates more efficient by reducing redundant downloads. It works through several smart mechanisms: Peer-to-Peer Sharing Devices on the same network can share update files with each other, so not every device needs to download the update package from the internet. Customer should expect more than 30% of bandwidth savings from peer-to-peer sharing. More information on peering efficiency: Delivery Optimization Frequently Asked Questions | Microsoft Learn Microsoft Connected Cache Organizations can use a dedicated cache server to store update packages locally, enabling faster retrieval and reducing external bandwidth usage. Seamlessly leveraging standard HTTP sources as well as peers Delivery Optimization leverages both standard HTTP sources and peers seamlessly, ensuring app update always completes successfully from all available sources. IT teams can manage Delivery Optimization settings through familiar tools like Intune, Configuration Manager. This approach helps significantly reduce bandwidth consumption for large packages such as Teams updates, making the process smoother and more reliable. Scattered Update Scattered Update is designed to prevent all devices from updating at the same time. Instead of a single, large wave of downloads, updates are distributed in smaller, controlled phases. Here’s how it helps: Intelligent Scheduling Teams updater assigns devices to different time windows, spreading the rollout over hours or days. Smart scheduling can redistribute up to 70% of update download attempts within the first two days of a new release. Background Update Teams updater checks for and downloads updates during its scheduled time slot, all without needing the main app to be running. Best Practices for IT Admins To get the most out of Delivery Optimization, consider configuring settings for your tenant to allow peer-to-peer sharing and connected cache. This ensures devices can leverage local sources before downloading from the internet. If you're already using Delivery Optimization peer-to-peer in your organization, and/or are using Microsoft Connected Cache with HTTPS support, no further action is required! Teams updates will seamlessly use your preferred method of bandwidth optimization. Please refer to Delivery Optimization documentations below for how to configure your tenant: Configure Delivery Optimization for Windows | Microsoft Learn. HTTPS Support for Microsoft Connected Cache Overview | Microsoft Learn
Strange ringtone is played through Bluetooth headphones when receiving call in MS Teams
Windows 11 22621.1413 (happened on previous builds as well) Asus Zephyrus M16 GU603ZW Microsoft Teams Version 1.6.00.4472 (64-bit) (happened on previous versions as well) Headphones: Jabra Elite Active 7 Have a very weird and annoying problem: if I connect a headset to the notebook via Bluetooth, I am getting a strange ringtone when I receive a call in MS Teams. I have turned off "play sound for incoming calls and notifications" option, but it is still ringing. I thought it was a feature of Jabra headphones (tried on Jabra 75t), but when I connected wife's Samsung headphones (Samsung Buds 2), I got the different ringtone! 🙂 Neither of these ringtones are MS Teams ringtones (checked all available) and weirdly enough, none of them are visible on visualization in System->Sound->More sound settings -> Playback (it seems it plays on headphones itself). Jabra support said they do not have any pre-loaded ringtones on the headphones. Additionally, when I'm on the meeting in MS Teams, this ringtone is not playing when I receive calls. Having this issue for a year already, but to be honest, was not able to understand the cause of it. When I connect a non-Bluetooth headset (SteelSeries Arctic 7) I don't hear any additional ringtone. Reinstalled Teams completely - did not help. Any ideas how to disable it?Microsoft Teams Town Hall: Host Professional Digital and Hybrid Events at Scale
Over the past year, Microsoft Teams town hall has made significant strides, continuing to evolve as a platform for scalable digital and hybrid events. It now provides enhanced production controls and richer attendee experiences. Whether you’re hosting a company-wide all hands, a hybrid town hall from your headquarters, or a large presentation for clients, Teams town hall provides a unified, professional solution that keeps everyone engaged and connected, supporting up to 100,000 simultaneous attendees. If you are new to town hall or are considering consolidating your communication on Teams to host scalable events, we’d like to share the latest progress and key features that make town hall a great choice for large-scale events with enhanced customer experiences. Scalable event experience in Teams Rooms - Hybrid events made easy Modern events often combine an in-person audience with remote participants. Teams town hall now fully supports these co-located experiences through seamless integration with Teams Rooms systems. When using Teams Rooms on Windows, a conference room system assigned as a presenter can join the event in presenter mode, with the front-of-room display defaulting to the attendee view. From the console, presenters maintain complete control over what appears on screen, including access to the green room and off-stage management. They can also switch the front-of-room display to presenter view without affecting what remote attendees see. The result is a smoother, more coordinated hybrid experience—transforming the on-site AV setup into a powerful production studio. In addition to this new capability for Teams Rooms on Windows, town hall is now supported for Teams Rooms on Android. These systems can now join a town hall as an attendee, allowing a group to participate together in-person with a Teams Room on Android device. Ultra-low latency (ULL) streaming – Real-time engagement Historically, large broadcast-style events had a significant delay of around 20–30 seconds for attendees. Town hall now reduces that delay with ultra-low latency (ULL) streaming for Teams Premium users. When enabled, ULL streaming dramatically reduces the delay for attendees watching the live stream to less than five seconds. This means your audience hears and sees the presenters in near real-time allowing more natural engagement. . This low-latency stream is auto-activated for town halls organized with a Teams Premium license, and it works with Microsoft’s eCDN solutions to scale securely for up to 20,000 concurrent event attendees. 1080p full HD video quality – Crisp, professional broadcasts Visual clarity is key to professional, high-quality event production. Town hall now supports 1080p full HD video for live event streams, a significant improvement from the former 720p limit. With 1080p, your town hall comes through with sharper, more detailed video meaning faces, text, and visuals are crystal clear for every attendee. This professional, studio-quality look helps land your message with a more engaging experience that holds audience attention. This feature enables 1080p resolution for up to 20,000 concurrent event attendees. This feature is currently in private preview, but will soon be generally available, and requires a Teams Premium license to enable. Event layouts & “Manage What Attendees See” – Polished production control Town hall gives organizers and presenters with Teams Premium powerful event layout control to craft a dynamic viewing experience for event attendees. Using the “Manage What Attendees See” feature, you can act as a producer in real-time, deciding who and what appears on the screen at any time. For example, you might start with a full-slide view during a critical data presentation, then switch to a side-by-side layout showing the presenter’s video alongside the slides for commentary. Town hall allows up to seven presenters to be shown simultaneously alongside shared content, an improvement over previous limits, so a whole panel can appear with the presentation media at once. Attendees stay focused on the content you want to highlight, and you can seamlessly transition between layouts (slides, speaker gallery, demos, etc.) to keep the presentation engaging and ensure that presenters land their key messages with the right information for attendees. Screen sharing navigation – No need to say ‘next slide’ During large events it’s common for multiple presenters to speak to the same presentation. Now presenters can share control of their slides with up to 20 other presenters at the same time, removing the need to hand off control between sections and providing seamless navigation of the slides throughout the presentation. Control is delegated by the user sharing their screen and can be adjusted at any point of your event. Live polls – Real-time audience engagement Keeping large audiences engaged can be challenging, but town hall now includes integrated polls to allow participants to stay involved. Organizers with Teams Premium can create and launch polls during the event, and results can be shared instantly with everyone. This capability transforms a one-way broadcast into a two-way conversation. For attendees, polls provide a quick and easy way to participate and contribute. For presenters, polls offer immediate feedback that can help tailor the live discussion. This can result in a more attentive audience, new opportunities for communication, and moments of collective participation. Raise Hands – Inclusive Q&A Town hall is designed to scale to tens of thousands of viewers, but we haven’t forgotten the importance of letting individual voices be heard. We’re excited to bring the raise hand feature to town hall. When an audience member raises their hand, organizers and presenters are notified and can choose to bring that attendee on screen to ask a question or share a comment, with full audio and video. This is a game-changer for live Q&A sessions. Instead of relying solely on typed Q&A or pre-submitted questions, you can invite attendees to actively participate in the discussion. For event organizers, this feature means you can foster authentic, live interaction, even when presenting at scale. Town hall Graph API – Greater control and customization Microsoft Graph APIs empower organizations to integrate Teams town hall with the internal platforms and workflows they are already using. These APIs enable organizations to automate the entire event lifecycle, by creating, publishing, and canceling town halls directly from their own systems, eliminating manual steps and reducing operational overhead. Organizations can use Graph APIs to suppress default Teams notification emails and instead trigger their own internal email communications, ensuring consistent user experiences. An additional recent enhancement is resource-specific consent (RSC), which allows apps to request permissions scoped to a specific town hall (or webinar) rather than requiring global admin rights. This improves security, simplifies consent processes, and enables developers to build integrations that respect organizational boundaries, all while ensuring compliance and scalability for enterprise events. Teams town hall has evolved into a comprehensive platform that raises the bar for virtual and hybrid events. From ultra-low latency streaming and HD video that make your broadcast feel crisp and professional, to interactive features like polls and raise hands that turn passive viewers into active participants, town hall is built to engage audiences at scale. Town hall helps mitigate the challenges of hybrid work and delivers tools for co-located experiences and Teams Rooms system integration so you can connect with people across offices and geographies in one seamless event. All of these innovations are available to use today as part of the current town hall experience. Try them out to create more impactful, inclusive events for your audiences. Learn more about Teams Town hall and what is coming next: Teams Town hall adoption Hear more from our experts on how to execute successful town halls at scale: Customer Hub Read more about our best practices for hosting Town hall events in Teams Rooms: Teams town hall in Teams Rooms best practices
Syncing Security Groups with team membership
In this post, I present a PowerShell script to synchronize the membership between security groups and Office 365 groups, a long-standing request from Microsoft Teams admins and team owners. Source code on GitHub at https://github.com/danspot/Danspot-Scripts-and-Samples-Emporium.
