Message center announcements
January 20, 2025 – January 26, 2025
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(Updated) Web links in the new Outlook for Windows to open side-by-side with email in Microsoft Edge
MC803892 | January 24 – The new Outlook for Windows will open web links in Microsoft Edge side-by-side with the email, enhancing productivity. This update, rolling out from late July 2024 to late January 2025, applies to AAD and MSA accounts. Users can manage this feature through Outlook settings or policy configuration. View more
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Microsoft Entra: Enablement of Passkeys in Authenticator for passkey (FIDO2) organizations with no key restrictions
MC920300 | January 24 – Starting late January 2025, organizations with enabled passkey (FIDO2) policy and no key restrictions will have passkeys in the Microsoft Authenticator app. Users can add this via aka.ms/MySecurityInfo, and it’s enforced by Conditional Access policy. Organizations preferring not to enable this can impose key restrictions. View more
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90-day reminder: Deprecation of WSUS driver synchronization
MC987861 | January 24 – If you’re using driver synchronization updates via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), prepare for change. This service is scheduled for deprecation on April 18, 2025. For on-premises contexts, drivers will be available on the Microsoft Update catalog, but you won’t be able to import them into WSUS. You’ll need to use any of the available alternative solutions, such as… View more
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Multiple account access to Copilot in Microsoft 365 desktop and mobile apps
MC981462 | January 23 – Copilot in Microsoft 365 will support multiple account access on desktop and mobile apps starting early March 2025. A Cloud Policy to manage this feature will be available by late January 2025. Organizations can use this policy to restrict access if needed. View more
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(Updated) New Service in your Microsoft 365 subscription: Org Explorer
MC939925 | January 22 – Org Explorer, a new service in Microsoft 365 Outlook, visualizes company structure and will be available without a Viva premium license after January 2025. Rollouts for various Outlook versions start late February 2025. No immediate action is required for preparation. View more
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Microsoft Graph: New default passcode in the Create Meeting API
MC985483 | January 22 – The Microsoft Graph API’s Create Meeting API will require a passcode by default from February 24, 2025, changing the current default setting. In October 2027, the option to create meetings without passcodes will be removed for increased security. Users should update applications accordingly. View more
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Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI: New user department graph
MC988145 | January 25 – We will soon add a new graph to Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management for AI that displays the departments of users interacting with AI apps. The department data is from a user’s profile in Entra. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID… View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Brand impersonation protection for Teams Chat
MC910976 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams is introducing a new security feature to alert users of potential brand impersonation in Teams Chat, especially during initial contact from external domains. Rollout begins late October 2024 for Targeted Release and mid-November 2024 for General Availability, completing by mid-February 2025. This feature will be enabled by default with no admin configuration needed. View more
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(Updated) Teams: Latest meeting experiences with performance improvements on web for Safari and Firefox (for guests)
MC705760 | January 24 – Teams on the web will introduce improved meeting experiences for Safari and Firefox users, particularly for guests, with a refreshed interface and performance enhancements. The rollout begins in September 2024 and completes by February 2025. Organizations should update their documentation to inform users of these changes. Roadmap ID: 329253. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint: Protect sensitive files with dynamic watermarking
MC833890 | January 24 – Microsoft 365 is rolling out dynamic watermarking for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to protect sensitive files, with a current issue causing access errors. Public Preview begins mid-July 2024, with General Availability starting mid-January 2025. Admins need to configure this feature post-rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: New recording policies for town halls and webinars
MC971032 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams is introducing new recording policies for town halls and webinars, allowing separate control of event behavior. This update, referenced by Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 473887, will roll out from early to mid-March 2025. Organizations should prepare by updating recording policies using PowerShell commands. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: New transcription policies for town halls and webinars
MC971031 | January 24 – New transcription policies for Microsoft Teams town halls and webinars will allow finer control and won’t follow the current Teams meeting transcription policies. They will be configurable in the Teams admin center or with PowerShell commands after early March 2025. Admins should prepare by updating policy values accordingly. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Outlook: Quickly see who is in the office based on work hours and location
MC862229 | January 24 – Microsoft Outlook is introducing a new calendar feature that allows users to see who is in the office based on their work hours and location settings. The rollout for Targeted Release will begin in mid-August 2024 and for General Availability in early October 2024, with completion expected by early February 2025. This feature will be on by default for new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web. No admin action is required before the rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Loop – Microsoft 365 Groups for Managing New Loop workspaces
MC929023 | January 24 – New Loop workspaces can be managed using existing Microsoft 365 Groups, ensuring governance and compliance akin to SharePoint Team sites. This feature, corresponding to Roadmap ID 422728, will roll out from late February to late March 2025, with no preparatory action required from users. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Loop – Promote Members to Owners in Loop workspaces
MC929027 | January 24 – Microsoft Loop will soon allow promoting members to owners in shared workspaces. The rollout, starting mid-February 2025 and ending late March 2025, requires no action for preparation. This update is detailed in Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 362124. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Loop – Common Admin Management Tasks Enabled for all Loop workspaces
MC929029 | January 24 – Microsoft Loop’s common admin management tasks will be enabled for all new and existing workspaces, with a rollout starting in late February 2025 and ending in May 2025. Admins will manage Loop workspaces via SharePoint Embedded admin center or PowerShell, with changes visible in Loop experience from December 2024 for new workspaces and by March 2025 for existing ones. No preparation is needed for this update. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Third-party add-in user report can be sent to Microsoft for analysis
MC962528 | January 24 – Microsoft Defender for Office 365 now allows administrators using third-party add-ins to configure automatic sending of user-reported suspicious messages to Microsoft for analysis. This update is associated with Roadmap ID 406167 and will be rolled out in mid-May 2025. Configuration details and benefits are provided. View more
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Microsoft Copilot in Edge: New contextual features like page summary on Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat “Work” tab
MC966641 | January 24 – Starting mid-February 2025, Microsoft Copilot in Edge will add page summarization and contextual queries to the Work tab in Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat. Users will need a Copilot license to access these features, which can be managed by admins using the EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext policy. Rollout completion is expected by late February 2025. View more
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(Updated) Update to Get-CsPhoneNumberAssignment
MC950880 | January 24 – The update to Get-CsPhoneNumberAssignment cmdlet limits phone number retrieval to 1,000 numbers per query, starting January 6, 2025. Rollout begins early February and ends mid-February 2025. Exceeding this limit will result in a “Bad request.” Users should adjust their requests accordingly. View more
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Microsoft Teams: File open preferences will extend to more Microsoft 365 apps
MC967240 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams will soon allow users to set preferences for opening Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files from Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps. This feature, starting with Teams for Windows desktop and classic Outlook, is expected to roll out between early March and late March 2025. No admin action is required. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Describe it to design it in Teams Workflows
MC718250 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams is introducing a ‘Workflow builder’ in the Workflows app, allowing users to describe the automation they need, which will then generate a matching workflow. This feature will first appear in Teams chat and channel overflow menu, with a global rollout starting late September 2024. It requires a Teams account with Power Automate access in Europe or the US and currently supports English descriptions for cloud flows only. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Viva Connections: Update to app name
MC979826 | January 24 – The Microsoft Viva Connections app will be renamed to Connections to fit better in Microsoft Teams. The rollout starts late January 2025 and ends by late February 2025. Customizations remain if already made. No admin action is required, but users should be informed. View more
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Microsoft Purview | Insider Risk Management: IRM alerts in Microsoft Defender XDR
MC961761 | January 24 – Microsoft Purview’s Insider Risk Management (IRM) data will soon integrate with Microsoft Defender XDR, providing alerts, indicators, and events for comprehensive investigation and correlation. This includes a unified alert queue, advanced hunting, access via Microsoft Graph API, and availability in Microsoft Sentinel. Public Preview begins mid-January 2025, with General Availability in late June 2025. Admins need to enable data sharing and assign permissions to access this feature. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft 365 app: Microsoft Loop – New personal Loop workspace
MC929028 | January 24 – The Microsoft Loop app now includes a personal workspace for users, akin to a SharePoint Embedded container, with governance similar to OneDrive. The Ideas workspace will become a shared Loop workspace. Rollout begins mid-February 2025, completing by late March 2025. No action is needed for preparation, but Loop workspace creation can be disabled via admin policies. Roadmap IDs: 422727, 422729. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: New features to improve user app adoption
MC898393 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams is introducing two new features to enhance app discovery and adoption. The rollout timeline has been updated, with Targeted Release starting early November 2024 and General Availability beginning mid-November 2024. The updates include a dedicated section for organization-added apps and personalized app recommendations based on user collaboration. These features will be on by default, and admins should review preinstalled apps for visibility in the new Teams Store sections. No admin action is required before the rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Purview | Communication Compliance: Policy alerts improvements
MC920304 | January 24 – Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance is enhancing policy alerts, offering better capabilities and customization. The Public Preview rollout begins mid-April 2025, with general availability rolling out in mid-May 2025. Admins can customize alert frequency and recipients. The feature is available by default. More information is accessible via the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Copilot: New user control for web searches
MC931407 | January 24 – Microsoft Copilot introduces a user control for web searches. Rollout starts late January 2025, completing by late February. Users can enable/disable web searches in the overflow menu. Admin-disabled searches remain off post-rollout. No admin action needed; organizations should review configurations and inform users. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Outlook: Add shared folders to Favorites
MC799635 | January 24 – Microsoft Outlook is updating to allow users to add shared folders to Favorites, starting early February 2025 for Targeted Release and March for General Availability. The update applies to Outlook for Windows and web, not Mac or mobile. No admin action is required for the rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Purview | Information Protection: Auto-labeling policies will support “Fingerprint based SIT”
MC920308 | January 24 – Auto-labeling policies in Microsoft Purview | Information Protection will soon support Fingerprint based SIT. Rollout will start late November 2024 and finish by early February 2025. This update allows admins to automatically label files and emails with Fingerprint based SIT, which will be on by default. View more
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(Updated) General Availability of Direct Routing Phone Number Inventory
MC985472 | January 24 – Direct Routing Phone Number Inventory is now generally available for Microsoft Teams Phone customers, allowing management of assigned and unassigned numbers. Unassigned numbers won’t be removed from management storage, and can be released using New-CsOnlineTelephoneNumberReleaseOrder. The feature is accessible via Teams PowerShell cmdlets and will be in Teams Admin Center preview, with full release expected mid-February 2025. View more
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Microsoft Teams: Enhanced compliance and security in voicemail messages
MC987329 | January 24 – Microsoft Teams voicemail messages in Exchange will see compliance and security enhancements, including updated ‘From’ fields to meet RFC 6854 standards and labels for external or unverified calls. Rollout begins December 2024, with no admin action required. Users should be informed of these changes. View more
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Microsoft Purview | Endpoint Data Loss Prevention: Paste to browser restriction on macOS device
MC987324 | January 24 – Microsoft Purview is introducing a feature to restrict pasting sensitive content into browsers on macOS devices, complementing existing Windows device policies. The Public Preview begins late February 2025, with General Availability starting early April 2025. No admin action is required for this update. Roadmap ID: 476073. View more
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Microsoft Purview | Endpoint Data Loss Prevention: Full file evidence collection on macOS devices
MC987322 | January 24 – Microsoft Purview’s Endpoint DLP will soon allow full file evidence collection from macOS devices, automatically copying files that match DLP policies to Azure storage. Public Preview starts late February 2025, with General Availability in early April 2025. No admin action is required for the rollout. View more
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Coming Soon: Update to Apps user interface experience in Intune
MC987318 | January 24 – The Intune admin center’s ‘Apps’ area will soon have a UI update, offering a consistent look and improved navigation, starting early February 2025 and reaching all admins by month’s end. This update is for admin center UI only and includes scenario-focused navigation, updated naming, dedicated monitoring reports, platform-specific pivots, and consistent list views. No action is needed, just awareness. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Private moderator replies to individual attendees
MC952893 | January 23 – Microsoft Teams is introducing a feature that allows moderators to reply privately to attendee questions during events. The rollout begins in late January 2025 and should be completed by early February 2025. This feature is enabled by default and can be managed in Q&A settings. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams admin center: Deploy frontline teams with flexible membership
MC883199 | January 23 – The Microsoft Teams admin center will soon allow the deployment of location-based frontline teams with flexible membership, including dynamic rules and team owner management. The rollout timeline has been updated, with targeted release in mid-October 2024 and general availability by late January 2025. This update is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 410774. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Purview | Audit search: New filters will be available
MC789312 | January 23 – Microsoft Purview’s audit search will have four new filters: Id, UserType, UserKey, and ClientIP. The rollout timeline has been updated, with Public Preview in April 2025 and General Availability in May 2025. No action is required before the rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Change background while recording on phone
MC718553 | January 23 – Microsoft Teams on iOS now allows users to change their background or blur it while recording. Rollout began in May 2024 and will complete by January 2025. No preparation is needed for this update, but informing users is recommended. Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 380852. View more
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(Updated) Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions encryption support in new Outlook for Windows
MC974362 | January 23 – Outlook for Windows is rolling out S/MIME support for sending and reading signed and encrypted emails. Rollout began mid-December 2024 and will continue through February 2025, excluding DoD for now. No admin action is needed, but users should be informed of the update. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Defender for Office: Introducing “Threat classification” for email
MC973503 | January 23 – Microsoft Defender for Office is introducing “Threat classification” for emails, enhancing detection and response capabilities. The system uses advanced techniques for accurate threat intent classification. It will be integrated across various features, with rollout expected in January 2025. Updated documentation is available on Microsoft Learn. View more
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(Updated) New Microsoft Outlook for Windows: Sharing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint local files through email
MC882252 | January 23 – Microsoft Outlook for Windows will soon allow users to share local Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files via email. The rollout starts in October 2024 and finishes by August 2025. This feature is enabled by default, requiring no admin action prior to rollout. Users can share files directly from File Explorer. View more
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Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Role-based Copilot offerings – 2025 release wave 1 plans available now
MC987008 | January 23 – Today, we published the 2025 release wave 1 plans for Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform and Role-based Copilot offerings, which is a compilation of new capabilities that will be released… View more
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Video creation in Copilot Visual Creator powered by Clipchamp
MC986546 | January 23 – Clipchamp’s integration with Copilot Visual Creator allows users to generate videos from typed prompts, sourcing from Microsoft 365’s stock media. Videos are saved in OneDrive and can be edited in Clipchamp. The feature rolls out from mid-February to mid-March 2025 and is available with Microsoft 365 Copilot plan. Users can control access and provide feedback within the app. View more
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Microsoft Copilot Dashboard: New usage intensity and retention insights
MC986522 | January 23 – Microsoft Viva Insights will enhance Microsoft 365 Copilot’s adoption insights by adding usage intensity and retention metrics to the Copilot Dashboard. This update, which does not require a Copilot license to view, will roll out in late January 2025 and will be available by default. Admins and leaders can measure usage frequency and consistency with new visual tools and cards. Existing admin controls will be respected post-update. No admin action is needed before the rollout. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat available in Teams and Outlook
MC922627 | January 22 – The Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, previously Microsoft Copilot, will be available in Teams and Outlook for Entra account users starting late January 2025, with the rollout completing by late February. It will be automatically pinned for licensed users, and others can pin it manually or add it from the Store. Admins have control over the pinning settings. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Adding “Service level” to real-time metrics for the Queues app
MC975306 | January 22 – Microsoft Teams is adding a “Service level” metric to the Queues app’s real-time metrics. The rollout starts early March 2025 and completes by late March. Teams admins must enable this feature and set targets in the Voice App policy. This update is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 472023. View more
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Power Apps – Fill forms faster with smart paste
MC975778 | January 22 – We are announcing the fill forms faster with smart paste feature for Power Apps. This feature makes it faster and easier for users to fill forms based on text content from any source. Users can copy the content, smart paste by selecting a button (or using the keyboard shortcut), and receive inline suggestions within the form based on the copied content. This preview feature will be enabled for all Dynamics 365 model-driven apps in monthly… View more
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Microsoft Forms | Data sync to Microsoft Excel: Support for migrating from the older solution to the new solution
MC855685 | January 22 – Microsoft Forms is replacing the old data sync solution with a new, more reliable one. Users must manually migrate to the new solution before January 13, 2025, for commercial users and February 13, 2025, for GCC. After deprecation, existing workbooks will not receive new responses unless migrated. Migration support and notifications will be provided. View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Lists: Admin control to hide real-time list collaborators at site collection level
MC982551 | January 22 – Microsoft Lists now offers an admin control to hide real-time collaborators at the site collection level, available worldwide since early December 2024. Admins can use the PowerShell command ‘Set-SPOSite’ to enable this privacy feature. No action is required before the rollout, but preparation steps are advised. View more
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Microsoft Teams: Additional work information in people search results
MC985484 | January 22 – Microsoft Teams will enable MTO users to see additional work information in people search results, including company and department names. This feature will roll out in February 2025 and can be toggled on or off by tenant admins in the Teams admin center. Admins must complete cross-tenant synchronization to use this feature. View more
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Microsoft Teams: More predictable recording experience with Who keeps recording
MC985482 | January 22 – Microsoft Teams is adding a feature to show the recording owner’s information, ensuring participants can contact the correct person. It rolls out in March 2025. Recordings save to the organizer’s OneDrive by default, with fallback logic for recording ownership if needed. Users should ensure the -MeetingRecordingOwnership setting is correct. View more
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Microsoft 365 Business Chat: Use “Continue to Outlook” to set up a meeting in Microsoft Outlook
MC985481 | January 22 – The message details an upcoming feature for Microsoft 365 Business Chat that allows users to schedule meetings in Outlook using natural language. This feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and will be available on Windows, Mac, and Outlook for the web starting mid-January 2025. No admin action is needed for the rollout. View more
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Microsoft 365 Copilot: New custom engine agents
MC985480 | January 22 – Microsoft 365 Copilot introduces custom engine agents for domain or tenant-specific workflows, supported in Teams and soon in BizChat. Requires a Copilot license, with rollout starting February 2025. These agents enable unique AI experiences and can be created and deployed via Copilot Studio or Visual Studio. View more
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Microsoft 365 admin center: AI administrator role authorization to manage Copilot settings
MC985479 | January 22 – The AI administrator role in Microsoft 365 admin center authorizes users to manage Copilot settings, with a rollout starting in January 2025. No admin action is required for this update. View more
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Microsoft Clipchamp: Reduced file sizes for Microsoft Teams meeting recordings exported from Clipchamp
MC985477 | January 22 – Clipchamp now compresses Microsoft Teams meeting recordings for smaller file sizes without quality loss. This feature is globally available since mid-January 2025 and is enabled by default, requiring no admin action but may necessitate user notification and documentation updates. View more
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Power Apps – Update your firewall rules to add the new telemetry endpoints by February 20, 2025
MC985408 | January 21 – We are in the process of updating client telemetry endpoints. These endpoints allow Microsoft to gather telemetry to support customers in resolving issues. What action do I need to take? Due to this change, we are requesting that you please ensure that you update your firewall rules to include the following endpoint by February 20, 2025: *.events.data.microsoft.com. Why is this action needed? We are planning to deprecate the old client… View more
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Power Platform – Manage system views with security role public preview
MC985395 | January 21 – We are announcing the Managing system views with security role feature preview for Dataverse security in Power Platform. This preview will allow administrators to manage which system views to show on the table form list based on the user’s security role. This preview will be rolled out globally from February 3, 2025, through February 6, 2025. How does this affect me? Previously, the list of system views shown on each table form list is fixed for all users who have… View more
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A new Outlook experience for Windows 10 devices
MC985334 | January 21 – To help plan for Windows 10 end of support on October 14, 2025 and simplify the transition to Windows 11, the new Outlook for Windows will be automatically installed on Windows 10 devices… View more
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Power Apps – Work with existing tables when visualizing complex data
MC985155 | January 21 – We are announcing the work with existing tables when visualizing complex data feature for Power Apps. This feature allows for leveraging your existing tables to build more robust data models and help prevent the creation of duplicate pre-existing tables for an optimized experience. This feature will reach general availability on February 20, 2025.How does this affect me?Supporting existing tables when visualizing a complex data model, the ERD data experience will allow makers… View more
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(Updated) Microsoft Teams: Edit your display name in meetings
MC974361 | January 21 – Microsoft Teams participants will soon be able to edit their display names during live meetings. This update, associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 122934, will roll out between March and May 2025. The feature is off by default and can be enabled by admins and meeting organizers. View more
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