Microsoft 365 Blog

A monitor mockup showing a screenshot of the Create tab within Copilot Actions, set against a gradient purple and blue background.

6 min read

Introducing Copilot Actions, new agents, and tools to empower IT teams

Microsoft 365 Copilot is becoming a daily habit for people around the world—already, nearly 70% of Fortune 500 companies are using it. Dow anticipates that Copilot will save it millions of dollars on shipping operations in the first year; at Bank of Queensland Group, 70% of users are saving two and a half to five hours per week; Eaton is speeding up internal documentation processes by 83%; and Accenture is going big, rolling out Copilot to 100,000 employees.

An financial advisor works at a table in a shared office space. On the right side, the image is overlaid with icons of multiple Microsoft 365 apps and the Copilot icon.

4 min read

The latest on AI at work: November 2024

For Microsoft and our customers, work is changing at the speed of AI. To help you stay ahead, we’ll share monthly highlights of new Microsoft Copilot innovations, plus the latest from our customers on how they’re getting the most value from Copilot.

A person sitting at a table, smiling, working on a laptop. The photo is overlaid on a magenta and orange graphic design background.

3 min read

Streamline collaboration with the new chat and channels experience in Microsoft Teams

Working together can turn great ideas into reality and bring people together as a team. We’ve been paying attention to our customers’ evolving needs in the AI-powered workplace, which require faster, simpler, and smarter solutions to achieve more.

Product screen showing the Copilot Pages interface and collaboration between users in the Microsoft 365 Copilot web experience. The image background shows a dynamic visual of the Microsoft 365 app icons.

8 min read

Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2: Pages, Python in Excel, and agents

We are introducing Wave 2 of Microsoft 365 Copilot innovation, with three key updates. From enterprises to small businesses, they help Copilot get better every day. Nearly 1,000 customers have given us direct feedback on Copilot, and we’ve made more than 700 product updates based on that feedback.

A laptop with the Copilot icon on screen on a blue desk with a vase of purple flowers, sewing cushion, and cell phone.

3 min read

New agent capabilities in Microsoft Copilot unlock business value

Microsoft Copilot is already helping individual employees boost productivity, creativity and time savings. With the announcements at Microsoft Build 2024, we’re delivering an entirely new set of capabilities that unlock Copilot’s ability to drive bottom-line business results for every organization.

Microsoft Copilot text boxes with meeting prompts and text screens in front of a background of three stacked books.

5 min read

Microsoft and LinkedIn release the 2024 Work Trend Index on the state of AI at work

For our fourth annual Work Trend Index, out today, we partnered with LinkedIn for the first time on a joint report so we could provide a comprehensive view of how AI is not only reshaping work, but the labor market more broadly.

Decorative image of Microsoft Copilot including the logos of Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, and OneNote.

4 min read

Bringing Copilot to more customers worldwide—across life and work

Continuing our vision for Microsoft Copilot to bring the power of generative AI to everyone across work and life, we’re expanding availability and purchase options for individuals and organizations and bringing new value to Copilot Pro subscribers.

6 min read

Introducing Microsoft Copilot for Finance: Transform finance with next-generation AI in Microsoft 365

We’re announcing the public preview of Microsoft Copilot for Finance, a game-changer for finance professionals and the newest role-based extension of Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft Copilot for Finance is a momentous leap forward, specifically crafted to revolutionize the daily grind of well-known financial processes.

5 min read

Expanding Copilot for Microsoft 365 to businesses of all sizes

We are updating our Microsoft Copilot product line-up with a new Copilot Pro subscription for individuals; expanding Copilot for Microsoft 365 availability to small and medium-sized businesses; and announcing no seat minimum for commercial plans.

Recent articles

Published August 30, 2012

3 min read

Connect your Access 2013 Web Apps to SharePoint Lists

Access 2013 web apps are great places to centralize your data. You can easily combine data from different external sources with the things that your app unique tracks. Lois Wang, a Program Manager on the Access team explains how your Access apps can connect to and display real-time data from SharePoint lists.

Published August 28, 2012

1 min read

SkyDrive for Android phones now available

A few weeks ago we announced our intention to release an official SkyDrive app for Android phones. Today we’re excited to announce that the app is now available for download. We want to ensure that you’re able to have your files accessible across the various devices you use—so it’s important that we continue to extend

Published August 28, 2012

4 min read

Comments and Revisions in Word 2013

Following on our introductory post to Word 2013 by Tristan Davis, here we discuss how we've polished the scenarios around reviewing documents using comments and tracked changes. We've improved how we display comments and revisions, and added some nifty features to make your scenarios easier. Read on to see what it's all about.

Published August 23, 2012

5 min read

PowerPoint 2013: Presentation is Everything

You wouldn’t wear your workout clothes to a job interview, unless of course you were applying as a personal trainer or professional athlete. When you make PowerPoint slides, you are probably trying to sell a product, make a point, or pass a class. It’s not so different from a job interview - you want to look your best. Well guess what? We want to help you look your best. When you open the new PowerPoint, you’ll see a start page with your recently opened presentations next to a gallery of new themes. In the Customer Preview, we’ve included eight newly designed themes, and the release version will have many more.

Published August 23, 2012

6 min read

Introduction to the Data Model and Relationships in Excel 2013

This post is brought to you by Diego Oppenheimer a Program Manager on the Excel team. I am very happy to be writing this blog post today. Not just because I will be showing you another way Excel can make your data analysis easier but also because I will be introducing the new Data Model and Relationships features that will hopefully change the way you use Excel for data analysis forever.

Published August 21, 2012

2 min read

Tricks for creating dropdown lists that let you select multiple items

Our guest blogger and Excel MVP award winner, Debra Dagleish, makes it easy to create an Excel dropdown list that lets you select multiple names in one cell. The magic to her method is adding a few lines of VBA code--a trick just about anyone can learn, even if you don't know programming.

Published August 21, 2012

9 min read

Tips for turning your Excel data into PowerPoint charts

Incorporating a well-constructed chart within your PowerPoint presentation can be a powerful tool to help deliver your message. In this post, guest blogger Ellen Finkelstein provides useful tips on how to turn data from Excel into an easy-to-understand, professional looking chart in PowerPoint

Published August 16, 2012

4 min read

How to add reflection, glow, rotation and other effects to your Visio shapes

One of the many tools you’ll find in the new Visio to help you make your diagrams look modern and professionally designed is the addition of shape effects. If you’ve used effects like shadow or reflection in PowerPoint you’re already familiar with how effects can add visual impact to a shape. In the new Visio we have added those same shape effects to allow you to make engaging and professional diagrams simply. In this post, we'll describe how to work with the new effects in Visio.

Published August 14, 2012

2 min read

Plug into your data: Connecting Excel to an Access database

Northwind Trading Company is a growing online wholesale food business. Orders from retail merchants are coming in from across the country and are being stored in an Access database. Now the marketing team needs a better way to view the mounds of data. Luckily, the same features that Excel provides for viewing and organizing information in a spreadsheet, can be used to view and organize information in an Access database. But first you need to create the connection.

Published August 14, 2012

7 min read

A new modern SkyDrive.com, updated apps, and Outlook.com at 10 million users

Since we launched the Outlook.com preview two weeks ago, we have been truly humbled by the reception. We’ve received hundreds of great comments, participated in thousands of threads on @reddit, @gizmodo, @neowin and are excited to share that, as of today, more than 10 million people have signed up and started using Outlook.com. Today, we’re

Published August 13, 2012

5 min read

Data entry made easy

In Access 2013, we've made a lot of changes so that you can quickly make a great user interface for your web databases. First, Access 2013 will automatically generate useful views based on your data. Second, you'll be able to use special controls for dealing with related data—the related items control and the autocomplete control. With this interface, the people who use your app will have easy time entering data. Erik Kennedy, a Program Manager on Access explains in a video.

Published August 13, 2012

3 min read

Managing tasks in SharePoint

Almost any project we work on is collaborative these days. A restaurateur might be working with his staff and publicists to develop and advertise a new menu. A wedding planner might be working with florists and venue coordinators to make someone’s dream wedding come true. You need a way to coordinate to-dos, easily communicate status, and stay in sync with your team without leaving your favorite tools. In the next version of SharePoint, you can add task management capabilities to enhance any team site so you can get organized, plan and track tasks, and communicate deadlines, all in the same place you store documents and notes.