I’ve been waiting to write this post until the feature was actually in tenants — not just announced. It’s here. Copilot in SharePoint rolled out to all Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users as enabled by default in July 2026, and the July and August updates added capabilities most SharePoint users haven’t discovered yet.
Here’s what’s actually available right now and why it matters for how your team works with SharePoint every day.
First — What Copilot in SharePoint Actually Is
This isn’t Copilot Chat pointing at SharePoint. This is Copilot embedded directly inside your SharePoint sites — in the chat panel, in libraries, in pages. You ask questions, create content, run workflows, and organize files without leaving SharePoint.
It requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and is now enabled by default. If your organization has Copilot licenses and you haven’t seen it yet, check with your admin — it may have been opted out during rollout.
1. Generate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Files From SharePoint Content
This is the one that changes daily work the most. Instead of exporting files from SharePoint, opening a blank document, and rebuilding what’s already in your library — you ask Copilot to do it.
Example: “Create a Word summary of the project files in this library for the steering committee.”
Copilot analyzes the content already in your site — files, pages, lists — and generates a finished document. Same works for Excel workbooks and PowerPoint decks.
The blank page problem is gone. Your SharePoint content becomes the starting line.
2. Interactive HTML Reports — No Formatting Required
This is the hidden gem most users miss. Copilot in SharePoint can now generate an interactive HTML report from your list or library content — a polished, shareable, filterable view of your data that refreshes from the underlying list every time it’s opened.
No Excel export. No manual formatting. No static PDF that’s out of date the moment you send it.
💡 Pro tip: The August 2026 update added live dashboards connected directly to SharePoint lists. Ask Copilot to generate a dashboard from your project tracking list and you get a live pipeline view — totals, high-priority items, bottlenecks — that updates automatically.
Practical use cases:
- Project status dashboard from a task list
- Request or approval pipeline from a requests list
- Recruiting pipeline from a candidates list
- Document library readout for stakeholder updates
3. Organize Files and Share Them Through Chat
Two small features with outsized practical value:
Organize files conversationally — describe what you want reorganized and Copilot handles it. No clicking through folder menus, no dragging and dropping.
Share files through chat — ask Copilot to share a specific file with a specific person right from the chat panel. Skip the hunt-and-click sharing dialog entirely.
Neither of these is glamorous. Both save real time every day.
4. Custom Skills — Reusable Prompts Your Team Can Run
This one is worth slowing down on. Copilot in SharePoint now lets you create custom skills — saved, site-specific prompts that any team member can run in one click.
Build a skill once for your team’s repeatable processes:
- “Summarize this week’s project updates and flag any items past due”
- “Review this document against our content guidelines and suggest improvements”
- “Create a status summary from the files added this week”
Anyone on the team can run the skill. The August update made skills more discoverable by typing /Skills in the prompt box — so your team actually uses the shortcuts you’ve built instead of forgetting they exist.
5. Approvals and Workflow Automation — From Chat
Natural language configuration for approvals is now live. Describe your approval process in the chat panel and Copilot sets it up — no Power Automate required for simple request tracking and approval flows.
For teams that have been avoiding Power Automate because it felt too technical, this is the entry point.
6. Launch Copilot Prompts From a Page Button
The August update added something genuinely clever: you can now add a button to any SharePoint page that launches a specific Copilot prompt when clicked.
Put a “Generate Status Report” button on your project site homepage. Anyone who visits the page can run it in one click. No prompt engineering required for the end user — you did that work once when you built the button.
The Admin Note Worth Flagging
Copilot in SharePoint is now enabled by default for M365 Copilot licensed users. If your organization opted out during the June rollout period, users with Copilot licenses won’t see it until an admin re-enables it in the SharePoint admin center.
Also worth knowing: the new SharePoint experience (redesigned app bar with Discover, Publish, and Build destinations) went GA in April 2026. If your users are still seeing the old interface, that rollout is complete — they should have it now.
The Quick Takeaway
Copilot in SharePoint isn’t a chat window bolted onto your library. It’s a content creation, file management, workflow automation, and reporting tool — all grounded in the content your team already has in SharePoint. The interactive HTML report and live dashboard features alone are worth exploring this week.
If your organization has M365 Copilot licenses and your team is still manually creating status reports and documents from SharePoint content, they’re doing extra work they don’t need to do anymore.
Want to see this hands-on? I cover Copilot in SharePoint in my M365 Copilot training sessions — including how to build custom skills your team will actually use. Check upcoming classes at sharepointmentoring.com or reach out for a focused session.
💡 Test your knowledge: Try the free Copilot Knowledge Review at sharepointmentoring.com — scenario-based questions covering M365 Copilot, Power BI, Power Automate, SharePoint, and more. No login required.