Agent update
Copilot Cowork
Copilot Cowork, announced on 9 Mar 2026, takes a goal you describe, plans the work across Microsoft 365, and carries it out in the background, with checkpoints so you can confirm, change or pause before actions are applied.
How to use Copilot Cowork for small business
A consultant could ask Cowork to prepare a client meeting pack: pull the latest emails and files, draft a briefing note and a deck, and put prep time on the calendar, then approve the plan before it lands. A business owner with a messy week could have it review Outlook, flag conflicts, and propose reschedules and focus blocks, applying changes only after sign-off. A bookkeeper could delegate company or budget research and get back an executive summary, a memo with citations, and an Excel workbook with labelled tabs.
At announcement, Cowork was in Research Preview with a limited set of customers, and Microsoft said it would be more broadly available in the Frontier program in late March 2026. It runs in a protected cloud environment inside Microsoft 365 security and governance. The post does not list a consumer plan, a price, or country availability. Read this launch article as a preview, not as a guarantee that every small-business licence includes it today.
Most useful for: Executive Assistant – Prepare meeting packs, briefing notes and papers for the executive, Operations Manager – Write procedures and site instructions, Project Manager – Send weekly client progress updates
Frequently asked questions
Was Copilot Cowork generally available at announcement, or still a preview?
At announcement it was in Research Preview with a limited set of customers, and Microsoft said it would be more broadly available in the Frontier program in late March 2026. The launch post does not name a Microsoft 365 plan or a price. Read that article as a preview, not as a guarantee that every small-business licence includes it today.
Can it change my calendar or send email without approval?
Cowork turns your request into a plan that continues in the background, with checkpoints so you can confirm progress, make changes or pause. Microsoft says you can see recommended actions and approve changes before they are applied. You should still review calendar and email steps before they go out.
How does Cowork carry out a request?
You describe the outcome you want, and Cowork turns it into a plan that continues in the background, with checkpoints so you can confirm progress, make changes or pause. It runs in a protected cloud environment inside Microsoft 365 security and governance.