(Updated) Collaborate with Copilot in Outlook while drafting email

Microsoft 365 Copilot will enable a new side-by-side email drafting experience in Outlook starting early March 2026, allowing licensed users to collaborate with Copilot in real time. The feature rolls out across Outlook platforms through late 2026, is enabled by default, and requires no admin changes or user action.

2026-08-27T16:34:13.330Z

<p>Updated August 27, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.&nbsp;</p><p><b>[Introduction]</b></p><p>We’re introducing a <b>new drafting experience</b> in <i>Outlook </i>that enables users to collaborate directly with Microsoft 365 Copilot while composing email. This experience helps users move from a blank message to a polished draft more efficiently by allowing them to iterate with Copilot in chat next to the compose view, while staying in full control of the final content.</p><p><b>[When this will happen]</b></p><ul><li><b>General availability (Worldwide):</b> Rollout will begin in <b>early March</b>&nbsp;<b>2026</b> and is expected to complete by<b> late April 2026</b>.</li><li>Initial availability includes <b>Outlook on the web</b> and the <b>new Outlook for Windows</b>, with Outlook for iOS, Android, and Mac following shortly. Support for classic Outlook for Windows will arrive later in 2026.</li><li>A new update for draft collaboration is rolling out (available on Outlook iOS/Android) and is expected to complete by end of September 2026.</li></ul><p><b>[How this affects your organization]</b></p><p><i>Who is affected</i></p><ul><li>Users in your organization who have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and use Outlook on supported clients.</li></ul><p>What will happen</p><ul><li>Users will see a new <b>Copilot side‑by‑side drafting experience </b>when composing email</li><li>Users can collaborate with Copilot in real time to refine, expand, or rewrite content directly within the compose surface: <p><img src="https://cxcs.microsoft.net/static/public/messagecenter/neutral/03d74375-099c-4872-a599-deedb23bc7be/7e1b42675e53b050cf07a1cfb0f070bcd4dbf6a6.png" style="width: 400px;" alt="user settings"></p> <p><img src="https://cxcs.microsoft.net/static/public/messagecenter/neutral/9a1ec72a-f0fe-4b48-9c8f-8385a78aaed0/0078efce0a3281a5db03bc878172c9ba67223804.png" style="width: 400px;" alt="user settings"></p> </li><li>The experience is <b>enabled by default </b>for licensed users.</li><li>Existing policies related to email access, governance, and protection continue to apply; there are no changes to admin controls at this time.</li><li>There is no change to existing workflows outside the compose experience.</li></ul><p>We’re also enabling people to select a specific piece of their draft to collaborate with Copilot chat on so they can focus on editing just that. We’ve now integrated the rewrite and coaching experiences into chat, so that you can more closely work back and forth with Copilot and ask follow up questions along the way to get to the draft you love. This update is now at 100% WW on Outlook iOS/Android. It is rolling out on Outlook Mac, new Windows, and Web, and is expected to reach 100% WW on those endpoints by end of September.</p><p><b>[What you can do to prepare]</b></p><p>No action is required.</p><p>You may choose to:</p><ul><li>Update internal training materials to help users understand this new drafting experience.</li><li>Review upcoming Learn and help documentation as it becomes available.</li></ul><p><b>[Compliance considerations]</b></p><p>No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.</p>

(Updated) Collaborate with Copilot in Outlook while drafting email

Microsoft 365 Copilot will be integrated into Outlook’s email compose experience starting March 2026, allowing licensed users to collaborate with Copilot side-by-side while drafting emails. It will be enabled by default on supported clients, with no changes to admin controls or workflows. No action is required.

2026-03-04T18:22:55.540Z

Updated message,New feature,User impact,Admin impact

<p>Updated March 4, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.&nbsp;</p><p><b>[Introduction]</b></p><p>We’re introducing a <b>new drafting experience</b> in <i>Outlook </i>that enables users to collaborate directly with Microsoft 365 Copilot while composing email. This experience helps users move from a blank message to a polished draft more efficiently by allowing them to iterate with Copilot in chat next to the compose view, while staying in full control of the final content.</p><p><b>[When this will happen]</b></p><ul><li><b>General availability (Worldwide):</b> Rollout will begin in <b>early March</b>&nbsp;<b>2026</b> and is expected to complete by<b> late April 2026</b>.</li><li>Initial availability includes <b>Outlook on the web</b> and the <b>new Outlook for Windows</b>, with Outlook for iOS, Android, and Mac following shortly. Support for classic Outlook for Windows will arrive later in 2026.</li></ul><p><b>[How this affects your organization]</b></p><p><i>Who is affected</i></p><ul><li>Users in your organization who have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and use Outlook on supported clients.</li></ul><p>What will happen</p><ul><li>Users will see a new <b>Copilot side‑by‑side drafting experience </b>when composing email</li><li>Users can collaborate with Copilot in real time to refine, expand, or rewrite content directly within the compose surface: <p><img src="https://cxcs.microsoft.net/static/public/messagecenter/neutral/03d74375-099c-4872-a599-deedb23bc7be/7e1b42675e53b050cf07a1cfb0f070bcd4dbf6a6.png" style="width: 400px;" alt="user settings"></p> <p><img src="https://cxcs.microsoft.net/static/public/messagecenter/neutral/9a1ec72a-f0fe-4b48-9c8f-8385a78aaed0/0078efce0a3281a5db03bc878172c9ba67223804.png" style="width: 400px;" alt="user settings"></p> </li><li>The experience is <b>enabled by default </b>for licensed users.</li><li>Existing policies related to email access, governance, and protection continue to apply; there are no changes to admin controls at this time.</li><li>There is no change to existing workflows outside the compose experience.</li></ul><p><b>[What you can do to prepare]</b></p><p>No action is required.</p><p>You may choose to:</p><ul><li>Update internal training materials to help users understand this new drafting experience.</li><li>Review upcoming Learn and help documentation as it becomes available.</li></ul><p><b>[Compliance considerations]</b></p><p>No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.</p>