Microsoft 365 Copilot: Outlook emails in Copilot Notebooks

Outlook emails can now be added as references in Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks, allowing Copilot to use email content alongside files for more relevant outputs. This feature, enabled by default, rolls out from June to July 2026 for licensed users, respecting existing permissions and compliance policies.

[What and why]

Outlook emails can now be added as references in Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks. This capability allows users to ground Microsoft 365 Copilot in email conversations, decisions, and context directly within their notebooks, alongside files and other content, to generate more relevant presentations, briefs, and summaries.

This capability extends existing Copilot grounding on organizational data into the Notebooks experience and is available in Copilot Notebooks across Microsoft 365.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 564910.

[Rollout schedule]

• Public Preview: Rolling out early June 2026 through late June 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide): Rolling out early July 2026 through late July 2026.

[Impact on your organization]

Who is affected

• Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license who have access to Copilot Notebooks

Platforms and services

• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Copilot Notebooks
• Outlook (email content as a reference source)
• Web experiences where Copilot Notebooks are available

What will happen

• Users can add Outlook emails as reference sources in Copilot Notebooks through the Add reference experience, , where an email option will appear.
• Copilot can use selected emails, together with files and other notebook sources, to generate responses.
• Users can add up to 300 total sources per notebook, including emails.
• Email content reflects its state at the time it is added and does not update with future replies or changes.
• In shared notebooks, email content is only available to users who were participants in the original email.
• Email attachments are not currently supported as grounding sources.
• The feature is enabled by default, with no admin control to disable it.
• Existing Microsoft 365 permissions are respected, and users only access content they already have permission to view.
• Existing compliance, governance, and Purview protections for Outlook data continue to apply.

[Action required or recommendations]

No action is required.

Consider the following recommendations:

• Inform users about the ability to add emails as notebook references.
• Update internal training or documentation for Copilot Notebooks if applicable.
• Review existing compliance and data governance policies to ensure alignment with expanded Copilot use of email content.

Learn more: Add references to your Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebook | Microsoft Support

[Compliance considerations]

Question	Answer
Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?	Yes. Outlook emails can be used as grounding sources within Copilot Notebooks, extending how existing email data is accessed and processed within Microsoft 365.
Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI or ML capabilities interacting with customer data?	Yes. Copilot uses Outlook email content as an additional grounding source to generate responses within Notebooks.
Does the change provide end users any new way of interacting with generative AI?	Yes. Users can query Copilot using selected Outlook email content within Copilot Notebooks, enabling richer and more context-aware AI interactions.