Eight new Copilot features arrive in October 2026: new Claude and GPT models, interactive slides, recordable skills in PowerPoint, dashboards in Excel, and file restoration in SharePoint. Several are not yet deployed everywhere, and some of the model names circulating are inaccurate. This article sorts out what is available, what falls outside administrator control, and what to test first.
Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Sol: the Copilot Chat models
The model picker in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is found on microsoft365.com, at the top right, under the Auto menu. It lets you switch from automatic selection to a Claude (Anthropic) or GPT (OpenAI) model. In Auto mode, a real-time router chooses the model on the user's behalf.
The Microsoft roadmap for Copilot Chat announces "Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Sol" marked Generally available, dated September 14. Claude Opus 5 had already been available since July 2026, according to the July 24 announcement. The summer context is detailed in our summary of the Microsoft 365 Copilot new features of July 2026.
A note on terminology: some demos mention a "6.1 Soul" model. That name does not appear in the roadmap, which cites GPT-6 Sol. Sonnet 5.5, visible in a demo's menu, does not appear on the page consulted either: check in your own picker. The same demo states that access to model details requires Copilot Premium, which you should confirm for your license.
Anthropic authorization: confirm before deployment
An answer published on Microsoft Q&A, partly AI-generated, indicates that enterprise customers must have an administrator authorize Anthropic as a subprocessor in the Microsoft 365 admin center before seeing Claude in supported experiences. It adds that the Copilot APIs (Chat, Retrieval, Search) offer no parameter to choose the model. Validate both points in the official documentation before making any compliance decision.
Interactive slides: license, rollout and limits
PowerPoint's interactive slides are added through a new dedicated button, which offers ready-to-use structures: dashboard, timeline, comparison. You can also type @ in Copilot and choose the "create an interactive slide" skill. The result ranges from a filterable dashboard fed by an Excel sales workbook to a timeline where each year is clickable, with previous and next buttons and speaker notes.
The comparison works the same way: a prompt describes three OpenAI models by use case, reasoning, speed and cost, and clicking a model updates the slide. Free-form scenarios are possible, for example a slider that explores the inside of a human heart, with a pause on the heartbeat. To compare this output with other tools, see our test Copilot Chat, Cowork and PowerPoint: which tool generates the best presentation.
License and administration
According to Microsoft Support documentation, these slides have no dedicated license. They are open to eligible users who already have Copilot in PowerPoint, including Microsoft 365 Copilot Basic and Premium. There is no specific administration control. Since the content is generated from the user's files, an administrator cannot disable this one feature on its own: governance comes down to scoping the data Copilot can access.
A rollout still in progress
The source claims the feature is available worldwide. Microsoft Support documentation qualifies that claim.
Mid-October 2026
General rollout begins
PowerPoint for Windows and Mac, Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.
October 2026
Early access
The Frontier program, the Insiders Beta channel and Current Channel (Preview) have access right now.
End of October 2026
Planned end of rollout
Completion announced for Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.
Behavior by platform
| Context | Interactive slide behavior |
|---|---|
| Creation and editing | Only via Copilot, by prompt; no direct editing on the canvas |
| iPhone and Android | Displayed as a non-interactive image |
| Printing or PDF export | Non-interactive image |
| PowerPoint Live in Teams | Each participant interacts independently; presenter synchronization planned by Microsoft, no date given |
| PowerPoint for Mac | Interaction in slide show mode, not in presenter mode |
| Presentation recipients | Interaction possible without a Copilot license |
The Teams limitation affects animated presentations in meetings: the presenter does not control the audience's screen. Plan a fallback format for mobile readers and PDF exports.
Record a skill in PowerPoint, like a macro
A skill is a set of repeatable instructions that tells Copilot how to manipulate PowerPoint. They could already be created by hand or imported. Recording is a new addition: you format a slide, Copilot observes the changes, then writes the skill.
An illustrative scenario: a project team receives status reports with inconsistent layouts. One member records the transformation of cluttered paragraphs into cards, names the skill, then calls it on each slide with @ followed by a short instruction such as "Clean this up". Copilot then details each change applied. Our guide Copilot in Microsoft 365: 6 actionable prompts per app complements this approach on the prompt side.
Open skill management
In the Copilot pane, open the + menu, then Choose skills, then Manage plugins & skills.
Start recording
Click Add skill, then Record Skill. PowerPoint indicates that changes to the presentation are being recorded.
Perform the formatting
Work in the same window, on a single repeatable outcome, in under 10 minutes.
Stop, name and save
Stop the recording, review the skill written by Copilot, rename it and confirm. It is stored in your personal Skills folder on OneDrive.
The source describes the management menu as a three-dot menu. Microsoft Support documentation indicates the + menu, which is authoritative.
Four limits that can spoil a recording
Voice narration is not captured. Actions performed in another window are not recorded. A Copilot action still in progress when you stop may be missing. Beyond 10 minutes, recording is not possible. Microsoft recommends a single repeatable outcome per skill.
Excel: HTML dashboards and workbook rules
Excel gains two Copilot-driven features. The first generates, in a new sheet, an interactive HTML dashboard that summarizes the whole workbook. The demo prompt fits in one sentence: "Can you create a new sheet with an interactive HTML dashboard that summarizes this entire workbook?". Dropdown menus filter by segment, region, range or year, and the performance overview updates. A sparkle icon marks the AI-powered component, and the dashboard follows changes in the source tables.
Strengths
- Summary of all tabs without building charts by hand
- Dynamic filters by segment, region, range and year
- Updates with the data in the source tables
Limitations
- Licenses and rollout schedule not specified in the sources consulted
- AI-generated content: review before sharing
The second feature, workbook rules, is activated via the + button, then "create workbook rules". It adds a ".rules" sheet that Copilot consults systematically, much like custom instructions specific to the file. The demo's rules: preserve existing formulas and data, format currency in US dollars, always use tables, distinguish editable inputs, take care with labels. Another example cited: prefer XLOOKUP over VLOOKUP.
On a messy workbook, mixing pounds sterling and missing data, the instruction "Please clean up this sheet according to the workbook rules" standardized currencies, fixed accessibility issues and adjusted sizes. The benefit for a shared workbook: all users get the same conventions.
Classic Outlook, SharePoint and OneDrive: three quick wins
In classic Outlook for Windows, the File menu now shows a Copilot Settings button, aligned with new Outlook and Outlook on the web. It lets you turn Copilot on or off, manage email prioritization (high or low priority) and define custom writing instructions. For a mixed environment, this reduces experience gaps between clients.
In SharePoint and OneDrive, Copilot can extract part of a PDF on request. Example from the demo, on a 10-page document: "Can you extract the scope of work section from the selected PDF and save it in a new file?". The result can be a document, a PDF or a PowerPoint presentation.
Copilot can also find deleted files. After three files were deleted, the question "Can you find all the files I deleted in the last 2 days?" listed them, then a second instruction restored them to the document library. Test this restoration against your retention policies and logging before announcing it to users.
Eight new features, eight points to check
| New feature | App | To check before use |
|---|---|---|
| Claude and GPT models | Copilot Chat | Exact names in your picker; Anthropic authorization on the admin side |
| Interactive slides | PowerPoint | Update channel; mobile, PDF and Teams rendering |
| Skill recording | PowerPoint | Duration under 10 minutes; a single window |
| HTML dashboard | Excel | Availability and license; review of the result |
| Workbook rules | Excel | Content of the .rules sheet, shared with all users of the file |
| Unified Copilot settings | Classic Outlook | Presence of the button in the File menu of your build |
| Extracting parts of PDFs | SharePoint and OneDrive | Desired output format; file permissions |
| Restoring deleted files | SharePoint | Consistency with retention and audit |
The sources consulted document neither a license nor a schedule for the Excel, Outlook and SharePoint features. Treat them as to be validated in your tenant. For a broader overview, see also Microsoft 365 Copilot: 8 new features to test.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dedicated license required for interactive slides?
No. They are open to eligible users who already have Copilot in PowerPoint, including Microsoft 365 Copilot Basic and Premium. No specific administration control exists for this feature.
Are interactive slides available in all tenants?
Not everywhere yet. The rollout on PowerPoint for Windows and Mac (Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel) began in mid-October 2026 and is due to finish at the end of October 2026. Frontier, Insiders Beta and Current Channel (Preview) have access right now.
Do the recipients of a presentation need Copilot?
No. They can interact with the slides without a Copilot license. On iPhone and Android, when printing and when exporting to PDF, however, they appear as a non-interactive image.
Can you comment out loud while recording a skill?
Voice narration is not captured. The recording lasts under 10 minutes and covers only the active window. Describe the intent in the skill's name and review the generated instructions.
Is Claude enabled by default for enterprise customers?
A Microsoft Q&A answer, partly AI-generated, indicates that an administrator must first authorize Anthropic as a subprocessor in the Microsoft 365 admin center. This information is not confirmed by the official documentation consulted: verify it in your tenant.
Five checks before opening up these features
Test plan for your tenant
- Identify the PowerPoint update channel (Current Channel, Monthly Enterprise Channel) and the date the feature arrives
- Check Anthropic's status as a subprocessor in the Microsoft 365 admin center, and note the models actually visible in the picker
- Test an interactive slide on mobile, as a PDF and in PowerPoint Live in Teams
- Record a simple formatting skill and share it with a pilot group
- Draft a standard .rules sheet for your shared workbooks and validate file restoration against your retention rules
If your organization distributes many presentations outside Teams, start with PowerPoint skills: they standardize formatting without depending on the rollout of interactive slides. If your teams share large workbooks, favor workbook rules, which impose common conventions from day one.
Going further
- Create interactive slides with Copilot in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support): prerequisites, rollout schedule, platform limits and administration questions.
- Record a skill in Copilot in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support): recording procedure, best practices and known limits.
- Transform your storytelling with interactive slides in PowerPoint (Tech Community): official announcement, use cases and rollout dates.
- AI at Work Roadmap – Copilot Chat (Microsoft): timeline of Claude and GPT models and general availability dates.
- 6 new Microsoft Copilot features to test in Microsoft 365: other features to include in your test plan.
