Microsoft Outlook: Collaborate with Copilot while drafting email

Updated August 14, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.  What and Why We are enhancing the email drafting experience in Microsoft Outlook by integrating Microsoft 365 Copilot directly into the compose experience. This update allows users to create, refine, and edit email content in real time with Copilot assistance, helping improve productivity while maintaining full control over final content. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 564605. Rollout Schedule General Availability (Worldwide): Beginning mid-July 2026 and expected to complete by end of August 2026 (previously early August) Impact on Your Organization Who is affected Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license who use Outlook on supported clients Platforms/Services Outlook on the web New Outlook for Windows Outlook mobile Outlook for Mac, available after initial rollout Classic Outlook for Windows, planned later in 2026 What will happen Users will see a Copilot side-by-side drafting experience when composing email. Users can create new messages or edit existing drafts with Copilot assistance: Users can refine, expand, or rewrite content directly within the compose surface. The feature is enabled by default for licensed users. Existing policies for email access, governance, and protection continue to apply. No changes to admin controls at this time. Existing workflows outside of the compose experience are not impacted. Action Required/Recommendations No action is required. You may consider the following: Update internal training materials to reflect the new drafting experience. Inform helpdesk teams of the updated compose experience. Review Microsoft Learn documentation for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Outlook. Learn more: Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook | Microsoft Support Compliance considerations Question Answer Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI or machine learning capabilities that interact with customer data, and if so, what are the changes? Yes. The change introduces Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities within the Outlook compose experience, allowing users to generate, refine, and edit email content using AI that interacts with customer data such as email drafts. Does the change provide users with a new way of interacting with generative AI, and if so, how? Yes. Users can now interact directly with Microsoft 365 Copilot within the Outlook email compose surface to create and modify email content in real time.