Microsoft to give Copilot agents control of web browsers and desktop apps in 2026

Microsoft has revealed plans for major upgrades to Copilot Studio, its platform for building custom AI agents, in the 2026 release wave 1 from April to September. Highlights include agents that automate actions in web browsers and desktop apps, with public preview on May 27, 2025, and general availability by May 2026. Other additions are triggers using end-user credentials, public preview March 2026; code interpreter for SharePoint files in agent chats, preview March 2026; links to external data via custom servers, preview March 2026; agents tailored for Microsoft 365 users, preview June 2026; agent suggestions inside Microsoft 365 Copilot, general availability May 2026; tools to evaluate agents, preview July 2026; safe sharing to block credential leaks, general availability June 2026; file grouping with instructions for better answers, general availability May 2026; and SharePoint lists as knowledge sources. Timelines may shift, and some features start in public preview only.

If you use AI daily in your Microsoft apps to handle prompts and knock out repetitive tasks, these updates let you build agents that go further, like pulling data from websites or running desktop tools without manual steps. Agents tuned for Microsoft 365 with built-in suggestions and evaluation mean less trial and error when automating workflows across email, spreadsheets, chats, and docs. A single agent recovering hours of busywork weekly justifies the wait for mid-2026 rollout, especially since previews begin early 2026. For Microsoft-heavy setups, this widens the gap over other AIs, making complex automations feel as simple as a good prompt.