Microsoft 365 Copilot: what changed in March

What happened

On Tuesday 31 March 2026, Microsoft published its March 2026 feature rollout for Microsoft 365 Copilot. UK businesses using the platform gained several practical capabilities that reduce manual work and remove previous technical limitations.

What changed

The most notable update allows Copilot to work directly with Excel workbooks stored on a local device. Until now, Copilot required files to be saved to the cloud before it could analyse or edit them. That requirement no longer applies.

SharePoint now includes an AI-powered site builder. Business managers can describe the internal site they need using plain language, and Copilot generates the structure automatically. No developer knowledge is required.

Teams has gained video recap functionality. After a meeting ends, Copilot produces a narrated highlight summary. Other updates include standardised formatting in PowerPoint, improved report output formats in Researcher (PDF and Infographic), and expanded language support for audio meeting summaries. IT administrators also receive new tools for data loss protection and monitoring high-usage costs.

Why it matters for business professionals

For IT administrators, the local Excel editing capability addresses a genuine compliance concern. Sensitive financial or operational data no longer needs to leave a local environment to benefit from AI analysis. That removes a step that many administrators were blocking entirely, which means Copilot adoption can now move forward in regulated or cautious environments.

For business managers, the SharePoint site builder changes what is achievable without additional resource. Creating a professional internal site previously required either developer time or a working knowledge of SharePoint's configuration options. Neither is now necessary. A manager can describe what they need and review the output directly.

The Teams video recap feature benefits both roles. IT administrators can use meeting summaries to monitor project communications at scale. Business managers can review key decisions from a meeting in under two minutes rather than watching a full recording. gecco's Microsoft 365 Copilot Integration Service is designed to help IT administrators and business managers put exactly these kinds of capabilities to work without a lengthy setup process.

The PowerPoint formatting update removes a recurring time drain for anyone who produces regular presentations. Standardised output means less manual adjustment after Copilot generates a draft.

Practical applications

Here are three actions IT administrators and business managers can take within the next five working days.

1. Test local Excel editing with a sensitive workbook that was previously excluded from Copilot workflows. Open the file from its local location and prompt Copilot to summarise or reformat the data. This takes under 30 minutes and confirms whether your licence tier supports the update.

2. Build a pilot SharePoint intranet page using the new natural language site builder. Choose an internal page that currently exists only as a shared document or email thread. Describe the page structure to Copilot and review what it produces. Assign this to a business manager who owns that content area.

3. Enable Teams meeting recaps for one recurring internal meeting. Review the first automated summary against your own notes to assess accuracy. This gives IT administrators a practical baseline before rolling the feature out more widely.

Considerations and limitations

Not all features in the March 2026 rollout are available simultaneously across all Microsoft 365 licences. IT administrators should confirm which updates are active in their tenant before communicating availability to the wider team.

The local Excel editing capability applies to workbooks on the device running Copilot. Files stored on network drives or mapped locations may behave differently depending on your configuration.

Microsoft has not published a single consolidated pricing change alongside this rollout. Businesses on older licence tiers should check whether specific features require an upgrade before planning adoption.

The new cost-monitoring tools for administrators are worth enabling early. High-usage patterns can generate unexpected licence costs if left untracked.

Next step

If you want to understand which of these updates apply to your current Microsoft 365 setup, gecco can help. Learn about assistants to find out how we can help your team get started.