MC1185442 - Decoupling admin controls for agents on/off from Researcher and Analyst

Introduction

Researcher and Analyst are part of the core default experience for M365 Copilot Chat and will now continue to be available to all users with a Copilot license—even when the ability to use Copilot agents is disabled for some or all users in the organization. This change reflects customer feedback and ensures uninterrupted access to foundational productivity tools.

Screenshot 1: Agents Settings for who can access agents in the organization

When this will happen:

General Availability begins December 15, 2025.

How this affects your organization:

• Who is affected: IT Admins that manage Copilot agent access in M365 Copilot Chat and M365 Copilot licensed users.
• What will happen:
• Researcher and Analyst will remain accessible in M365 Copilot Chat via tools and @mention, even when Copilot agents are disabled in Agents Settings for some or all users.
• When No users or Specific users/groups is selected in Agents Settings, Researcher and Analyst will not appear in the left navigation of M365 Copilot Chat for those users.
• Existing admin controls to block Researcher and Analyst will continue to function as expected as set by the admin in the Agent inventory.

Screenshot 2: Agent inventory

What you can do to prepare:

• Review who can access Copilot agents in your organization before December 15, 2025.
• Communicate this change to helpdesk and support teams to reduce confusion.
• Update internal documentation if you reference agent visibility or access controls.
• Refer to updated admin guidance here: Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot Agents - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.