MC1280558 - Use Copilot to explain selected slide content in PowerPoint Live
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Summary
Starting mid-May 2026, Microsoft Teams meetings with PowerPoint Live will let attendees select slide text and get private, on-demand Copilot explanations for terms or acronyms without disrupting the presenter. This feature is on by default for tenants with Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) enabled.
More information
Introduction
We’re enhancing the PowerPoint Live experience in Microsoft Teams by introducing slide text selection with Copilot explanations for meeting attendees. This update helps users quickly understand unfamiliar terms, acronyms, or complex concepts directly within a live presentation—without interrupting the presenter or asking questions in chat.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557256.
When this will happen:
- General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in mid-May 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.
How this affects your organization:
Who is affected:
- All Microsoft Teams users attending meetings with PowerPoint Live
- Tenants with Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) enabled
What will happen:
- Attendees can select text on a PowerPoint Live slide during a meeting.
- Copilot will provide on-demand explanations for selected text, including:
- Acronyms and abbreviations.
- Technical or domain-specific terms.
- Explanations are shown privately to the attendee and do not disrupt the presenter or other participants.
- The feature is on by default for eligible tenants where Copilot is available.
Screenshot 1: Select the Copilot feature from the Presenter View toolbar at the bottom of the screen:
Screenshot 2: Select any text from the slide:
Screenshot 3: After selecting a word or phrase on the slide (for example, “protocol”), select Explain this from the available Copilot options:
Screenshot 4: Copilot opens the chat pane and provides an explanation for the selected content:
What you can do to prepare:
- No admin action is required to enable this feature.
- Review your organization’s Copilot for Microsoft 365 policies to ensure they align with your internal AI usage guidelines.
- Inform helpdesk and support teams about this new attendee capability.
Compliance considerations:
| Area | Explanation |
|---|---|
| AI/ML or agent capabilities interacting with customer data | Copilot analyzes user-selected slide text in real time during PowerPoint Live meetings to generate explanations. This uses existing Copilot for Microsoft 365 AI processing and security boundaries. |
| New way for users to interact with generative AI | Meeting attendees can select slide text during a live presentation and invoke Copilot to receive private, contextual explanations without interrupting the presenter. |
| Alteration of how existing customer data is processed | Slide content already shared in the meeting is processed by Copilot when users request explanations. No new data sources are introduced, and processing follows existing Copilot policies. |
| Admin controls | The feature is governed by existing Copilot for Microsoft 365 enablement and policy controls. No new dedicated admin toggle is introduced. |
| User ability to enable or disable the feature | Users can choose whether to use Copilot explanations during meetings. Availability depends on whether Copilot for Microsoft 365 is enabled for the user. |