Summary
- Microsoft 365 admin center is adding a new control for managing authoritative sources used by Microsoft 365 Copilot Search.
- Admins can add, view, delete, and bulk import/export authoritative SharePoint Online sites to improve Copilot Search relevance and ranking.
- Access to this capability is limited to Global admin and Global reader roles.
- The feature is governed from the Copilot Control Systems area in the Microsoft 365 admin center and is limited to up to 100 authoritative sites per tenant.
Primary Service: M365 Copilot
Admin Impact: Medium
User Impact: Medium
Release Start: 30 Sept 2026
Release End: 30 Sept 2026
Services: Admin, M365 Copilot, SharePoint
Category: Stay informed
Tags: Admin Action, New Feature
History
10/26/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
This new capability enables admins the capability to manage Authoritative sources within the Copilot Search experience in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. As part of current change admins will be able manage SharePoint Online (SPO) sites that can be deemed as authoritative content per their organization.
Available only to Global admin and Global reader role.
Rollout Schedule
- Public Preview (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out on late September 2026 and expect to complete by late September 2026.
- General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out on late September 2026 and expect to complete by late September 2026.
Impact on Your Organization
This will help enhance relevance and ranking of these SharePoint sites.
The feature introduces a centralized governance layer in Copilot Control Systems, allowing admins to:
- View, add, delete the authoritative SharePoint sites via the UX.
- Will be able to bulk import or export these sources.
- The admins can add only up to 100 sites as authoritative.
Action Required/Recommendations
This feature is available to Global admin and Global reader roles.
Compliance considerations
Does the change introduce or significantly modify AI/ML or agent capabilities that interact with or provide access to customer data?
Yes. The feature uses AI/ML or agent capabilities with Microsoft 365 content, prompts, or service data as described in this message.
Does the change provide end users any new way of interacting with generative AI?
Yes. The feature introduces or updates a user-facing AI or Copilot experience as described in this message.
Does the change include an admin control and, can it be controlled through Entra ID group membership?
Yes. The feature includes or affects admin controls, policies, permissions, roles, authentication, or management settings as described in this message. Review the linked documentation or admin center controls for group-based configuration support.