check before: 2025-09-01
Product:
Copilot, eDiscovery, Entra, Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft 365 Copilot, OneDrive, Outlook, Purview, Purview Communication Compliance, SharePoint, Teams, Windows
Platform:
Android, iOS, Mac, mobile, Online, US Instances, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
Rolling out
Change type:
Admin impact, New feature, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft Outlook is introducing Immersive Search with a Copilot side pane across Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and new Windows Outlook. It provides AI-generated summaries from emails, Teams, and documents after searches. Rolling out worldwide from late October to November 2025, it requires Copilot licenses and is on by default without admin controls.
Details:
Updated October 6, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction
We're introducing Immersive Search, a new experience across Outlook for Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Outlook for Windows. After performing a search, users will see an entry point to the Microsoft Copilot side pane, which presents a highly relevant, AI-generated summary based on their query. This summary includes content from emails, Teams messages, and documents-helping users quickly understand and act on their information.
This feature uses Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Outlook-specific experience and is available only to tenants with Copilot licenses.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498319.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late October 2025 (previously late September) and expect to complete by late November 2025 (previously late October).
Change Category:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Scope:
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Release Phase:
General Availability
Created:
2025-08-07
updated:
2025-10-06
Task Type
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Docu to Check
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS How does it affect me
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS Preperations
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS Urgency
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
MS workload name
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
linked item details
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Pictures
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
summary for non-techies**
XXXXXXX ... free basic plan only
Direct effects for Operations**
User Confusion
Users may be confused by the new Copilot side pane and its functionality, leading to increased help desk inquiries and decreased productivity as they adapt to the new feature.
- roles: End Users, Help Desk Staff
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Increased Support Load
The introduction of the Copilot feature without prior user training may lead to a spike in support requests, overwhelming IT support teams and affecting response times.
- roles: IT Support Staff, System Administrators
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Data Privacy Concerns
The use of AI-generated summaries may raise concerns about data privacy and security among users, especially if they are unaware of how their data is being processed.
- roles: Compliance Officers, End Users
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Configutation Options**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
Opportunities**
Enhanced User Training Programs
With the introduction of the Copilot side pane, there is an opportunity to develop comprehensive training programs that educate users on effectively utilizing the new search capabilities in Outlook. This will enhance user experience and productivity as users will be better equipped to leverage AI-generated summaries.
- next-steps: Create training materials, schedule workshops, and set up a feedback mechanism to continuously improve training based on user experiences.
- roles: IT Managers, Training Coordinators, End Users
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Improved IT Support Systems
The new Copilot feature may lead to an increase in help desk inquiries due to user confusion. By proactively updating IT support systems and FAQs, IT can reduce the number of inquiries and improve user satisfaction.
- next-steps: Review and update IT support documentation, create a dedicated FAQ section for the Copilot feature, and train support staff on potential user issues related to the new feature.
- roles: IT Support Staff, Help Desk Managers, End Users
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Monitoring and Compliance Enhancements
The lack of monitoring and auditing capabilities for the Copilot feature presents a risk for compliance. Developing internal monitoring solutions or policies can help ensure that user interactions with AI-generated summaries comply with organizational standards.
- next-steps: Assess current compliance policies, identify gaps related to the new feature, and develop internal guidelines for monitoring user interactions with the Copilot summaries.
- roles: Compliance Officers, IT Security Managers, Data Protection Officers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=498319
Potentional Risks**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
Data Protection**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
IT Security**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
Hypothetical Work Council Statement**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
DPIA Draft**
XXXXXXX ... paid membership only
explanation for non-techies**
Microsoft Outlook is introducing a new feature called Immersive Search, which is designed to make searching through emails, Teams messages, and documents more efficient. Imagine you are in a large library looking for specific information. Instead of going through each book yourself, you have a helpful assistant who quickly gathers all the relevant information from different books and summarizes it for you. This is similar to what the new Copilot feature in Outlook does.
When you perform a search in Outlook, a new side pane will appear, offering a summary generated by artificial intelligence (AI). This summary pulls together information from emails, Teams messages, and documents, helping you quickly understand and act on the information without having to sift through each item individually. It's like having a smart assistant that reads and summarizes your search results.
This feature will be available across various platforms, including the web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Windows Outlook. It will start rolling out worldwide from late October to November 2025. To use this feature, your organization will need to have Copilot licenses, but no additional setup or admin controls are required.
There are no changes to existing data protection policies, and the feature does not store new customer data. It processes existing data to create summaries, but it doesn't change how the data is stored or accessed. The feature is designed to enhance productivity by reducing the time spent navigating search results.
While no immediate action is required, it might be helpful to inform users about this new experience to minimize confusion and potential help desk inquiries. Reviewing your organization's Copilot licensing and ensuring users know how to use the Copilot side pane effectively could also be beneficial.
Overall, this update aims to streamline the way users interact with their data in Outlook, making it easier to find and act on the information they need.
** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
a free basic plan is required to see more details. Sign up here
A cloudsocut.one plan is required to see all the changed details. If you are already a customer, choose login.
If you are new to cloudscout.one please choose a plan.
change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2025-10-06 | MC Messages | Updated September 11, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction We're introducing Immersive Search, a new experience across Outlook for Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Outlook for Windows. After performing a search, users will see an entry point to the Microsoft Copilot side pane, which presents a highly relevant, AI-generated summary based on their query. This summary includes content from emails, Teams messages, and documents-helping users quickly understand and act on their information. This feature uses Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Outlook-specific experience and is available only to tenants with Copilot licenses. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498319. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late September 2025 (previously early September) and expect to complete by late October 2025 (previously late September). | Updated October 6, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction We're introducing Immersive Search, a new experience across Outlook for Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Outlook for Windows. After performing a search, users will see an entry point to the Microsoft Copilot side pane, which presents a highly relevant, AI-generated summary based on their query. This summary includes content from emails, Teams messages, and documents-helping users quickly understand and act on their information. This feature uses Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Outlook-specific experience and is available only to tenants with Copilot licenses. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498319. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late October 2025 (previously late September) and expect to complete by late November 2025 (previously late October). |
| 2025-10-06 | MC How Affect | Once rolled out, users will see a new entry point to the Copilot side pane after executing a search in Outlook. This pane surfaces AI-generated summaries, improving productivity and reducing time spent navigating search results.
Copilot side pane in Outlook search results: Key details: The Copilot side pane appears only after a user performs a search and selects the entry point on the search results page (SERP). Summaries include all content supported by Microsoft 365 Copilot, such as indexed emails, Teams messages, attachments, and shared files from OneDrive or SharePoint. This feature is on by default and does not require admin configuration. There are no changes to existing DLP, eDiscovery, or retention policies. Admins cannot control access to this feature via policy settings or Entra ID group membership. There is currently no setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center or Outlook user settings to manage or disable this experience. There is no way to monitor or audit usage of this feature through Microsoft Purview or Microsoft 365 audit logs. What you can do to prepare No action is required at this time. However, we recommend informing users about this new experience to reduce confusion and help desk inquiries. You may also want to review your organization's Copilot licensing and ensure users are aware of how to use the Copilot side pane effectively. Compliance considerations Does this change store new customer data?AI-generated summaries may be temporarily cached to improve performance, but they are not permanently stored. Does this change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? Emails, Teams messages, and documents are processed by large language models (LLMs) to generate summaries based on user search queries. Does this change introduce or significantly modify AI or machine learning capabilities that interact with customer data?This feature introduces generative AI capabilities that analyze and summarize user content across Outlook and connected Microsoft 365 services. Does this change provide end users with a new way of interacting with generative AI?Users can interact with Copilot summaries directly in the Outlook interface after performing a search. | Once rolled out, users will see a new entry point to the Copilot side pane after executing a search in Outlook. This pane surfaces AI-generated summaries, improving productivity and reducing time spent navigating search results.
Copilot side pane in Outlook search results: Key details: The Copilot side pane appears only after a user performs a search and selects the entry point on the search results page (SERP). Summaries include all content supported by Microsoft 365 Copilot, such as indexed emails, Teams messages, attachments, and shared files from OneDrive or SharePoint. This feature is on by default and does not require admin configuration. There are no changes to existing DLP, eDiscovery, or retention policies. Admins cannot control access to this feature via policy settings or Entra ID group membership. There is currently no setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center or Outlook user settings to manage or disable this experience. There is no way to monitor or audit usage of this feature through Microsoft Purview or Microsoft 365 audit logs. What you can do to prepare No action is required at this time. However, we recommend informing users about this new experience to reduce confusion and help desk inquiries. You may also want to review your organization's Copilot licensing and ensure users are aware of how to use the Copilot side pane effectively. Compliance considerations Does this change store new customer data?No. Does this change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed? Emails, Teams messages, and documents are processed by large language models (LLMs) to generate summaries based on user search queries. Does this change introduce or significantly modify AI or machine learning capabilities that interact with customer data?This feature introduces generative AI capabilities that analyze and summarize user content across Outlook and connected Microsoft 365 services. Does this change provide end users with a new way of interacting with generative AI?Users can interact with Copilot summaries directly in the Outlook interface after performing a search. |
| 2025-10-06 | MC Last Updated | 09/11/2025 23:08:13 | 2025-10-06T14:52:32Z |
| 2025-10-06 | MC End Time | 12/08/2025 08:00:00 | 2026-01-05T08:00:00Z |
| 2025-10-06 | MC Summary | Microsoft Outlook is introducing Immersive Search with a Copilot side pane that provides AI-generated summaries from emails, Teams messages, and documents after a search. Rolling out worldwide from late September to October 2025, this feature is on by default, requires no admin setup, and is available to Copilot-licensed tenants. | Microsoft Outlook is introducing Immersive Search with a Copilot side pane across Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and new Windows Outlook. It provides AI-generated summaries from emails, Teams, and documents after searches. Rolling out worldwide from late October to November 2025, it requires Copilot licenses and is on by default without admin controls. |
| 2025-09-12 | MC MessageTagNames | New feature, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, New feature, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2025-09-12 | MC Summary | Microsoft Outlook introduces Immersive Search with a Copilot side pane across platforms, providing AI-generated summaries from emails, Teams, and documents after searches. Available to Copilot-licensed tenants, it rolls out worldwide by late September 2025, requires no admin setup, and enhances productivity without changing data policies. | Microsoft Outlook is introducing Immersive Search with a Copilot side pane that provides AI-generated summaries from emails, Teams messages, and documents after a search. Rolling out worldwide from late September to October 2025, this feature is on by default, requires no admin setup, and is available to Copilot-licensed tenants. |
| 2025-09-12 | MC Last Updated | 08/07/2025 08:35:39 | 2025-09-11T23:08:13Z |
| 2025-09-12 | MC Messages | Introduction
We're introducing Immersive Search, a new experience across Outlook for Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Outlook for Windows. After performing a search, users will see an entry point to the Microsoft Copilot side pane, which presents a highly relevant, AI-generated summary based on their query. This summary includes content from emails, Teams messages, and documents-helping users quickly understand and act on their information. This feature uses Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Outlook-specific experience and is available only to tenants with Copilot licenses. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498319. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early September and expect to complete by late September 2025. | Updated September 11, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction We're introducing Immersive Search, a new experience across Outlook for Web, Mac, iOS, Android, and the new Outlook for Windows. After performing a search, users will see an entry point to the Microsoft Copilot side pane, which presents a highly relevant, AI-generated summary based on their query. This summary includes content from emails, Teams messages, and documents-helping users quickly understand and act on their information. This feature uses Microsoft 365 Copilot with an Outlook-specific experience and is available only to tenants with Copilot licenses. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498319. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late September 2025 (previously early September) and expect to complete by late October 2025 (previously late September). |
| 2025-09-12 | MC Title | Microsoft Outlook: Enhanced search experience with Copilot across Web, Mac, and Mobile | (Updated) Microsoft Outlook: Enhanced search experience with Copilot across Web, Mac, and Mobile |
| 2025-09-12 | MC End Time | 10/31/2025 08:00:00 | 2025-12-08T08:00:00Z |
Last updated 2 months ago ago
