Published: June 2026. Source: Microsoft 365 Message Center MC1311968 / MWPRO: MC1311968 Detail
From mid-June 2026, Microsoft is enabling Copilot in SharePoint as an opt-out preview for every tenant that has Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users. The feature was previously available only to tenants that deliberately opted in. With this change, it becomes active by default unless a SharePoint Administrator explicitly disables it at the tenant or site level.
Copilot in SharePoint respects the existing permission model and will not surface content a user cannot already access. The concern for administrators is not that the feature bypasses permissions - it does not - but that AI-assisted discovery makes over-shared content far easier to locate. A user who would never stumble across a confidential file through manual browsing can receive an AI-generated summary of that document simply by asking a natural-language question inside SharePoint.
What Copilot in SharePoint Does
Copilot in SharePoint adds AI-assisted page and news creation directly within the SharePoint editing surface. Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence can ask it to generate a draft site page from a written prompt, summarise the contents of a document library, or create a news article based on uploaded meeting notes. The AI draws on content stored in the sites and libraries the user has permission to access within Microsoft 365.
Microsoft's roadmap item for this feature is ID 501451. A related message centre notification, MC1324284, describes expanded entry points in the SharePoint site template gallery and the pages library, due in targeted release from mid-July 2026. The opt-out preview covered by MC1311968 is the earlier and broader rollout: it reaches all eligible tenants before the expanded capabilities arrive.
What the Opt-Out Default Means in Practice
An opt-out rollout means the feature is active in your tenant unless you take action to disable it. If your organisation has already set a tenant-wide or site-level opt-out through an earlier preview configuration, that setting is honoured and no further action is required. If you have not previously engaged with this preview, the feature will be available to Copilot-licensed users as the rollout reaches your tenant between mid-June and early July 2026.
There is no new licence requirement. Users who already hold a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence gain access automatically. Users without a Copilot licence do not see the feature regardless of tenant-level settings.
To opt out at the tenant level, run the following command in the SharePoint Online Management Shell or PnP PowerShell:
Set-SPOTenant -CopilotInSharePointEnabled $falseTo opt out a specific site collection only:
Set-SPOSite -Identity "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteName" -CopilotInSharePointEnabled $falseWhy Permissions Need Reviewing Before This Reaches Your Users
Most SharePoint Online tenants accumulate permission over-sharing over time. Teams grant broad access to project sites and rarely revisit those permissions once the project wraps up. Someone creates a "People in your organisation" sharing link during a collaboration and nobody removes it afterwards. Contributors from previous roles retain access to sites they no longer need. Guest accounts from completed vendor relationships remain active - sometimes for years.
Before Copilot, this over-sharing was a background governance risk. Users with broad access could manually browse to content they should not have seen, but most would never do so. Copilot changes the discovery surface: a user asks "summarise the latest financials" and the AI returns an answer drawn from a document shared far more broadly than the finance team intended.
Complete two checks before your Copilot-licensed users encounter the feature. First, audit your active sharing links to identify "People in your organisation" links that are years old and no longer needed. Second, audit external user access to confirm that guest accounts with lingering SharePoint access cannot trigger Copilot through group membership.
ShareMaster's Shared Links and Permissions tool lists active sharing links across your sites with link type, creation date, and linked item, so you can identify which links are most at risk before the Copilot rollout amplifies their scope. The Report Master permission matrix export shows who holds access at the document library level, which is the most actionable view for a pre-Copilot permissions review.
Rollout Timeline and Three Steps to Take Now
Targeted Release tenants are receiving the update from mid-June 2026. Standard Release tenants follow through late June and into July. If your admin account is configured for Targeted Release, the feature may already be active in your environment.
- Confirm whether the rollout has reached your tenant. Sign in to a SharePoint site with a Copilot-licensed account and look for AI-assisted content creation options in the pages library or news creation flow. If visible, the feature is live.
- Run a shared links and permissions audit if you have not done so in the past six months. Prioritise sites that hold sensitive content: HR, Finance, Legal, and any site collection with unique permissions.
- Communicate the change to your Copilot-licensed users so they understand what the AI can and cannot access. A clear explanation prevents confusion when AI-generated content suggestions appear inside the SharePoint editor for the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Copilot in SharePoint?
Copilot in SharePoint is a Microsoft AI feature integrated into the SharePoint editing surface. It helps users create site pages, news articles, and content summaries using natural-language prompts. It accesses only content the signed-in user already has permission to view within Microsoft 365.
How do I opt my tenant out of Copilot in SharePoint?
Run Set-SPOTenant -CopilotInSharePointEnabled $false from the SharePoint Online Management Shell. For individual sites, use Set-SPOSite -Identity "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/SiteName" -CopilotInSharePointEnabled $false. Opt-out settings configured before the rollout are automatically honoured.
Does Copilot in SharePoint access content users are not permitted to see?
No. The feature strictly respects the SharePoint permission model. It surfaces only content the signed-in user is already authorised to view. The risk is that AI-assisted search makes over-shared content significantly easier to discover than manual browsing would allow.
Sources: Microsoft 365 Message Center MC1311968 (merill.net archive); MWPRO: Copilot in SharePoint Opt-Out Preview (MC1311968); Microsoft Learn: Get started with Copilot in SharePoint (preview).