Yesterday at a Digital event, Microsoft officially announced new Copilot updates for OneDrive, with which it delivers personalized intelligence to every file in the drive.
OneDrive: New Copilot updates
For Copilot licensed users, the familiar Copilot icon is now built directly into your OneDrive experience. Ways to use the Copilot icon:
- Summarize content: Select any document, presentation, PDF, or image, and click the Copilot icon and get instant insights you can take action on.
o New-Meeting recordings: Instantly recap sessions and spotlight your mentions for easy follow-up
o New-Whiteboard images: Extract and interpret key details from images
- Get answers fast: Ask Copilot questions about your files, like “What are the main action items in this deck?” or “Show me changes from this document since the last version.”
- Compare versions: Copilot can highlight differences between file versions, making reviews and approvals faster.
- Audio overviews: Choose either an executive or podcast-style summary, and Copilot will create an audio file with key insights from your document, perfect for catching up on the go, whether you’re in the OneDrive mobile app or on OneDrive for Web.
OneDrive is now faster and more dependable, so your documents are always right where you need them, whether you’re working from the office, at home, or on the go.
- New-Add to OneDrive: Use shortcuts to keep shared library content side-by-side with your individual files.
- File Explorer Updates: The Shared section in the File Explorer Home view highlights files that were shared with you, and a quick hover or click over collaborators’ profile pictures will show the new People card with direct links to Teams or Outlook.
- NEW-Cloud-first creation: Starting today, new documents in Word desktop on Windows (Insiders) now save directly to OneDrive, with autosave enabled, your work is protected and ready for real-time collaboration.
o New files save directly to OneDrive
o Autosave is enabled from the start
o Your work is protected, instantly shareable, and ready for real-time collaboration
OneDrive now gets the hero link
The hero link simplifies sharing with a single, primary link that governs access, identical to the address bar URL. You can update permissions (e.g., expand to your org) without changing the link. And before you share, Copilot can generate a quick summary, so recipients open with context. It’s simple, predictable, and built to reduce “access denied” moments.
Continuity without complexity
- Bulk transfer: Seamless transitions are essential for team momentum. When a team member changes roles or leaves the organization, bulk transfer lets you shift their OneDrive content to the right owner in just a few clicks, keeping projects moving without the scavenger hunt.
- M365 Archive: For oversized or aging content, Microsoft 365 Archive offers a simple archiving solution to declutter workspaces, reduce costs, and keep legacy content discoverable without cluttering everyday Copilot results.
Governance at Scale:
- The Sync Health Dashboard: Visibility and control are at the heart of effective collaboration. The Sync Health Dashboard in the Microsoft 365 Apps Admin Center provides an executive view across devices. With Microsoft Graph Data Connect, you can export telemetry to build custom reports and alerts in Power BI or Excel.
- Copilot in the SharePoint Admin Center: Copilot in the SharePoint Admin Center helps administrators efficiently manage sites, content, and user access. AI insights allow for quick resource location, automated tasks, and instant answers to site management questions.
OneDrive Photos: find, edit, and rediscover your memories
- Photos Agent: Let Copilot find your favorite photos and help you share them with loved ones. Ask for the best shots from last weekend, a collection of holiday photos, or describe a very specific memory. Copilot will help you find your photos, and soon help you build albums and share. The Photos Agent will soon be available in the Microsoft 365 Copilot Windows and Web experience for Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers.
- Moments tab: Moments creates curated memories from your photos stored in OneDrive. The Moments tab can be accessed on the OneDrive web or the OneDrive mobile app.
- Photo shuffle: Enjoy a collection of random photos from your OneDrive to help rediscover forgotten favorites. You can reshuffle as much and as often as you like. Find it in the Moments tab.
Microsoft will soon roll out AI mobile editing and Photo stacks on the OneDrive mobile app (iOS and Android).
Other than this, some more exciting features will be making their way on OneDrive in the future- Smarter search and answers, custom agents, M365 Copilot Researcher integration, and unified OneDrive Photos experience on Windows.
