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Anand

Tech Ease

A Technology podcast

#192 in Technology · 🇿🇦
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About the show

Tech Ease is a Microsoft 365 podcast for people who use SharePoint and Copilot at work. Anand Vijayaragavan, Microsoft MVP for SharePoint, explains Copilot Chat, Copilot Studio, Agent Builder, SharePoint pages and free SPFx samples in plain language. Day Brief episodes cover the Microsoft 365 updates worth your time. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Read on Substack: https://anandvijayaragavan.substack.com Independent, not affiliated with Microsoft.

Newest episodes

How to Get Your PowerPoint Template Ready for Copilot: Brand Kit and Template Assessment Explained

4 min

Copilot in PowerPoint builds decks from your brand kit, but how on-brand they look depends on your template. Copilot uses your template's sample slides first and its layouts second, and when there aren't enough sample slides it falls back to the slide master, which Microsoft says may give less optimal results. In the final part of his four-part series, Anand goes through getting your company template ready for Copilot, checking it with Template assessment, and the two settings that keep Copilot on brand. What the episode covers:- Why sample slides matter most: Microsoft's advice is "If you only have time for one thing, add sample slides." Make them representative, complete slides at light, medium and heavy density, not libraries of icons or charts.- Template structure: put main content in placeholders, not text boxes. Use theme colors and fonts instead of manual formatting, and editable tables and charts instead of pictures of them. Create and save the template in PowerPoint for Windows or Mac, as .pptx or .potx. Brand kit is available in PowerPoint for Windows, Mac and the web.- Template assessment: made for brand managers. It runs automatically when you add a template to a brand kit (Templates, then Add template), and you can run it on an existing template from More options (...), then Template assessment. It checks the template file, slide master, theme, placeholders and sample slides. Each row is marked Suggestion or Pass, with Why it matters and How to improve. It never changes your file or blocks saving. Select Copy results to share the report. A Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license is required.- Fixing with Copilot: in Copilot in PowerPoint, enter Microsoft's prompt ("Fix the template issues from the checker report, keeping the existing design and slide count:") and paste the copied results after it. Copilot might ask how you want to act on the report: Fix the existing slides, Fix and expand examples, or Explain the report first. Then save, upload the temp...

Custom Skills in Copilot in PowerPoint: How to Write, Record and Share Your Own

4 min

You can teach Copilot in PowerPoint your own way of working with a custom skill: a folder holding one SKILL.md file, with a name, a description that tells Copilot when to use the skill, and your instructions. In part three of his four-part series, Anand goes through writing one, recording one and sharing one with your team. What the episode covers:- The menu label: Microsoft is replacing the Agents, Agents & Skills and Customize buttons with a single Plugins button, finishing by late November 2026, because a plugin can bundle skills, agents, connectors and MCP servers. Your menu may say "Choose plugins" or "Manage plugins & skills" where earlier episodes said "Choose skills" and "Manage skills".- What a skill file looks like: the frontmatter at the top of SKILL.md (name and description) and the instructions below it. Start the description with "Use when" and name the situation. The folder name must match the name in SKILL.md, or Copilot skips the skill. Renaming the folder hides a skill without deleting it.- Three ways to add a skill besides recording: in Manage skills (or Manage plugins & skills), select Add, then type the skill into the form or upload a skill file (.md, or .zip for a skill with extra files). Or copy the skill folder into your Skills folder in OneDrive yourself. All three end up in that same OneDrive folder. Call a custom skill the same way as a built-in one: the + button, then Choose skills, or @ and the skill's name.- Record a skill: available in PowerPoint for Windows, Mac and the web. Tips: record one clear outcome at a time, keep it under 10 minutes, remember that voice narration and actions in other windows aren't recorded, and wait for Copilot's last change to appear before you select Stop. Good candidates include recurring slide formatting, table cleanup, chart styling, logo placement, layout changes and regular presentation updates. Review the drafted name, description and instructions before you upload.- Sharing with your team: admins can...

Copilot in PowerPoint Built-in Skills Explained: What's Available and What's Coming

5 min

Copilot in PowerPoint comes with built-in skills you can call from the plus button (Choose skills) or by typing @ and the skill's name. In part two of my four-part series, I go through them one at a time. First come the everyday ones: Visualize this slide, Review this presentation, Prepare for Questions, Clarify my thinking and Create interactive slide. Then come three Frontier skills: Sharpen slide titles, Explain this presentation and Add explainer video. Last is Create a sales pitch, which is rolling out to everyone through late November 2026 and is only on the web for now, along with Review sales pipeline, Prepare internal sales review, Prepare customer review deck, Draft proposal response and a project kickoff skill. Part three is about making your own skill, and part four is about brand kit. This episode follows part one, Copilot in PowerPoint: Skills, Custom Skills and Brand Kit Explained. Chapters 0:00 Built-in skills: how to call them 0:57 Everyday skills you can use now 3:10 The early ones (Frontier) 4:05 Create a sales pitch 4:40 Wrap-up: one thing to try this week Screenshots: my own Microsoft 365 tenant, details masked. Menu names can differ by tenant. Mine shows "Choose plugins" and "Visualise" where Microsoft's wording says "Choose skills" and "Visualize". Scenes marked ILLUSTRATION are drawn, not captured. Follow Tech Ease so you catch the next part. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-T3weF2p5T8 Follow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1 Tech Ease on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Related episodes Copilot in PowerPoint: Skills, Custom Skills and Brand Kit Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFVfNL_VirE https://open.spotify.com/episode/3fvvQLCrQSAFxhIgL9b37j Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. #CopilotInPowerPoint #Microsoft365Copilot #PowerPoint

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All episodes

How to Get Your PowerPoint Template Ready for Copilot: Brand Kit and Template Assessment Explained

4 min

Copilot in PowerPoint builds decks from your brand kit, but how on-brand they look depends on your template. Copilot uses your template's sample slides first and its layouts second, and when there aren't enough sample slides it falls back to the slide master, which Microsoft says may give less optimal results. In the final part of his four-part series, Anand goes through getting your company template ready for Copilot, checking it with Template assessment, and the two settings that keep Copilot on brand. What the episode covers:- Why sample slides matter most: Microsoft's advice is "If you only have time for one thing, add sample slides." Make them representative, complete slides at light, medium and heavy density, not libraries of icons or charts.- Template structure: put main content in placeholders, not text boxes. Use theme colors and fonts instead of manual formatting, and editable tables and charts instead of pictures of them. Create and save the template in PowerPoint for Windows or Mac, as .pptx or .potx. Brand kit is available in PowerPoint for Windows, Mac and the web.- Template assessment: made for brand managers. It runs automatically when you add a template to a brand kit (Templates, then Add template), and you can run it on an existing template from More options (...), then Template assessment. It checks the template file, slide master, theme, placeholders and sample slides. Each row is marked Suggestion or Pass, with Why it matters and How to improve. It never changes your file or blocks saving. Select Copy results to share the report. A Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license is required.- Fixing with Copilot: in Copilot in PowerPoint, enter Microsoft's prompt ("Fix the template issues from the checker report, keeping the existing design and slide count:") and paste the copied results after it. Copilot might ask how you want to act on the report: Fix the existing slides, Fix and expand examples, or Explain the report first. Then save, upload the temp...

Custom Skills in Copilot in PowerPoint: How to Write, Record and Share Your Own

4 min

You can teach Copilot in PowerPoint your own way of working with a custom skill: a folder holding one SKILL.md file, with a name, a description that tells Copilot when to use the skill, and your instructions. In part three of his four-part series, Anand goes through writing one, recording one and sharing one with your team. What the episode covers:- The menu label: Microsoft is replacing the Agents, Agents & Skills and Customize buttons with a single Plugins button, finishing by late November 2026, because a plugin can bundle skills, agents, connectors and MCP servers. Your menu may say "Choose plugins" or "Manage plugins & skills" where earlier episodes said "Choose skills" and "Manage skills".- What a skill file looks like: the frontmatter at the top of SKILL.md (name and description) and the instructions below it. Start the description with "Use when" and name the situation. The folder name must match the name in SKILL.md, or Copilot skips the skill. Renaming the folder hides a skill without deleting it.- Three ways to add a skill besides recording: in Manage skills (or Manage plugins & skills), select Add, then type the skill into the form or upload a skill file (.md, or .zip for a skill with extra files). Or copy the skill folder into your Skills folder in OneDrive yourself. All three end up in that same OneDrive folder. Call a custom skill the same way as a built-in one: the + button, then Choose skills, or @ and the skill's name.- Record a skill: available in PowerPoint for Windows, Mac and the web. Tips: record one clear outcome at a time, keep it under 10 minutes, remember that voice narration and actions in other windows aren't recorded, and wait for Copilot's last change to appear before you select Stop. Good candidates include recurring slide formatting, table cleanup, chart styling, logo placement, layout changes and regular presentation updates. Review the drafted name, description and instructions before you upload.- Sharing with your team: admins can...

Copilot in PowerPoint Built-in Skills Explained: What's Available and What's Coming

5 min

Copilot in PowerPoint comes with built-in skills you can call from the plus button (Choose skills) or by typing @ and the skill's name. In part two of my four-part series, I go through them one at a time. First come the everyday ones: Visualize this slide, Review this presentation, Prepare for Questions, Clarify my thinking and Create interactive slide. Then come three Frontier skills: Sharpen slide titles, Explain this presentation and Add explainer video. Last is Create a sales pitch, which is rolling out to everyone through late November 2026 and is only on the web for now, along with Review sales pipeline, Prepare internal sales review, Prepare customer review deck, Draft proposal response and a project kickoff skill. Part three is about making your own skill, and part four is about brand kit. This episode follows part one, Copilot in PowerPoint: Skills, Custom Skills and Brand Kit Explained. Chapters 0:00 Built-in skills: how to call them 0:57 Everyday skills you can use now 3:10 The early ones (Frontier) 4:05 Create a sales pitch 4:40 Wrap-up: one thing to try this week Screenshots: my own Microsoft 365 tenant, details masked. Menu names can differ by tenant. Mine shows "Choose plugins" and "Visualise" where Microsoft's wording says "Choose skills" and "Visualize". Scenes marked ILLUSTRATION are drawn, not captured. Follow Tech Ease so you catch the next part. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-T3weF2p5T8 Follow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1 Tech Ease on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Related episodes Copilot in PowerPoint: Skills, Custom Skills and Brand Kit Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFVfNL_VirE https://open.spotify.com/episode/3fvvQLCrQSAFxhIgL9b37j Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. #CopilotInPowerPoint #Microsoft365Copilot #PowerPoint

Copilot in PowerPoint: Skills, Custom Skills and Brand Kit Explained

5 min

Copilot in PowerPoint can now build decks from a prompt or a Word file, edit and visualize your slides, and follow your own skills and your company's brand kit. In this first episode of a four-part series, I give a high-level tour of the four layers: Copilot itself, built-in skills such as Prepare for Questions, custom skills you write or record, and Brand Kit. For each one, I cover what you can use today and what is still rolling out. The episode builds on the earlier Tech Ease episodes Agents vs Skills and How Much of the Work Are You Handing Over? Can't find it? Copilot opens from the icon at the bottom right of PowerPoint for Windows, Mac and the web. Chapters0:00 One deck, four layers0:49 Layer 1: Copilot2:09 Layer 2: Built-in skills3:37 Layer 3: Custom skills4:24 Layer 4: Brand kit4:55 Wrap-up: where to start Screenshots: my own Microsoft 365 tenant, details masked. Menu names can differ by tenant. Mine shows "Choose plugins" where Microsoft's wording says skills. Follow Tech Ease so you catch the next part.Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFVfNL_VirEFollow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1Tech Ease on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Related episodesCopilot Agents vs Skillshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHl5mBq2s1Q Which Copilot Tool Should You Use? Chat, Agent Builder, Studio, Cowork and Autopilothttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pkXDUv0dIQ Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. #CopilotInPowerPoint #Microsoft365Copilot #PowerPoint

Extract Business Card Details with Copilot in SharePoint (Autofill Columns, No Power Automate)

4 min

SharePoint and Copilot can keep business-card files and extracted contact details together in a document library, using autofill columns and a file upload form instead of a custom Power Automate flow for this setup. I explain a real support request: a colleague wanted names, companies, job titles, phone numbers and email addresses from business-card images in a shared Excel table, but ran into licensing and connection trouble. I proposed a SharePoint library so the file and its details stay side by side. This episode covers describing a library to Copilot in SharePoint, setting up autofill columns, submitting files through a file upload form, and checking the extracted information. Setting up autofill needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence; the episode also explains processing later uploads from people without that licence. This replaces the Excel table; it does not update Excel. Power Automate may still be needed for approvals, notifications or processes that depend on Excel. At recording time, the colleague had not tried the proposed setup—there is no completed rollout or tested outcome to report. Screens are my own demo screenshots with tenant details, names and sample values masked; other scenes are illustrations. The sample card shown was a made-up HTML file generated by Copilot, not a photographed card. Follow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1 Tech Ease on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Chapters 00:00 The business-card request 00:25 Why split card images and contact data? 00:48 A capability needs a real use case 01:16 SharePoint libraries and Copilot autofill columns 01:38 Describe the library to Copilot 02:25 A made-up sample card, with data beside it 02:48 The SharePoint file upload form 03:19 Checking extracted data and Copilot licensing 03:56 When Power Automate is still the right tool 04:18 The colleague has not tested it yet 04:34 Start with the outcome, not the flow Related episode — a diff...

Copilot UX Components Explained: Forms Inside Microsoft 365 Copilot

5 min

Copilot UX components bring interactive forms, quizzes and controls into a Microsoft 365 Copilot conversation, so you can take the next step without switching applications.Maya and I explain the value through a SharePoint document-submission example and the Weekly Pulse Quiz: choose a destination, supply the required information and review before submitting. This is a configured experience—not automatic filing of every document anywhere.We cover the SharePoint Framework (SPFx 1.24) connection, the earlier “SharePoint Copilot Apps” name, Microsoft-managed front-end hosting and existing sign-in. Hosting and sign-in do not grant extra data access: app review, API consent and the user's permissions still apply. External backends and services remain your responsibility.At general availability, users need the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on licence as well as their normal qualifying Microsoft 365 licence, an agent their organisation makes available, and a supported browser or desktop client. Components do not render on mobile at GA.The form and quiz screens are privacy-edited screenshots from our earlier Document Submission Form / Stay in the Flow and Weekly Pulse Quiz demos. Other visuals are conceptual illustrations. This is not a new live upload or a newly recorded Copilot quiz session.Follow Tech Ease: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1Watch Tech Ease: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18Chapters00:00 Why finish a task inside Copilot?00:18 What are Copilot UX components?00:56 Who can use them? Licence and supported clients01:18 Document submission to SharePoint01:57 Why the agent needs a configured destination02:16 Review the destination before uploading02:52 Microsoft hosting, sign-in and permissions03:54 Packaging and distribution through the App Catalog04:19 Weekly Pulse Quiz: when interaction helps05:07 Start with one familiar task05:25 Follow Tech Ease and the takeawayScreenshots: earlier Tech Ease Document Submission Form / Stay in the Fl...

How to Build Interactive 3D HTML Pages in SharePoint with Babylon.js (Part Two, Free Preview)

2 min

In Part One I showed you a haunted front yard living on a SharePoint page. This free preview introduces Part Two — the build story.I explain why I try SharePoint’s host-supported Babylon.js loading first, and show scenes from my own SharePoint tests on 6 November 2026. Screenshots show appearance, not proof of every control’s behaviour on another device.The full build walkthrough is for Tech Ease members.Full members episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/03q2FEfyBCE8Vw4yTnaT3lYouTube free preview: https://youtu.be/Lb37TUvwX9EFree Part One tour: https://youtu.be/--oGsHe1k2kHalloween Haunt demo: https://anandragav.github.io/copilot-html-dashboards/halloween-haunt/Chapters00:00 Part Two: the build story00:28 Correction: try the host manifest first00:48 Two approaches01:26 Nov 6 test: winter wonderland01:42 Nov 6 test: Halloween Haunt01:55 Invitation to the members walkthroughFollow Tech Ease so you catch what’s next.

Copilot Notebooks Are Becoming Workspaces + 3 More Microsoft 365 Updates (Day Brief)

2 min

Your Copilot Notebooks are becoming Copilot Workspaces, and the standalone Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents are moving into Chat. This Tech Ease Day Brief also covers wider fair-use limits for commercial Copilot Chat without the paid licence, SharePoint tools in Work IQ in public preview, and Frontier expanding to eligible Teams, new Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint previews.Four Microsoft 365 updates: Notebooks become Workspaces while standalone Office agents move into Chat (MC1535647, MC1536062, MC1530611); fair-use limits expand in unlicensed commercial Copilot Chat with no published numerical allowances (MC1536158, MC1536163); SharePoint tools in Work IQ enter public preview with delegated permissions and Copilot Credits; and Frontier enrollment expands to eligible Teams, new Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint previews from November (MC1529472).Chapters:0:00 Four updates0:07 Workspaces0:30 Office agents0:55 Chat fair-use limits1:32 SharePoint tools in Work IQ2:10 Frontier expands2:39 Follow Tech EaseLinks:- Copilot Notebooks → Workspaces (Support): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/copilot-notebooks-to-copilot-workspaces- Home / Projects / Workspaces (MC1535647, unofficial mirror): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1535647- Standalone Word / Excel / PowerPoint agents (MC1536062, unofficial mirror): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1536062- Office in Copilot (MC1530611, unofficial mirror): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1530611- Copilot Chat fair-use limits (Support): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/standard-versus-priority-access-to-features-in-microsoft-365-copilot-chat- Limits notice MC1536158 (unofficial mirror): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1536158- Limits notice MC1536163 (unofficial mirror): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1536163- SharePoint tools in Work IQ (blog): https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/spblog/introducing-sharepoint-tools-in-work-iq/4569917- SharePoint tools Learn: https://learn.microso...

Which Copilot Tool Should You Use? Chat, Agent Builder, Studio, Cowork and Autopilot

4 min

Short answer: each Microsoft Copilot tool hands over a different amount of work. Here is one left-to-right map from Copilot Chat through Agent Builder, Copilot in SharePoint, Copilot Studio, Copilot Cowork and Autopilot, with one example and one honest trade-off at each stop, plus where skills fit across all six. Copilot Chat, Agent Builder, Copilot in SharePoint, Copilot Studio, Copilot Cowork and Autopilot can feel like a blur of new names. In this episode, I walk through all six on one simple map, built around a single question: how much of the work are you handing over? It follows my earlier Tech Ease episodes on agents and skills, and on Copilot Cowork. Chapters: 00:00 How much work are you handing over? 00:44 The left-to-right map 01:06 Copilot Chat 01:22 Agent Builder 01:49 Copilot in SharePoint 02:15 Copilot Studio 02:37 The stops overlap 02:53 Copilot Cowork 03:26 Autopilot 03:51 Skills under all six 04:27 Where I would start Script and original map: Anand Vijayaragavan. Map structure adapted from the creator-supplied slide 3; original Notebooks-style coral/teal line-art illustrations and animation rebuilt for this episode. No third-party screenshots used. Narration generated with Anand's authorized cloned voice using ElevenLabs. TTS and Scribe are paid generation; production/rendering also uses Grok Bot usage. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2pkXDUv0dIQ Tech Ease on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anandvijayaragavan18 Follow Tech Ease on Spotify.

Copilot Agents vs Skills: When to Use Agent Builder, Copilot Studio, Cowork and Autopilot

7 min

Build one Copilot agent and give it many skills, then move up to Copilot Studio, Cowork or Autopilot only when the work actually demands it. A skill is an instruction you keep retyping, saved once as a small folder with a SKILL.md file, and the same idea now shows up in Agent Builder, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Cowork. In this episode I explain the difference between a Copilot agent and a skill, and how I decide which tool to reach for. I start with Agent Builder, show what a skill is under the hood, try skills in PowerPoint and Excel, and then go through when Copilot Studio still leads, what Cowork does with the work you delegate, and where Autopilot fits. What I cover: - Copilot vs an agent: help when you ask, versus a goal it keeps working on - Agent Builder: describe it, start from a template, or configure it yourself, then test and create - Why ten agents become ten things to maintain, and the one-front-door pattern - What a skill is: a name, a description, instructions and optional files - PowerPoint: call a skill with @ and its name; Excel: built-in skills like clean-data - Agent Builder or Copilot Studio: up to eight skills per agent, model choice, Copy to Copilot Studio, and upgrading older SharePoint agents before March 2027 - Four questions that pick the tool for the job - Cowork: approvals before sensitive actions, editing files, schedules and triggers - Autopilot, previously called Scout: its own identity, working within the permissions you set - Five checks before you build Chapters: 00:00 The short answer 00:16 Copilot vs an agent 00:31 Agent Builder: the quickest way 01:03 One agent, many skills 01:42 What a skill is 02:38 Skills in PowerPoint and Excel 03:04 Agent Builder or Copilot Studio? 04:38 Which tool for which job 05:06 Cowork 05:41 Autopilot 06:19 Before you build 06:46 Wrap-up: a new agent, or a new skill? Screenshots: Microsoft Learn, Microsoft Support and the Official Microsoft Blog (© Microsoft), credited on screen. Agent names in my ow...

SharePoint Page Ideas: A Halloween 3D Scene with Babylon.js (Part One)

2 min

Yes, a SharePoint page can run a live 3D scene. Here's a Halloween one built with Babylon.js in the new HTML pages, with a flat fallback when 3D is off. Try it: https://anandragav.github.io/copilot-html-dashboards/halloween-haunt/ Halloween came to my SharePoint site. I built a haunted front yard in 3D with Babylon.js: a ghost, lightning, a cackling witch, a hand pushing up out of the dirt and a parade of ghost cars, all living on a single SharePoint page that anyone can play with. If 3D isn't available, the page shows a flat, animated version of the same scene instead of a blank box. This free Part One is the tour. Part Two, my members-only technical deep dive, covers how I got it running entirely on its own inside SharePoint: what I kept, what I cut, and how it passed the security checks. Try it yourself: https://anandragav.github.io/copilot-html-dashboards/halloween-haunt/ Chapters00:00 The idea: Halloween on a SharePoint page00:19 The spark: Babylon.js in the new HTML pages00:35 The tour: ghost, lightning, witch, hand and the Cruise parade01:01 Sound, and the flat fallback when 3D is off01:24 The catch: a trimmed-down Babylon.js01:48 Wrap-up and where to try it Follow Tech Ease so you catch what's next. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/--oGsHe1k2k

Copilot Studio vs Agent Builder: When to Switch (Fall 2026 Update)

6 min

Short answer: use Agent Builder until you need workflows, model choice or full lifecycle control. Then move to Copilot Studio. Here are 3 questions to decide. Agent Builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot picked up a lot this fall: skills that let one agent handle several jobs, skill packages that can run their own scripts, company systems your IT team can switch on as knowledge, and a new Plugins button in the Copilot app. Your Copilot license is quietly becoming a power user toolkit. In this episode of Tech Ease, I give you three simple questions for deciding when it's time to move to Copilot Studio, explain why the gap between the two tools is closing, and I'm honest about where Copilot Studio still leads, from workflows to model choice. I also cover the copy button and why SharePoint agents built in the older .agent file format need an upgrade before the end of March 2027. Chapters00:00 The demo that changed the question00:28 The basics: what an agent is00:49 What's new this fall02:17 When to move to Copilot Studio03:51 Inside the demo: skills and scripts04:31 Is the gap closing?06:21 Wrap-up: your first step Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g74Re0iJb34 Some screenshots: Microsoft Learn Follow Tech Ease on Spotify

SharePoint Weekly Quiz Web Part: Boost Intranet Engagement (Free SPFx Sample)

4 min

A weekly one-question quiz is an easy way to bring people back to your SharePoint intranet. This free SPFx sample sets it up in 3 steps and also runs in Teams and Copilot Chat. Could one weekly question give colleagues a reason to return to your intranet? I walk through the Weekly Pulse Quiz for SharePoint, including advance planning, department-specific questions, appearance options, and what anonymous answers really mean. The episode also explains its Microsoft Teams availability and how the quiz can be used in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/P7vP8gJeqR0Code sample (GitHub): https://github.com/pnp/spfx-copilot-components/pull/75 Follow Tech Ease for new episodes.

Save Copilot Chat Files to SharePoint in One Step (Free SPFx Form)

4 min

You can save a document from Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat straight into a SharePoint library, with its metadata, without leaving the chat. This free SPFx form does it, and it also works on a SharePoint page. A finished presentation is only useful to your team if they can find it. Anand explains the Document Submission Form, a custom app that brings SharePoint document contributions into Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, with a preconfigured Knowledge Base destination and the flexibility to choose another library. The same form also works on a SharePoint page for colleagues who prefer to start there. What we cover in this episode: The 4-step interruption: Why finished presentations and documents get stuck between a Copilot conversation and your team's SharePoint library.One form, two places: How the same component sits on a SharePoint page for colleagues who start from the intranet, and opens inline inside Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat when you're already working in chat.Built-in Home Base: Pre-configuring your team's default SharePoint site URL and destination library (Knowledge Base) so you don't have to look up an address every time—while still letting you switch destinations when a file belongs in another team's library.Library fields & permissions: Bringing in required and optional fields (Document Title, Category, Status) from the destination library automatically, and uploading with your existing SharePoint permissions.Boundaries & IT deployment: Microsoft 365 Copilot license requirements for the in-chat experience vs. standard SharePoint access on a SharePoint page, IT administrator deployment via the SharePoint App Catalog, and keeping destinations scoped within your company's SharePoint tenant.Chapters: (00:00) Finishing a presentation in Copilot — and the 4-step sharing interruption (00:26) Meet the Document Submission Form (00:46) One form, two places: on a SharePoint Knowledge Hub page (01:09) Submitting a document inline inside Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (01:33) C...

Where Are Teams Meeting Notes Stored Now? + 4 More Microsoft 365 Updates (26 Oct 2026)

3 min

From mid-November, Teams Loop and Facilitator meeting notes are stored in the meeting organizer's OneDrive. Also this week: Copilot Studio features for Copilot Chat agents, the Outlook Prioritize retirement, Purview for Copilot Memory, and new Copilot Notebooks file types. Five Microsoft 365 updates worth your time (Season 4, Episode 23 — Monday, 26 October 2026). Non-channel Teams Loop and Facilitator meeting notes move to the meeting organizer's OneDrive from mid-November (MC1523076, RM576194), and Copilot Studio brings Topics, connected agents, Activity Map previews, and dev/test/prod lifecycle management to declarative Copilot Chat agents starting today (MC1518233). Meanwhile, Outlook begins retiring the Copilot Prioritize feature today through March 2027 (MC1519861), Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management adds retention and eDiscovery support for Copilot Memory (MC1478965, RM569612), and Copilot Notebooks in OneNote add JPG, PNG, CSV, and TSV files as direct grounding sources (MC1519842, RM569211, MC1519841, RM569210). Chapters(00:00) Five Microsoft 365 updates this week (Mon 26 Oct 2026)(00:10) 1. Teams Loop & Facilitator notes in the organizer's OneDrive (MC1523076 / RM576194)(00:48) 2. Copilot Studio enterprise maker features GA for Copilot Chat agents (MC1518233)(01:36) 3. Outlook Copilot Prioritize feature retirement (MC1519861)(02:15) 4. Microsoft Purview retention & eDiscovery for Copilot Memory (MC1478965 / RM569612)(02:58) 5. OneNote Copilot Notebooks JPG, PNG, CSV & TSV grounding (MC1519842 / MC1519841)(03:44) Follow Tech Ease on Spotify & YouTube Links- Teams Loop and Facilitator meeting notes stored in the organizer's OneDrive (MC1523076): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1523076- Roadmap: Teams Loop meeting notes in the organizer's OneDrive (RM576194): https://mc.merill.net/message/RM576194- Copilot Studio enhanced support for Copilot Chat agents (MC1518233): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1518233- Outlook Copilot Prioritize feature retirement...

SharePoint Page Owner and Review Date Banner | Is This Intranet Page Still True? (Free SPFx)

5 min

Show readers who owns each SharePoint page and when it was last checked, and let them flag outdated content. This free SPFx web part, Verified Page Banner, sets it up in one click per site. Ever landed on an intranet page and wondered whether any of it is still right? In this episode, Anand walks through the Verified Page Banner, a SharePoint Framework web part he built that shows who owns a page, when it was last confirmed, and lets readers flag content that looks out of date. He covers the one-click setup for site owners, and the step IT needs to take first to make it available in your SharePoint app catalog.Chapters(00:00) The intranet doubt: closing the tab to ask a colleague(00:20) What Verified Page Banner is & the two questions it answers(00:56) Confirm still current, reader flags & add-only visitor access(01:52) One-click site setup & self-healing SharePoint columns(02:56) Browser cache & setup fingerprint optimization(03:31) What it means for intranet owners and page authors(03:50) SharePoint app catalog rollout & community gallery PR(04:33) One takeaway you can apply to your top page todayTech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and GitHub are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Copilot Cowork vs Copilot Chat vs Copilot Studio: Skills, Plugins and Use Cases

6 min

Copilot Cowork is a personal agent that runs multistep jobs for you, using Work IQ context from your mail, meetings, chats and files. Use Copilot Chat for quick answers and Copilot Studio when a team needs a shared agent. What is Copilot Cowork, and how is it different from regular Copilot Chat? Anand explains how Cowork takes on longer, multi-step jobs, how Work IQ gives it context, and how skills and plugins extend it. He covers when Copilot Studio is the better fit, how to get started, and why Autopilot looks like the next step. Chapters (00:00) The Monday Power BI refresh chore (00:39) What Copilot Cowork is in plain words (01:04) Copilot Chat vs Copilot Cowork (01:31) Work IQ: the context layer underneath (01:57) Extension 1: Skills & SKILL.md playbooks (02:40) Extension 2: Plugins & IT governance (03:36) Back to Monday: small jobs that add up (04:02) Cowork vs Copilot Studio & how to start (05:03) Where it is heading: Microsoft Autopilot (Scout) Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qlxD3dMrZ5c

Copilot Notebooks Explained (2026): What's New in Copilot and OneNote

4 min

A Copilot notebook keeps one project's files, notes and chats in one place, so Copilot answers from just that material. New in October 2026: Markdown and text files, and Notebooks for Copilot Chat users. Copilot Notebooks has changed a lot since last year's episode. Anand explains what a notebook is, what's new, including Markdown and text files and Notebooks for Copilot Chat users, and which features are available now, in early access, or coming soon, based on Microsoft's October 2026 Notebooks post. He ends with one simple way to start a notebook today, in Copilot or OneNote.Microsoft's October 2026 Notebooks post: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-copilot-blog/whats-new-in-notebooks--october-2026/4559105Chapters0:00 How many places does one project live?0:24 What a notebook is0:49 Sharing, with private chats1:00 What's changed since last time1:27 What's in it for you: notebook only vs work and web1:58 Three everyday examples2:49 There's more coming: early access and coming soon3:22 The limits3:39 Try it todayFeature status (available now / early access / coming soon) as described in Microsoft's post. Screens in this video are illustrations.Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Copilot, OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QqtV77qo21c

SharePoint Agents Move to Agent Builder: .agent Files End April 2027 + 4 More Updates

3 min

From mid-November, SharePoint and OneDrive agents are created in Copilot Agent Builder, and old .agent files stop working in April 2027. Also this week: OneDrive Copilot actions, Copilot Studio Evaluations, sensitivity-labeled files and long-running work in Copilot Chat. Five Microsoft 365 updates worth your time. SharePoint and OneDrive agents move from .agent files to Copilot Agent Builder from mid-November, and .agent files stop working in April 2027 (MC1511052, with the Agent chat web part in RM575298). OneDrive's Copilot actions leave the File Explorer right-click menu (MC1515940), Copilot Studio Evaluations now explain why a test succeeded or failed (MC1518085), Copilot Studio agents get support for sensitivity-labeled files (RM571305), and Copilot Chat in Frontier can take on long-running, multistep work (MC1479277, with the Tasks view in Teams and Outlook in MC1458472 and MC1458470). Links SharePoint and OneDrive agents move to Copilot Agent Builder (MC1511052): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1511052SharePoint Agent chat web part (RM575298): https://mc.merill.net/message/RM575298OneDrive Copilot actions leave the File Explorer context menu (MC1515940): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1515940Copilot Studio Evaluations improvements (MC1518085): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1518085Copilot Studio support for sensitivity-labeled files (RM571305): https://mc.merill.net/message/RM571305Long-running, multistep work in Copilot Chat (Microsoft Support): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/use-copilot-chat-for-long-running-multi-step-workLong-running work and the Tasks view in Copilot Chat (MC1479277): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1479277Tasks view in full-screen Copilot in Teams (MC1458472): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1458472Tasks view in full-screen Copilot in Outlook (MC1458470): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1458470Deep dive: Who's Going to Upgrade Your SharePoint Agent? Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0p4PB1IS3ueNGbmli...

Can Copilot Build Your Next Learning Page?

4 min

Someone on your team gets asked for a learning page. They know the content, but not the time to design tabs, quizzes and flashcards in SharePoint. Anand walks through the Learning Designer, his skill for Copilot in SharePoint: fill in a form, get a Word Learning Request Brief, press one button, and Copilot builds one self-contained HTML learning page with up to three stages, flip-card flashcards, a practice exercise and knowledge checks. You'll see the demo, what is inside the package (SKILL.md, the mapping file and the reference HTML), what the maintainers' review fixed, and lessons for anyone contributing a skill to the PnP repository. Links Learning Designer skill (PnP sharepoint-skills): https://github.com/pnp/sharepoint-skills/tree/main/Skills/learning-designerTeam Newsletter Publisher skill (PnP sharepoint-skills): https://github.com/pnp/sharepoint-skills/tree/main/Skills/team-newsletter-publisherYouTube version: https://youtu.be/aP2TDM1YVP8Demo brief written for this video; the reference page is the sample bundled with the skill. Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Word, PowerPoint and Copilot are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Solving Business Needs with Structured Document Generation and Copilot in SharePoint

10 min

Anand takes his Dynamics User Group talk, From Form to Document to Dashboard in SharePoint, and walks through two scenarios built on the same pattern: a monthly newsletter made from a document generation form and a Copilot skill, and a site safety audit where Copilot in SharePoint fills in library columns that feed a live HTML dashboard for a plant manager. An audience question from his session leads into the technical setup: editing the generated Word doc, using Copilot to help write skill instructions, the newsletter's file mapping and templates, and Quick Step buttons in both libraries. You'll see both demos and a fair look at when a list is the better tool than a Word report. For a closer look at the form side, listen to the episode What If Your Templates Filled Themselves In? The newsletter skill is on GitHub: https://github.com/pnp/sharepoint-skills/tree/main/Skills/team-newsletter-publisher Links Newsletter skill on GitHub (PnP sharepoint-skills): https://github.com/pnp/sharepoint-skills/tree/main/Skills/team-newsletter-publisherEarlier episode, What If Your Templates Filled Themselves In? (Tech Ease on Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Et2RAffYXPtdIARSc1yJeDemo data is made up; screens were recorded in a demo SharePoint site. Tech Ease is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. Microsoft, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Word, Dynamics and Copilot are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Who's Going to Upgrade Your SharePoint Agent?

3 min

If you built an agent on a SharePoint site, it's saved as a dot agent file, and those files stop responding once March 2027 is over unless someone upgrades them. Anand covers what's coming to Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder and Copilot in SharePoint from mid-November, the four ways to move your agent forward, and what doesn't carry over, from sharing to placement in Teams. Source: Microsoft's "Upgrade agents in SharePoint and OneDrive" page, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/upgrade-sharepoint-agents Follow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1

Copilot in SharePoint, step by step

5 min

What can Copilot in SharePoint actually do on a site? This video walks through site questions, image reading, list dashboards, reusable site skills, extracting a PDF section, and Autofill, with the license and credit distinctions alongside each example. It also covers site-owner controls, the November first preview-settings deadline, and plain-English rules expected in December. Follow Tech Ease on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Cd8NsDE7kdQmLnbXe8Xx1

Structured document generation in SharePoint: what If Your Templates Filled Themselves In?

6 min

Most corporate paperwork isn't a blank page at all, just the same approved Word document with a few details changed, and it still eats time and invites mistakes. In this solo episode, Anand walks through structured document generation in SharePoint: Copilot suggests fields from your Word template, a form collects the answers, and every submission becomes a fresh Word or PDF document in your library. He explains the difference between conditional sections and conditional field visibility using Microsoft's own examples, and ends with a simple challenge to turn one reusable document into a form and test it. If you heard "The Newsletter Was Just the Start," this is a closer look at the first step in that demo.

What is a Skill in SharePoint? Is a Skill Just a Clever Prompt?

5 min

I keep saying "skill" on this show, so this time I open one up. Using my Team Newsletter Publisher skill from the community SharePoint skills repository, we look at what's inside: the SKILL.md workflow, the field mapping reference, and the HTML template. And we look at why a rule for an empty news slot says more about skills than any definition. Try it: - The skill on PnP: https://github.com/pnp/sharepoint-skills/tree/main/Skills/team-newsletter-publisher - The Word template (pending merge into PnP): https://github.com/anandragav/sharepoint-skills/blob/skill/team-newsletter-publisher-word-template/Skills/team-newsletter-publisher/Team-Newsletter-Template.docx Fill in the template, save it in a document library, add the skill to your SharePoint environment, and ask Copilot to publish the team newsletter. Don't upload the Word file with the skill.

Day Brief: SharePoint Copilot Controls, Copilot Search, Legal Plugins

2 min

Three Microsoft 365 updates worth your time. The preview PowerShell controls for Copilot in SharePoint stop counting on 1 November, so availability moves to per-site Site AI settings and spending policies deserve a look. Copilot Search is coming to SharePoint and OneDrive, with preview due this month and GA in January (RM573696). And legal plugins with 20+ skills land in Word and Cowork as the Legal Agent retires (MC1509799). Links - Copilot in SharePoint, preview controls retiring 1 Nov (Microsoft Learn): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/copilot-in-sharepoint-get-started - Copilot Search in SharePoint and OneDrive (RM573696): https://mc.merill.net/message/RM573696 - Legal plugins in Word and Cowork (MC1509799): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1509799 If this was useful, tap Follow on Tech Ease in Spotify, so the next episode shows up for you.

Day Brief: SharePoint Knowledge Bases, Copilot Studio Model Swap, Entra Agent Blueprints

2 min

Three Microsoft 365 updates worth your time. SharePoint is getting a team knowledge base curated by Copilot and agents in Frontier preview, so people and agents can share the same site context. Copilot Studio ends support for selected AI models on 12 November, with agents auto-migrating to replacements (MC1506318). And from 4 November, default users in Entra can create agent blueprints unless admins turn that off (MC1506733).Links- SharePoint team knowledge base: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/spblog/introducing-a-team-knowledge-base-curated-by-copilot-and-agents/4564203- Copilot Studio model end of support (MC1506318): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1506318- Entra agent blueprints (MC1506733): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1506733If this was useful, tap Follow on Tech Ease in Spotify, so the next episode shows up for you.

Day Brief: Page Agent Retires, Audio Overview Grows, Meeting Memory Slips

2 min

Three Microsoft 365 updates worth your time. The SharePoint Page Agent (Frontier) retires from mid-October to mid-November, with page authoring moving to Copilot in SharePoint (MC1481325). Audio Overview adds topic-based episodes, more source types and Purview label inheritance on save to OneDrive, with one gap inside the notebook (MC1492959). And Teams meeting memory files slip to November for Targeted Release and December for general availability (MC1429018).Links- SharePoint Page Agent retirement (MC1481325): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1481325- Audio Overview updates (MC1492959): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1492959- Teams meeting memory files, new dates (MC1429018): https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1429018If this was useful, tap Follow on Tech Ease in Spotify, so the next episode shows up for you.

Day Brief: Skills Come to Copilot Chat, and Copilot Gets More Personal

1 min

Two updates from the Microsoft 365 message center that change how Copilot works for you. Skills are coming to Copilot Chat, and Copilot is getting more personal with your work.Skills in Copilot Chat (MC1493223): users can create, upload, and share skills. Admins can upload a plugin with skills, then deploy, install, or block it in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Agents > Tools, and review the skills users have created there. Rollout runs from October to mid-November. Information Barriers tenants get it in November, and their users can't share their own skills yet.Copilot personalization (MC1492154): Copilot now uses inferences from your Microsoft 365 data to give more personalized responses, rolling out from early to late October. Users can turn it off in Settings > Personalization with the "Chat History and Work Insights" switch. Admins can switch it off with the enhancedPersonalizationSetting control in Microsoft Graph (beta), the setting behind Copilot memory. It's on by default.Sources:Skills in Copilot Chat (MC1493223)Copilot personalization (MC1492154)enhancedPersonalizationSetting (Microsoft Graph beta)Copilot personalization and memoryIf this was useful, tap Follow on Tech Ease in Spotify, so the next episode shows up for you.

Could a Bot Team Handle What You Keep Putting Off?

6 min

New to Grok Bot? Anand explains how an agent with its own cloud computer can carry out delegated tasks, how account access and approval boundaries fit in, and why starting with one job helps. A stalled App Store resubmission, everyday parking and school-event tasks, and Krista Letz's specialist sales team show what that looks like in practice. For more of Anand's personal experiences, listen to the earlier "Operator to Director" and "Closing the Tabs in Your Head" episodes in the Tech Ease podcast.

Day Brief: Copilot in SharePoint Goes GA, and Your PowerShell Opt-Out Ends 1 November

1 min

Copilot in SharePoint and OneDrive is going GA (MC1479277): everyday features stay in the Copilot licence, agent work moves to Copilot Credits, and PowerShell opt-outs from the preview stop counting on 1 November, so check each site's AI settings now. Purview also lifts the SharePoint and OneDrive auto-labelling limit from 100,000 to 500,000 files a day per tenant. And PowerPoint's interactive-slides Copilot skill (MC1461152) rolls out mid to late October, but in PowerPoint Live your clicks don't sync to the room yet.Links:Copilot in SharePoint and OneDrive GA (MC1479277): https://mwpro.co.uk/blog/2026/10/06/mc1479277-microsoft-copilot-adds-home-code-and-autopilot-experiences-with-expanded-microsoft-365-and-sharepoint-capabilities/Purview auto-labelling limit rises to 500,000 files a day: https://go-planet.com/in-the-know/october-8-2026/Interactive slides in PowerPoint (MC1461152): https://mwpro.co.uk/blog/2026/10/08/mc1461152-powerpoint-adds-copilot-skill-to-create-interactive-slides-on-windows-mac-and-web-2/

The Newsletter Was Just the Start

4 min

A LinkedIn conversation helped Anand see that his SharePoint newsletter workflow was more than a newsletter solution. In this free Tech Ease follow-up, he revisits the Word template, document generation form, and Copilot skill behind the HTML newsletter, shares setup lessons, and explores the broader pattern through manufacturing examples from the discussion. Start by identifying the sections that repeat in your own newsletter. A paid companion walkthrough will cover the detailed setup, including the HTML template, reusable skill, and document library button. Read the LinkedIn post and conversation that started this episode.

Before you build a SharePoint HTML dashboard: What I wish I had known

5 min

Thinking about building a SharePoint HTML dashboard with Microsoft Copilot, or wondering why your first attempt didn't work as expected? After almost four months of experimenting, Anand shares the basics he wishes he'd known, from self-contained design and connected data to permissions, refresh behavior, and incomplete results from large lists. A practical starting point for beginners, with an honest look at the time and credits spent learning along the way. HTML pages in SharePoint are rolling out worldwide from mid-November to late December, so you may not see them yet.

The report was done. Why was I still taking care of it?

4 min

A Power BI report can be finished and still keep pulling you back into refresh failures and maintenance. Anand shares what changed when he used Copilot Cowork to build an HTML dashboard for SharePoint analytics, and why handing over the ongoing work mattered more than changing the charts. This free solo Tech Ease companion gives you a way to identify one recurring task to delegate, while keeping a clear way to catch problems. The full paid episode, How Copilot Cowork Replaced My Power BI Report, is a conversation between Anand and Maya about the fuller experience.

Why I'm Trying Paid Episodes

3 min

Why is Tech Ease trying paid episodes, and what will you get from them? Anand talks about sharing the fuller experience behind his work with Microsoft 365, Copilot in SharePoint, and Cowork, including what didn't work and why he changed direction. Free episodes still give you something useful, older seasons stay free, and the paid format is something he's trying out in public.

Could Microsoft 365 Become Your Learning Studio? A Free Preview

2 min

Someone asked me for the prompt behind a training page I built. The answer wasn't a single prompt, but a series of conversations with Copilot in SharePoint and Cowork. In this free preview, I share one practical lesson from building a Custom Skills in PowerPoint learning experience. Subscribe to Tech Ease on Spotify to hear the full episode, "Could Microsoft 365 Become Your Learning Studio?" A free companion to the full episode, Could Microsoft 365 Become Your Learning Studio?, available to Tech Ease subscribers on Spotify.

Day Brief: Targeted Release Gets an End Date

2 min

Three Microsoft 365 message center changes from this week: Targeted release is retiring (MC1490899), the new sharing-link experience now rolls out through end of November (MC1454378), and Record a Skill arrives in Copilot for PowerPoint (MC1490903). Links: Targeted release retirement (MC1490899): https://mwpro.co.uk/blog/2026/10/07/mc1490899-microsoft-365-retires-targeted-release-and-shifts-to-frontier-standard-and-deferred-options/ New sharing-link experience (MC1454378): https://mwpro.co.uk/blog/2026/10/08/mc1454378-microsoft-365-adds-unified-file-and-folder-sharing-with-hero-link/ Record a Skill in Copilot for PowerPoint (MC1490903): https://mwpro.co.uk/blog/2026/10/08/mc1490903-powerpoint-copilot-adds-record-a-skill-to-create-reusable-presentation-workflows/

SharePoint HTML Pages: Let the Bot Handle the Brackets, You Handle the Vision.

8 min

Stop paying the JSON tax. In this episode, we're breaking down the shift from operator to director in the AI era. From the frustration of the 'white box of doom' to the magic of native HTML dashboards with Copilot, discover how to stop wrestling with the tools and start directing the experience. Let the bot handle the brackets, so you can focus on the vision.

Copilot Cowork apps: a builder with a meter on the door

6 min

I built two apps in one prompt. One was a quiz. The other was a knowledge app. Both taught me the same thing.Cowork apps can ship fast — and they sit behind a meter. This episode walks what they can do in one prompt, where the credits show up (even on a quiz with fake data), what SharePoint agents actually are versus a free Power App, and when you should walk past that door and use what you already have on the site.Encode the how in an app when you need the same shortlist every time. Stay on the site when the work is already deterministic. And if you own the tenant, say the fence out loud — because the off-switch for apps alone isn’t there yet.Source: https://anandvijayaragavan.substack.com/p/a-builder-with-a-meter-on-the-door#TechEase #Microsoft365 #Copilot #CopilotCowork #SharePoint #Productivity

Preview: Don't open Outlook first

1 min

Have you ever noticed what you instinctively do the second you open your laptop in the morning?If you're like me, you play the human glue — Outlook, then Teams, then a file — and twenty minutes evaporate before real work starts. This short Tech Ease cut is about breaking that habit and starting with the outcome instead. Full episode: You still open Outlook first

Autopilot: your Night-Shift Colleague Just Got a Badge

6 min

You know that project that only moves when you remember to nudge it?In this episode of Tech Ease, Anand unpacks Microsoft’s Autopilot — the always-on agent inside the new Copilot app. A named colleague with a desk, a computer, and an Entra badge your directory can recognise. What it is, why IT might let this one in the building, and the one-sentence boundary to write before you ever switch it on.Still private preview. Still your yes.Make it feel easy.

The new Copilot app: You still open Outlook first

8 min

How many apps do you open before you’ve actually done a single piece of real work? In this episode of Tech Ease, Anand thinks out loud about Microsoft’s Copilot rebuild — Home, Cowork, Office, and Autopilot in one front door, with a Today briefing — and what that quietly asks of a normal Tuesday. Not a how-to. A clearer picture of the habit shift: from router (you glue the apps) to director (you start where the briefing is). Four verbs: Ask, Cowork, Autopilot, Code. Plus the chore you’d most like to disappear — Friday time reporting — as a picture of what plugins could actually unlock when governance is real.One small thing this week: notice the exact moment your hand reaches for that second app, and ask — is this real work, or is this just habit? Companion write-up: https://anandvijayaragavan.substack.com/p/you-still-open-outlook-first-copilot

Day Brief: SharePoint’s Quiet Copilot Week

3 min

Three SharePoint moves that matter this week.Default library labels can finally catch the files you already have — opt-in, up to ten sites, one policy per tenant. Copilot in SharePoint is starting to reach outside SharePoint through governed plugins, including MCP. And page editing is shifting toward chat for editors who have the license — once your tenant actually has it.Pick one this week: the ten sites for that label backlog, or one real page and a single chat edit.Day brief. Make tech feel easy.

Maybe Don’t Train on Copilot Studio Yet

5 min

Learning something new is work. Unlearning it is worse. In this episode of Tech Ease, Anand makes the case for waiting — just a little — before the next Copilot Studio workshop. Not laziness. A bet against the relearning tax, while the mechanics keep moving and the durable layer (skills, procedures, guardrails) is what actually compounds. One process. Three sentences. That’s the homework. Make it feel easy.

Day Brief: The FAQ web part stopped being clever

4 min

The SharePoint FAQ web part just got quieter about inventing the answers for you — not broken, not removed. AI-assisted FAQ create and import is moving to Copilot in SharePoint. Manual create and edit stay. Existing FAQs keep rendering. No migration. That’s Message Center MC1476319 (rollout late Oct–early Nov 2026, Worldwide + GCC). Plus two shorter beats: Roadmap 516044 — Copilot uses library column metadata for sharper scoped answers — and Roadmap 480725 — AI citations analytics so you can see which docs and pages Copilot actually leaned on. The clever bits are leaving the control. Copilot sits beside SharePoint authoring and retrieval. Day brief. No Substack post yet. #TechEase #SharePoint #Microsoft365 #Copilot #FAQ #Productivity

Copilot vs Cowork — spend on purpose

6 min

Copilot helps you inside an app. Cowork does the whole job for you.One is already in your licence. The other is billed by the task . This episode is a clear walk through the difference — what each one is for,the golden rule for routing work, the settings that quietly move the bill, and the habits that keep credit use low without slowing you down. F cost. One-ne-ne-ow versus multi-step jobs. Scope before you spend.Check /cost before and after a heavy task. And remember:any monthly credit figure you see on screen is an example — your allowance may differ. One task this week.Four counts. Route it on purpose # TchEase #Microsoft635 #Copilot #CopilotCowork #roductivity

Four buckets of a working week

13 min

Where did last week actually go? Not the big work — the re-reading, the hunting, the chasing.This episode gives you four buckets for a working week: attention, finding, collecting, and creating. They’re a loop, not a list — and the highest return is usually bucket three. Put a form in front of the next thing you would have gathered by mail, and the other three get cheaper at the same time.Outlook prioritisation you can tune in your own words. One question across mail, files, chats and meetings. Columns the AI fills. An essentials page someone owns. Ask in the open once. A notebook that keeps meeting actions from falling off the edge. A saved skill so good practice isn’t stuck with two people.One change for tomorrow. Not a new dashboard — settings and habits inside apps you already have open.#TechEase #Microsoft365 #Copilot #Productivity #Outlook #SharePoint

The prompt can live on a button next to the file

4 min

You’ve got the form, the Word template, and the skill. Then publishing still stalls — because someone has to find Copilot and paste the prompt into a pane.This episode walks a simpler shape: a library Quick Step on the row (think “Quick create Newsletter”), with Ask SharePoint behind it and the prompt already saved. Form stays the same. Word file lands. You click next to the file. Pane opens. You never paste a prompt.Form fillers still don’t need a Copilot licence. The person clicking the button still does. Quick Steps on the row — not Quick links.The button was the missing click.Source: https://anandvijayaragavan.substack.com/p/the-prompt-can-live-on-a-button-next#TechEase #SharePoint #Microsoft365 #Copilot #Productivity

Let Copilot tag the brand dump

4 min

You’ve got a SharePoint library full of brand pictures. Someone’s job is to put a category and a few keywords on each one before Monday’s campaign brief.Open the file. Write the columns. Next file. Next file.Feels like cataloguing a kitchen drawer by hand, doesn’t it?In this Tech Ease episode, I walk through a Copilot in SharePoint move from the September roundup: ask across the pile, then let Autofill-style columns write the tags — description, keywords, category, and more — so the next person can filter and start work.Chat can look. Update writes. That difference is the whole point.I tested it on nine images. It filled the columns.If you’ve ever inherited an untagged brand dump, this one’s for you.More here: https://anandvijayaragavan.substack.com/p/let-copilot-tag-the-brand-dump

Your newsletter is a form now

5 min

Stop starting your monthly SharePoint newsletter as a page. Anand shows how a Word template, a document generation form, and a Microsoft 365 Copilot Skill turn the newsletter into a simple monthly form, which then becomes a branded, phone-friendly HTML dashboard. You also find out who actually needs a Copilot license and what to do this week, even if the feature isn't in your library yet. Follow Tech Ease on Substack

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