If Copilot suddenly looks different in Outlook or Teams during September 2026, the most likely explanation is straightforward: Microsoft is rolling out a redesigned, more chat-centred Copilot experience across both applications.
The refreshed design brings simplified navigation, a revised chat layout, easier discovery of Copilot agents, new Work IQ controls, and a Tasks view inside the full-screen Copilot experience.
It's worth being clear from the outset about what this update is and isn't. It changes how Copilot looks and behaves for people who already have relevant Copilot access — it doesn't add Copilot to someone who doesn't currently have it, and it doesn't change anyone's licences or permissions. If you're troubleshooting a colleague's Copilot access, this update isn't the cause.
It's also worth separating two dates that are easy to conflate. Microsoft first announced its broader redesigned Microsoft 365 Copilot experience back in May 2026. What's new in August is app-specific confirmation of how that redesign will actually appear inside Outlook and Teams, along with a September 2026 rollout timeline for each.
This sits alongside other recent Outlook changes we've covered, including the new unified inbox and the option to give new Outlook a more classic-looking appearance — a reminder that Microsoft 365 interfaces keep evolving on their own separate schedules.
Why does Copilot look different in Outlook and Teams?
Because Microsoft is applying its redesigned Microsoft 365 Copilot experience directly inside both applications. The change is confirmed in two separate Microsoft Message Center notices published on 21 August 2026: MC1458470 for Outlook and MC1458472 for Teams.
Both notices describe the same redesigned, chat-centred Copilot experience, and both are scheduled to reach General Availability during September 2026, subject to Microsoft's usual rollout process.
As with most Microsoft 365 changes, don't expect it to appear for everyone at once. Microsoft rolls updates out gradually across tenants and users, so it's entirely normal for one colleague to see the new Copilot layout before another, even within the same organisation.
What is changing in the new Copilot layout?
According to Microsoft, the redesigned Copilot experience in Outlook and Teams brings:
- A more chat-centred design
- Simplified navigation
- A revised chat layout
- Improved discovery of Copilot agents
- New Work IQ controls
- A Tasks view in the full-screen Copilot experience
These changes apply to Copilot's interface and interactions, not to what Copilot is fundamentally capable of. We'd stop short of describing exact colours, button names or on-screen positions — Microsoft hasn't published that level of visual detail, and guessing at it risks setting expectations the finished design won't match.
What is the new Copilot Tasks view?
Tasks is a new view inside the full-screen Copilot experience, designed to give you somewhere to monitor longer-running Copilot activity rather than losing track of it in a chat thread.
Microsoft describes this covering things like agents that are still working on something in the background, and scheduled chats that run at a set time rather than immediately. The common theme is work that takes longer than a normal back-and-forth conversation.
It's worth being clear that Tasks is a Copilot activity view, not the same thing as Microsoft Planner, To Do, or an ordinary Outlook task list — it's specifically about tracking Copilot's own longer-running work, not a general business task manager. Microsoft hasn't described any integration between Copilot Tasks and other Microsoft 365 task tools, so we wouldn't assume one exists.
Will Copilot Tasks appear in the Outlook and Teams side pane?
No — not according to Microsoft's current announcement. The full-screen Copilot experience is where the Tasks view lives; the side pane does not receive it as part of these notices.
The side pane does get the same visual refresh and navigation changes as the full-screen experience, so it will look different too — but if you go looking for Tasks in the side pane, you won't find it there. That's a deliberate distinction in Microsoft's own wording, not an oversight, so it's worth telling anyone who asks why Tasks "isn't showing" when they're only using the side pane.
What is Work IQ in Copilot?
Work IQ is Microsoft's term for the contextual intelligence that helps Copilot work with relevant information about your business, your relationships and your activity — where you already have permission to see it.
In plain terms: rather than treating every request in isolation, Work IQ is what lets Copilot draw on the emails, files, chats and meetings you're already entitled to access, so its answers are grounded in your actual working context rather than generic.
Two points are worth stressing clearly. First, Work IQ does not bypass Microsoft 365 permissions — Copilot should only ever work with information a user is already authorised to access. Second, the new controls arriving alongside this redesign are about making that context easier to see and manage, according to Microsoft's own material, rather than changing what Copilot is allowed to look at in the first place.
We'd avoid going further than this into how Work IQ operates technically or what privacy boundaries look like beneath the surface — that's a matter for Microsoft's own official documentation rather than speculation here.
Is Your Business Ready for Copilot Changes?
Copilot is evolving quickly across Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365. Clear licensing, sensible permissions and practical user guidance help businesses benefit from it without creating unnecessary confusion or risk.
Copilot's interface, agents and controls are changing often across Outlook, Teams and the rest of Microsoft 365. Someone needs to track what's changing and keep licensing, permissions and configuration aligned with it.
Why Microsoft 365 management matters →Will the Copilot side pane change too?
Yes. The side pane receives the same refreshed visual treatment and navigation changes as the full-screen Copilot experience — simplified navigation, the revised chat layout and the rest of the visual refresh all apply there too.
What it doesn't get, as covered above, is the Tasks view — that remains exclusive to the full-screen experience under Microsoft's announced implementation.
The practical effect is that you'll end up with two related but slightly different Copilot experiences living side by side: a full-screen version with the complete redesign including Tasks, and a side pane version that looks refreshed but stops short of that one feature.
Is Copilot changing in Outlook and Teams at the same time?
Based on the two Message Center notices, both point to the same window: General Availability during September 2026. We found no wording in either notice suggesting Outlook is ahead of Teams, or vice versa — both are described using the same September 2026 timeframe.
That said, "at the same time" shouldn't be read as "on the same day for every tenant." Microsoft 365 rollouts are deployed gradually, so even within a single organisation, don't be surprised if Outlook and Teams don't pick up the new Copilot look on exactly the same date, or if some users see the change in one app before the other.
Does the new Copilot design change licences or permissions?
No. Microsoft is explicit that these are interface and experience changes, not licensing or access changes. According to both Message Center notices, there are no changes to licensing, permissions, or existing compliance controls.
Specifically, this update does not:
- Give an unlicensed user access to Copilot
- Introduce a new Copilot licence
- Change existing Microsoft 365 permissions
- Grant Copilot access to information a user couldn't already access
That's a useful distinction to hold onto: the absence of a permissions change here doesn't mean your organisation's permissions are fine as they stand — it just means this particular update isn't the thing to check. Reviewing who can access what in Microsoft 365 remains worth doing in its own right, redesign or not.
Why is Microsoft changing Copilot again?
Microsoft's timeline here is worth setting out clearly, because it's easy to conflate two separate announcements. The broader redesigned Microsoft 365 Copilot experience was announced back in May 2026 — this wasn't new information in August. What the two August Message Center notices add is app-specific confirmation of how that existing redesign will actually appear inside Outlook and Teams, plus the September 2026 rollout timing for each.
Microsoft hasn't published a detailed rationale specifically for the Outlook and Teams implementation, so what follows is our practical reading rather than a confirmed Microsoft statement. The direction of travel across the broader May redesign was a more consistent, chat-focused experience with easier access to agents and clearer visibility of longer-running work — bringing Outlook and Teams into line with that same design is a reasonable next step, rather than a standalone decision made in isolation.
What will Outlook and Teams users notice?
Without inventing detail Microsoft hasn't published, the likely user-visible effects include:
- Some controls and navigation appearing in different places than before
- Chat taking greater visual priority within Copilot
- Agents being easier to find and start using
- New Work IQ controls becoming visible somewhere in the interface
- A Tasks view appearing when Copilot is opened full screen
- The side pane looking different, without gaining the Tasks view
Exactly how this looks day to day may vary while the rollout is in progress, so don't be surprised if colleagues describe slightly different experiences from one another for a while.
What should businesses do before Copilot changes in September?
A few practical steps make this an easier change to absorb:
- Let Copilot users know an interface change is coming, so nobody assumes something has broken
- Explain the difference between full-screen Copilot and the side pane, particularly the Tasks distinction
- Warn users not to expect Tasks to appear in the side pane
- Check which employees actually hold Copilot licences, rather than assuming everyone does
- Review existing SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive permissions — not because this update changes them, but because Work IQ makes it more visible how much Copilot can already see
- Explain Work IQ to staff in plain language, rather than leaving it as an unexplained new setting
- Update internal screenshots or training material once the rollout actually reaches your tenant, rather than in advance
- Expect different users to see different versions of Copilot temporarily during rollout
- Record which Copilot experience — full-screen or side pane — a user is looking at before troubleshooting a query
What should you do if Copilot still looks unchanged?
If Copilot still looks the same as always, that's expected rather than a fault. Microsoft 365 updates roll out gradually, and this one is no exception.
A few sensible steps:
- Confirm you're actually looking at the relevant Copilot experience — full-screen and side pane will end up looking different from each other
- Check whether you're opening Copilot full screen or in the side pane before concluding nothing has changed
- Don't assume that reinstalling Outlook or Teams will force the update to appear sooner — it won't
- Allow time for Microsoft's rollout to reach your account or tenant naturally
- If you're unsure whether your licensing or availability is the issue, ask your Microsoft 365 administrator or IT provider rather than guessing
Will the new Copilot layout make Outlook and Teams easier to use?
For many people, quite possibly. A more consistent, chat-centred design with easier agent discovery and clearer visibility of longer-running work through Tasks should make Copilot more straightforward to navigate, particularly for anyone already using agents or scheduled chats.
That said, it's not a magic fix. Users will need a little time to adjust to the new layout, the side pane and full-screen experience won't offer identical features going forward, and organisations still benefit from explaining the change clearly rather than letting people discover it by surprise.
The central point is worth restating plainly: Copilot is changing appearance in Outlook and Teams during September 2026, but this is an interface update rather than a licensing or permission change. If you want help making sense of Copilot alongside your organisation's wider Microsoft 365 setup, our Microsoft 365 Learning Centre is a good place to start.
