Microsoft's biggest changes this month are Copilot Cowork reaching general availability (17 September), a redesigned Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot (25 September), the always-on agent Microsoft Scout (15 September), and a move to usage-based billing for Cowork and other agent work.
What matters for a UK business: if you already pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Cowork is the headline. Home, Code and Autopilot are still rolling out through Frontier or private preview, and the new billing means you need to watch usage. Check your admin centre before you promise anyone a feature.
What has Copilot launched in the last month?
Microsoft's updates arrive in waves, and the same feature can be generally available in one place and preview in another. The table says which. Dates are 2026 and come from Microsoft's release notes and Message Center roundups.
| Date | New feature | What it does | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct | Search and Chat joined up | Move from finding a file to asking follow-up questions about it in one place; regenerate with a different model | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
| Oct | Usage-based Copilot pricing | FinOps for AI controls now cover Cowork, Code, Managed Runtime and heavy SharePoint work | Admins |
| 25 Sep | New Copilot: Home, Code, Autopilot | Home brings Chat and Cowork together; Code builds your own tools; Autopilot works in the background | Home and Code in Frontier; Autopilot in private preview |
| 23 Sep | Cowork on mobile, Vision, Planner Agent | Delegate tasks from iOS and Android, plus new Excel, Outlook and meeting improvements | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
| 17 Sep | Copilot Cowork generally available | Long-running, multi-step work across apps, with plugins and Edge browsing | Worldwide, Copilot licence |
| 15 Sep | Microsoft Scout | First of a new kind of always-on agent called Autopilots | Private preview and Frontier |
| Recent | Agentic Word, Excel and PowerPoint | App-native actions to draft, edit, analyse and build decks | Generally available |
| Sep | Excel for finance | Finance skills, trusted data connectors and clearer change tracking | Microsoft 365 Copilot |
The new Copilot features that matter most
Copilot Cowork: now generally available
Cowork is Microsoft's agent for work that takes more than one step. Microsoft says it spent three months in preview and that more than half the Fortune 500 used it. One team reportedly compared nearly four thousand files across two product versions in a job that would have taken weeks. Those are Microsoft's own figures, so treat them as a sales pitch with some substance. Cowork needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, then bills on usage.
The new Copilot: Home, Code and Autopilot
Home is the new starting point, where Chat and Cowork sit together, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint built in. Code lets people build their own solutions using the same technology as GitHub Copilot. Autopilot is a persistent agent that keeps working when you are not. Home and Code are arriving in the Frontier programme over the coming weeks, and Autopilot is in private preview. So, not yet for most of us.
Microsoft Scout
Scout is the first Autopilot: an always-on agent with its own identity that acts inside the permissions your organisation sets. It is the most interesting idea in the update and the one to watch rather than buy.
Usage-based billing
This is the change that will surprise finance directors. Microsoft is extending cost controls across Cowork, Code and other agent work, and the Cowork charge depends on the tasks people run. Microsoft also claims Cowork was 30 to 40 per cent cheaper per prompt than Claude Cowork in its own testing. That is vendor-reported, so test it on your own tasks.
Search and Chat together
A small change that will be used daily: find a document, then ask questions about it without leaving the search results. You can also regenerate an answer or switch model.
What is good about the new Copilot features?
- It lives where you already work. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams are all in reach, so there is less to teach.
- Cowork is a proper agent. Long jobs across files and apps, with admin controls attached.
- Enterprise controls. Permissions, analytics and cost tracking are further ahead than most rivals.
- Excel for finance. Plan-before-action guidance and change tracking suit people who have to explain their numbers.
- Model choice. You are not locked to one model, and Microsoft says a cheaper Cowork model is coming.
What is not so good?
- A lot is preview. Home, Code and Autopilot are in Frontier or private preview. Do not plan a rollout around them.
- Pricing is harder to predict. Usage-based billing rewards good habits and punishes careless ones.
- Licensing is a maze. Features depend on your licence, your tenant, your region and your admin settings.
- It rewards tidy data. If your SharePoint is a car boot sale, Copilot will find the junk very efficiently.
Is Copilot best in class, and for what?
Copilot is best in class for working inside Microsoft 365: drafting in Word, analysing in Excel, summarising Teams meetings, triaging Outlook. Nobody else sits that close to your files, permissions and calendar.
It is less compelling as a general-purpose assistant. For writing with real voice, I still reach for Claude, and for sourced research, Perplexity. Our Copilot for Dummies guide shows how to get value from the version you already own.
Where should UK businesses use Copilot?
Copilot suits UK firms that run on Microsoft 365 and want AI to respect the permissions they already have.
| Task | Use Copilot? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Summarising Teams meetings and chasing actions | Yes | Native to Teams, with your permissions respected |
| Analysing and presenting data in Excel and PowerPoint | Yes | Agentic features are generally available |
| Multi-step research across your own files | Yes, with Cowork | Generally available, but watch the usage charge |
| Building your own small tools | Wait | Code is in Frontier; ask your admin |
| Always-on background agents | Wait | Scout and Autopilot are private preview |
| Polished long-form writing | Maybe | Often better done in Claude, then pasted in |
| Live web research with sources | No | Perplexity is stronger here |
Where to be careful
- Tidy your permissions first. Copilot can only show people what they already have access to, which is exactly the problem if access is sloppy.
- Set a budget. With usage-based charges, agree who may run Cowork and review the bill monthly.
- Governance. Agents act on your behalf. Read our AI governance framework for UK business before you switch them on.
A sensible first test
Pick one recurring meeting. Let Copilot summarise it in Teams, then ask Cowork to turn the actions into a tracker. Run it for two weeks and compare the time against your usual follow-up. Watch the usage report as well as the clock.
Learn it properly, on your own work
A Copilot licence is the easy part. Getting people to use it well is the work. Basic AI Training gives a team the habits, AI for Data Analysis covers Excel-style work, and AI Policy Workshop sets the rules before agents arrive. Our guide on AI agents versus chatbots explains the difference Cowork makes.
See more on the AI Learning Hub or the programmes page.
Frequently asked questions about Copilot
What are the new features of Microsoft Copilot in October 2026?
The main ones are Copilot Cowork reaching general availability, a redesigned Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot, the Microsoft Scout agent, joined-up Search and Chat, and usage-based billing for agent work.
What is Copilot Cowork?
Copilot Cowork is Microsoft's agent for long-running, multi-step work across Microsoft 365 apps. It reached general availability worldwide on 17 September 2026, requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence and bills on usage.
What is Microsoft Scout?
Scout is Microsoft's first Autopilot, an always-on agent that works in the background with its own identity inside the permissions your organisation sets. It is in private preview and Frontier.
How much does Copilot cost?
Microsoft 365 Copilot is a per-user licence, and Cowork then charges based on the tasks people run. Prices change, so check Microsoft's current UK price list and your admin centre.
Is Copilot Cowork cheaper than Claude Cowork?
Microsoft says its own testing found Copilot Cowork was 30 to 40 per cent cheaper per prompt. That is a vendor claim, so test both on your real tasks.
Is Copilot better than ChatGPT for UK businesses?
If your team lives in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, Copilot fits more naturally. ChatGPT has the wider consumer toolbox. Many firms use both.
Is Copilot safe for company data?
Copilot respects your existing Microsoft 365 permissions, which is both its strength and its risk. Tidy up access first, then write a short AI policy.
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Founder of The Oxford AI School and author of Learn To Fly With AI. Former CMO, now teaching teams the basics of AI in a fun, easy and practical way. Last checked against vendor release notes on 10 October 2026.