News and observations from M365 Community Conference

Author

Steve Corey
May 11, 2025

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M365 Community Conference is a wrap. While I didn’t get the chance to go, I was watching the news and roadmap closely. I also did release a video right at the time that news went public about the new sharing system. That was the biggest announcement in my opinion.

An FAQ web part was also shown. This is a very good sign of what’s likely coming in terms of new web parts. We all use FAQs on intranets. This new web part is AI powered and will be grounded on the data related to the FAQ. It’ll generate suggested FAQ items and let you approve them before they’re automatically added to the list of items. As data is updated, it’ll generate new suggestions. This automates a very manual process. I’m looking forward to many more web parts like this to make our jobs easier. You’ll find more information about the new FAQ web part in the link to Adam Harmetz’s blog post below.

Copilot Notebooks were also mentioned. It’ll take a little time for users to understand what Microsoft is trying to do here. Copilot notebooks aren’t quite Loop workspaces, and not quite OneNote notebooks. They’re something in the middle and has a lot to do with Copilot chat history and Copilot Pages. I’ll be interested in how well this is received by end users. I’m not entirely convinced that this is actually something people wanted. If sure does sound a little familiar to ChatGPT projects, though. Maybe this is just Microsoft’s answer to a competitor’s offering?

Some of the other sessions I saw listed included SharePoint List Formatting, agents (of course!) and SharePoint Embedded (which I think is becoming MUCH more relevant in the last year).

Another thing I noticed is that SharePoint Premium got a lot of attention because of features like Autofill. The interesting thing is…. they’ve stopped mentioning the phrase “SharePoint Premium”. Looks like there’s a subtle rebranding in the works. Ian Story (MSFT) dropped a subtle hint about this late last year in a public webinar. They’re trying something different with their messaging. We’ll see how it turns out! Autofill is such a GREAT feature, and it’s really a shame that more people haven’t found out about it, likely because of the confusion people had about “SharePoint” versus “SharePoint Premium”, thinking they’re competing products.

There’s another big conference starting in a week, so more news is coming! Now let’s get into the news and roadmap updates. Make sure to forward this email to a friend who needs to stay up to date as well!

Steve

ROADMAP

SharePoint: Modern SharePoint Page Templates

The Modern SharePoint Page Templates feature introduces a new Template Gallery, providing users with a centralized hub to discover, preview, and select from over 50 modern out-of-the-box (OOB) templates and custom templates. This feature empowers users to create high-quality, on-brand pages effortlessly, enhancing productivity while ensuring consistency and visual appeal across SharePoint sites. Key highlights: Template Gallery: Centralized hub to access both Saved on this site (custom templates) and From Microsoft (OOB templates). 50+ new OOB templates: A collection of aesthetically pleasing, professional, and easy-to-use templates that empower users to quickly create visually engaging and consistent content for common use cases like status updates, event announcements, and team introductions. This item is rolling out in June 2025. ​Link to roadmap

SharePoint: New File Format Support for Document Translation

We're expanding file format support for Content AI Document Translation in SharePoint Online. Newly added extensions include: xlf, tsv, tab, mdown, mdtext, mdtxt, mdwn, mht, mhtml, mkd, mkdn, odt, rmd. This update brings us in alignment with Azure Document Translation capabilities and unlocks new scenarios, such as .xlf support, which enables seamless translation of eLearning and localization content exported from many industry tools. This item is rolling out in July 2025. ​Link to roadmap

SharePoint: SharePoint Dynamic Web Part for FAQ

Dynamic Web Part for FAQ helps SharePoint content owners effortlessly keep their content fresh and relevant. Powered by AI, it automatically curates and updates FAQ content by working with agents and connected grounding data. With a Human-in-the-Loop approach, it ensures high-quality, trustworthy FAQs—without the hassle. The result? A living FAQ that evolves with your organization's needs. This item is rolling out in June 2025. ​Link to roadmap

SharePoint: OneDrive and SharePoint – Compress your PDF

OneDrive for Web now lets you reduce PDF file size with compress feature. You can choose from three different compression levels that best fit your needs. This item was originally going to roll out in April but was updated to roll out in May instead. ​Link to roadmap

Microsoft 365: The Next Generation of File & Folder Sharing

We're now introducing the third generation of the Microsoft 365 sharing experience designed to make collaboration simpler, smarter, and more secure by default. At the heart of this update is the new hero link, a single, powerful link that controls access to your files. Whether you copy a link, share via email, or send the URL from your browser, you now have a seamless and consistent way to share and stay in control of your files. This item is rolling out in December 2025. Link to roadmap

Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365): Sharing with Copilot summary - Now supporting PowerPoint, Excel, PDFs, Images, and protected files

The ability to include a Copilot summary when sharing a file now extends beyond Word web to cover PowerPoint (web), Excel (web), PDF, image and text files in OneDrive Web, SharePoint document libraries, and M365 File Viewer. You can even summarize protected or confidential files, preserving your sensitivity labels while getting instant overviews. These enhancements broaden your sharing toolkit, accelerate collaboration and keep your data secure. This item is rolling out in May 2025. ​Link to roadmap

BLOG

Flexible Sections In SharePoint

These new page design elements will cause a redesign across intranets, department sites, and more. Get up to speed on this section type that makes you think you’re breaking all the rules of SharePoint design.

Making custom lists and library look good doesn’t require 3rd party software. Use SharePoint’s little known advanced formatting to make your lists look impressive and powerful! Learn how to create unique and powerful lists and libraries that makes your boss’s jaw DROP. You don’t even need to be a developer!

VIDEOS

Mark Kashman’s (MSFT) monthly deep dive into some of the latest features to come to SharePoint.

Updates to the Content Governance feature set (aka SharePoint Advanced Management), direct from Sesha Mani (MSFT)

Want to see how the latest AI innovations are shaping the way organizations work? Stay ahead of the curve with the latest insights from Adam Harmetz.

How business document processes are being improved with SharePoint through the Agreements solution and eSignature. Sesha Mani (MSFT) explains how these solutions work in this new blog post.

Building agents using pro-code (Microsoft’s term for development without power platform)? The new Teams AI library has been updated to include more necessary features as well as MCP support.

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