Microsoft 365 Message Center item MC1296867
MC1296867 - Microsoft Agent 365 becomes generally available (GA)
Microsoft Agent 365 reaches general availability on May 1, 2026, offering enterprise-ready licensing, improved governance, and support. Frontier program continues for preview features without production SLAs. Admins can manage licenses and access via Microsoft 365 admin center, Entra, Defender, Purview, and Intune. No action needed to stay in Frontier.
- Message Center ID
- MC1296867
- Category
- stay Informed
- Severity
- normal
- Services
- Microsoft 365 suite
- Tags
- New feature, User impact, Admin impact
- Published
- 2026-04-30
- Last updated
- 2026-04-30
- Expires
- 2026-07-01
[Introduction]Microsoft Agent 365 is moving to general availability (GA) on May 1, 2026. GA indicates that Agent 365 is ready for enterprise production use, with clearer licensing boundaries, improved governance, and predictable support. This release incorporates customer feedback from the Frontier program while continuing to provide a dedicated path for early access to preview capabilities.[When this will happen]General Availability (Worldwide): May 1, 2026[How this affects your organization]Who is affectedMicrosoft 365 tenants currently enrolled in the Agent 365 Frontier programAdmins managing Agent 365 through:Microsoft 365 admin centerMicrosoft EntraMicrosoft DefenderMicrosoft PurviewMicrosoft IntuneOrganizations planning to evaluate or deploy Agent 365 in productionWhat will happenAgent 365 GA experienceTrial and paid Agent 365 licenses now represent the GA, enterprise-ready experience.Agent 365 licenses are available as:A standalone SKUPart of Microsoft 365 E7GA licenses are available across all commercial channels. Information about EDU, Charity, and Government SKUs will be shared later.Frontier programFrontier continues to provide early access to preview features.Frontier and preview features are clearly labeled in-product as Preview or Frontier.Frontier is not intended for production deployment and does not include SLAs.Workload-specific detailsMicrosoft 365 admin centerNo functional changes at GA.Preview and Frontier features remain clearly tagged.Microsoft EntraAgent-related Identity Governance features (such as access packages and lifecycle workflows for agent sponsor maintenance) require an Agent 365 license to continue use.Existing use of Conditional Access and Identity Protection for agents continues without change.Network Control for agents (for example, prompt injection protection, threat intelligence filtering, shadow AI detection, web and URL filtering, and network file filtering) requires an Agent 365 license.Network Control on local endpoint devices continues to work if the Global Secure Access client is installed. Learn more about installing the Global Secure Access client for Windows.Microsoft DefenderAgent protection features remain in preview for Defender for Cloud Apps and Defender for Cloud.Copilot Studio AI security posture, real-time protection, and investigation capabilities will require an Agent 365 license when each feature reaches GA in a future release.Microsoft PurviewFrontier participants retain access to Purview capabilities for agents, including:AI ObservabilityData Loss PreventionInsider Risk ManagementCommunication ComplianceCompliance ManagerData Lifecycle ManagementeDiscoveryAfter the Frontier program ends, Purview coverage for all agents managed in Agent 365 will require an Agent 365 license.Microsoft IntuneFrontier customers licensed with Intune can discover Windows devices running OpenClaw via a new Agent 365 Shadow AI page in the Microsoft 365 admin center.Admins can apply policies to block common OpenClaw execution methods and link to the Intune admin center for advanced controls.[What you can do to prepare]No action is required to remain enrolled in the Frontier program.Important to note:Frontier access continues automatically at GA.A temporary interruption to Frontier access (up to 48 hours) may occur during the transition.Frontier does not include production SLAs or support guarantees.If you plan to use Agent 365 in production:Start an Agent 365 trial or purchase a paid license.Review which workloads and features in your tenant require Agent 365 licensing.To opt out of the Frontier program:Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.Go to Copilot > Settings > Copilot Frontier.Set access to No access.Share this update with your security, compliance, and helpdesk teams to set expectations about GA versus preview experiences.Learn more:Get started with Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft LearnInstall the Global Secure Access client for Windows | Global Secure Access | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft LearnMicrosoft Agent 365: The Control Plane for Agents Monitor agents with Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft LearnProtect agent identities with Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft LearnStart an Agent 365 trialUse Microsoft Purview to manage data security & compliance for Microsoft Agent 365 | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn[Compliance considerations]QuestionAnswerDoes the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed?Yes. Microsoft Agent 365 reaching GA formalizes how agent-related data is processed and accessed across Microsoft 365 admin center, Entra, Defender, Purview, and Intune for production use, with clearer licensing and governance boundaries.Does the change include an admin control, and can it be controlled through administrative settings?Yes. Admins can manage participation in the Frontier program and control access to Agent 365 capabilities through the Microsoft 365 admin center and related admin experiences, with licensing determining feature availability.