Microsoft 365 Message Center item MC1434582
MC1434582 - Use OneDrive-stored user-defined custom skills in PowerPoint Copilot (Desktop)
PowerPoint Copilot will support personal custom skills stored in OneDrive, allowing users to upload skill folders with a SKILL.md file. These skills appear in Copilot's Skills menu, with a Manage Skills interface for enabling or disabling them. Rollout begins mid-July 2026, requiring no admin action.
- Message Center ID
- MC1434582
- Category
- stay Informed
- Severity
- normal
- Services
- Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft 365)
- Tags
- New feature, User impact, Admin impact
- Published
- 2026-07-20
- Last updated
- 2026-07-20
- Expires
- 2026-08-31
[What and Why] PowerPoint Copilot is introducing support for personal, user-defined custom skills stored in OneDrive. Users can upload skill folders containing a SKILL.md file to a designated OneDrive location, and those skills will automatically appear in the Copilot Skills menu within PowerPoint. A new Manage Skills experience will also allow users to enable or disable individual skills directly from the Copilot pane. This enhancement supports personal productivity by enabling users to tailor Copilot to their specific workflows and presentation needs while maintaining control over which skills are available during Copilot interactions. [Rollout Schedule:] Microsoft Frontier (Public Preview): Rollout begins in mid-July 2026 and is expected to complete by late July 2026 for organizations enrolled in the Microsoft Frontier program.General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in late July 2026 and is expected to complete by late July 2026. [Impact on Your Organization] Who is affected Users licensed to use Microsoft Copilot in PowerPoint. Users who create or use personal custom skills. Microsoft 365 administrators supporting Copilot deployments. Platforms/Services PowerPoint Microsoft 365 Copilot OneDrive What will happen Users can upload skill folders containing a required SKILL.md file to a designated OneDrive location. Uploaded skills are personal and visible only to the user who uploads them. Eligible skills automatically appear in the Skills dropdown within the PowerPoint Copilot experience. Users will have access to a new Manage Skills interface available from the three-dot menu in the Copilot pane.Screenshot 1: Users can open Manage skills from the three-dot menu in the PowerPoint Copilot pane: Users can independently enable or disable individual skills.Screenshot 2: Users can enable or disable individual skills from the Manage skills experience in PowerPoint Copilot: Skill availability within Copilot will reflect the user's selected settings. No additional administrator deployment actions are required for the feature to appear. The feature is available by default to eligible users when rollout reaches the tenant.For organizations enrolled in Microsoft Frontier, this feature may be available by default to eligible users once the rollout reaches their tenant. Microsoft Frontier is an opt-in preview program; after enrollment, preview features can be enabled by default for eligible users in the tenant. [Action Required/Recommendations] No immediate administrator action is required.We recommend that you: Review any internal governance processes related to user-created Copilot skills. Prepare sample skills in the required format with a valid SKILL.md file for testing. Identify pilot users who can validate the experience after rollout. Update internal Copilot adoption and training materials to include guidance on custom skills. Inform helpdesk and support teams about the new Skills and Manage Skills experiences. Monitor user feedback following rollout to understand adoption and governance needs.Learn more about Microsoft Frontier: Get started with Frontier | Microsoft Frontier [Compliance considerations] Compliance Area Explanation Stores new customer data Custom skill folders and SKILL.md files are stored in the user's OneDrive location. Changes data processing or access Copilot can leverage user-created skill definitions stored in OneDrive as part of the user interaction experience. Introduces AI/ML capabilities User-defined custom skills extend how Copilot responds and interacts with content. New generative AI interaction Users can customize Copilot behavior through personal skills and selectively enable or disable skills. Admin or user controls Users can manage skill availability through the Manage Skills experience.