A Beginners Guide to SharePoint Agents!

Key insights

• SharePoint Agents are AI-powered virtual assistants integrated within Microsoft SharePoint, designed to enhance productivity by providing quick access to information and streamlining workflows. They can be used in SharePoint or Microsoft Teams for accessing relevant business information.


• Users can create custom SharePoint Agents with a few clicks, tailoring them to specific tasks or projects by specifying sources and behavior. These agents act as subject matter experts, helping streamline workflows and enhance productivity.


• To use SharePoint Agents, a Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required. Organizations without this license can access promotional trials to experience the benefits of these agents.


• The integration of agents across platforms like Microsoft Teams facilitates seamless collaboration, ensuring critical information is easily accessible. Agents can be shared via email or within Teams chats, allowing teams to work with accurate and relevant information.


• SharePoint Agents adhere to existing user permissions and data protection standards within Microsoft 365, ensuring secure operations without compromising data privacy. Users only have access to files they are authorized to view or edit.


• Microsoft Copilot Studio allows further customization of these agents with third-party sources, actions, and automation workflows, enhancing their utility in various organizational contexts.

Introduction to SharePoint Agents

The recent video presentation by Vesa Juvonen from Microsoft introduces the concept of SharePoint Agents, a new feature designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows within Microsoft 365. These AI-powered virtual assistants provide quick access to information and help manage content efficiently. The video covers various aspects of SharePoint Agents, including their creation, editing, management, and usage patterns. With just a few clicks, users can create agents based on files within SharePoint sites, which can also be integrated into Teams for broader accessibility.

Getting Started with SharePoint Agents

To begin using SharePoint Agents, users need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. For organizations without this license, Microsoft offers promotional trials to allow employees to experience the benefits of these agents. The video outlines the steps to create a SharePoint Agent, emphasizing the simplicity of the process. Users can create agents from three entry points: the Copilot icon in the top ribbon, the document library, or the Home tab on the left side of the screen. This flexibility ensures that users can tailor agents to their specific needs and projects.

Creating and Managing SharePoint Agents

The creation of SharePoint Agents is straightforward, requiring only a few clicks to select relevant files, folders, or sites. These agents are file-based, with a ".agent" file extension format, and are stored within the same site or folder where they were created. Users can manage these agents like other files, with options to copy, move, delete, or archive them. Additionally, SharePoint site owners have the ability to approve ready-made agents for the site, choose a default agent, and feature user-created agents in the drop-down menu from the Copilot icon.

Integration with Microsoft Teams and Multilingual Capabilities

SharePoint Agents can be shared across platforms like Teams, allowing team members to interact with them directly in chats or channels. This integration facilitates seamless collaboration and ensures that critical information is readily accessible. Moreover, the video highlights the multilingual capabilities of SharePoint Agents, enabling them to support diverse teams and global operations. This feature is particularly beneficial for organizations with a multinational presence, as it allows for effective communication and information sharing across different languages.

Real-World Applications and Benefits

SharePoint Agents offer numerous real-world applications, as demonstrated by private preview customers. For instance, Eaton, a global power management company, used SharePoint Agents to streamline information retrieval and enhance efficiency in their IT and engineering teams. Other scenarios include onboarding new team members, providing product support, and assisting in budget planning. These agents act as subject matter experts, helping users quickly surface insights, scale expertise, and make informed decisions. They empower site owners and users to access valuable information and insights for their projects and tasks, ultimately enhancing productivity.

Security and Data Privacy Considerations

Powered by the same AI technology as Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint Agents operate within the secure boundaries of Microsoft 365, maintaining high standards of data privacy and security. They adhere to existing SharePoint user permissions and sensitivity labels to ensure data protection and prevent the oversharing of sensitive information. Users only have access to the files they are authorized to view or edit, and the agent does not broadly share selected files when shared with others in the organization. This ensures that data security is maintained even when agents are used in collaborative settings.

Future Developments and Promotional Offers

Microsoft is committed to evolving the capabilities of SharePoint Agents based on user feedback. Future developments include the ability to edit and share ready-made SharePoint Agents, include OneDrive files in customized agents, and create agents for SharePoint hub sites. Additionally, Microsoft is offering a promotion for qualifying organizations to experience SharePoint Agents from January 6, 2025, through June 30, 2025. Organizations with at least 50 Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses will receive 10,000 queries each month for non-Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders to use, create, share, and interact with SharePoint Agents. This promotional offer aims to enhance knowledge sharing and teamwork while providing key learnings from early adopters.

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