Build and Use Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot: Complete Tutorial (2026)

This is a beginner level tutorial that will teach you how to build and use agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot. In this video, I cover the concept of agents, how to build them using natural language descriptions, how to connect them to different data sources, and the capabilities available in both the free Copilot Chat and the paid Microsoft 365 license. You'll also learn about the out of the box agents, including Researcher and Analyst and how to use them. By the end you'll understand use cases and how to apply these skills to your own scenarios at work. This is not a quick overview. It’s a comprehensive, practical walkthrough designed to help you confidently use, build, customize, and share agents at work. ----------------------- Thank you for supporting my channel: ☕ Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lisacrosbie 📘 Get my book - Copilot Studio Step by Step: https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/microsoft-copilot-studio-step-by-step-customizing-copilot-9780135491539 (Also available on Amazon) 🖇 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-crosbie/ Guidelines for writing agent instructions: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/extensibility/declarative-agent-instructions Timestamps: 0:00 – Agent Builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot 0:59 – Copilot licensing and starting points – Copilot Chat vs Microsoft 365 Copilot explained 1:44 – How to check your Copilot license – Identify free vs paid Microsoft 365 Copilot 3:17 – What is an agent in Copilot – Agent Builder concepts and real use cases 5:49 – Create your first agent – Step-by-step agent creation in Microsoft 365 Copilot 12:44 – Use website knowledge in an agent – Ground agents on a specific website 16:16 – Website knowledge limitations – URL depth, indexing, and content constraints 18:19 – Agents that search the web – Enable full web search in Agent Builder 19:54 – Suggested prompts in Agent Builder – When starter prompts improve results 20:35 – Write custom agent instructions – Best practices for agent configuration 21:38 – Customize agent icons – Built-in, uploaded, and AI-generated icons 23:22 – Agent capabilities – Create documents, code, and images 26:48 – Free Copilot limitations – What Agent Builder can’t do without a paid license 28:49 – Microsoft 365 Copilot and WorkIQ – Using work data securely with Copilot 30:15 – Build agents with work data – Emails, files, Teams, and SharePoint sources 36:34 – Share agents with colleagues – Permissions, access, and security 38:40 – Built-in Copilot agents – Microsoft out-of-the-box agents explained 40:11 – Researcher agent – Deep research with work data and the web 44:55 – Analyst agent – Data analysis, trends, and chart generation 48:39 – Agents in SharePoint and OneDrive – Document-based agents without setup 50:56 – Use agents in Word and Microsoft apps – In-context Copilot experiences 52:40 – Extend agents with Copilot Studio – When to move beyond Agent Builder