Federated Copilot Connectors
[Web]
Microsoft is announcing the General Availability (GA) of federated Copilot connectors for Microsoft 365 Copilot. Federated Copilot connectors enable users to securely connect Copilot to popular third-party sources and retrieve data in real time using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). These connectors do not store or index customer data in Microsoft services; access occurs in real time using the user’s identity, while administrators retain full governance and control through the Microsoft 365 admin center. With GA, federated Copilot connectors will be supported in Researcher, Microsoft 365 Chat, and when editing with Copilot in Excel, enabling users to bring external data directly into their workflows.
Roadmap ID:
501120
Details:
What changed:
Federated Copilot connectors now allow Microsoft 365 Copilot users to connect securely to popular third-party data sources in real time using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Unlike previous methods, these connectors do not store or index customer data in Microsoft services. Administrators maintain full governance and control through the Microsoft 365 admin center. These connectors are supported in Researcher, Microsoft 365 Chat, and when editing with Copilot in Excel.
Why:
This change enhances data security and compliance by ensuring customer data remains within third-party environments and is accessed only with user identity and admin oversight.
Try this:
Open Microsoft 365 Chat, Researcher, or when editing with Copilot in Excel.
Select a federated Copilot connector to connect to a third-party data source.
Retrieve and use real-time data within your workflow.
Why this matters:
Secure real-time data access without storing sensitive information in Microsoft services reduces compliance risks.
Business impact:
Organizations can safely integrate external data into Microsoft 365 workflows while maintaining strict governance controls.
Personal impact:
You can access up-to-date third-party data directly in Microsoft 365 apps without additional login steps or data duplication.
Additional resources:
Learn:
Federated connectors overview