Microsoft continues to enhance the power of AI across its ecosystem, and SharePoint is no exception. With the new SharePoint Copilot Agent, users can now interact with their SharePoint content in a much more intuitive and intelligent way—thanks to natural language understanding.
In this blog post, let’s dive into what SharePoint Copilot Agents are, the types of agents you can use, and how to build your very own custom AI assistant right inside SharePoint—without needing Copilot Studio.
What is SharePoint Copilot?
If you’re using Microsoft 365 with Copilot enabled, you might’ve noticed a Copilot icon appearing in your SharePoint sites. This isn’t just for show—it’s a built-in agent designed to help you get quick, accurate answers from your SharePoint content. It can read and understand documents, site pages, and libraries, and respond to your questions just like a smart chatbot.
This built-in feature is available across all modern SharePoint sites with an M365 Copilot license. It’s not part of the standalone Copilot Studio package—so make sure you’re licensed appropriately.
Types of SharePoint Agents
There are two types of agents you can work with in SharePoint:
- Inbuilt (Default) Agent: Automatically created for each modern site. It scans the entire site content and answers questions accordingly.
- Custom Agent: You can build a tailored agent for a specific document library—like your HR policies or onboarding material—so the agent only responds based on that selected content.
Why It’s a Game-Changer
Searching documents is old-school. Instead of browsing through folders or using keyword-based search, you can now ask natural questions, like:
- “What’s the leave policy for new employees?”
- “Tell me about the company’s employee welfare programs.”
Copilot will scan the relevant content and give you a well-structured answer—often with source citations—so you know where the info came from.
Creating Your Own Agent in SharePoint
One of the best features is the ability to build your own custom agent within a specific document library.
Let’s say you have an “HR Policies and Procedures” library with three important documents. You can create an agent trained only on those three files. This means your Copilot won’t give generic answers—it’ll respond with razor-sharp relevance based on the selected content.
The creation process is user-friendly:
- Select your documents
- Click “Create Agent”
- Name your agent, provide a description, set its tone, behavior, and sample prompts
- Save it—and it’s ready to use!
You can even update or customize the agent later by editing its settings, updating the sources, or modifying its welcome message and behavior prompts.
Sharing the Agent with Others
Once your agent is ready, SharePoint allows you to share it with your team. Just hit the “Share” option, and your colleagues can use the same assistant in SharePoint or even in Microsoft Teams—making information access seamless across the org.
Final Thoughts
The SharePoint Copilot Agent is a powerful example of how AI is simplifying workplace tools. Whether you’re setting up an FAQ agent for HR, a helpdesk assistant for IT, or a document finder for project teams—this feature brings real productivity gains without complex setups.
And the best part? You don’t even need Copilot Studio or coding skills to get started. Just your SharePoint site, the right documents, and a vision for smarter collaboration.
Ready to try it out? If you’re on an M365 Copilot plan, open up SharePoint and start building your AI assistant today.