Microsoft sets Copilot agents loose on your OneDrive files
- Reference: 1770300953
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/05/microsoft_onedrive_agents/
- Source link:
Users can [1]select up to 20 files and create an agent, saved as a .agent file in OneDrive.
Rather than teasing information out of individual documents, Microsoft says users can make cross-document queries, including "What decisions have we made so far?" and "What risks keep coming up?" The agent then generates a response based on the documents' content.
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Agents can be searched for and shared, although collaborators will need access to the source documents. Microsoft said: "The agent can provide complete, grounded responses keeping everyone aligned without extra handoffs."
[3]
[4]
However, the claim that getting started "requires no special admin setup," combined with the lack of detail about what the agents do behind the scenes or where user data ends up, is likely to worry administrators. That said, for a user of OneDrive on the web with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, that ship has long sailed.
The Register asked Microsoft about the privacy implications and what happens to user data while an agent does its thing, but other than acknowledging our question, the company did not respond.
[5]Anthropic cements its position as the not-OpenAI with no-ads pledge
[6]Rise of AI means companies could pass on SaaS
[7]AI agents can't yet pull off fully autonomous cyberattacks – but they are already very helpful to crims
[8]DIY AI bot farm OpenClaw is a security 'dumpster fire'
Copilot meddling with OneDrive files is not new. Microsoft [9]showed off a variety of concepts in 2023 and [10]revealed updates in 2024 . Users who don't want a perky virtual assistant that might occasionally make potentially [11]catastrophic errors don't have to use the functionality.
However, for organizations that have bought into Microsoft's vision of a Copilot-powered future, the functionality may be worth checking out. It makes queries more targeted and collaborative than simply applying AI to OneDrive.
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There are some intriguing opportunities for collaboration, however, it is up to the user to make sure that anyone with whom an agent is shared has access to the same source files. Otherwise, there is an even greater chance that Copilot might be confidently wrong. Or, as Microsoft put it: "If someone opens the agent but doesn't have access to the source files, they won't get useful answers." ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/onedriveblog/agents-in-onedrive-now-generally-available-your-ai-assistant-built-with-your-own/4490929
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aYTMtqCBdMEen3oeUogbRgAAAQQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYTMtqCBdMEen3oeUogbRgAAAQQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aYTMtqCBdMEen3oeUogbRgAAAQQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/04/anthropic_no_advertising_in_claude/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/04/ai_replace_saas/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/autonomous_cyberattacks_not_real_yet/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/03/openclaw_security_problems/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/04/onedrive_to_acquire_copilot_skills/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/04/onedrive_to_acquire_copilot_skills/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/19/copper_chief_cops_it_after/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYTMtqCBdMEen3oeUogbRgAAAQQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Windows' Search
Somebody borked Search sometime after XP.
Icon - Win 8 I'm looking at you.
Re: Windows' Search
There's an excellent alternative called Agent Ransack
Re: Windows' Search
Absolutely, been using it for quite some while now. Does not do the whole search over, just because you want the results sorted differently, unlike Explorer.
Who watches the watchers?
It sounds great - on paper - but instead of actually reading the documents I'm supposed to trust Copilot's summation? What if it misses vital information or draws the wrong conclusion based on yet another hallucination and presented as fact? This is a slippery slope that only Microsoft could dream up and woe be to the team that makes important business decisions based on it.
Re: Who watches the watchers?
"woe be to the team that makes important business decisions based on it"
Fuggem, I say.
I know the type who lap this type of shit up; they deserve everything they get.
Re: Who watches the watchers?
>> https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/05/uk_courts_cloud/
Wait until the miscarriages of justice start. The hand wringing. Lessons must be learned. More AI will fix this. Blah blah blah.
Re: Who watches the watchers?
"it is up to the user to make sure that anyone with whom an agent is shared has access to the same source files. Otherwise, there is an even greater chance that Copilot might be confidently wrong"
But will it admit that it doesn't have access to all the info... or does it just give an answer based on the little it can see?
May be Sat Nad could be replaced by an AI.
Gods
I'm reminded of a SciFi story I read very many years ago. A massive computer had just been built and there was a ceremonial switch on. At this point various strange noises came from the speakers and lights flickered before it settled down with a gurgling noise. One of the politicians present asked the first question. "Is there a god?"
Almost instantly the reply came back. "There is now!"
Windows' Search
Pity Microsoft don't seem to want to put any effort into normal Windows' search. I can often see the file in front of me, yet search still fails to find it.