Microsoft 365 Copilot: Admins will be able to enable third‑party model providers for specific users and groups

Admins will soon be able to assign third-party AI model providers like Anthropic and xAI to specific users or groups in Microsoft 365 Copilot via a new control in the Microsoft Admin Center. This rollout begins in late April 2026 and supports Entra ID group-based access management. Today, IT admins can enable or disable third‑party model providers, such as Anthropic and xAI (US only), at the tenant level in the Microsoft Admin Center. With this update, admins will be able to assign access to a third‑party model provider to specific users or groups within the tenant. This update is related to MC1193920, which announced that Anthropic models would be enabled by default for many customers in certain Copilot experiences and offered under the Microsoft Product Terms and Data Protection Addendum (DPA) as a Microsoft subprocessor. This message corresponds to Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 557371. View image in new tab When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late April 2026 and expect to complete in late April 2026. How this affects your organization Who is affected Organizations that use or plan to use third‑party model providers in Microsoft 365 Copilot and in Copilot Studio Admins who manage access in the Microsoft Admin Center, Power Platform Admin Center (PPAC), or Copilot Studio What will happen Admins will see a new control in the Microsoft Admin Center that allows assigning a third‑party model provider to specific users or Entra ID groups. The setting will apply at the provider level, not at the individual model level. Assignments will be enforced consistently across the Microsoft Admin Center, PPAC, and Copilot Studio. The control will apply to subprocessors and independent processors for all current and future third‑party model providers. Admins can add up to any combination of 999 groups and users; nested groups are supported.  What you can do to prepare Review your existing settings for Anthropic and xAI (US only) in the Microsoft Admin Center. Update user or group assignments to align with your internal governance policies. Update any existing agents and experiences that may be impacted when model […]

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