2025 is ending. As the New Year approaches, there may be changes to come in various programs for computers and their systems. One of these includes Microsoft 365, and Seton Hall University, located in New Jersey, was kind enough to share such information. The school released an online article regarding the updates for this last month of the year, as well as a preview of what is to come next year.
Updates for December 2025
With this last month of 2025, a handful of Microsoft’s programs are being updated to improve efficiency and organization for current users.
OneNote-Copilot Update
OneNote is one of Microsoft’s programs that enables users to chat amongst themselves.
For this month, a Copilot feature is being added. The Copilot feature includes the abilities to create a Summarize Page, a Task List, Rewrite Page, and Take Notes. The addition of Copilot will make OneNote more consistent with the other apps in Microsoft 365.
Teams-Email Notifications Update
Microsoft Teams has been essential for organization members to communicate with each other. Members can create specific chat channels for teammates to talk to each other directly while not interfering with work associated with a teammate outside the field.
This month, Microsoft Teams has been updated so that membership and notifications now come from the team owner’s address, while private join requests or shared channel membership notifications come from Microsoft’s no reply email address.
Outlook-iOS and Android Update
Many people have used a handy tool for email, Microsoft Outlook, for years.
As 2025 ends, Microsoft Outlook has been updated to be efficiently organized for iOS and Android users. Any automatic replies are now collapsed, keeping long threads cleaner and making it easier for users to focus on the main conversation.
Copilot-Windows Update
Finally, for this month, Microsoft has decided to add a new Microsoft 365 Copilot app to Windows devices that already has the program installed.
The new Copilot app will not change any existing Office apps or files, and paid features will still require an appropriate license for usage.
The Big Changes in 2026
As the New Year begins, some of Microsoft’s current programs will go through bigger changes than simple updates.
Whiteboard-Sending Off Features in January 2026
Microsoft Whiteboard will be retiring a couple of features from the program.
The Insert Document feature will be removed, which means that users will no longer be able to add a PDF or PowerPoint file directly from their OneDrive or SharePoint program. Any documents already placed on boards before this change will remain.
In addition, users can still insert PDFs saved on their computers using the Windows Whiteboard app.
With that said, the easiest alternatives are uploading images instead, or sharing files through OneDrive or Microsoft Teams.
Word-Changes for Kindle Publishers in March 2026
Microsoft Word has always been a handy tool for creating documents. For some self-published writers, they publish their content through the Amazon Kindle for digital download.
Unfortunately, in March 2026, Microsoft has decided to retire a feature that is involved with this process. Next year, the Send to Kindle option in Word will no longer be accessible for Word in Windows, Mac, or the web.
Those who use this feature can still send Word files to Kindle by using Amazon’s Send to Kindle website, and any documents they have sent before the set date will not be affected by the change.
Publisher-Farewell in October 2026
Finally, there will be a huge change involving Microsoft Publisher. Publisher has been handy for users who create content such as flyers and newsletters.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has announced that late in 2026, Publisher will no longer be supported and will be completely removed from Microsoft 365. Once the shutdown takes place, Microsoft 365 users will no longer be able to open or edit any files in the Publisher app.
With that said, it is recommended that anyone who currently relies on Publisher to start transitioning to a new program. Microsoft recommended moving any Publisher content to their other tools, such as Word or PowerPoint, and save anything important to PDF or another supported format before the retirement date rolls over.
Feel free to read the full article off Seton Hall University’s website.
Link: https://www.shu.edu/technology/news/what-new-in-microsoft-365-december-2025.html
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