Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
The built-in App skill in Copilot Cowork helps you create lightweight, interactive apps without writing code. Describe what you need, refine the result in your conversation, and then publish and share the app with people in your organization.
Important
- This feature is in preview and is provided under Microsoft Product Terms.
- Preview features might have restricted functionality and might not be released for general availability. Microsoft provides these features before an official release so that customers can get early access and provide feedback.
- You need to be part of the Frontier preview program to get early access. Frontier connects you directly with Microsoft's latest AI innovations. Frontier previews are subject to the existing preview terms of your customer agreements. As these features are still in development, their availability and capabilities might change over time.
Prerequisites
Ensure you have:
- An active Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
- Access to Cowork in Microsoft Copilot.
- Usage-based billing enabled for Cowork.
- Access to the Frontier program.
Create an app
- Open Microsoft Copilot, and then select Cowork.
- Describe the problem you want to solve, the app you want to create, or the information you want to visualize. For example, enter Build an app to run my daily scrum with my team.
- Add relevant Microsoft 365 context, such as documents, spreadsheets, meetings, or messages.
- Send your prompt.
Cowork invokes the App skill and creates the app. The skill can also generate a data schema in supported connectors and build an app with the data sources connected and ready to use.
Use the App skill to:
- Prototype ideas quickly.
- Create interactive visuals from complex data.
- Build productivity tools for yourself or your team.
- Use enterprise data from Microsoft 365 sources.
Refine your app
Continue the conversation and ask Cowork to change the app. For example, ask it to add a feature, adjust the layout, or show participant information as cards. The app updates as you make changes.
Open and test your app
Open the app to test its functionality and experience it as your users do. You can open it from the Cowork conversation list or directly from the editing screen to preview updates.
Test the app before you publish it. Confirm that its features work as expected and that users can access only the data they need.
Publish your app
Your app saves automatically while you work. Select Publish to make the latest version available to the people you share it with.
Publish the app again after you make changes so that shared users receive the latest version.
Share your app
Share apps you create with a share link, like you do with Word documents or PowerPoint decks.
- Open the app for editing.
- Select Share to generate a sharing link.
- Send the link to people in your organization who can use Microsoft Copilot.
Important
Anyone with the link can open and use the app, including its data. Share the link responsibly and only with users who should have access.
Administer apps
Apps built in Cowork automatically follow your organization's IT policies, including data loss prevention (DLP), conditional access, advanced connector policies, sharing limits, and data source restrictions.
Administrators use the Microsoft 365 admin center to view app inventory, track usage, monitor operational health, manage app lifecycles, and apply governance policies.
Learn more in the following articles:
- What is Copilot Managed Runtime (preview)
- Copilot Managed Runtime overview and key concepts for admins (preview)
FAQ for building apps with Cowork
What do I need to build an app with Cowork?
You need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, access to Cowork, and usage-based billing enabled by your organization.
The App skill also requires Frontier participation, but Cowork is generally available. Learn more in Get started with Copilot Cowork.
How do I refine and test my app?
Ask Cowork for changes in the conversation, then open the app and test its behavior and data. Changes are saved automatically.
How do I start building an app with Cowork?
In Cowork, describe the app you want or the problem it should solve. Attach or reference Microsoft 365 documents, spreadsheets, meetings, or messages to provide context.
Can I build with connected data from the start?
Yes. Cowork can generate a schema in supported connectors and build an app with data sources already connected. You don't have to follow a placeholder-first workflow.
Do apps create placeholder tables and require connecting SharePoint or other data later?
When you describe the app you want, Cowork uses the App skill to build it. The App skill can generate a data schema in supported connectors and build the app with its data sources already connected and ready to use, so you don't need to start with placeholder data and connect a data source later. When you describe your app, you can reference data from Microsoft 365 sources such as documents, spreadsheets, meetings, and messages.
What's the difference between publishing and sharing?
Publishing makes your app, and your latest changes, available to the users you share it with. Sharing controls who can access the app. Learn more in Publish your app and Share your app.
Can I update an app after sharing it?
Yes. Open the app for editing in Cowork, describe the changes you want, and test the updated app. Your changes save automatically, but you need to publish again to make them available to the people you shared the app with.
Does sharing an app grant access to its data?
No. Data-source permissions still apply. Share only with appropriate people and confirm they have the required data access. An admin configures app sharing in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Learn more in Manage security and compliance for Copilot Managed Runtime (preview).
Does building an app consume Copilot Credits?
Building and running apps consumes Copilot Credits, unless running the app is covered by the user's Power Apps Premium license within its request limits.
Can admins stop an app from being used?
Yes. An admin with Global Administrator or Power Platform Administrator rights can block an app built in Cowork from Apps > All apps in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Blocking prevents users from opening the app while preserving the app and its data. Learn more in View and oversee apps in Copilot Managed Runtime across your tenant (preview).
What can admins control on apps built in Cowork?
Admins can control which connectors and connector actions apps built in Cowork can use, how broadly makers can share their apps, and which sources apps can load content from. These settings apply at the environment group level. Admins can also block a published app, which stops users from opening it while keeping the app and its data, or delete an app permanently. Learn more in View and oversee apps in Copilot Managed Runtime across your tenant (preview) and Copilot Managed Runtime default governance settings (preview).
Where are apps built in Cowork hosted, deployed, and governed?
Apps built in Cowork run on a Microsoft-managed host that uses Microsoft Entra authentication. This means you don't need to set up hosting or a deployment pipeline. Each app is created in the maker's personal developer environment, which is a managed environment. Admins govern apps primarily in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Apps, with additional environment-level controls in the Power Platform admin center.
Where does my Cowork app run?
Microsoft hosts the app's client and service logic. You don't need your own hosting or deployment pipeline.
How do I delete an app?
You can ask Cowork to delete an app by name. For example, enter Delete my app named "Project Tracker." Deletion is permanent.
If you want to stop people using the app temporarily, an admin can block it instead. Blocking preserves the app and its data. Learn more in What can admins control on apps built in Cowork?.
For admins: In the Microsoft 365 admin center, select Apps > All apps > the three dots (…) > Delete. Performing this procedure requires Global Administrator or Power Platform Administrator permissions. Learn more in View and oversee apps in Copilot Managed Runtime across your tenant (preview).