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[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]
Important
- You need to be part of the Frontier preview program to get early access to Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. 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 may change over time.
- If Cowork isn't visible in Microsoft Admin Center Agent management, ensure that the admin account is also enrolled in Frontier (Copilot -> Settings -> Frontier).
- This is a preview feature.
- Preview features may have restricted functionality. These features are available before an official release so that customers can get early access and provide feedback.
- For more information, go to our Microsoft Product Terms.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork supports plugins that add new skills and connectors to extend what Cowork can do. Plugins are available from the Microsoft 365 plugin marketplace. Your organization's admin can also deploy plugins for you automatically.
A plugin can contain skills, connectors, or both. Skills are specialized capabilities that teach Cowork new domain expertise, such as financial analysis, legal research, or HR workflows. Connectors link Cowork to external data sources and services so it can retrieve or act on information outside of Microsoft 365.
Browse available plugins
You can explore plugins that are available for Cowork directly from the plugin menu. Each plugin listing shows the plugin name, publisher, a short description, and an icon, so you can quickly identify what it does.
- Open a conversation in Cowork or go to the Cowork home page.
- Select the Browse plugins button. The plugin dialog opens and displays a list of available plugins.
- Scroll through the list or use the search field to find a specific plugin by name or category.
- Select a plugin to view more details, including a full description, the publisher name, and the skills or connectors the plugin provides.
The dialog has two tabs: All Plugins shows everything available from the marketplace and your organization, while Added Plugins shows only the plugins you already acquired.
Tip
If you don't see a plugin you expected, check with your IT admin. Some plugins might need to be approved for your organization before they appear in the list.
Acquire a plugin
When you find a plugin you want to use, you can add it to your account in a few steps.
- Open the Browse plugins dialog.
- Find the plugin you want and select it.
- Select Add to Cowork to acquire the plugin.
- Wait for the plugin to finish installing. A confirmation message appears when the plugin is ready.
Once acquired, the plugin's skills and connectors become available in your conversations. You can start using them right away.
Note
Some plugins might require your organization's admin approval before you can acquire them. If the Add to Cowork button is unavailable, contact your admin for access.
Manage your plugins
After you acquire plugins, you control which ones are active in your conversations. You can enable or disable any acquired plugin at any time from the Sources & Skills panel.
- To enable or disable a plugin, open the Sources & Skills panel and toggle the switch next to the plugin name.
- When a plugin is enabled, its skills appear alongside Cowork's built-in skills. Plugin skills show up as chips in the side panel, just like built-in skills.
- Plugin connectors appear in the connector list within the plugin details when the plugin is enabled. You can view connector status in the Sources & Skills panel.
- When you disable a plugin, its skills and connectors are hidden from your conversations until you enable it again.
Tip
If your side panel feels crowded, disable plugins you aren't actively using. You can always re-enable them later.
Connect to plugin services
Some plugins include connectors that link Cowork to external services. When you use a connector for the first time, you might need to complete a one-time sign-in to authorize access.
- Start a conversation that uses a plugin connector, or select the connector from the side panel.
- When Cowork needs the connector, it prompts you to connect. A dialog or notification appears with a sign-in link.
- Select Connect or follow the sign-in link.
- Complete the sign-in or consent flow in the window that opens. You might need to enter your credentials or approve permissions.
- Once connected, Cowork can access that service in all your conversations going forward.
Note
You only need to sign in once per connector. After the initial connection, Cowork remembers your authorization unless you or your admin revoke it.
Admin-deployed plugins
Your organization's IT admin can deploy plugins on your behalf. Admin-deployed plugins work a bit differently from plugins you acquire yourself.
| Behavior | Details |
|---|---|
| Automatically available | Admin-deployed plugins appear in your account without any action from you. You don't need to browse or acquire them. |
| Can't be removed | Only your admin can add or remove these plugins. You can't uninstall them from your account. |
| Scoped visibility | Admin-deployed plugins might be visible to your entire organization or to specific groups, depending on how your admin configured them. |
Even though you can't remove admin-deployed plugins, you can still enable or disable them for your own sessions. Open the Sources & Skills panel and toggle the plugin on or off as needed.
Important
If an admin-deployed plugin requires a service connection, you still need to complete the one-time sign-in yourself. Your admin can't sign in on your behalf.
Remove a plugin
If you acquired a plugin yourself (not admin-deployed), you can remove it when you no longer need it.
- Open the Browse plugins dialog.
- Find the plugin you want to remove.
- Select Remove from Cowork to remove the plugin.
Removing a plugin removes its skills and connectors from future conversations. Any active conversations that already use the plugin aren't interrupted—they continue to work until the conversation ends.
Note
If you change your mind, you can always re-acquire the plugin from the Browse plugins dialog.
How plugin skills work
Plugin skills integrate directly into the Cowork experience alongside the built-in skills. Here's what to expect when you use them.
- Automatic activation—Cowork selects the appropriate plugin skill based on your conversation context. You don't need to invoke plugin skills manually. When a plugin skill activates, you see a skill notification in the chat, just like with built-in skills.
- Skill priority—If a plugin skill has the same name as a built-in skill, the built-in skill takes priority and the plugin skill isn't loaded. A notification appears in the side panel indicating which plugin skill was skipped due to the conflict.
- Side panel visibility—You can see which skills are active in the side panel during a conversation. Active plugin skills appear alongside built-in skills so you can follow what Cowork is using.
- Conversation scope—Plugin skills work within the current conversation context. They can read files you attached, reference earlier messages, and coordinate with other active skills.
Request a plugin
If you need a plugin that isn't available, contact your IT admin. Admins can request new plugins through the Microsoft 365 admin center or work with partners to develop custom solutions.