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IT & AI brief, 5 November 2026: Project usage report retires, sharing links get expiry

Export the Project usage report before 20 November, Planner Agent in Copilot Chat gains task assignment, and OneDrive and SharePoint plan mandatory expiry for sharing links.

By EpiFive Editorial TeamHow the brief is made

Microsoft is removing the Project usage report from the Microsoft 365 admin center in early December, and anything you want from it must be exported by 20 November. Separate posts add admin-controlled expiry for sharing links and new Planner Agent abilities in Copilot Chat.

Project usage report leaves the Microsoft 365 admin center

What changed: In MC1539001, Microsoft says the Project usage report under Reports > Usage will be removed, with its historical data, because Project Online and Project for the web have already been retired. Export your data by 20 November 2026. Removal rolls out in early December, ending 4 December, for worldwide and GCC tenants.

Who is affected: Admins who use the report for Project adoption or licence reviews. The Project desktop client keeps its normal support lifecycle.

What to do: Export any figures you need for audits or licence reclaim before 20 November, and update runbooks that point to the report. For Planner activity, use the Planner usage report in the same admin center.

What changed: Roadmap item 571399 describes expiration dates for "Anyone" and "People in your organization" links to files and folders. New admin policies can require expiry and cap how long access lasts, with separate settings for OneDrive and SharePoint. When a link expires, the link stops working, but permissions given directly to named people stay. The item is in development, with general availability planned for February 2027 across worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD.

Who is affected: Any tenant that shares through broad links, and users who rely on long-lived links.

What to do: Nothing yet. Start reviewing which links are shared widely today, because a maximum lifetime will break old bookmarks and embedded links. Our guide on Copilot readiness and oversharing helps with that review.

Planner Agent in Copilot Chat: task assignment, catch-up and memory

What changed: MC1539002 says Planner Agent will let users assign or reassign people on tasks in shared basic plans, including in bulk, and review the proposed changes before saving. It can also scan recent email, chat and meetings for outstanding work, on demand or on a recurring schedule, and can use saved Copilot memories. The 30-task limit on plan creation is removed. Rollout is worldwide in early December 2026.

Who is affected: Users with an active Microsoft Copilot licence and access to Planner Agent, in Copilot on the web, in Teams and in Planner. Premium plans are not supported, and AI-generated tasks stay drafts until the user confirms them.

What to do: No admin action is required. Review Planner Agent access settings in the admin center, tell users that memory is used, and update training. Pinning the agent needs the AI Administrator role.

Teams: admins can control profanity masking in transcripts

What changed: Roadmap item RM570467, updated on 4 November, adds a meeting policy setting that decides whether profanity is masked in live and saved transcripts. Masking stays on by default. If you disable it for an organizer, profane words can appear unmasked in the transcript. Live captions still follow each participant's own setting. The item is marked launched on desktop, web and mobile, in worldwide and GCC.

Who is affected: Teams admins who manage meeting policies, and organizers given a policy with filtering off.

What to do: Leave the default unless a team, such as legal or compliance, needs verbatim records. If you change it, assign it to a specific group rather than the global policy. See also AI meeting transcripts and action items.

GitHub Copilot arrives inside Xcode's coding assistant

What changed: GitHub announced on 4 November that Copilot now works inside Xcode's built-in coding assistant, in public preview. It needs the Xcode 27.3 beta and macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later, and it supports all Copilot plans. The separate Copilot for Xcode extension still exists. Set it up under Xcode > Settings > Intelligence.

Who is affected: Developers on Apple platforms with a Copilot seat. The announcement mentions no admin policy.

What to do: Decide whether beta tooling is allowed on managed Macs, and confirm that your Copilot organization policies match what you want developers to use. Source: GitHub changelog.

Google Meet: show a custom policy notice before people join

What changed: Admins can add a short policy message, with an optional link, to the Meet Green Room. It can always show, or only when recording, transcription or Gemini note-taking is active. It is off by default and is set per organizational unit under Meet Safety Settings. Extended rollout for Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains began on 2 November. See Google Workspace Updates.

Who is affected: Business, Enterprise, Education and Frontline Plus editions, as listed in the post.

What to do: If your policy requires consent notices for recorded or AI-transcribed meetings, enable it for the relevant units and write the notice with legal or HR input.

Also worth knowing

  • The WordPress Core entry on the CISA KEV catalog is due tomorrow, 6 November, as covered in our 4 November brief.
  • GitHub's pull_request_target brownouts begin on 9 November, per the GitHub changelog.
  • Entra SSPR enforcement of registered methods begins 9 November: MC1325414.