AI tool register · Microsoft Copilot
What can Microsoft Copilot see and do through connectors?
Microsoft Copilot connectors come in 2 kinds. Synced connectors copy outside content into Microsoft’s index and keep its permissions. Federated connectors fetch live under the signed-in person’s identity and index nothing. Admins decide which are available. Reading needs no confirmation, and actions that change something need the person’s approval.
Microsoft 365 Copilot connectors (synced and federated). The consumer Copilot app has its own, separate connectors.
Work: Copilot tenants, managed in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Consumer: signed-in users on Copilot.com and mobile, covering OneDrive, Outlook.com, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts.
- Google Drive
- Salesforce
- ServiceNow
- Jira
- Box
- Dropbox
- Gmail
- HubSpot
What a connector can see, and what it can do
What a connector can see
Synced connectors crawl external content and index it into Microsoft Graph, keeping source permissions. Federated connectors fetch data live through MCP under the signed-in user's identity, with no indexing.
Source (opens in a new tab)What it can do
Read tools run without confirmation. Create, update, and delete actions for federated connectors begin rolling out in early October 2026 and need the user's approval: allow once, for the conversation, or always.
Source (opens in a new tab)Who switches it on
Admins. Microsoft-published federated connectors are on by default unless an admin disables them. Partner connectors need admin approval. Users then sign in with their own credentials. Access can be limited to specific Entra ID groups.
Source (opens in a new tab)Whether that data trains the model
Microsoft says data accessed through Microsoft Graph is not used to train foundation models. The same page says data from Graph connectors appears in responses only if the user has permission to access it.
Source (opens in a new tab)Custom connectors
Yes. A custom federated connector points to your own MCP server that exposes read-only tools. Setup requires the Global Administrator or AI Administrator role in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Our take
Before you connect anything
Copilot shows people whatever their existing permissions allow, which makes old over-sharing visible. Tidy who can see what in SharePoint and OneDrive before turning it on for everyone.
- Tidy permissions first. A connector can reach whatever the person who connected it can.
- Treat reading and acting as 2 separate decisions.
- Put the approved connectors in your AI use policy.
Compare and decide
- Microsoft Copilot: data handling by planIs Microsoft Copilot safe for confidential information?
- ChatGPT connectorsWhat can ChatGPT see and do once you connect your tools?
- Claude connectorsWhat can Claude see and do through connectors?
- Google Gemini connectorsWhat can Gemini see and do in your Google Workspace?
- What can AI see when I connect a tool?The general answer, without the product names.
- AI agentsWhat comes after connecting: an agent with a job.
How this was checked
Every fact on this page is taken from Microsoft’s own documentation as it read on . Vendors change these terms often, sometimes monthly. Check the linked page before you rely on it.
- Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot (work: training, permissions, residency) (opens in a new tab)
- Enterprise data protection in Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat (rename, web queries, Anthropic models) (opens in a new tab)
- Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot (older consumer app: training, 18 months, human review) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: overview (new consumer app) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: your activity history (new app, no training) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: your privacy controls and choices (ads, memory) (opens in a new tab)
- Copilot connectors overview (synced and federated) (opens in a new tab)
- Federated connectors overview (MCP, admin controls, write actions) (opens in a new tab)
- Set up custom federated connectors (opens in a new tab)
- Connecting Microsoft Copilot to other services (consumer connectors) (opens in a new tab)
- Learn about retention for Copilot and AI apps (Microsoft Purview) (opens in a new tab)
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