Agent Builder: manage Copilot agent ownership

Key insights

• An agent's Can edit access grants owner-level editing and management; Can chat allows use without editing.
• Admins can add additional owners or replace the existing owner through the Agents area in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• All owners have equal rights; Agent Builder does not distinguish primary and secondary owners.
• The bulk Reassign Ownerless Agents rule applies to agents created with Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder.
• First-party Microsoft agents cannot be reassigned through this ownership process.

Agent Builder ownership controls let Microsoft 365 admins add owners to agents or assign a new owner, helping keep agents manageable when their creator leaves. The controls matter to administrators responsible for agent lifecycle and to teams that rely on shared agents. Ami Diamond [MVP] demonstrates the user and admin ownership experiences, including adding an owner and transferring ownership.

What's new

Agent Builder agents no longer have to depend on a single creator for ongoing maintenance. An administrator can add more owners, or replace an owner when the original person is no longer the right person to manage the agent. That gives organizations a way to address the practical question of who can edit and maintain an agent after a role change or departure.

Agent access distinguishes between people who can chat and people who can edit. A person with Can chat can use the agent but cannot change it. Can edit grants the ability to edit and manage the agent, and people assigned that role count as owners. Owners have equal rights; there is no separate primary or backup owner designation.

Ownership and access are related but not identical. In the demonstrated example, an agent has two owners and a separate user who can chat with it. The admin view surfaces the ownership count and shared users, while changing the owner changes who can manage the agent. The original publisher can remain unchanged after the owner is reassigned.

Who it is for and what you need

This process is for Microsoft 365 administrators who oversee Agent Builder agents, especially where agents support ongoing work or contain instructions and organizational knowledge that need maintenance. It is also relevant to teams that want more than one person able to manage an important agent rather than relying only on its creator.

The ownership process applies to agents created with Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder and, for administrator reassignment, supported Copilot Studio agents. First-party Microsoft agents, such as system or prebuilt agents, cannot be reassigned using this process. Bulk reassignment of ownerless agents has a narrower scope: it applies to Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder agents.

Administrators can manage agents in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Agents > All agents. For bulk handling of ownerless agents, the documented rule can identify affected agents and transfer ownership to the previous owner's manager using the Microsoft Entra organizational hierarchy. In the demonstrated individual reassignment, the admin selects a replacement owner directly.

How it works

1. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, open Agents > All agents and locate the relevant agent.
2. Review its current owners and sharing information. The admin view can show whether users have chat access and how many owners the agent has.
3. To add an owner, open the agent's details, select the user link beside Owner, then use Add owner in the Owners pane. Select an individual user and confirm with Add.
4. To transfer ownership when an existing owner is no longer responsible, assign a new owner instead. The new owner can then access the agent to edit it; the original publisher identity does not necessarily change.
5. For ownerless Agent Builder agents, administrators can use the Reassign Ownerless Agents rule to identify agents and transfer ownership in bulk to the previous owner's manager based on the organizational hierarchy.

When sharing an agent, choose the access level according to what the person needs to do. Can chat is suitable for a user who only needs to interact with the agent. Can edit is the relevant role for someone who should update or manage it, and it makes that person an owner.

Limitations and alternatives

Adding an owner does not create a hierarchy between owners: each owner has the same management rights. That makes it useful to name multiple people who can maintain an agent, but organizations should decide internally who is accountable for changes and ongoing review.

Agent Builder ownership can be assigned to individual users; groups are not supported as owners. The automated ownerless-agent rule is also not a general reassignment mechanism for every agent type: it is limited to Agent Builder agents. First-party Microsoft agents are excluded from the described reassignment process, and supported Copilot Studio agents are covered for administrator reassignment rather than the bulk rule.

Before transferring ownership, consider whether the selected person should have editing and management access, not merely the ability to chat. For bulk reassignment to a former owner's manager, review whether that manager is an appropriate ongoing owner. A manually selected replacement is an alternative when a different person should take responsibility.

Sources

• Ami Diamond [MVP] on managing Agent Builder agent ownership

Frequently asked questions

How do admins add an owner to an Agent Builder agent?

In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Agents > All agents, open the agent details, select the user link beside Owner, and choose Add owner. Select an individual user and confirm.

What is the difference between Can chat and Can edit?

Can chat lets a person use the agent without changing it. Can edit allows editing and management, and users with that role count as owners.

Can administrators reassign an ownerless agent in bulk?

The Reassign Ownerless Agents rule can transfer ownership in bulk to the previous owner's manager based on the Microsoft Entra organizational hierarchy. It applies to agents created with Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder.

Can a group own an Agent Builder agent?

No. Agent Builder ownership can be assigned to individual users; groups are not supported as owners.