SharePoint Search Brings Back Bookmarks

Key insights

• Microsoft 365 Copilot extension — A cross-browser add-on that enhances Copilot Search by combining tickets, files, documents, and tasks from organization-configured third-party sites to deliver more relevant, personalized results.
  
• Privacy and data usage — The extension runs in the background after installation, accesses only activity from apps your organization configures, does not track general web browsing, and stores data securely for improving Copilot Search without sharing it externally.
  
• Supported connectors (preview) — Preview connectors include ADO, ServiceNow (KB, Catalog, Tickets), Jira, Google Drive, Confluence, and GitHub, enabling richer search signals from those sources.
  
• Bookmarks — Admins can pin authoritative links (title, URL, description, keywords) to appear at the top of search results across SharePoint, Teams, Office.com, and Bing, replacing the older Query Rules approach and ensuring critical resources surface first.
  
• Targeting and precedence — Bookmarks support targeting by date, country/region, user groups, device/OS, and search variations; they take precedence over Q&A and location results for matching keywords, and reserved keywords guarantee a bookmark’s display.
  
• Management and scale — Organizations can manage up to 5,000 bookmarks with draft, scheduled, and published states, use CSV import/export or auto-recommended links, and benefit from instant indexing to improve discoverability and reduce search friction.

Steve Corey’s recent YouTube video, summarized in a supporting blog post, reports that Microsoft has restored and refined the Bookmarks feature for SharePoint Search, positioning it as a practical tool for organizations to surface critical resources. The video explains how administrators can now create promoted links that appear above standard results across Microsoft 365 surfaces, including SharePoint, Teams, Office.com, and Bing. Consequently, the feature aims to reduce friction for employees who need quick access to policies, apps, or frequently used forms.

Moreover, the video covers how the Microsoft 365 Copilot extension complements search by aggregating work-related data from approved third-party connectors such as ADO, ServiceNow (KB, Catalog, Tickets), Jira, Google Drive, Confluence, and GitHub. The extension runs in the background after installation and uses only the configured third-party activity to improve Copilot Search results. As a result, organizations get more personalized and context-aware answers without tracking general web browsing.

What the Restored Bookmarks Do

The video highlights that Bookmarks replace the older Query Rules with promoted results, which Microsoft retired in 2021, and now act as an admin-controlled way to pin authoritative links for keywords. Admins can assign both standard and reserved keywords so a Bookmark reliably surfaces when a user searches for matching terms. In addition, Microsoft provides pre-built bookmarks for common Microsoft 365 apps while allowing custom additions for internal resources such as holiday calendars or timesheets.

Corey notes that Bookmarks appear enterprise-wide and are not shown in hub- or site-scoped searches by design, which preserves local search behavior for site owners. The system supports up to 5,000 bookmarks and offers draft, scheduled, and published states to help teams manage lifecycle and timing. Therefore, larger organizations can scale curated content while coordinating reviews and rollouts.

How the Copilot Extension Integrates

According to the video, the Microsoft 365 Copilot extension works across browsers and pulls data only from approved third-party connectors configured by administrators. It stores captured data securely and uses it solely to enhance Copilot Search, which minimizes exposure of unrelated browsing activity. Consequently, organizations have a way to surface ticket and document context directly in Copilot-driven results without broad data leakage.

Corey explains that the extension’s preview supports a defined set of connectors to test behavior and value before wider deployment. This measured rollout strategy helps IT teams evaluate privacy, performance, and usefulness in real workflows. Nevertheless, organizations must balance richer search results against the administrative overhead of configuring and maintaining connectors.

Administration, Setup, and Controls

The video walks through the admin path: Microsoft 365 Admin centers to the Search & Intelligence Center, and then to the Answers and Bookmarks pages for creation and management. Admins fill in required fields such as title, URL, description, and keywords, and they can apply optional targeting by groups, region, or device. Additionally, CSV import/export and auto-recommended bookmarks from existing SharePoint links simplify migration from legacy systems.

Importantly, reserved keywords are unique per bookmark so administrators must coordinate naming to prevent conflicts and ensure predictable behavior. Core governance practices, such as review cycles and role-based permissions, help prevent accidental overrides or stale links. Therefore, administrators should plan a maintenance cadence and clear ownership to keep bookmarks current and useful.

Benefits, Tradeoffs, and Ranking Considerations

Corey stresses that Bookmarks speed access to high-value items and can override AI-driven answers when a specific resource must be prioritized, which makes outcomes more predictable for essential queries. However, relying heavily on promoted links can unintentionally suppress other useful results if not managed carefully, and scoped searches will still exclude bookmarks. Thus, organizations must weigh the benefit of guaranteed visibility against the risk of over-promoting items.

Moreover, integration with Microsoft Search’s machine learning means rankings can shift, particularly in Teams where ML may reorder results for relevance. While bookmarks have precedence over Q&A and Locations for matching keywords, administrators should monitor click and usage metrics to validate assumptions. Consequently, a data-driven approach to promotion and periodic pruning will produce better long-term outcomes.

Practical Challenges and Recommendations

The video points out common challenges: keyword collisions, content staleness, and the administrative work required to target visibility correctly across regions and groups. In addition, privacy teams must review Copilot connector data flows to ensure compliance with organizational policies and regulations. Therefore, cross-team collaboration among admins, privacy officers, and business owners becomes essential for safe and effective deployment.

In closing, Steve Corey’s YouTube presentation offers a clear, practical view of how Microsoft’s restored Bookmarks and the Copilot extension can improve discoverability while emphasizing governance and tradeoffs. Organizations that adopt these features should plan for ongoing management, testing, and measurement so that curated search enhances productivity without creating new maintenance burdens or privacy surprises.

Keywords

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