SharePoint agents: inventory and plan your migration

Key insights

• The source says existing SharePoint agents in the .agent format will stop working after March 2027.
• From mid-November 2026, creating an agent in SharePoint or OneDrive is expected to open Copilot Agent Builder.
• The Microsoft 365 admin center's Agents list can be filtered by the SharePoint platform.
• The agent list may show active users and total sessions; the publisher reports those figures may be unavailable in some environments.
• Agent Builder and skills in Copilot in SharePoint are presented as options for recreating agent experiences.

SharePoint agents stored in the old .agent format are due to stop working after March 2027, so organizations should inventory them and plan which to replace. This matters to SharePoint and Microsoft 365 administrators, site owners, and business teams that rely on agents to answer questions using site or library content. Szymon Bochniak (365 atWork) demonstrates how to review existing agents and describes Agent Builder and SharePoint skills as replacement approaches.

What's new

The change concerns the existing agent format and creation experience, not the broader idea of using an agent with SharePoint content. The source describes current SharePoint agents as files stored in a document library, with selected content used as a knowledge source for questions and answers. The stated transition means those files will no longer work after March 2027.

According to the supplied description, beginning in mid-November 2026, choosing “Create an agent” in SharePoint or OneDrive is expected to open Microsoft Copilot Agent Builder instead of creating an agent in the old format. The description also says new agents will be associated with a shared plugin store. These are material changes to where agents are created and how they are represented, even if the business task—answering questions about content—remains similar.

The practical task for organizations is to distinguish agents that are still useful from ones that can be retired. Treat the deadline as a reason to review existing usage rather than assuming every agent needs to be rebuilt. The source says migration will not happen automatically and describes Microsoft conversion functionality as something expected later, not a capability to assume is already available.

Who it is for and what you need

This review is relevant to organizations with SharePoint or OneDrive agents, especially administrators who need an inventory and site owners or business users who can confirm whether an agent is still needed. An agent may be technically present but no longer support an active business need; usage information can help prioritize the review. The source does not specify required licenses, tenant settings, regions, or permissions for the described admin-center view or replacement options.

The video points to the Microsoft 365 admin center’s Agents area as a place to review agents and filter the list by platform. It describes fields such as active users and total sessions, but notes that usage figures may be blurred or unavailable in some environments. In that case, the demonstrated fallback is to export the agents list to Excel for analysis.

The source does not establish that the planned timeline or conversion features apply to every tenant in the same way. It refers to a Message Center notice, MC1511052, but the available source list for this article does not include a Microsoft notice link. Administrators should check their own Message Center for the official tenant-specific details before setting internal deadlines.

How it works

Start with an inventory, then decide which agents warrant further work. The steps below reflect the review process described in the demonstration; they do not assume that a bulk migration or automatic conversion tool is available now.

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center and go to Agents, then All agents.
2. Filter the list by platform and select SharePoint to narrow it to SharePoint agents.
3. Review the available usage information, including active users and total sessions. If the figures are not visible, export the list to Excel and use the export for your assessment.
4. Open individual agents to inspect their connected data, instructions, and properties. Use that information with business-owner input to decide whether to keep, recreate, or retire each one.
5. For an agent that remains needed, assess whether to recreate its purpose in Copilot Agent Builder or create a skill in Copilot in SharePoint. Test the resulting experience against the original business questions before relying on it.

In Agent Builder, the demonstration connects the agent to a SharePoint site or document library, adds instructions, and shares it with users. For a SharePoint skill, the example uses natural language to describe a skill based on HR policies; Copilot asks follow-up questions, and the resulting skill is published for use in the SharePoint location.

Limitations and open questions

The source does not provide a full migration runbook, confirm that existing agent instructions or settings transfer automatically, or specify how permissions and sharing behave after recreation. It also does not establish the precise date when every replacement or conversion capability will be available. The publisher mentions a planned conversion option and gives a mid-December expectation, but that is a forecast in the demonstration, not confirmation of delivery.

There may be more to assess than the agent file itself. The demonstration specifically warns that SharePoint web parts that surface agents will also be deprecated, so site owners should check whether pages depend on those placements. It does not explain how to replace those web parts or whether a direct equivalent will be provided.

Finally, usage data may not be available for every organization, and the source does not describe a guaranteed way to recover missing analytics. Exporting the list is suggested when the displayed usage figures are unavailable, but the video does not say that the export contains those missing figures. Confirm the migration timeline and options in Microsoft’s Message Center, then validate replacement behavior with the people who use each agent.

Sources

• Szymon Bochniak’s demonstration of SharePoint agent review and replacement approaches

Frequently asked questions

When will SharePoint agents in the .agent format stop working?

The supplied source says existing agents in the old format will stop working after March 2027. Check the Message Center in your tenant for the official details that apply to your organization.

How do I find SharePoint agents in the Microsoft 365 admin center?

Go to Agents, then All agents, and filter the platform to SharePoint. The source says you can inspect usage figures when available or export the list to Excel if figures are not visible.

Can I migrate a SharePoint agent to Agent Builder or a skill?

The source presents Copilot Agent Builder and skills in Copilot in SharePoint as ways to recreate an agent experience. It mentions a future conversion option, but does not confirm its availability or provide a complete migration procedure.

What license do I need to create a replacement agent?

The supplied material does not state licensing requirements for Agent Builder or SharePoint skills. Check Microsoft’s current licensing and tenant guidance before planning a rollout.