Create and use an agent in OneDrive

Applies To
Microsoft 365 Business Premium Microsoft 365 Business Standard

Agents in OneDrive use AI to summarize and search selected files and folders. You can ask an agent questions about its sources without opening each file.

Important

Upgrades are coming in mid-November 2026 to agents in OneDrive. To learn more, see Upgrade agents in OneDrive.

Note

AI agents are available only for work or school accounts with a Microsoft Copilot license.

Create an agent pane with the Identity tab, agent name and description fields, preview, and Save options.

Create an agent in OneDrive

  1. Sign in to the OneDrive website with your work or school credentials.

    Sign in

  2. Select the files or folders you want the agent to use, and then select Copilot > Create an agent from the toolbar. You can also right-click the selected items and select Create an agent.
    Copilot menu for selected OneDrive items with Create an agent available.
    Alternatively, select + Create or upload > Agent.
    Create or upload menu in Microsoft 365 Copilot with Agent selected.

  3. Add up to 20 sources, enter a name and description, and modify the agent's behavior.
    Create your new agent pane on the Sources tab with OneDrive files and the agent preview.

  4. Select Save or Save As.

OneDrive saves the agent as a .agent file in the folder where you created it.

Note

If you create an agent from the Shared or Favorites view, OneDrive saves it in My files > Documents > Agents.

Use the first-run guidance

The first time you open the Create or upload menu or select Copilot for selected files, OneDrive might display a prompt titled Build your own AI assistant. Select Try it to start creating an agent, or select Dismiss to close the prompt.

Build your own AI assistant prompt with Try it and Dismiss options in the Create or upload menu.

Use an agent in OneDrive

  1. In OneDrive, find and open the .agent file.
  2. In the full-screen viewer, enter a question, such as:
  • What are the key updates in this folder?
  • What did we decide in the last meeting notes?
  • When is the next deadline in these project files?
  1. Select Send or press Enter.

You can ask follow-up questions to get more detail or clarify an answer.

Edit an agent in OneDrive

To change an agent's name, behavior, or sources, use one of these methods:

  • In the OneDrive file list, select More actions next to the .agent file, and then select Edit.
  • Open the agent, and then select Edit at the top of the viewer.
  • In SharePoint, select Edit in the side pane.

More actions menu for a selected agent file in OneDrive with Edit selected.

Share an agent from OneDrive

You can share an agent like other OneDrive files:

  1. Select the .agent file.
  2. Select Share.
  3. Set the sharing permissions, and then send or copy the link.

Selected agent file in OneDrive with the Share action available.

Sharing dialog for an agent file with fields for recipients and a message, and Copy link and Send options.

Note

  • Recipients must also have access to the files used by the agent. Without access, they can't see the agent's responses.
  • You can create an agent in OneDrive only from DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, TXT, RTF, and MD files. You can add up to 20 files. A selected folder can contain no more than 20 files.

For detailed sharing and access instructions, see Share an AI agent in OneDrive.

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