Researcher with Computer Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed for in-depth research and analysis. It lets you interact with websites, apps, and tools in a secure virtual environment so Copilot can handle steps like browsing, signing in, and gathering data.
Use it when you need to complete complex tasks or create richer reports grounded in your work content and the web. To learn more about Researcher, see Get started with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
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Researcher with Computer Use is available to users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license as part of the Researcher agent. Your organization’s administrator must enable access to agents for you to use this feature.
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This feature is currently available through the Frontier program.
Why use Researcher with Computer Use?
Computer Use in Researcher enables deeper insights and smarter reports by securely acting on your behalf in real-world scenarios. With Computer Use, you can:
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Access gated content: Open sites behind logs or paywalls when you approve credentials
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Navigate real interfaces: Click, type, and interact with websites or apps while you stay in control.
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Run code or scripts: Use a secure command line (called a terminal) to analyze data or connect to services.
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Tailor reports to your work: Create presentations, spreadsheets, or applications using advanced code generation by leveraging your business data
All actions happen in a secure, temporary environment that keeps your data safe and separate from your device. Researcher will always ask for your confirmation before doing anything sensitive, like signing in or sending an email.
Note: IT admins can manage Computer Use settings for their organization. This includes turning the feature on or off for specific users, enabling or disabling work access, and configuring allowed websites on the virtual computer. For details, see Researcher with Computer Use admin configuration.
How to use Computer Use
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Open Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
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Select Computer use from the Researcher home screen.​​​​​​​
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In Sources, turn on Work to let Researcher access your work emails, meetings, and chats—without having to manually upload files. ​​​​​​​
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Enter your prompt. Try selecting one of the pre-populated prompt cards or typing a prompt aligned to your research goals.
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Watch the desktop view as Researcher works. You’ll see which tool it’s using (Visual Browser, Text Browser, or Terminal) and a preview of the virtual environment.
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Confirm actions when prompted, such as signing in to a site.
Looking for ways to start?
Researcher can handle steps that would normally require manual clicks, logins, or data gathering, saving you time and effort. Here are some examples:
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Prep for a customer meeting: Quickly find news and company insights about your customer on social media.
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Build a reading list: Suggest a comprehensive reading list based on the projects you’re working on.
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Analyze industry trends: Help gather industry trends from paywalled content to inform a campaign.​​​​​​​
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Create a presentation: Â Turn research findings into a presentation for your upcoming project review.
Tips for best results
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Be specific: If you want Researcher to visit a particular website, mention the site in your request.
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Request sign-in: If you need Researcher to log in to a site, ask it to log in. You’ll be prompted to sign in securely if needed.
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Take control: You decide which sources and data Researcher can access. Adjust your settings or instructions at any time to fit your needs.
FAQs
You can use this feature in any country. Currently, only English is supported.
All actions happen in a secure, temporary virtual computer—nothing from your device is exposed, and the session is discarded when you finish. Researcher only uses the data and sources you approve during your session.
Researcher will ask for your confirmation before signing in or accessing any gated content. You decide what sources it can use, and you can see what Researcher is doing at every step.
Organizational policies and compliance settings apply, and Researcher never bypasses security controls. To learn more about privacy, see Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
More to explore
Introducing Researcher with Computer Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Technical blog)
