Microsoft Expands Copilot Ecosystem with 35 New Connectors for 2026

Microsoft has announced the General Availability of 35 new Copilot connectors, dramatically expanding the ecosystem that allows Microsoft 365 Copilot to access and analyze information across external enterprise systems. This latest wave brings the total number of available connectors to over 100, positioning Microsoft as having "one of the fastest growing and most extensive connector ecosystems" among enterprise AI tools heading into 2026.

The new connectors span multiple categories including collaboration tools, content management systems, developer platforms, and specialized industry solutions. Notable additions include connectors for Google Drive, GitHub, Jira, Miro, Asana, monday.com, and industry-specific platforms like Veeva Vault for life sciences organizations.

Breaking Down Data Silos Across Enterprise Systems

Copilot connectors address a fundamental challenge in modern enterprises: critical information scattered across numerous disconnected systems. By indexing external content into the Microsoft Graph, these connectors enable Copilot to pull insights from multiple repositories simultaneously, delivering more comprehensive and relevant results to users.

"Many employees don't struggle with too much information—they struggle with information that lives in too many places," Microsoft notes in the announcement. This fragmentation creates inefficiencies as employees waste time searching across different platforms or miss important context that exists in disconnected systems.

Enhanced Productivity Through Unified Information Access

The connectors significantly improve productivity by giving Copilot access to the data it needs to understand user intent rather than just matching keywords. This semantic understanding allows for more natural interactions and better results.

For example, with the Google Drive connector, a user can ask Copilot to "Summarize the Q3 planning document from our Google Drive and pull in any relevant milestone check-ins I had with team via Teams, emails and outline next steps." Copilot can then retrieve relevant details from Google Drive files, Teams threads, meeting transcripts, and emails to generate a comprehensive summary that spans multiple platforms.

Developer-Focused Connectors Streamline Workflow

Development teams using GitHub gain powerful new capabilities through the GitHub connectors, which work with both cloud and on-premises instances. These connectors allow Copilot to assist with code, issues, and documentation by accessing information across the development lifecycle.

A developer could ask, "What are the main discussion points on my open pull requests related to design document and actions from recent meetings?" The connector enables Copilot to scan PR descriptions, comment threads, design documents, and meeting minutes to summarize key themes. Tech leads can query for high-risk PRs that might slip based on team discussions, providing an overview of development status that combines code repository data with communication platform insights.

Industry-Specific Solutions for Regulated Environments

The Veeva Vault connectors demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to specialized industry needs, particularly for life sciences and pharmaceutical organizations dealing with highly regulated content. These connectors bring controlled documents and regulatory submissions into Copilot's purview while maintaining compliance requirements.

A Quality Manager can ask Copilot to "Find the latest approved SOPs and work instructions in Veeva QualityDocs for the tablet production line," instantly retrieving controlled documents. Regulatory affairs managers can get quick overviews of submission status and deadlines across multiple regions by asking about project status in Veeva RIM.

Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance

Microsoft emphasizes that connector data is ingested using the same strict protocols as Microsoft 365 content—encrypted, isolated, and governed by tenant compliance policies. Access controls are respected end-to-end, ensuring Copilot only surfaces data that users are permitted to see. This approach maintains data within Microsoft 365 tenant boundaries, protecting against data leakage or unauthorized access.

Getting Started with the Expanded Ecosystem

Enterprise customers can explore these connectors through the Microsoft Learn documentation for Copilot connectors. The platform is designed for enterprise scale with streamlined deployment that typically involves a small number of configuration steps in the M365 Admin Center.

The expanded connector ecosystem represents Microsoft's strategy to make Copilot an indispensable, enterprise-grade AI solution by ensuring it can access and analyze information regardless of where it resides within an organization's technology stack.

For organizations using a mix of Microsoft and third-party platforms, these connectors provide a path to unified AI assistance without requiring wholesale migration to Microsoft's ecosystem. This approach acknowledges the reality of heterogeneous enterprise IT environments while still delivering the benefits of AI-powered assistance across all data sources.