TL;DR: The SharePoint FAQ web part no longer writes your FAQs with AI. It’s now a standard web part. Page editors manage categories, questions and answers by hand, with no Copilot license. Generating FAQs from a source document still works, but it now happens in the Copilot in SharePoint chat and needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Existing FAQs keep working with no migration, and the change has been rolling out since late October 2026. It’s a step in the right direction, but the bigger question is how to keep your FAQs current.
If you use the SharePoint FAQ web part a lot, you’ve probably hit its limits. Only authors with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license could create or edit an FAQ, so subject-matter experts without one couldn’t update answers themselves. And because the FAQ was built by AI, changing a source file or going back a step could regenerate the whole thing and wipe out your edits.
Microsoft has now changed that. Here’s what’s different and how to build an FAQ page in the new experience.
What is the SharePoint FAQ web part?
The SharePoint FAQ web part is a page component that shows questions and answers grouped into categories, so readers can scan and expand the answers they need. It also works the other way: when the author turns on Enable submit question field, readers can send in questions the FAQ doesn’t answer yet. The author then picks a submitted question while editing the page, answers it, and it becomes part of the FAQ (Microsoft Support).
What changed?
The FAQ web part is now a manual editor any page editor can use, and AI-generated FAQs move to Copilot in SharePoint. Microsoft announced the change on September 21, 2026 (Microsoft 365 Message Center, MC1476319), and the matching roadmap item moved to Rolling out on October 27. Rollout is expected to complete in early November 2026 in the Worldwide and GCC clouds.
| Before | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can author FAQs | Authors with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license | Anyone who can edit the page, no Copilot license required |
| Writing FAQs by hand | You could add questions, AI wrote the answers, and you could edit them | Add categories, questions and answers directly in the web part |
| Generating FAQs with AI | Inside the web part, from source files you selected | In the Copilot in SharePoint chat, from a prompt and the sources you choose, then saved to an FAQ web part |
| Bringing in an FAQ you already have | You could paste the whole FAQ into the web part at once | Paste questions and answers one at a time, or have Copilot in SharePoint bring them in all at once |
Sources: Microsoft 365 Message Center (MC1476319 and, for the original web part, MC1074972 and MC1182704), the Microsoft 365 roadmap and Microsoft Support.
What this means for you: nothing breaks, but your author guidance is now out of date. Update any training slides or how-to pages that show the old “generate in the web part” steps, and let authors without Copilot know they can now maintain FAQs themselves.
How to add an FAQ web part manually
Anyone who can edit the page can build an FAQ by hand in a few steps:
- Edit your SharePoint page and open the Toolbox on the canvas or in the Content pane.
- Search for FAQ (under Text, media, and content) and select it.
- Add a title, then add categories, questions and answers directly on the page.
- In the web part’s property pane, choose a Chevron or Plus/Minus layout and show or hide the title and categories.
To collect questions from readers, turn on Enable submit question field in the same pane. Submitted questions appear in the Add a question dropdown when you edit the page. Microsoft says the web part uses AI to filter out submissions that aren’t relevant to the FAQ.
How to generate an FAQ with Copilot in SharePoint
If you have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Copilot can write the FAQ for you from a source document and save it to an FAQ web part on the page.
- Open Copilot. Select the Copilot button on a SharePoint page, or edit a page and select Copilot on the right side of the Content pane.
- Ask for an FAQ and attach your source. For example: “Create an FAQ section from this document.” Select + in the Copilot box to attach the file.
- Review the result on the page, not just Copilot’s reply. Check each question and answer against the source, and edit where needed. An FAQ answer is often treated as the official word, so a wrong date or eligibility rule can create real support tickets.
- Publish the page once you’re happy with the FAQ, so readers can see it.
How to keep your SharePoint FAQ page useful
Now you know how to build an FAQ the new way. But getting it on the page is only half the job. An FAQ is only valuable if it has the right answer at the moment someone needs it. Here’s what that takes:
- Track what people ask. Watch helpdesk tickets, inbox queries, search logs and questions readers submit through the FAQ. Add the questions people are asking now, and retire the ones they’ve stopped asking.
- Link each answer to its source. Write short answers and link to the full policy or document, so the two don’t drift apart.
- Give it an owner and a review date. Stale answers are worse than no answers.
What this means for you: the right setup depends on who looks after the answers. If it’s one comms person with Copilot, AI drafts plus a human review work well. If several subject-matter experts own the answers, think about whether they should all be editing the page, or keeping them in one place the page reads from.
Going further with ShortPoint: FAQ pages that stay current
The native FAQ web part is a solid building block that comes included with SharePoint, and the new manual editing option makes it easier for every author. But an FAQ page often needs two more things: answers that stay current without anyone editing the page, and a design that matches the rest of your intranet.
| What the FAQ page needs to do | Native SharePoint | ShortPoint |
|---|---|---|
| Let HR or IT update answers without touching the page | Authors edit the web part on the page, or regenerate answers from a source document with Copilot. There’s no live connection to a SharePoint list. | The FAQs design element connects to a SharePoint list through ShortPoint Connect, so experts update the list and the page picks up the changes |
| Help readers find an answer fast | Readers scan categories and expand answers | Add the Search widget from the element’s Toolbar tab so readers can search the questions and answers |
| Show different FAQs to different groups | Microsoft documents no audience setting for the FAQ web part, so everyone who can see the page sees the same FAQ | Visibility shows or hides a whole section by SharePoint or security group, for example a manager-only FAQ block |
| Look on-brand next to contacts and quick links | Your site theme and the web part’s Chevron or Plus/Minus layout | Ready-made FAQ sections from the template library (included with every plan), styled with your brand colors and fonts |
Here’s how to build a list-driven FAQ in ShortPoint (full guide):
- Create a SharePoint list. Rename the Title column to Question and add a Multiple lines of text column called Answer.
- Edit the page and add the ShortPoint web part (or edit the one already there). Add a section, open Templates, and search the Sections tab for “FAQ”.
- Open the FAQs design element and, on its Connect tab, choose Configure, then pick the site (Current Site, Other Sites or a SharePoint site URL), your list and a view.
- On the Items tab, map the Question and Answer columns, then save and publish.
On ShortPoint Pro or Enterprise, you can skip steps 3 and 4 and let AI Designer set up the connection for you. Select the FAQs element with Select & Edit, then describe the connection, for example: “Connect this FAQ to the IT FAQ list on this site.” AI Designer configures it in the background (guide). Each connection uses AI credits.
From then on, the page reflects whatever is in the list. You’ll need the latest ShortPoint SPFx package and a ShortPoint Designer license to build it; employees who only read the page don’t need one.
Our point of view: an FAQ is only as good as its last update. Microsoft’s change makes FAQ authoring simpler, but it still ties answers to page editing. ShortPoint lets the people who own the answers keep them current in a list, while comms teams own a branded page that works for every audience, with no code and no Copilot license required.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s change opens FAQ authoring to every page editor and moves AI generation to Copilot in SharePoint. Your existing pages keep working, so the real work now is updating author guidance and making sure your answers stay accurate.
Want an FAQ page that updates from a list and matches your brand? Start a 15-day free trial of ShortPoint (no credit card needed) or explore the template library.
Frequently asked questions
The FAQ web part is now a standard web part where anyone who can edit the page writes and edits FAQs by hand. AI-assisted FAQ creation and import move to Copilot in SharePoint, which saves its output to an FAQ web part. The change has been rolling out in Worldwide and GCC since late October 2026 and is expected to complete in early November.
No. Microsoft says existing FAQ web parts and their content will continue to render without migration. You don't need to rebuild any pages.
No. Anyone who can edit a page can add and configure the FAQ web part manually. Generating FAQ content with AI through Copilot in SharePoint requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
No admin action is required. Microsoft recommends telling authors and site owners about the change and updating training, support documents and governance guidance that describe the old AI-assisted workflow.
Microsoft's Message Center post lists Worldwide and GCC only. Check the Microsoft 365 roadmap for updates if you work in other government clouds.
Microsoft doesn't offer a live connection between the FAQ web part and a SharePoint list. The web part supports questions you manage by hand and FAQs Copilot generates from source documents. To show an FAQ that updates from a list, you need a tool such as ShortPoint's FAQs design element, which connects to a list through ShortPoint Connect.
