Microsoft has released its plans for the Power Platform Release Wave 1 2026, bringing a new set of updates across
Power BI,
Power Apps,
Power Automate and
Power Pages.
If you’re already using the
Power Platform, then this is your preview of what’s landing over the next few months. If you’re not, it shows how quickly the platform is evolving… especially around
AI, low-code development and automation at scale.
The release continues a clear direction: making it easier for teams to build solutions, automate processes and work with data without needing deep technical skills.
What Is A Power Platform Release Wave?
Microsoft delivers updates to the Power Platform in two major release waves each year. Each wave includes:
- New features
- Enhancements to existing capabilities
- Performance, security and governance improvements
Release Wave 1 runs from April to September, with early access available beforehand so organisations can test what’s coming.
Rather than relying on large upgrades, improvements get delivered continuously into the platform you’re already using.
Why Release Waves Matter
Release waves mean the tools your teams rely on keep improving over time, without disruption, which obviously creates some clear advantages.
- Build on what you already have – New features extend existing apps, flows and reports rather than replacing them.
- Faster access to AI capabilities – New AI-driven features are introduced quickly, helping teams reduce manual work and surface better insights.
- Stronger governance and oversight – Ongoing updates improve security, compliance and how environments are managed.
- More value from your licences – The platform continues to expand, allowing you to do more without introducing new tools.
What’s Being Released And When?
For Release Wave 1 2026, Microsoft has confirmed:
- Early access: February 2026
- General availability: April 2026
- Rollout window: April to September 2026
It’s important to remember that not every feature will arrive at once. Some will be introduced gradually across the wave, and others may vary by region or licensing.
Power BI
Power BI enables organisations to turn data into insights through dashboards, reports and analytics.
What’s New In 2026?
The release for Power BI will focus on making data easier to explore, not just for analysts, but for everyday users.
You can expect:
- More natural language querying, allowing users to ask questions like “what caused revenue to drop last quarter?” and get structured answers
- Improved report authoring with AI-assisted visuals and layout suggestions
- Better performance for large datasets, especially in complex models
- Deeper integration with Microsoft Fabric and other data services
A standout shift is how Power BI is moving from static reporting towards interactive, conversational analytics, where users can explore data without needing to build reports themselves.
You can see a list of all the new features here >>Power Apps
Power Apps allows organisations to build custom applications using low-code tools.
What’s New In 2026?
Microsoft is continuing to reduce the effort needed to go from idea to working application.
Updates will include:
- AI-assisted app generation, where users can describe an app in natural language and generate a working starting point
- Improvements to the canvas app designer, making it easier to structure and manage more complex apps
- Enhanced integration with Dataverse and external data sources
- Better performance and scalability for enterprise-grade applications
One of the more interesting developments that we’ve spotted is how quickly prototypes can now be created. What used to take days can now be sketched out in minutes, then refined into production-ready apps.
You can see a list of all the new features here >>Power Automate
Power Automate helps organisations automate workflows and connect systems together.
What’s New In 2026?
This release pushes automation further into intelligent, end-to-end processes. Expect to see:
- More advanced AI-driven flows that can interpret inputs like emails, documents or requests and trigger actions automatically
- Improved process mining tools that analyse how work is actually being done and highlight inefficiencies
- Better handling of complex, multi-step workflows across different systems
- Enhancements to reliability, monitoring and error handling
A key shift here is the move from simple task automation to understanding and optimising entire processes, not just individual steps.
You can see a list of all the new features here >>Power Pages
Power Pages enables organisations to create secure, external-facing websites and portals connected to their data.
What’s New In 2026?
This release focuses on making external experiences easier to build and manage.
You can expect to see:
- Simplified site creation with improved templates and design tools
- Stronger integration with Dataverse and Dynamics 365 data
- Enhanced authentication and access control options
- Better performance for high-traffic, external-facing sites
There’s also a continued push to make it easier to connect these sites directly into business processes, so users can interact with your organisation without relying on manual follow-ups behind the scenes.
You can see a list of all the new features here >> Final Thoughts
Power Platform Release Wave 1 2026 continues to build in a clear direction.
- More AI in everyday tools
- More intelligent automation
- More accessible data across the organisation
For organisations already using the platform, this is about expanding what your teams can do without increasing complexity. For those considering it, it shows how quickly low-code and automation capabilities are evolving. And don’t worry… these updates will all roll out automatically over the coming months but if you’re unsure what’s relevant for your organisation, or how to make the most of the new features, feel free to get in touch.
