Navigating the evolving landscape of Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI can be challenging amid frequent update, varying features and so much hype. Our independent guide breaks down what Copilot is, its capabilities within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Onenote and Outlook, and the distinctions between different Microsoft 365 plans.
Microsoft has changed Copilot so many times that it’s easy to get lost in the shifting options and availability. Office Watch has covered Copilot since the very beginning and that will continue.
All with links to the more detailed coverage of Copilot matters we’ve done at Office-Watch.com
What is Copilot and AI?
Copilot is Microsoft’s name for their Artificial Intelligence (AI) service. It’s available on a web page, separate apps and is also included in many Microsoft products.
Artificial Intelligence teaches a computer to think and learn a little bit like a person. Instead of just following fixed instructions, AI looks at lots of examples—like pictures, words, or numbers—and figures out patterns so it can make guesses or decisions on its own.
It’s not magic or real thinking and certainly not like HAL or Colossus. It’s just very fast, clever math based on data.
AI technology is improving very quickly. Responses are getting better, more accurate and faster. In a few years, AI will be a lot more accessible and useful than it is now.
Because AI uses a lot of data and special hardware, most AI services are only available online (“in the cloud”). A Copilot AI request is sent from your device to a Microsoft server for processing with a response coming back, usually within seconds.
Some local computer only, limited AI services are becoming available. These might need special AI chips like Neural Processing Units (NPU).
Copilot is an adapted (some say crippled) version of ChatGPT, which Microsoft has a financial stake in.
What can Copilot do in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Copilot can be included Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, and PowerPoint.
Instead of doing everything manually, you tell Copilot what you want, and it handles the boring or complex tasks for you. Just a few examples within Microsoft 365 apps.
- Ask it to summarize emails, long documents or Excel tables.
- Rewrite text into another style (formal, casual etc) or format (e.g. change to a bulleted list.)
- Create documents or slides
- Make images.
- Analyze data
- Design presentations.
- Write, explain or troubleshoot programming code (including Office VBA)
- A good example of how much AI has improved in just one year.
On the other hand …
Copilot in Microsoft 365 can be very intrusive, especially in Word, getting in the way of what you want to do. The only controls are to turn Copilot on or off, there’s nothing to hide it unless requested.
In our view, Microsoft heavily OVER hypes Copilot. It’s not as useful or as great as Microsoft promotions would have us believe.
Copilot has a place, just not as big a place as Microsoft promotes.
Copilot is in SOME Microsoft 365 apps
To see if your Microsoft 365 apps have Copilot look for the Copilot button on the far-right of the Home tab in any Microsoft 365 app like this:
If that’s not there, then the current Microsoft 365 account doesn’t have Copilot in some form (full or limited) see below.
Copilot compatibility
Copilot in Microsoft 365 works on both Windows 11 and Windows 10 plus recent macOS releases.
It’s available in Outlook 365 for Windows, both classic and new.
Copilot Clutter
Copilot appears on some menus and toolbars. Also as pesky bugs in the left margin of Word 365 documents and next to Excel 365 cells.
We call this “Copilot Clutter” and there’s a few things you can do about it, but not nearly enough.
Disable Copilot in Microsoft 365
Some, but not all Microsoft 365 apps can turn off Copilot, Disable Copilot in Microsoft 365
Full access Copilot
Full Copilot is only available as a paid add-on to Microsoft 365.
For consumers (Personal or Family plans) buy Copilot Pro for a monthly fee
Business and Enterprise users can buy Copilot for Microsoft 365 as an annual extra cost.
These plans come with unlimited Copilot (effectively) across all the Office apps plus Copilot web page, apps and other services.
Limited Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans
In 2025, the Microsoft 365 consumer plans (Personal and Family) got a large price increase that came with a limited form of Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps.
Existing Microsoft 365 Personal users and owners only of a Family plan have limited Copilot automatically in their Microsoft 365 apps.
The limited Copilot in Microsoft 365 is there as a sales lure to try Copilot and then pay for the full Copilot add-on.
Microsoft has many promotions where they push “Microsoft 365 with Copilot” without mentioning the monthly limitation or burying it in the fine print.
Copilot in Microsoft 365 (without a paid add-on plan) is restricted:
- Use Copilot in Office only 60 times each calendar month.
- After that, Copilot in Office stops working until the 1st of the next month.
- Copilot use is tracked by ‘AI credits’.
This limited Copilot access is in Microsoft 365 consumer plans but not for everyone. Copilot in Microsoft 365 consumer plans is available to:
- Microsoft 365 Personal
- Microsoft 365 Family (owner only)
- Anyone sharing a Family plan does not get limited Copilot. The only way to get Copilot integration is buying a Copilot Pro add-on or a separate Personal plan.
Microsoft 365 Classic
Microsoft 365 CLASSIC plans (Personal or Family) do not have Copilot.
(Strictly speaking, Classic plans have a mere 15 AI Credits, which is what all free Microsoft accounts get. )
These cheaper plans are only available if a Microsoft 365 customer tries to cancel their current subscription. According to Microsoft, the Classic option will only be available ‘for a limited time’.
M365 Classic might seem like a cheaper option, but there are hidden traps in Classic Microsoft 365 plans.
Do Office 2024/2021/2019 have Copilot?
No – Copilot integration into Office apps is only available with Microsoft 365 plans.
Copilot or other AI can be used with any Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook by copy/pasting between the apps and the AI web pages.
Do I have to use Copilot?
No. There are some situations where Copilot or any AI isn’t appropriate at all.
In our view, AI can be useful but not to the extent that Microsoft hypes it.
Happily, most Microsoft 365 users can turn off Copilot in each app.
All the Office Watch coverage about CoPilot
Copilot Pro brings AI into Microsoft Office
Copilot for Microsoft 365 – what you need to know
