Ignore the social media ‘experts’, Microsoft has not renamed Microsoft 365 to Microsoft 365 Copilot. A year-old name change is only now being used as ‘evidence’ of full product rebrand. Microsoft 365 remains the core productivity suite. Copilot is an added AI feature, not a replacement name. Understanding the distinction is critical for businesses, IT admins, and everyday users.
This post on Twitter/X has received a lot of attention, despite being quite wrong. On social media the point isn’t to be right or factual … it’s to get clicks, likes and responses.
Not only has Office NOT been renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app” but the name change its referring to happened a year ago – hardly “Breaking”. It’s not just nonsense, it’s old nonsense.
Of course, others are now repeating the same nonsense. This is just one of many jumping on the same ‘news’ without bothering to check if it’s even remotely true.
Not a name change, just poor wording
The image shown does NOT mean that Office has become the “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”. It’s poorly worded, that’s all.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is not a new app. It’s the Office app, rebranded twice. Gradually repurposed from a gateway to open files, adding more features and lately merging Copilot AI.
Last year’s rename reflects the gradual changes in the app but doesn’t mean a rebranding of Microsoft 365 as a whole.
Admittedly Microsoft’s naming is confusing. Their Copilot branding and naming changes too often, even some Microsoft staff have trouble keeping up so us mere paying customers are forgiven.
History of the “Office” mobile app
Office Watch knows that facts don’t matter on social media but we’re old fashioned enough to care about the truth more than clicks.
What’s now called the “Microsoft 365 Copilot app” started life in about 2020 as an “Office app” for Windows 10, Apple and Android devices. That’s why Microsoft added the “(Office)” mention.
The app unified Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDFs into a single container app, though the separate mobile apps are still available.
In 2022, the app was renamed “Microsoft 365 app” to match all the other Microsoft 365 rebranding.
During 2023-2024 the features of the Microsoft 365 app improved with more integration into other cloud services. There was a small Copilot element added as a link to the web chat.
In January 2025 (a year ago!) the mobile app was renamed (again) this time to “Microsoft 365 Copilot”, partly because there are AI features and partly because Microsoft is tagging everything with the Copilot name,
What about Copilot in Microsoft 365?
Many of the X responses are about how Copilot AI is now in the Microsoft 365 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
For the most part, Copilot is only in Microsoft 365 apps if you’re paying for it as an extra. For consumers that means getting the Microsoft 365 Premium plan.
Owners of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans get some limited Copilot access (via AI Credits) but you can either ignore the AI or turn Copilot off.
AI simple tricks are worth checking out.
