Microsoft is said to be dialing back Copilot in Windows, so it’s only fair to ask, will Microsoft Office get the same treatment? As Copilot’s promises and over-hype collide with reality, Office users can only hope for better AI that’s not ‘in your face‘.
Microsoft now claims it will dial back Copilot’s heavy-handed presence in Windows 11, let’s hope that’s real change, not just another PR promise.
After a bruising 2025 marked by buggy updates in Windows, unwanted AI features shoved into every corner, and ads appearing inside the OS itself, Microsoft has publicly acknowledged the backlash and promised a course correction for Windows 11. Microsoft is pulling back Copilot from Notepad, Photos, Snipping Tool, and Widgets.
Redmond plans Windows changes to streamline or “even remove certain AI features where they don’t make sense.”. That begs the question, why was a ‘no sense’ AI feature added in the first place?
While the Windows changes and promises are welcome, they come too late. The rollback of Copilot and File Explorer ‘improvements’ would not have been necessary if Microsoft had acted on the feedback they were getting from “Insiders”. Instead Microsoft barged ahead with unpopular features with their typical arrogance.
People trying out Microsoft products under the ‘Insiders’ banner must wonder why they bother when their combined voices fall into a Redmond black hole. This isn’t new ….“Twas ever thus” with Microsoft.
What about Microsoft 365?
If Microsoft Windows has suddenly discovered AI restraint, it should apply the same thinking to Copilot in Office, where the few controls are messy, inconsistent and sometimes completely missing?
Instead of a single blunt global on/off switches for all Microsoft 365 apps, there should be separate option. For example, Copilot on in Excel 365 but not Word 365.
That assuming there’s any Copilot choices at all. Our current Microsoft 365 apps have Copilot but no option to turn it off at all with the File | Options | Copilot menu totally missing!
Some features, like Word’s automatic document summaries, can be switched off for home users but not for workplaces (why?). Copilot Summaries are an ‘all or nothing’ feature with no choice about stopping them until asked for or blocking for some documents.
Microsoft should allow Copilot to appear where it’s actually wanted, on selected documents, when requested. The Copilot margin icon in Word should be hidden until requested.
After all there’s a Copilot shortcut in Word – Alt + I that could make Copilot appear when needed.
What about Office and Microsoft 365?
There are plenty of tweaks that Microsoft could do to make Copilot less of a nuisance.
Just off the top of my head, I’m sure many Office Watch readers will have their own lists of “modest proposals”.
- Turn Copilot on/off on a per app basis.
- Disable Copilot at the document/sheet level. This is especially for some Word documents where AI assistance is not wanted, for example creative writing.
- Make Copilot availability more reliable. Too many times we’ve had complaints that Copilot isn’t available when a Microsoft 365 app starts.
- This can lead to the ludicrous situation where Copilot is available in one app (e.g. Word) but not another (Excel or PowerPoint) on the same computer and licensed user!
- In Word, hide the Copilot icon in the margin.
- Making the icon less obvious was a good start but not enough.Some people prefer a less cluttered workspace.
- The margin icon makes it harder to select whole lines or paragraphs.
- The keyboard shortcut should still be available.
- The Copilot document summary in Word should have a disable option, not just Hide.
- This persistent nuisance isn’t always wanted or helpful. Often it’s useless, for example a partly written, draft, document. There’s no way to hide it, let alone disable for a document. This is a feature that the customer should be able to request when they want it, not forced upon them.
- Copilot in Word should preserve hyperlinks when rewriting.
Most Copilot complaints can be handled with some more options for customers. Putting Copilot in the face of customers isn’t working, it’s putting them off.
Less intrusion – more choice
Right now Copilot is viewed less “smart assistant” and more unwanted intrusion. It’s not so much that Copilot is bad as it’s put customers off as a baleful and persistent nuisance with no way to get rid of it selectively.
We can only hope wiser heads prevail at Microsoft. Look out for signs of that happening, such as pigs in flight or snowballs in Hell.
Turn Copilot Off in Microsoft 365: How to Guide for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Copilot On or Off in Microsoft 365: Complete Guide
Stop Copilot in Microsoft 365: How to Disable the Intrusive Prompts
How to Disable Copilot in Microsoft 365: Step-by-Step Guide
Microsoft 365 Copilot Explained: Features, Limitations and Your Choices
Microsoft 365 Premium: Copilot AI, new Features & Pricing Explained
