Copilot Chat provides access to many of the same features as the paid version, with certain limitations: it’s grounded in web data rather than work information such as emails, files, and other data a customer has connected to Microsoft 365. Microsoft has also expanded Copilot Chat functionality in recent months, rolling it out in Microsoft 365 apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote — via a side panel, closing one of the gaps with the paid version.
However, Microsoft now plans to remove this functionality for Microsoft 365 customers with more than 2,000 users, and place usage restrictions for others.
“Starting April 15, 2026, Copilot will no longer be available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for Copilot Chat users,” Microsoft said via a message sent to those large customers in the Microsoft 365 admin message center, according to a copy of the message archived on a third-party mirror. This access will instead require a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Access to Copilot Chat will remain in Outlook for these customers, however.
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