Microsoft removed Copilot AI from Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote

Beginning Wednesday, April 15, Microsoft stopped offering direct access to Copilot Chat within Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

This change will affect a small percentage of UW–‍Madison users — fewer than 1,000 students and employees. You don’t need to take any action.

Who is affected

This change will affect students and employees who use the Copilot AI feature in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote with their university-provided Microsoft 365 account.

The vast majority of UW–‍Madison users will be unaffected.

What’s changing

Starting April 15, Microsoft will reserve the in-app Copilot experience for users with paid Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions. UW–‍Madison users will no longer have the Copilot icon in the ribbon at the top of the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps.

Paid M365 Copilot (Premium) subscriptions are not yet available for UW–‍Madison accounts. Microsoft is applying this change across all of its licenses, not just those at UW–‍Madison.

What’s staying the same

Microsoft Copilot Chat will remain available to all UW–‍Madison students and employees:

• On the web at m365.cloud.microsoft
• In the Microsoft 365 Copilot app
• In the Outlook app, including the inbox and calendar features
• In the Teams app

Remember: You must log in with your NetID to enable enterprise data protection in Copilot Chat.