Microsoft Announces Changes to Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote

Microsoft announced that it is making changes to Copilot Chat experiences across most Microsoft 365 apps, starting on April 15, 2026.

What This Means for You

Understanding Which License You Have

Knowing which Copilot license you have will help you better understand the upcoming changes.

• Copilot Chat (Basic), formerly called Microsoft Copilot Chat, is provided at no cost to all faculty, staff and students. You can access it by selecting Microsoft 365 Copilot in the app launcher from mySeaport.
• Copilot Chat (Premium), formerly called Microsoft (M365) Copilot, is a paid service that adds additional Copilot features directly to Microsoft 365 apps.

What’s Changing on April 15

• If you are a Copilot Chat (Basic) user, Copilot will no longer be available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
• All users will see new labels in Microsoft 365 apps to show whether you have Copilot Chat (Basic) or Copilot Chat (Premium).

What’s Staying the Same

• Copilot will still work in Outlook (email and calendar) for users with Copilot Chat (Basic).
• All faculty, staff and students will continue to have access to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
• For Copilot Chat (Premium) users, nothing will change. Copilot will keep working across all apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook.

Faculty and Staff: Upgrade Option

Faculty and staff who want to keep using Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote can upgrade to Copilot Chat (Premium).

Still Need Copilot Help in Word, Excel or PowerPoint?

Even without in-app Copilot, you can still get help using the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat app. This Microsoft article walks you through how to add content to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat prompts.