Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft adds free Copilot Chat inside core Microsoft 365 apps.
- Users can get AI help for writing, analyzing, and creating directly in their files.
- Premium subscription still unlocks extra tools, agents, and faster AI access.
Microsoft has begun rolling out a new Copilot Chat integration across Microsoft 365 apps. This new feature enables users to access the Copilot AI assistant seamlessly as a sidebar within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
This new free version of Copilot Chat is designed to help users ask questions, draft documents, create presentations, analyze spreadsheets, and more without requiring a Microsoft 365 Copilot license at $30 per user per month. The AI assistant can view the user’s current document, spreadsheet, or presentation open in Microsoft 365 apps. It also provides access to an interactive Pages canvas, image generation, multiple file uploads support, and pay-as-you-go AI agents.
“Copilot Chat is secure AI chat grounded in the web—and now, it’s available in the Microsoft 365 apps,” explained Seth Patton, General Manager of Microsoft 365 Copilot Product Marketing. “It’s content aware, meaning it quickly understands what you’re working on, tailoring answers to the file you have open. And it’s included at no additional cost for Microsoft 365 users.”
Microsoft’s new Copilot Chat integration also enables users to complete tasks more quickly. Instead of clicking to find and upload files, Office users can just type a slash (“/”) and search for the tools, files, or actions they need right in the chat.
Premium benefits with a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription
This new Copilot Chat integration is currently available for free for Microsoft 365 business customers. However, certain premium features require a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. It allows the Copilot AI assistant to access all their files, emails, meetings, chats, and more, instead of just the content that is currently open. The Copilot subscription also includes the Create graphic design studio to help users generate images and videos.
Lastly, Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers can access AI agents for more advanced reasoning, including the Researcher and Analyst agents. They should also experience faster response times and priority access to OpenAI’s GPT-5 model.