Microsoft Copilot

What it does

Microsoft Copilot answers questions in chat, pulls in current information from the web and creates images when you are signed in. In the Microsoft 365 subscriptions, Copilot works directly in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote: drafting texts, analysing spreadsheets, building presentations, summarising emails. Higher plans add agents such as Researcher and Analyst for multi-step research and data analysis. In the business version you can choose between models from OpenAI and Anthropic.

Who it suits

Anyone who already works with Microsoft 365 and wants AI where their documents, mail and calendar already live. The free app is enough for general questions and first drafts.

Data protection for businesses

With a work account, Microsoft’s Data Protection Addendum and Product Terms apply, with Microsoft acting as data processor. Prompts, responses and company data are then not used to train foundation models, and the EU Data Boundary applies – except for web search queries and Anthropic models. In the free consumer version, Microsoft uses conversations for training by default; you can switch this off in your Microsoft account settings. Suitable business options are Copilot Chat, included with eligible Microsoft 365 licences, Business Standard or Business Premium with Copilot, and the Copilot Business add-on from $18 per user a month (US price, promotion until end of 2026).

Limits

Every plan has usage limits; in the Family plan only the subscription owner gets the AI features. Web searches run through Bing and follow separate data rules. Answers can be wrong and should be checked before use.