Microsoft Copilot

AI assistant wired into Windows and Microsoft 365

AI Chat AssistantsFree planOverseas★★★★☆ 4.0

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What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is the assistant layer spread across Windows, Edge, Bing and Microsoft 365. Its defining advantage is context: because it can read the document you have open, the spreadsheet you are editing or the thread in your inbox, it answers with awareness of what you are actually working on. In Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams it drafts, summarises, rewrites and analyses in place rather than in a separate chat window. Copilot also inherits Microsoft's enterprise story - tenant-level data protection and compliance controls that most consumer assistants cannot match.

Last updated: 2026-09-20. This site only provides an index; for exact features, pricing, and licensing, see the official website.

Key features

Answers grounded in the file, email or spreadsheet currently open
Drafting, summarising and rewriting inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Meeting recap and action-item extraction in Teams
Web-grounded chat with cited sources through Bing
Enterprise data protection and admin controls in Microsoft 365 tenants
Built into Windows and Edge rather than requiring a separate app

Pros & cons

Strengths

Deepest workflow integration of any assistant if you live in Microsoft 365
Enterprise-grade compliance and data-handling controls
No extra tooling needed on Windows machines already in use

Watch out for

The consumer and business versions differ confusingly in features
Output quality depends heavily on how well-structured the source document is
Best features require a Microsoft 365 subscription

Best for & use cases

enterprise knowledge work, drafting in Word and PowerPoint, Excel analysis and meeting recaps

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FAQ

Is Copilot the same thing as GitHub Copilot?

No. They share a brand but solve different problems: Microsoft Copilot is the general assistant across Windows and Microsoft 365, while GitHub Copilot is a code-completion tool for developers.

Does Copilot have access to my files?

In a Microsoft 365 tenant it works within the permissions you already have, so it can reference files you can open. Consumer use through Bing is separate. Organisations should confirm the exact data-handling terms for their licence.

Is it worth paying for?

It pays off mainly if you already work inside Microsoft 365 daily and want drafting, summarising and analysis without leaving the app. If you mostly use free web tools, the added value is smaller.