To turn off Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote on a personal Microsoft account, go to File, Options, Copilot, clear Enable Copilot, then close and restart the app. In Outlook, switch off Turn on Copilot under Settings, Copilot. If you sign in with a work or school account, Microsoft doesn’t give you that checkbox, and turning Copilot off inside the apps is a policy your IT team sets.
Microsoft’s own support page says the Enable Copilot settings “aren’t available if you’re signed in with a work or school account”, and even some answers on Microsoft’s Q&A forum point business users to that checkbox anyway. Check which account you’re signed in with first (File, Account shows it), then jump to the section that applies.
| You are | Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Signed in with a personal Microsoft account | Enable Copilot checkbox, per app and per device | Turn on Copilot toggle |
| Signed in with a work or school account | No user switch. Hide the button, or ask IT | Turn on Copilot toggle (new Outlook, web, Mac, mobile) |
| An IT admin | Connected experiences policy, licences, Copilot app controls | Same policy, plus the Copilot Chat pinning setting |
How do you turn off Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
This works on Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for Microsoft 365 on Windows, and Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a Mac, when you’re signed in with a personal Microsoft account such as an outlook.com address.
On Windows:
- Open the app and go to File, then Options.
- Select Copilot.
- Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox and select OK.
- Close and restart the app.
On a Mac:
- Open the app menu (for example Word), then Preferences.
- Under Authoring and Proofing Tools, select Copilot.
- Clear Enable Copilot, then close and restart the app.
Three details catch people out. The setting is per app, so turning it off in Word leaves it on in Excel. It’s per device, so your laptop and desktop each need it changed, and it applies to anyone who uses that device. And Microsoft’s pages describe the result differently: the turn-off page says the ribbon icon is disabled, while the newer Copilot button page says the entry points are hidden. Either way, Copilot won’t open in that app.
The checkbox arrived in Word version 2412, Excel and PowerPoint version 2501 and OneNote version 2502 on Windows, and in Word 16.93 and Excel and PowerPoint 16.93.2 on a Mac. There’s no Enable Copilot checkbox in the web, iOS or Android versions of Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
What if the Enable Copilot checkbox isn’t there?
On a personal account, the checkbox needs Word version 2412 or Excel and PowerPoint version 2501 or later, so update the app first. Microsoft’s fallback is a privacy setting that switches off Copilot along with a group of other features:
- Go to File, Account, then Account Privacy and Manage Settings.
- Under Connected experiences, clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
- Select OK and restart the app.
On a Mac, open the app menu, Preferences, then Privacy under Personal Settings, and select Manage Connected Experiences.
Know what you’re giving up. This setting applies across the apps the next time they open, and it also turns off things like PowerPoint Designer, text predictions in Word, suggested replies in Outlook and automatic alt text. Microsoft keeps the full list of connected experiences that analyse your content. If the setting is greyed out, your organisation manages it, which means you’re on a work account and it’s IT’s call.
How do you turn off Copilot in Outlook?
Outlook uses a Turn on Copilot toggle rather than a checkbox, and it behaves differently to the other apps in two useful ways. Microsoft’s Copilot toggle page says it applies to work email as well as personal accounts, and it follows you across devices.
| Outlook version | Where the toggle is |
|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Settings, Copilot |
| Outlook on the web | Settings, Copilot |
| Outlook for Mac (version 16.95.3 or later) | Quick Settings, Copilot |
| Outlook for iOS and Android | Quick Settings, Copilot |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | No toggle yet |
Switching it off hides Copilot’s entry points, such as Summarize this email, for that account. The choice roams to Outlook on all your devices signed in with the same account, and you can set it separately for a work mailbox and a personal one in the same app.
Classic Outlook is the gap. Microsoft says there’s “currently no estimated date” for the toggle there. The most you can do yourself is remove the Copilot button from the ribbon with File, Options, Customize Ribbon, which tidies the screen but leaves Copilot available.
Can you turn off Copilot with a work or school account?
Not in Word, Excel or PowerPoint. What you can do is move Copilot out of your way.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint open Copilot from a Copilot button in the lower-right corner of the document. Right-click it to Dock it at the side for the rest of your session, or Move to ribbon to put it on the ribbon, which Windows and Mac remember between sessions. Where Copilot is in Word, Excel and Outlook covers the button in detail.
You can also remove the ribbon button with File, Options, Customize Ribbon. None of this switches Copilot off. Microsoft says removing the icon doesn’t turn Copilot off, and you can still reach it other ways, such as the right-click menu.
How do IT admins turn Copilot off?
There’s no single admin switch labelled “turn off Copilot in Word”. Microsoft spreads the controls across the Microsoft 365 admin center, the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, Group Policy and the Teams admin center, and each one turns off something different.
| Control | Where | What it does | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unassign the Microsoft 365 Copilot licence (Microsoft now calls it Microsoft Copilot) | Microsoft 365 admin center, Users, Active users, Licenses and apps, or Billing, Licenses | Removes the paid features. The person keeps Copilot Chat | Per user or group |
| Allow the use of connected experiences in Office that analyze content, set to Disabled | Cloud Policy in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, or Group Policy | Turns off Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, along with Designer, text predictions and other connected experiences | Per user or group |
| Block the Copilot app in Integrated Apps | Microsoft 365 admin center, Integrated apps | Blocks Copilot in the Microsoft Copilot app, Teams, Outlook and Copilot Chat on the web. People see “Copilot Chat was turned off for your organization” | Tenant, can be scoped to users or groups |
| Pin Microsoft Copilot Chat, set to Do not pin Copilot Chat in Microsoft 365 apps | Microsoft 365 admin center, Copilot, Settings | Stops Copilot Chat appearing by default in Teams and Outlook. People can still add it from the app store or go to m365.cloud.microsoft/chat | Tenant, or per group with the Cloud Policy of the same name |
| Multiple account access to Copilot for work documents, set to Disabled | Cloud Policy | Stops people using a personal Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium Copilot on work files | Per user or group |
| Copilot in Teams meetings | Teams admin center, Meetings, Meeting policies | Sets Copilot to On, On with saved transcript required (the default), On with transcript saved by default or Off. Under the default, organisers can’t change it. Under the other three, they can change it per meeting | Per user or group |
A few things to plan for. Pinning changes can take up to 48 hours to reach people, and you need the AI administrator role to change them. Turning off Let users access Microsoft apps in your tenant doesn’t block the Copilot app, so don’t rely on it. The connected experiences policy is the only control that reaches inside Word and Excel, so the people in that group also lose Designer and text predictions. Microsoft documents the policy on using policy settings to manage privacy controls.
Can you uninstall Copilot from Word or Office?
No. Copilot is part of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and Microsoft only offers ways to turn it off, never to remove it. Two separate apps can be removed, though:
- The Microsoft 365 Copilot app installs itself on Windows devices running Microsoft 365 desktop apps on Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel. To stop that, go to the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, Customization, Device Configuration, the Modern Apps settings tab, and clear Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 Copilot app. It only auto-installs once, so if someone uninstalls it, it stays gone.
- The Microsoft Copilot app in Windows can be uninstalled from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Admins can use the Remove Microsoft Copilot App policy, though it only applies in narrow conditions, such as when the app hasn’t been opened for 28 days.
Uninstalling either app leaves Copilot inside Word and Outlook exactly where it was.
Work out what you’re switching off before you switch it off
Turning Copilot off for a whole organisation feels like the safe move, and sometimes it’s the right one. Each control above answers a different worry, though. This is the order I’d work through it in.
- If the worry is data, look at permissions first. Copilot can only use the files, mail and chats each person could already open. An overshared salary spreadsheet turns up in SharePoint search too, and switching Copilot off doesn’t change who can open it. Fix the access, which I cover in why your SharePoint needs an information architecture before AI.
- If the worry is cost, manage the licence. Removing a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence drops someone back to Copilot Chat, which is included with eligible business plans. What Copilot Chat includes and what the paid licence adds covers who actually needs one.
- If the worry is distraction, let people move the button. Docking it, moving it to the ribbon and the Outlook toggle are all things people can do for themselves, without IT.
- If there’s a genuine regulatory or contractual reason, use the connected experiences policy on that group only. Scope it to the team that needs it, and tell them before it lands that Designer and text predictions go with it.
- Close the side doors. If you’ve switched Copilot off for a group, also set Multiple account access to Copilot for work documents to Disabled, or someone with Microsoft 365 Family at home can bring their own Copilot to work files.
Whatever you choose, record which control you used, for which group and why, alongside the rest of your Copilot rollout decisions.
What about Microsoft 365 Personal and Family?
Copilot was added to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family in January 2025 with a price increase. If you’d rather not pay for it, you have two routes. Turn it off in each app and in Outlook as above, or change plans. Sign in at account.microsoft.com/services, select Manage on your subscription, then Cancel subscription, and the cancel page shows the plans with fewer features you can switch to. You’re not charged for the new plan until your current one renews.
When Microsoft added Copilot it also offered Personal Classic and Family Classic plans without it, “for a limited time”. Microsoft hasn’t said whether they’re still available, so check what the cancel page offers in your country before you go ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning off Copilot in Word turn it off in Excel and PowerPoint too? No. The Enable Copilot checkbox is separate in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, and it only applies to that app on that device. The privacy fallback, Turn on experiences that analyze your content, is the exception: change it in one app and it applies to the others the next time they open.
How do I hide Copilot in Microsoft Edge? For yourself, go to Settings, Appearance, Copilot and Sidebar, then under App specific settings select Copilot and turn off Show Copilot button on the toolbar. Admins can hide the Copilot Chat icon with the Edge policy Microsoft365CopilotChatIconEnabled, or turn off the whole sidebar, Copilot included, with HubsSidebarEnabled.
Does setting Copilot Chat to Do not pin block it? No. Since January 2026, Copilot Chat can’t be unpinned from the navigation in the Microsoft Copilot app, whatever the pin setting says. To stop people using it, block the Copilot app in Integrated Apps.
What do people see when Copilot is blocked, and can I change it? With the Copilot app blocked in Integrated Apps, people see a message that Copilot Chat was turned off for your organisation. You can point them somewhere more useful, such as your AI policy page, with Custom link for blocked Microsoft Copilot app under Copilot, Settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
