Microsoft Merges Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Into One App, Retires Several AI-Powered Tools

Microsoft launched Copilot, its dedicated AI chatbot, in 2023. In the last three years, the app has gone through various iterations with the addition of new features and other changes. The Redmond-based tech giant used to offer two separate apps for consumers and businesses. Now, the company has announced that it is merging the two apps, Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, into one platform. The new app will combine the capabilities of the apps. The tech giant will let users log in to the Copilot app using their personal, business, or both accounts, allowing them to switch between the two. On top of this, the company has announced that it is removing various AI-powered tools from the Copilot app.

Microsoft Rolls Out Unified Copilot App

According to the Microsoft support documentation, the Redmond-based tech giant is making major changes to its Copilot AI platform. After offering two different apps to individual and enterprise users, namely Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, respectively, the tech giant is now combining the two apps into one. As part of this merger, the company will also bring the capabilities of both apps into one.

Soon, Microsoft will let Copilot users log in to the app with their personal, work, or both accounts. Once logged in, users will be able to switch between the two accounts, based on the nature of the work or query. The company will also let users access Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 apps directly from the new Copilot. Moreover, you will be able to access files and documents within the Copilot app for queries.

However, the Redmond company will continue offering the Microsoft 365 subscription to users who want higher usage limits and tokens. Meanwhile, free Copilot users will also be able to chat with the AI chatbot, generate images, and upload files for contextual queries. Microsoft advises users to either upgrade to a paid plan or “come back later”.

Apart from this, the company has “retired” four features in the Copilot app. The company has removed the Group Chat option, while migrating all group chats into individual chats. This means that prompts, artifacts shared or created by other users in the group chat will not be accessible starting August 18. Moreover, the company is also retiring the ability to generate and record Podcasts in the Copilot app.

On top of this, Deep Research will not be available to consumers in the Copilot app starting August 18. The company also says that the changes might lead to a temporary unavailability of some features. The company said, “Some features may be temporarily unavailable, or you may experience functionality gaps while the latest version of Copilot is being rolled out.”