MC1189000 – M365 Change Digest

One-line summary

Copilot Chat's entry point moves from the ribbon to the document canvas in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with contextual prompt suggestions; rollout starts December 2025 for some users.

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Details

Summary

The Copilot Chat entry point in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will move from the ribbon to the document canvas starting December 2025. It includes contextual prompt suggestions, remains on by default, and requires no admin action unless adjusting the pinning setting for users without a Copilot license.

Body (from Message Center)

[Introduction]

We’re updating the Copilot Chat experience in Microsoft 365 apps by moving the entry point button out of the ribbon and into the document canvas. This change makes Copilot Chat easier to discover and use, and introduces curated, contextual prompt suggestions relevant to the current document or selection.

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins early December 2025 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint (Web, Desktop, Mobile): rollout will start for a % of Small Business and Enterprise users without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license who have pinning enabled. These users will see the entry point for Copilot move out of the ribbon, represented by the icon pictured below.
We will continue the rollout progressively for users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in the new year.

[How this affects your organization:]

Who is affected:

Microsoft 365 users of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint across web, desktop, and mobile who are eligible for Copilot Chat.

What will happen:

The Copilot Chat entry point will move from the app ribbon into the document canvas.
Users will see a new Copilot icon in the canvas to open Copilot Chat.
Contextual prompt suggestions will appear to help users engage with Copilot Chat.
The feature remains ON by default for eligible users across web, mobile, and desktop.
Admins can still disable Copilot Chat using the “Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat” setting in the admin center.
No changes to Copilot Chat functionality or value.

[What you can do to prepare:]

No admin action is required.
If your “Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat” setting is configured to “Do not pin,” update it to “Pin” if you want users without a Copilot license to access Copilot Chat in Microsoft 365 apps.
Learn more:
- Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
- Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in the Microsoft 365 apps

[Compliance considerations:]

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Raw JSON (for debugging)

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      "Summary": "The Copilot Chat entry point in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will move from the ribbon to the document canvas starting December 2025. It includes contextual prompt suggestions, remains on by default, and requires no admin action unless adjusting the pinning setting for users without a Copilot license."
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