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Disable Copilot on Excel, Word etc

Andrew Franklin 30 Reputation points
2026-05-11T01:19:42.3666667+00:00

I have build 2604 and Copilot has popped up. I've searched all the resources I can find, but there is no checkbox or option in Excel that even mentions Copilot. It isn't in options or under privacy settings in account. It is taking up screen real estate and I just want it gone or at least hidden. Only happened for the first time 11-May-26.

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Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | Windows
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  1. Elizabeth Leslie 15 Reputation points
    2026-05-15T20:29:12.4566667+00:00

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  2. Vivian-HT 16,350 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-11T02:23:20.1133333+00:00

    Dear @Andrew Franklin,

    From your description and screenshot, I understand that you’re seeing a floating Copilot button in the bottom-right corner when you open Excel. You’d like to remove or turn it off, but there is no setting to do it. And according to my research, many users also report the same issue.

    The floating Copilot button is by design as a quick way to access Copilot while working in the worksheet. However, at the present time, it seems that this feature cannot be disabled in the user interface of the latest version of Office apps. For reference: MC1282571 - Copilot entry point changes in Excel

    Disclaimer: This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.

    In this case, I want you to know that Microsoft deeply values customer experience and feedback. Every single comment matter, and the product teams actively review what customers share to guide decisions and improvements. Your voice is powerful here, and I encourage you to make it heard through the official feedback channels. Therefore, to ensure your feedback reaches the right teams, I highly recommend submitting your feedback directly to Microsoft Ideas ·Community, where our product development team can know your requirements and ideas for product improvements. If enough users raise ticket for the same idea, Microsoft may consider adding this feature in the future.

    Note: As Microsoft Community moderators, please note that we are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued. 

    You can rest assured that you are not alone, I’ll continue to monitor this case and will reach out to you with any new updates as soon as possible. If any updates or announcements are made regarding this feature, I will make sure to share them with you as soon as possible.

    In the meantime, I would like to provide you with a tip regarding how to turn off the Copilot icon in office apps. It will not remove it entirely, but it will reduce its size and provide you with a clearer view.

    1/ At the Copilot icon, right-click on the Copilot icon.

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    2/ Select Dock, and it will turn into a small icon like this.

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    3/ Right click to the icon > choose Undock and the icon will revert to its original state.

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    I understand this may not be the outcome you were hoping for. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. 

    If you have any further questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out.

    Thank you for your cooperation. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-05-11T01:19:58.83+00:00

    For Microsoft 365 apps on Windows and Mac there are currently two supported ways to disable Copilot features: using the dedicated Enable Copilot checkbox (per‑app, per‑device) or turning off the connected experience that analyzes content.

    Because build/version 2604 is newer than the versions listed for the in‑app checkbox, the most reliable method that is documented and available across builds is to turn off the content‑analyzing connected experience. That removes Copilot capabilities in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

    On Windows (Excel, Word, PowerPoint):

    1. Open any Office app, for example Excel.
    2. Go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.
    3. Under Connected experiences, clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
    4. Select OK, then close and restart the app.
    5. Repeat for other devices if the same account is used there.

    This change only needs to be made in one desktop app on the device; it applies to the other Office apps the next time they are opened.

    If or when the Enable Copilot checkbox becomes available in the UI for the build in use, Copilot can be disabled per app instead:

    On Windows (per app):

    1. In Excel (or Word/PowerPoint), go to File > Options > Copilot.
    2. Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox.
    3. Select OK, then close and restart the app.

    On Mac (per app):

    1. In Word/Excel/PowerPoint, open the app menu and go to Preferences > Authoring and Proofing Tools > Copilot.
    2. Clear Enable Copilot.
    3. Close and restart the app.

    If Copilot UI elements remain visible but are inactive after disabling, installing the latest available update for the channel in use can remove residual Copilot icons, as seen with the 16.103.1 update that removed an intrusive Copilot logo from Word in recent builds.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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