Copilot changes

Question

Speaking with Copilot it states that changes have been made and it will no longer except pdf, word docs for uploading. In fact, I can only upload small amounts of text for review, it can only reply in about 500 words. Is this a change of policy as Copilot states?

What has changed (and why it feels like everything broke)

Two unrelated system updates happened at the same time:

1. Long-form text generation limits tightened

This affects writing chapters, not images.

2. File uploads (Word/PDF) became more restricted

This affects your ability to upload your manuscript, not images.

These two changes together disrupted your writing workflow — but they do not affect image creation.

Answer 1

Why was it working yesterday with no issue then today they will not accept the files that were uploaded yesterday, nothing has changed with the file or size.

Answer 2

I am using Microsoft 365 Copilot, web version and mobile version and yesterday I was able to upload word and pdf now I can it will not except them

Answer 3

Based on the provided documentation, there is no global policy change that removes the ability to work with Word or PDF files in Copilot, and no single change that universally caps all replies at about 500 words. Instead, different Copilot experiences have their own, documented limits on:

• How much text can be processed in a single prompt
• How long responses can be
• What kinds of files can be uploaded, and in what sizes/quantities

When several of these limits are encountered at once, it can feel like “everything broke,” even though the underlying capabilities (including working with Word/PDF) are still present in specific products.

1. Long‑form text and response length limits

• Copilot in Word explicitly has limits on how many words it can process per prompt. The guidance is to keep documents and prompts “short and sweet” when working with longer files.
• The documentation also notes that Copilot may not work well with certain complex content (SmartArt, tables, charts) and that it supports fewer languages than the Word UI.
• In Copilot Studio, instructions for a Copilot agent are limited to 8,000 characters, which constrains very long prompts or descriptions in that environment.
• These types of limits can show up as:
  • The need to provide shorter chunks of text for review.
  • Shorter answers than expected, especially for long, complex tasks.

The documentation does not specify a universal 500‑word cap, but it does confirm that there are prompt/word limits and that users should work with shorter segments and iterative prompts.

2. File upload behavior and restrictions

The ability to upload and analyze files (including Word and PDF) depends on which Copilot entry point is being used:

• Copilot in Edge at work
  • Allows uploading files (PowerPoint, PDFs, Excel, photos, and more) into the chat box using the paperclip icon or drag‑and‑drop.
  • After upload, the file content is treated as if it were pasted into the chat.
  • Per enterprise data protection, uploaded files and their contents are not saved or used to train the model.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
  • Supports uploading files (PowerPoint, PDFs, Excel, etc.) via the “(+) Add content” button or drag‑and‑drop.
  • Files can be summarized, queried, analyzed, and used for visualizations.
  • Uploaded files are stored in OneDrive for Business and can be deleted at any time.
  • Uploaded files are not used to train the model.
• Copilot in OneDrive
  • Supports a wide range of text‑based formats, including DOC/DOCX, PPT/PPTX, XLSX, FLUID/LOOP, PDF, TXT, RTF, HTM/HTML, ODT, and ODP.
  • Has explicit limits:
    • Multiple‑file actions (summarize, compare, Q&A) are limited to 5 files.
    • Files must be under 150 MB.
    • Folder‑level Q&A is not supported.
• Copilot Studio web app
  • File upload size is limited to 512 MB.
  • Up to 500 files can be uploaded (with different rules when using SharePoint as a knowledge source).
  • Connector payloads have their own size limits (for example, 5 MB in public cloud plans).

These behaviors show that Word/PDF and other document types are still supported in several Copilot experiences, but always within defined size and count limits. The documentation does not indicate a new policy that completely blocks Word/PDF uploads across all Copilot surfaces.

3. Why it can feel like a sudden policy change

From the user perspective, the combination of:

• Stricter or more visible limits on how much text can be processed or generated in one go, and
• Product‑specific restrictions on file uploads (size, number of files, supported entry points)

can look like a single, broad “policy change” that:

• Prevents uploading Word/PDF files at all, and
• Forces very short responses.

However, the provided documentation instead describes:

• Ongoing, product‑specific limits on prompt length and document size.
• Continued support for Word/PDF and other formats in OneDrive, Copilot Chat, Edge at work, and Copilot Studio (within those limits).

4. How to work effectively within current limits

Within the documented constraints, workflows can be adjusted as follows:

• For long documents (e.g., manuscripts):
  • Use experiences that support file‑based operations (OneDrive, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, or Edge at work) and upload the document there, respecting size limits.
  • Work in sections: ask Copilot to summarize or revise specific chapters or ranges rather than the entire document at once.
• For long prompts or instructions:
  • Keep instructions focused on a single topic and as concise as possible.
  • In Copilot Studio, stay within the 8,000‑character instruction limit and use multiple topics/skills if needed.
• For multiple files:
  • In OneDrive, keep multi‑file actions to 5 files at a time and under 150 MB each.
  • In Copilot Studio, stay within the 500‑file and 512‑MB‑per‑file limits.

In summary, the context shows documented limits on prompt size, response behavior, and file uploads across different Copilot products, but does not show a new, universal policy that removes Word/PDF upload support or enforces a fixed 500‑word reply limit everywhere. The perceived breakage is more likely the result of running into these existing, product‑specific constraints at the same time.

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References:

• Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Word
• Welcome to Copilot in Word
• Using Microsoft Copilot in Edge at work
• Frequently asked questions about Copilot in OneDrive
• Frequently asked questions about Copilot Chat
• FAQ for Copilot
• Quotas and limits for Copilot Studio
• Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes