Why cant i upload pdfs, word and excel into copilot premium any more?

Question

I rely on Copilot for professional work involving financial statements, audit documentation, and client deliverables. Until recently, I was able to upload PDFs, Word documents, and Excel files directly into Copilot for review, proofing, and drafting footnotes. This capability was essential to my workflow.

The recent change that restricts uploads to images only has significantly reduced Copilot’s usefulness for professional tasks. Screenshots are not a viable substitute for multi‑page financial statements, audit workpapers, or client PDFs.

Please restore support for PDF, Word, and Excel uploads in Copilot. This is a critical feature for accountants, auditors, and finance professionals who depend on Copilot for document analysis and drafting.

Thank you.

Answer 1

For Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Personal, Family, and Premium), uploading and working with PDFs, Word, and Excel files is still supported, but there are important distinctions and limits that can explain why this no longer appears to work in a specific experience.

1. Supported file types

For Microsoft 365 Copilot in the apps and in Copilot Chat, the following formats are supported:

• Word: .docx, .doc, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .html, .htm
• Excel: .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb
• PowerPoint: .pptx, .ppt, .pdf, .docx

These can be used for:

• Summarizing and rewriting documents in Word
• Analyzing workbooks in Excel
• Creating/enhancing presentations in PowerPoint
• Referencing attachments in Outlook (.docx, .pdf, .pptx)

If the upload option is missing or restricted to images in a particular Copilot surface (for example, a specific app or the Windows Copilot app), that is a limitation of that surface, not of Microsoft 365 Copilot overall.

2. File upload behavior in Copilot (web and app)

In the general Copilot experience (copilot.microsoft.com and the Copilot app), file upload supports:

• Documents: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX
• Images: PNG, JPEG, PJP, JFIF
• Text & markup: TXT, TEXT, JSON, CSV, MD

Key limits:

• Up to 20 files per conversation
• Each file up to 50 MB

Files uploaded there are stored securely for up to 18 months and are not used to train models.

If only images are currently accepted in a specific Copilot entry point, switch to a supported Copilot experience that still exposes full file upload (for example, Copilot in the browser or Copilot inside Word/Excel/PowerPoint with files stored in OneDrive) to continue working with PDFs, Word, and Excel.

3. Troubleshooting when upload appears disabled or unavailable

If upload for documents appears to have stopped working or is greyed out in a Microsoft 365 Copilot surface:

1. Verify the experience being used
   • The documented Microsoft 365 Copilot file support applies to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and Copilot Chat, not necessarily every Copilot-branded entry point (such as Windows Copilot) if that surface has different capabilities.
2. Confirm file format and location
   • Ensure the file is one of the supported formats listed above.
   • For Microsoft 365 Copilot in apps, local paths are unsupported; files must be uploaded or stored in a cloud location such as OneDrive.
3. Check permissions
   • If there is no permission to a file or access is restricted, Copilot may block the upload.
4. Reduce file size/complexity
   • Very large PDFs or complex spreadsheets can cause issues. Splitting long documents or large workbooks and uploading them in smaller parts can improve reliability.

If a specific Copilot surface (for example, the Windows Copilot app) has changed to only allow images, continue using Copilot in the browser or in Microsoft 365 apps with OneDrive-stored files to retain full document support for financial statements, audit workpapers, and client PDFs.

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References:

• File formats supported by Microsoft 365 Copilot
• File upload in Microsoft Copilot
• Using Microsoft Copilot in Edge at work