Manage access to web content in Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 responses

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your organization’s data – all in the flow of work – to turn your words into one of the most powerful productivity tools on the planet. Copilot can provide summaries of chats, messages, and meetings, answer business questions, and generate content. For more information, see How Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 works.

As your organization’s Microsoft 365 admin, you can turn off Copilot’s ability to access and include web content when it responds to your users’ prompts. For more information on how this control impacts data, privacy, and security within Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, see Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Before you begin

• You must assign a Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 license to your selected users before they can use Copilot. For more information, see Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

• You must be a global admin or search admin to complete the task in this article. For more information, see About admin roles in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Choose whether Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 can access web content

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 chat experiences in Bing, Microsoft Edge, and the Microsoft Teams app has a feature that allows Copilot to reference web content when responding to user prompts. Allowing Copilot for Microsoft 365 to reference web content enhances the end user experience and productivity with Copilot. The feature is automatically turned on when you first start using Copilot. You can turn off this feature by following these steps:

For Search admins and Global admins:

1. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Settings > Search & intelligence.

2. On the Configurations page, select Improved responses with web content in Copilot for Microsoft 365.

3. Select Change.

4. Unselect the checkbox for Allow Copilot to improve responses with web content.

5. Select Save.

For Global admins only:

1. In the admin center, go to Settings > Org settings.
2. On the Copilot page, select Improved responses with web content in Copilot for Microsoft 365.
3. Select Change.
4. Unselect the checkbox for Allow Copilot to improve responses with web content.
5. Select Save.

All admin setting updates may take up to 24 hours to reflect any changes.

Note

This method is the only way to turn off the ability of Copilot for Microsoft 365 chat experiences to access web content. The privacy controls for optional connected experiences available with Microsoft 365 Apps can’t be used.

End user action required

There's a separate toggle for end users to enable and disable web access for Microsoft Copilot, and it can be found in the Plugins menu for Copilot. This toggle is initially off by default, and users will have to enable it to receive this experience.

If you turn off web access from the admin center, this control is disabled. However, if you enable web access, your users must enable the toggle in their settings as well to allow web access.

How to disable chat experiences

If you want to disable the chat experiences, you need to disable the service plan named Business Chat in the license management settings:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to the navigation pane, and select Users > Active users.

2. On the Active users page, select a specific user, and then Manage product licenses. You can only manage licenses and apps for one user at a time.

3. To do this for multiple users, you must use a PowerShell query. In the Licenses and apps tab, clear the Business Chat checkbox.