Microsoft is letting Office users remove an annoying Copilot button
Microsoft just admitted it: users hate the Copilot button. Now they're letting Office customers disable it.
Why it matters
Microsoft is responding to user backlash by adding granular controls over Copilot UI in Office apps. This signals a shift toward opt-in rather than opt-out AI features in productivity software—a critical design lesson for founders embedding AI into existing workflows.
The key facts
11 to knowCopilot floating button appearing in Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Button placement obstructs spreadsheet cells and cannot be fully disabled in current version
Microsoft rolling out update next week enabling button removal
Product manager Katie Kivett acknowledges 'need for more control' despite 'increased engagement'
User frustration particularly acute in Excel among power users
Microsoft rolling out Office app updates allowing users to disable floating Copilot button
Copilot button appeared in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in recent weeks
Button positioned in bottom right-hand section, obstructing cells
Users previously unable to fully disable the button
Microsoft acknowledges increased Copilot engagement alongside user feedback on control needs
Quote from Katie Kivett, partner group product manager at Microsoft
Go to the source
The Verge Techtheverge.com
Publisher excerpt: Microsoft is rolling out Office app updates next week that allow users to disable a floating Copilot button. The button appeared in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in recent weeks, and floats above the bottom right-hand section of spreadsheets or documents. It has angered many Excel users in…