How to turn off Copilot in Windows 11, Word and Outlook

To turn off Copilot in Word, Excel or PowerPoint, go to File, Options, Copilot and clear Enable Copilot. In Outlook, switch off the Turn on Copilot toggle in Settings, Copilot. Windows, the Copilot key and Edge each have their own setting, so here is Microsoft's current route for each one.

How to turn off Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Microsoft's page on turning off Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps gives these steps.

On Windows:

1. Open the app, for example Word.
2. Go to File, then Options, then Copilot.
3. Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox.
4. Select OK, then close and restart the app.

On a Mac:

1. Open the app, for example Word, and select the app menu.
2. Go to Preferences, then Authoring and Proofing Tools, then Copilot.
3. Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox.
4. Close and restart the app.

Microsoft says that when you do this, "the Copilot icon on the ribbon is disabled and you won't be able to use any Copilot capabilities in that app." OneNote on Windows has the same checkbox.

Three things to know about this checkbox:

• It is one app at a time. Turning it off in Word does not turn it off in Excel. Repeat it in each app.
• It is one device at a time. If you use Word on a laptop and a desktop, clear it on both.
• It covers everyone on that computer. Microsoft notes that turning it off on a device turns it off for anybody using that device.

If you do not see Enable Copilot, update the app. Microsoft lists the first versions that have it: on Windows, Word 2412, Excel 2501, PowerPoint 2501 and OneNote 2502; on Mac, Word 16.93 and Excel and PowerPoint 16.93.2.

How to turn off Copilot in Outlook

Outlook works differently. Instead of a checkbox, it has a Turn on Copilot toggle, and Microsoft lists where it lives on each platform:

Turn the toggle off. Unlike Word, the Outlook choice follows your account: Microsoft says that if you turn Copilot off in Outlook on a Mac, it is also off for the same account in Outlook on an iPhone. On a Mac you need at least version 16.95.3, and on phones the latest version from the app store.

Classic Outlook on Windows has no toggle. Microsoft says there is "currently no estimated date" for it. If you use classic Outlook, the only route Microsoft offers is the privacy setting below.

If you are weighing up Outlook's privacy more broadly, our comparison of Gmail and Outlook privacy covers what each provider can see.

The older route: turn off connected experiences

Before the Enable Copilot checkbox existed, the way to turn Copilot off was a privacy setting. It still works, and it is the option for classic Outlook. On Windows:

1. In any Microsoft 365 app, go to File, then Account, then Account Privacy, then Manage Settings.
2. Under Connected experiences, clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
3. Select OK, then close and restart the app.

On a Mac, go to the app menu, Preferences, Personal Settings, Privacy, then Connected Experiences, Manage Connected Experiences, and clear the same checkbox.

You only need to change it in one app; the others pick it up the next time you open them. The cost is that it switches off other features too. Microsoft names suggested replies in Outlook, text predictions in Word, PowerPoint Designer and automatic alt text for images.

How to turn off Copilot on Windows 11

On new Windows 11 PCs, Microsoft says the Copilot app should already be installed, pinned to the taskbar or on the Start menu. You have three levels of off.

Stop the Copilot key opening it. Microsoft's Windows keyboard shortcuts page gives the path:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Personalization, then Text input.
3. Select Customize Copilot key on keyboard and pick what the key should do.

The same setting controls the Windows key + C shortcut. Microsoft also notes that when Copilot is not available or is disabled, the Copilot key opens Windows search instead.

Check "Hey Copilot" is off. The wake word is opt-in. To confirm, open the Copilot app, go to Settings, then General, and make sure the Listen for "Hey Copilot" toggle is off. If you set a pen's shortcut button to Same as Copilot key, change it under Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Pen & Windows Ink.

Uninstall the app. Microsoft's general uninstall steps apply:

1. Select Start, then All apps, and find Copilot.
2. Right-click it and select Uninstall.

Or go to Settings, Apps, Installed apps, select More next to the app, then Uninstall. Microsoft notes that some built-in apps cannot be uninstalled, so if the option is missing, remap the key instead.

If you keep the app, you can limit what it reaches on your PC. Microsoft says Copilot can search and read files on your device, and you can turn that off under Account, Settings, File Search and File Read.

How to turn off Copilot in Microsoft Edge

Copilot in Edge can use the page you are on, its title, your open tabs and your browser history to answer. Microsoft's Copilot in Edge page gives the switch that stops that:

1. Select the More menu (...) in the Edge toolbar.
2. Select Copilot and AI.
3. Turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web.

On the same screen, the Copilot new tab page is an opt-in setting. Leave it off if you want a normal new tab.

If you keep Copilot: the privacy settings worth changing

For the Copilot app with a personal Microsoft account, Microsoft's privacy controls page puts the main switches in one place. Open Copilot, go to Settings, then Personalization:

• Saved memories: turn it off to stop Copilot remembering details about you. Turning it off does not delete what it already saved; select Manage, then Delete all memories.
• One shared experience: turn it off to stop your Copilot chats personalizing Bing, Edge and MSN, and the other way round.
• Allow ads personalization: turn it off if you see ads in Copilot.

To delete a single chat, select ...More next to it, then Delete. On training, Microsoft's activity history page for the current Copilot app says your prompts, responses and file contents "aren't used to train foundation models," and its page for Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps on home plans says the same.

Gotchas

• Hiding the ribbon button is not turning it off. Microsoft says removing the Copilot icon from the ribbon does not turn Copilot off, because you can still reach it from the right-click menu.
• Phones and the web are different. Microsoft says you cannot turn off Copilot in the iPhone, Android or web versions of Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
• Work and school accounts. The Enable Copilot settings only apply to personal Microsoft accounts. If you sign in with a work or school account, Microsoft says these settings are not available, so ask your IT team.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off Copilot in Outlook classic?

Classic Outlook on Windows has no Turn on Copilot toggle, and Microsoft gives no date for one. Clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content under File, Account, Account Privacy, Manage Settings, knowing it also turns off suggested replies.

How do I disable the Copilot key on my keyboard?

Go to Settings, Personalization, Text input, Customize Copilot key on keyboard, and choose another action.

How do I turn off Copilot in Word on a Mac?

Open Word, select the Word menu, go to Preferences, Authoring and Proofing Tools, Copilot, and clear Enable Copilot. Restart Word.

Does turning off Copilot in Word turn it off in Excel?

No. The checkbox is separate in each app and on each device. The older connected experiences setting is the one that applies across apps.

Can I turn off Copilot in Office 365 for everyone at once?

On a personal or family plan, no single switch covers every app and device: use Enable Copilot in each app, or the connected experiences setting. On a work or school account these settings are not available to you, so ask your IT team.

Keeping your email out of the picture

Turning off Copilot changes what Microsoft's assistant does with your documents and inbox. If what you really want is an inbox that is not tied to an ad business, Secria Mail has no ads and Secria never mines your mail. Your mailbox is locked with a key made from your password, on your device, and every plan, the free one included, uses post-quantum encryption. Signing up takes a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number. You can read about Secria Mail or start a free account and bring your old Outlook mail with you as a PST file.