Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft's AI assistant for everyday users
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's free AI assistant, available on the web, in Windows, in Edge and on mobile. Its advanced features come with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium, which also bring it into Word, Excel and Outlook.
Data as of October 22, 2026
Key figures
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Launched | February 2023 |
| Free version | Yes, limited |
| Plans | from $9.99 per month |
| Official website | copilot.microsoft.com |
Features
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Web search | Yes |
| Agent mode | Not disclosed |
| File upload | Yes |
| Image generation | Yes |
| Voice mode | Yes |
| Memory | Yes |
| Code execution | Not disclosed |
| Autonomous browsing | Not disclosed |
Where to use it
| Where to use it | |
|---|---|
| Web | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes |
| Android | Yes |
| Windows | Yes |
| macOS | Yes |
| Browser extension | Not disclosed |
| French interface | Yes |
| Spanish interface | Yes |
Privacy
| Privacy | |
|---|---|
| Opt out of training on your chats | Yes |
| Temporary chat | Not disclosed |
| EU data residency | Not disclosed |
One name, several products
Launched in February 2023 as Bing Chat, Microsoft Copilot is the consumer chat assistant from Microsoft. The “Copilot” name covers other products too: GitHub Copilot for developers, and Microsoft 365 Copilot, the version run by businesses. This page is only about the assistant you open at copilot.microsoft.com, in Windows, in Edge or in the mobile app.
In August 2026, Microsoft unified the app and retired several features, including Group Chat, Podcasts and Deep Research. The assistant answers questions, writes, summarizes files, creates images and holds voice conversations.
Free or with Microsoft 365
The free version includes chat, AI image generation and file uploads, with an explicit caveat from Microsoft: usage depends on available capacity. To go further, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription. US prices as of October 22, 2026:
- Personal: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year;
- Family: $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year, with Copilot for the subscription owner only;
- Premium: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, with the highest usage limits.
Prices differ in other countries, so check Microsoft’s page for your region before subscribing. These plans also bundle Office apps and OneDrive storage, which changes the math compared with a standalone assistant.
Turning off training
Microsoft offers two switches under Profile, then Privacy: training on conversation activity and training on voice conversations. Turn them off and your chats are no longer used to improve the models. History is kept for 18 months by default and can be deleted. Using Copilot without signing in also keeps your conversations out of training.
Limits
Like any assistant, Copilot can hallucinate, so double-check numbers and sources. Free usage limits aren’t published and depend on demand, and features can change as Microsoft reshapes the app, as the August 2026 update showed. To compare it with ChatGPT or Gemini, see the AI assistants comparison.
Strengths
searching with sources · teamwork · creating images
Comparisons
AI assistants
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Copilot free?
Yes. Chat, image creation and file uploads are available without a subscription, subject to available capacity and limits, according to Microsoft. Signing in with a Microsoft account keeps your conversation history.
What happened to Copilot Pro?
Microsoft replaced Copilot Pro with Microsoft 365 Premium, listed at $19.99 a month in the US as of October 22, 2026. Microsoft 365 Personal and Family also include Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps, with lower usage limits.
How do I stop Microsoft from training on my conversations?
Open your profile, then Privacy, and turn off “Training on conversation activity” and “Training on voice conversations”. If you use Copilot without signing in, your conversations are not used for training.
Are Microsoft Copilot and GitHub Copilot the same thing?
No. Microsoft Copilot is the general-purpose consumer assistant. GitHub Copilot is a coding tool with its own plans. Microsoft 365 Copilot for businesses is yet another product, managed by IT admins.
Data sources
Data as of October 22, 2026
Report an error
Does a figure, a date or a fact look wrong? Tell us: every report is checked.