How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 plan

Those of you with plain old Microsoft 365 subscriptions may have noticed that Copilot now pops up in Word and other applications in the suite. How did it get there when you didn’t buy or request Copilot and don’t necessarily want it? Blame it on Microsoft’s usual sleight of hand.

Also: The Microsoft 365 Copilot launch was a total disaster

In an effort to push Copilot, Microsoft has added the AI to its Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans. Open Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote, and you’ll now see a Copilot icon on the ribbon. That’s not so bad, as you can easily ignore it. But launch Microsoft Word, and Copilot gets in your face with an icon in the left margin and a huge, annoying message prompting you to “Draft with Copilot.”

It also seems pretty sneaky, right? To be fair, I can’t fault Microsoft for trying to add AI to Office. But the way the company went about it was, to use my favorite Yiddish phrase, meshugganah. Or, as my ZDNET colleague Ed Bott wrote, the Microsoft 365 Copilot launch was a total disaster.

Setting aside Microsoft’s messy rollout, what if you simply don’t want Copilot? How do you get rid of it? 

You have a couple of options.

How to disable Copilot in Word

For your first option, you can disable Copilot from Microsoft Word so it doesn’t show up at all. 

You can’t yet do that for the other applications in the suite, though Microsoft has promised a disable option for Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest sometime in February.

How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 subscription

For your second option, you may want to manage your Microsoft 365 plan to remove Copilot. The change won’t take effect right away. Instead, Copilot waits until your next renewal period to vanish.

Also: Agents have entered the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

You can change your Microsoft 365 subscription to revert to the classic and less expensive non-Copilot plan. The change won’t actually take effect until your next renewal date. But at least switching your plan now will ensure that you’re not automatically renewed at the higher price.

Go to the Microsoft 365 section under Subscriptions on your Microsoft account page if you’re not already there. Click the dropdown box for Manage Subscription and click the link for Cancel Subscription.

To try to hang onto your business, Microsoft will offer other plans, including the Classic plan sans Copilot. But here’s the frustrating part: If you get a discount on your subscription or if you purchased it through a different vendor than Microsoft, you may not be able to pull this off.

Also: The best AI chatbots

In my case, the Microsoft 365 Family Classic plan shows a price tag of $99.99 without the discount, which would be higher than the discounted price of $90.99 for the plan with Copilot. If you’re in a similar boat, your best bet is to contact Microsoft or the vendor from which you purchased Microsoft 365. Otherwise, choose the lower-cost classic plan to complete the switch.

Ah, but here’s one last fly in the ointment. In its recent announcement about the new Microsoft 365 Copilot plans, Microsoft said that existing subscribers could switch to Microsoft Basic or to the new Personal Classic or Family Classic plans, but only for a limited time. So you’ll want to make the switch before it’s too late.

Plus, the company said that “for certain new innovations and features” — whatever that means —  you’ll need a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription with Copilot. Even if you’re able to change to a classic plan, you may eventually have no choice but to accept a Copilot plan with the higher price tag.

Is Copilot free to use in Microsoft 365?

Is Microsoft freely bestowing Copilot on customers out of the goodness of its corporate heart? Not quite. There’s a price hike waiting in the wings for you.

For the privilege of using Copilot, US subscribers to Microsoft 365 Personal will end up paying $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month, up from $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month. Subscribers to Microsoft 365 Family would eventually have to cough up $129.99 per year or $12.99 per month, up from $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month.

Also: Microsoft to force new Outlook app in Windows 10 with no way to block it

Your cost will vary based on whether you receive a discount on your subscription. For instance, I currently pay $69.99 for an individual Microsoft Family subscription thanks to a discount from my business plan. But that price would go up to $90.99 with the Copilot option added.

Before you blow a fuse, the price hike doesn’t actually kick in until your next renewal date. For now, you’re able to use Copilot without any increase in the cost of your plan. But if you do nothing and wait for your subscription to renew, the higher price will automatically kick in.

Can anyone try Copilot in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft’s hocus-pocus doesn’t end here. The Copilot built into Microsoft 365 isn’t available to everyone, nor is it unlimited. A Microsoft 365 Family plan normally allows up to six people to take advantage of the different features. But here, only the owner of the plan gets access to Copilot.

Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

Plus, Microsoft doles out the use of Copilot in Microsoft 365 on a credit basis, granting the owner of the plan up to 60 credits per month. Each use of the AI chews up one credit. Try to use more than 60 in a month, and you’ll be stopped and prompted to upgrade to the unlimited and more expensive Copilot Pro plan.

How to view your current Microsoft 365 subscription

To view your current Microsoft 365 subscription, sign into your Microsoft account website. Click the link at the top for “Manage Microsoft 365 Family” or “Manage Microsoft 365 Personal.” The resulting page shows you your renewal date, the price you’d pay at that point, and the number of credits you’ve used so far.