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Copilot in Microsoft 365 will be available for business and enterprise users globally on Nov. 1, Microsoft announced on Sept. 21.
But users will get a small taste of what's to come before then. Copilot for Windows will be available for free to commercial users on Sept. 26 as part of an optional Windows 11 update. The release will feature the new Copilot icon, the new Copilot user experience and Bing Chat.
Copilot Strategy
Microsoft corporate VP for modern work and business applications Jared Spataro outlined the upcoming Copilot releases in a blog post, calling the confirmation of the release dates another step in the evolution of Copilot.
The announcement also sees Microsoft refining its future strategy for Copilot. Copilot, Spataro wrote, is more than just a platform, it’s a “digital companion for your whole life.”
To underline that, the company unveiled a new visual identity for Copilot, in the shape of a Copilot icon, as well as a consistent user experience for Copilot across all of Microsoft’s offerings.
The clear statement of Microsoft’s intent is welcome here given the rate of Copilot product announcements since it was first unveiled. It is now easier to see how this will apply to the workplace and how all the disparate elements will come together.
Related Article: Your Microsoft Copilot Prep List
Copilot in Windows 11
As of this week, commercial users will have access to Copilot through Windows 11 directly through the taskbar. First unveiled at Build in May, Windows Copilot will offer an interface as a sidebar and will let users control the PC, launch work apps or answer queries.
In fact, according to Microsoft, Copilot will be integrated across the entire operating system, which means it can access everything on the computer.
It is important to note however that this is an optional update. Users that want Copilot will have to go looking for it. While Copilot will roll-out automatically later this year with the new version of Windows 11, for the moment users will have to install it. A techcommunity blog post explained:
"On September 26th, Copilot in Windows will start to roll out in the September 2023 optional non-security update for Windows 11, version 22H2 — and will be available behind the commercial control for continuous innovation. It will later be included in Windows 11, version 23H2, the annual feature update for Window 11..."
The timing of the release is no accident. Copilot is clearly a replacement for the Cortana app in Windows that Microsoft shut down in late August. It also explains why this release comes in advance of the other apps due on Nov. 1.
By pulling Copilot into Windows 11, it will, by default, offer it through Microsoft Edge and Bing chat-powered AI assistant as well as communicating across all Microsoft's applications, all files on a given computer. It will also bring Copilot to apps like Paint, Photos, Clipchamp and more.
Related Article: How Copilot in Viva Might Affect Employee Experience
Microsoft 365 Chat
As part of the updates, Microsoft also announced the upcoming launch of Microsoft 365 Chat. Spataro explained that the final version expected on Nov. 1 will be a far more advanced version than the one first unveiled in March, ascribing this to the rapid development of Copilot and Microsoft’s LLM.
It has, Spataro wrote, a deep understanding of a worker's job and what they are trying to achieve. It can identify and surface any of the files or projects that you have done in the past and connect the relationship between content and context.
While already available to participants in the early access program, once on general release it will be integrated with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and other areas of the Microsoft portfolio.
Microsoft 365 Copilot will first be made available to enterprise customers at a cost of $30/users/month, which Microsoft announced earlier this year.
Spataro linked the efficiencies Copilot would bring to the repetitive tasks that make up any given workday. He cited Microsoft research, which found on any given day, heavy users search for the content and tools they need 18 times per day, receive over 250 Outlook emails, and send or read 150 Teams chats.
Related Article: What ChatGPT in Microsoft 365 Could Spell for the Workplace
Copilot Lab
To round off the announcements, Microsoft also unveiled Copilot Lab, which it described as a new feature to show users how to make the most of their new AI capabilities.
“Just as customers turned to Microsoft in the shift to remote and flexible work, they are relying on us to help people build new work habits for a new AI-powered era of productivity,” Spataro wrote.
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Once it is generally available, Copilot Lab will be integrated into Microsoft 365 Copilot and accessible via website to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users.
This is only likely to be only the beginning of the Copilot story, as Microsoft seeks to create what Spataro called, the "digital companion for your whole life."
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