Microsoft Lets Office Users Disable Floating Copilot Button

Microsoft plans to release Office app updates next week that give people the ability to relocate a floating Copilot button. The feature surfaced recently inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, where it hovers persistently above the lower-right area of documents or spreadsheets.

The placement has drawn particular frustration from Excel users, since it covers cells and reportedly cannot be turned off completely. The company already offers a dock setting that shrinks the button and reduces its interference.

“While we are seeing increased engagement with Copilot in Office apps with this update, we are also hearing the need for more control over how Copilot appears,” said Katie Kivett, partner group product manager at Microsoft. “While one of our goals is to evolve Copilot to be more adaptive and flexible over time, we are making some adjustments in the short term.”

The forthcoming update introduces a new choice that shifts the button back to the ribbon, eliminating the overlay. That setting will surface when users right-click the “Dynamic Action Button.”

The adjustment arrives roughly one month after Microsoft began stripping “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from assorted Windows 11 applications. The company had spent years inserting Copilot prompts across its products.

Expert Take: Enterprise M365 admins should welcome the added user-level controls as a way to cut down on interface complaints and support requests from power users who rely on unobstructed Excel sheets.