How to disable copilot on microsoft office (excel, word, ppt) on Macbook

Hi Tanya (and everybody else trying to get rid of that damned Copilot),

I too tried the approach you suggested but without success.

I am on macOS Sonoma 14.5. I did it from Word using the application menu: Word > Preferences > Privacy, as you've suggested. I was also signed in. I found one check box "Turn on optional connected experiences", which was initially checked. I unchecked it. I closed Word and opened it again but found the dreaded Copilot button still in the Home menu at top right, and a Copilot prompt at the first empty paragraph. I tried exiting Word, logging out of Microsoft, then logging back in and starting up Word again, but no change.

However, thank you for your suggestion.

As many of you have noted, this should not be so hard!

Microsoft, if you are listening, this is not acceptable. There is a long and growing list of people who simply do not want Copilot interfering or distracting their workflow in the Office apps. Can you please advise how to disable it and get it out of our sight and workflow?

Regards, Frank

I have been unable to remove Copilot from Word. None of the stated solutions are actually to be found in my Word. I refuse to be forced to download a ridiculous amount of data in uninstalling and reloading the Office suite as has been suggested.

Like other people have noted, some of us do work where it is ESSENTIAL that NO AI be associated with it in any way. People in this situation face having years of work and credibility being thrown out the window.

Getting this at least completely deactivated from with Word and the rest of the Office suite is frankly vital for some of us who are actually paying for this 'service.'

Unless this is resolved VERY quickly, I shall be forced to cancel all subscriptions and find some other products. I would rather not be forced to do that.

Thanks Tasha for calling out some of the types of users who are significantly affected by the presence of Copilot in Word. Risks include legal ramifications, regulatory and policy violations, ethical concerns, repetitional damage, creativity inhibitors, etc. I would like to add other user groups similarly affected: creative writers and professional writers of all kinds. Government employees are bound in many places by policies to mitigate the risks of using AI in their writing because it can have serious implications in delivering government services.

Microsoft, are you listening?

Even if we disable Copilot functionally by turning off the Connected Experiences under Privacy, it still shows up in the ribbon at top right. More importantly for writers, the icon still shows up in the left margin every time we press the enter key to start a new paragraph. This is so distracting to writers who are developing their train of thought as they type. I don't know what the point is of having that icon appear every time, even though we've turned off Copilot functionally. This is a common concern, judging by the replies by in this thread.

Microsoft, I think you are doing yourself serious reputational damage with this default opt-in, and with the persistent icon starting each paragraph.

This is incredibly infuriating,

I never asked for this to happen, I don't want it there, the logo is distracting and it's just forcing a product onto people who don't want to use it.

Incredibly unethical and poor business model. Not everyone wants AI in every aspect of their life!

Also, how difficult it is to remove is an absolute joke. This is by design and it's gross. This has made me lose so much respect for Microsoft.
Change this!

I found connected experiences on the Mac and turned them all off, but copilot is still there.