How to disable or remove Copilot from Word (there is a solution - check 2nd edit)

I asked Copilot about this. Although it doesn't help is a good response

As an engaged user of Microsoft products, I appreciate tools that enhance productivity and streamline tasks. However, the Copilot feature seems to frequently overstep its bounds, providing suggestions that are not only unnecessary but also undermine the user's capability to perform straightforward tasks independently. This persistent interruption can be quite frustrating and detracts from the user experience.

Moreover, the lack of a straightforward option to turn this feature on or off exacerbates the issue. Users should have the autonomy to choose which tools they wish to utilize, especially when such tools impact their workflow and overall experience. The ability to easily enable or disable such features would greatly improve user satisfaction and allow for a more personalized and less intrusive interaction with the software.

I hope you will consider this feedback seriously and provide an option to control the Copilot feature in future updates. Empowering users with the choice to tailor their experience according to their preferences would be a significant step towards enhancing the usability and appeal of your software.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and to seeing continued improvements in your products.

I did the same but for the Family version. My Family subscription is due in January 2025. The Family Classic was offered for $139.00 but won't be implemented or payment made until the subscription date is due in January '25. So, I have about a month of Copilot left.

If the subscription expires some time further into 2025, the Classic version is not offered if you cancel.

OK, I may have found a proper solution.

When I went to turn off my automatic billing for Microsoft 365, I was presented with a new option for switching to Microsoft 365 Personal Classic at a cheaper price and without AI, but otherwise the same options.

My current subscription is Microsoft 365 Personal AU$159.00/year, and I've now switched to Microsoft 365 Personal Classic AU$109.00/year.

These are not included in the 'Classic' plan:

• Copilot built into the apps
• AI image creation and editing in Designer

Sounds perfect. I would have settled for a checkbox to disable Copilot, but this way saves me $50 a year. I'm going to see if they can switch my plan effective immediately so I don't have to wait until my next billing year stars in March.

Oh, wow, you're right. That is so stupid. How on Earth is auto saving related to privacy?

It's so disappointing that Microsoft uses all these dark patterns to try to encourage us to use features. You also can't remove the Copilot icon from the ribbon in some apps...you can remove anything else, but not Copilot. Very disappointing.

I have an old licence for Office 2019, so I am going to look into using that and replacing OneDrive with an alternative so I can get off 365. We shouldn't have to find workarounds for features that could easily have a toggle option to disable or enable, and those workarounds shouldn't break standard functionality.

What I and others found with Copilot in Word, unless All privacy settings have been set to ON, the Auto Save function for existing Auto Save documents and new documents does not work. Manual Save is required.