How to disable Copilot for all applications - Mac

Thank you for this solution—it worked for me as well!

Mac user here. After scouring a few threads, the following solution worked for me:

• Open Word and turn off automatic updates.
• Delete the Word app.
• Go to this page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac
• Download this version of Word: 16.89.1 (24091630), September 17, 2024
• Install new version of Word.
• Open it, quit, open it again.
• Success! For me anyway, the copilot icon has vanished and I'm back to Word working as I want it to.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful suggestions.

Thanks for posting this - but users really, really, really should not have to go hunting for a way to have privacy for their own documents. It is absolutely terrible that Microsoft is shoving AI at users without asking. This is not just some little add-on. It's an incredibly invasive function and there are serious moral implications at play here, or do you not all understand that?

I've had it with MS 365. the copilot feature in the Mac version it too annoying to deal with. There needs to be a way to disable this function immediately. Guess I need to switch to Pages and Numbers. This forced shoving-down-our-throats attitude from Microsoft delays work production. My opinion...I HATE COPILOT!

Guess I'll tell patients we have to stop using Microsoft products, and delay their treatments because writing orders within Word takes too long now

Thanks Microsoft

Same attitude as lousy versions of PC operating systems, Vista and following versions come to mind. And finally Win 10 and 11 functional

I have the same problem as everyone else not being able to disable Copilot on my Mac. Yes I went into privacy preferences as directed. Doesn’t work. 🤬 I think screen capture sums up the situation.

Hi, Anon11224

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

I understand that you don't want to use the Copilot AI feature in Office, and I notice that some people share the same frustration as you, the developers are aware of the issue and are actively looking for a solution. We would like to share with you the progress about the issue so that you can see the efforts made by the development team, and Microsoft values users' opinions and feedback.

Below is the latest update on the issue that you can refer to:

Regarding disabling or removing Copilot from Microsoft 365 apps for their M365 Personal or Family subscriptions, there are currently two ways to do this.

<As a reminder, if you disable this feature, you will not have access to the experience of evaluating its content to provide design recommendations, editing suggestions, data insights, and similar features such as PowerPoint Designer or Translator. >

For a complete list, see this link: Connected experiences in Office - Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn.

Refer to the following steps:

(Copilot disabled): Turn off Connected Experiences

If you are using Office for Mac, open any Office application and select the application menu (for example, Word or Excel) > > Preferences > Privacy.

1. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > “Privacy Options. This displays a checkbox for “Turn on optional connected experiences”.
2. You will then see the Privacy Settings dialog box with a checkbox to “Enable optional connected experience”. Deselect “Enable optional connected experience”.
3. Restart the Microsoft 365 application

If you do not find the appropriate button, or if the AI feature is still not turned off after taking these steps, another option you can try is to contact Chat Support and they will assist you in resolving the issue by following the steps below:

Contact Microsoft Support:

1. Visit this website: Contact - Microsoft Support
2. Type in your problems in the search box there. For instance, subscription/Tax invoices/refund, etc.
3. Now click Get help and Select Contact Support below.
4. Go to the Products and services tab, and choose either Microsoft 365 and Office category or Other Products
5. On the Category tab, choose Manage My Subscription or other alternatives.
6. Go to Confirm.
7. You can now choose the option of Chat with a support agent on your web browser. 

Please Note: The Chat support team only works at certain times, so if the last window says you are not available, try to open it again the next day. If you prefer phone support, you can leave a phone number. That way, they can call you and help you.

Above is an update on the issue for you to know. In the meantime, if you want to completely disable Copilot and the annoying cursor icon in Office, we will submit your comments to the development team, and we also recommend you submit your ideas directly to the Office team so that they can consider designing and developing future features, and users can choose whether to turn Copilot on or off.

• In any Office application, click File->Feedback.

Additionally, it is my duty to do everything I can to get back to you as soon as possible, and I am very happy if the reply I provide above can help you to know more about the problem you are experiencing. Please feel free to mark Yes above that contained the solution to make it easier for other customers with the same problem as you to find the direction to let them know more about the latest developments on this issue. Thank you a lot. 🙂

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance. 

Best wishes,

Cherry.Z - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist