Building and customizing solutions using Microsoft 365 Copilot APIs and tools
Image and file upload capabilities in Copilot Chat depend on which Copilot experience and account type are being used.
For Microsoft Copilot (consumer, web and apps):
- File upload is supported for specific formats (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PNG, JPEG, JFIF, TXT, JSON, CSV, MD) up to 50 MB and up to 20 files per conversation.
- Files can be added via the + (Open) button → Add images or files, or by using the file picker.
- Once uploaded, Copilot can analyze and answer questions about the content.
- Files are stored securely for up to 18 months and are not used for model training.
For Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (work/school accounts):
- Image upload is listed as a feature: users can take photos, upload images, or paste images into Copilot Chat to use in prompts.
- Files uploaded into Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat are stored in the user’s OneDrive for Business and can be deleted by the user.
- Uploaded files are not used to train the model.
For Microsoft 365 Copilot with personal (Family/Premium) subscriptions:
- Community guidance indicates that image upload in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat on m365.cloud.microsoft currently works only with work/school accounts, not with personal accounts, even if they are paid Microsoft 365 Family/Premium subscriptions.
- In that scenario, attempts to paste or upload images (JPG/PNG) result in “file type not supported,” and the file picker does not allow selecting image files.
For Copilot Studio/custom agents:
- Makers can explicitly enable File uploads under Settings → Generative AI → File processing capabilities for their agents.
- Once enabled, users can upload files and images in the “Test your agent” pane via the paper-clip icon.
- File uploads can be governed with content moderation settings, which can support enterprise policy requirements.
For other Copilot-integrated experiences:
- Copilot in Word supports asking about images by pasting screenshots (for example, using the Windows Snipping Tool and Ctrl+V) into the Copilot side panel.
- Visual Studio’s GitHub Copilot Chat supports attaching images to prompts for code-related scenarios.
- Dynamics 365 finance and operations Copilot supports attaching files and screenshots to chat sessions when the relevant features are enabled.
Given the above, the requested behavior (paste from clipboard, drag & drop, and enterprise-governed image upload) already exists in several Copilot surfaces (Microsoft 365 work/school, Word side panel, Visual Studio, Copilot Studio agents, Dynamics 365 finance and operations). However, for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat with personal accounts on m365.cloud.microsoft, image upload is currently not available according to the referenced community answer, and would indeed require a product change.
Feature requests for expanding image upload (including clipboard paste and drag & drop) to additional Copilot Chat endpoints and account types would need to be submitted through Microsoft’s official feedback channels for Copilot/Microsoft 365 so that the product team can review and prioritize them.
References:
- File upload in Microsoft Copilot
- Frequently asked questions about Copilot Chat
- Chat with Copilot about your Word document
- Allow file input from users
- Manage chat context with references
- File attachments in Copilot for finance and operations apps
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat on m365.cloud.microsoft does not allow image uploads or image paste - Microsoft Q&A