Microsoft will make Copilot free in Outlook, Word, and Excel
After a year marked by the rise of paid Copilot features, Microsoft is changing its approach. The tech giant is preparing a wave of free AI features for Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, set to launch in early 2026 — a strategic pivot that could transform the daily productivity of millions of users.
Outlook gains a truly useful Copilot
Introduced for free in September, Copilot Chat is about to reach an important milestone in Outlook. The AI will soon be able to analyze entire inboxes, review calendars and meetings, perform smart sorting, and manage or schedule appointments, all without the monthly Copilot license of €30.
This marks a significant evolution: until now, the free Copilot could only handle isolated conversations. With this expansion, Outlook transforms into a robust management assistant, capable of taming often congested inboxes.
Agent Mode: Access to AI power becomes free
The other major announcement concerns Agent Mode, which was previously exclusive to paid Copilot subscribers. Microsoft will open it up to all Microsoft 365 subscribers, offering advanced creation features:
In Word & Excel
- generation of complex documents or spreadsheets from a simple prompt,
- automation of tables, templates, and analyses,
- selection of reasoning engines: Anthropic or OpenAI, directly within Excel.
This rare flexibility is designed to meet the needs for precision or creativity depending on the use case.
In PowerPoint
Agent Mode will be able to:
- update a presentation with a company’s branding,
- create entire presentations with one click,
- rewrite text and restructure slides,
- add relevant visuals.
This tool could usher PowerPoint into a new era… where internal presentations are created in minutes instead of hours.
Microsoft plans to roll out these new features in beta by March 2026.
A clear strategy: Integrate, bundle, democratize
These free additions fit into a repositioning already in motion:
- Copilot has been integrated into Office apps within consumer plans,
- the Sales, Service, and Finance versions have been consolidated into a global Copilot subscription,
- the upcoming Microsoft 365 Copilot Business will be launched in December, priced at $21/month, aimed at SMEs with fewer than 300 users.
Microsoft is clearly working to make AI ubiquitous within the Office ecosystem while adapting its pricing offerings to suit the diverse market needs — from freelancers to multinationals.
A slow but massive rollout
By opening features previously considered premium, Microsoft sends a clear message: AI should be the norm, not just a high-end option.
For businesses, this signifies a promise of productivity leaps. For Microsoft, it’s a way to embed Copilot deeply into workflows.
As Google strengthens Gemini and AI assistants proliferate, the battle now centers on a straightforward premise: who will make AI indispensable in the routine of professionals?
