Microsoft to Merge Copilot Apps Into Single Platform Starting 18 August 2026

Microsoft has announced plans to consolidate its artificial intelligence assistant offerings by merging the standalone Copilot application for individual users with Microsoft 365 Copilot—designed for enterprise customers—into a single unified application. The integration will take effect beginning 18 August 2026.

Unified Access for Personal and Work Accounts

Under the new structure, users will be able to sign in to the consolidated Copilot application using either a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account. The updated interface will support adding both account types simultaneously, allowing seamless switching between them depending on the task at hand.

Users will gain direct access to core Microsoft 365 applications—including Word, Excel, and Outlook—within the Copilot experience. This integration enables interaction with files and documents stored across those services, as well as the ability to ask questions about document content directly inside Copilot.

Subscription Tiers and Usage Limits

Paid Microsoft 365 subscriptions will continue to provide higher usage limits compared to the free Copilot tier. Free-tier users will retain access to chat functionality, image generation, and file uploads, though all such activities will remain subject to defined usage caps.

Discontinued Features Effective 18 August

In parallel with the unification effort, Microsoft confirmed the removal of several existing Copilot features starting 18 August 2026. Deep Research—a capability that enabled extended, multi-step information gathering—will no longer be available in the application.

The company will also discontinue podcast creation and recording functionality. Group chats will be eliminated entirely; existing group conversations will be converted into individual one-on-one chats. As a result, messages and files shared or generated by other participants within those former group chats will no longer be accessible after the transition begins.

Microsoft stated that the rollout of the new unified Copilot experience may temporarily affect feature availability or introduce functional issues during the migration period, until the full transition to the consolidated platform is complete.