Microsoft renames Microsoft 365 App to Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft will rename the Microsoft 365 app to Microsoft 365 Copilot. The company has now announced this with the posts MC958903 and MC958905 in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Accordingly, the app will be renamed in January 2025 and the program icon will be replaced. In addition, the app's user interface will provide an "artificial intelligence first" experience.

Changes to begin in mid-January 2025

The distribution of changes to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for web and Windows is scheduled to start in mid-January 2025. This will be a gradual process; not all users will receive the update at the same time.

The changes include, for example, that the app no longer has a top header bar. Instead, tools such as user profile, settings and feedback will move to the toolbar at the bottom left; the feedback button will move to "Settings and more". The search box on the user homepage is also moving to a new location; it is used to find content across various file types and storage locations. The apps on the left toolbar are aligned to the top edge and the functions called "AI Rich Experience", such as Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Copilot Pages, are presented together to create a correlation.

In addition, the organization logo is no longer displayed in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. The "My day" function has also been removed, as have the buttons for starting the calendar and the to-do list. A "Back" button is no longer available; navigation between pages is possible via the left-hand app bar. The "Help me create" function is being retired; it was intended to help users create documents with LLMs. As the Microsoft 365 Copilot app becomes the target for Copilot, AI-supported document creation will move to the Copilot tab. To brainstorm or create new content based on a storyboard, script, agenda or content summary, Copilot Chat will be used.

Admin or user actions are not necessary for the distribution of changes. However, IT managers should inform their users that the upcoming changes are part of the app extension.

Last week, Microsoft pointed out that companies should change the assignment of the Copilot key on newer keyboards. The Copilot app is intended for consumers; in companies, the Microsoft 365 app should be launched with it. With the de facto conversion to a Copilot app for organizations, this reassignment makes much more sense.

(dmk)