Copilot in Windows vs. Copilot for Microsoft 365

Note: At Ignite in Nov. 2023, Microsoft made several name changes including changing Windows Copilot to Copilot in Windows, Microsoft 365 Copilot to Copilot for Microsoft 365, and changed Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise to Copilot for Bing and Microsoft Copilot. Directions has not applied this branding change to this report as these names appear to still in flux; however, Directions believes the comparisons remain valid as of Nov. 24, 2023.

• Windows Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot both leverage large language models to answer user questions and automatically generate documents in natural languages.
• They use different data, target different functionalities, and could interest different organizations.
• Either might produce unexpected results or undergo major changes while in preview.
• Licensing details, cost, and risk to organizational data may ultimately limit how organizations deploy and use these features.

Windows Copilot is an AI offering based on a large language model (LLM) and data stored locally in Windows 11 clients or in OneDrive and Outlook data associated with a user’s Microsoft account or Entra ID. It uses natural language conversations to help users accomplish tasks with Windows OS features and in-the-box Windows applications, such as the pending Outlook-based replacement for Mail, the new Paint, and Photos apps. The accompanying table summarizes the capabilities of two configurations of Windows Copilot and compares them with Microsoft 365 Copilot, a similar tool for Microsoft 365 users.