What is Microsoft Copilot?

Explains what Copilot does and the differences between the free Chat version and the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot

Question

What does Copilot do and what are the differences between the free Chat version and the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Environment

Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that helps boost productivity and streamline workflows by offering contextual assistance, automating routine tasks, and analyzing data.

Microsoft provides two Copilot experiences; although they share the name Copilot, they are designed for different purposes and have different data access and governance models:

1. Copilot Chat (included in your Microsoft 365 account)
2. Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on license at $300 user/year)

What is Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat is a conversational AI assistant designed for general-purpose questions and content creation. It is included with your Microsoft 365 account and is available through the web (copilot.microsoft.com), Microsoft Teams, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.

Copilot Chat is primarily grounded in web-based information, not your University data unless you explicitly provide it.

Copilot Chat can help you:

• Summarize web pages and articles
• Answer general questions using Internet sources
• Rewrite or brainstorm text
• Generate images or ideas
• Support research or learning

By default, Copilot Chat cannot see:

• Your emails
• Teams chats or meetings
• SharePoint or OneDrive documents
• University systems or internal data

You can choose to paste or upload content into Copilot Chat, but this is done manually and outside of its original location.

Important note on using University data in Copilot Chat

When signed in with your University account, Copilot Chat includes enterprise data protection:

• Your prompts and uploaded content stay within Microsoft’s secure environment
• Your data is not used to train AI models
• Data is protected under Microsoft 365 security and compliance commitments

However, when you paste or upload content:

• It is no longer governed by its original location (e.g., SharePoint permissions or sensitivity labels)
• You should avoid sharing highly sensitive or regulated information unless necessary

Microsoft 365 Copilot, also known as Copilot Premium, is a licensed add-on that must be purchased. It is built directly into Microsoft 365 applications and securely uses your UWin account and data to help you get work done faster.

You’ll see Copilot as a side panel or prompt experience inside these apps when the license is assigned:

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Outlook
• Teams
• OneNote
• SharePoint

With Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can work with your University data to:

• Summarize emails, Teams chats, and meeting transcripts
• Draft documents based on your SharePoint or OneDrive files
• Create presentations from existing documents
• Generate reports and insights from your Excel data

Get help inside the apps you already use:

• Draft or rewrite documents in Word
• Create slides in PowerPoint from an outline or document
• Analyze and explain formulas or trends in Excel
• Summarize long email threads in Outlook
• Catch up on Teams conversations or meetings you missed

All of this is done using your existing permissions — Copilot can only access information you already have permission to view.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

• Runs within the University’s Microsoft 365 tenant
• Uses enterprise-grade security, compliance, and data protection
• Does not train AI models with your data
• Respects existing permissions, sensitivity labels, and retention policies

This makes it suitable for University and work-related information.