Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot Review: A Wide Assistant With Plan-Gated Extras

What the free app covers before Microsoft 365 at $9.99 a month

Microsoft calls the free version limited and dependent on available capacity: chat, image creation and file uploads work until a limit is hit, then the app offers an upgrade or asks you to return later. The paid route is a Microsoft 365 plan, not a Copilot-only subscription. Personal is $9.99 a month with 1 TB of storage, Family is $12.99 and Premium is $19.99, each with a one-month trial; prices are regional, so check the offer in the app. On Personal and Family, voice, camera vision and image generation stay at standard usage, and a six-person Family plan gives its AI benefits to the owner alone.

Cowork: finished files and drafted emails, still in preview

Cowork is what separates the app from a plain chatbot. You describe a job, and it builds Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF files, drafts and sends email, manages your calendar and OneDrive files, or reruns a prompt on a schedule. The store screenshots show a progress list (searching email, reviewing Teams chats, creating an email draft) ending in a Send Email sheet with Cancel and Send buttons, so sensitive actions wait for approval. On personal accounts Cowork is labeled Preview and needs an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. It cannot reach files on the phone or delete OneDrive files, and Microsoft warns that vague instructions get misread.

Why Word, Excel and PowerPoint files now open in other apps

Microsoft's support page says editing Word, Excel and PowerPoint files inside the mobile app is discontinued. For subscribers, opening a file gives a preview with Copilot Chat for questions; editing sends you to the matching Office app, and the full file list sends you to OneDrive, while the Search tab keeps only recent files. New documents start in Chat: describe the file, and Copilot returns a download link that opens in the Office app. Another Microsoft update page lists Podcasts, Deep Research and Group chat as retiring features. Several Google Play reviewers say local files no longer open directly.

Ad personalization, Edge import and what the privacy label lists

Without a Microsoft 365 subscription, Microsoft says users might see advertising in the app. Generic ads follow the current conversation, while personalized ones can draw on chat history and saved memories; the Allow ads personalization switch under Settings, then Personalization, turns that off, and accounts under 18 never get personalized ads. Toggles on the same screen cover Saved memories, web search and shared experiences with Bing, Edge and MSN. US accounts can also import Edge cookies, history, passwords and autofill data. On iPhone, the privacy label lists location, contacts and user content as data linked to you. Google Play lists camera, microphone and precise location permissions.