Microsoft to let Office users remove floating Copilot button
The tech giant is introducing a new setting that allows users to move the AI assistant’s icon to the ribbon, following feedback from Excel users who found the floating element intrusive.
Microsoft is preparing to roll out updates to its Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, that will enable users to disable or relocate a floating Copilot button. The change, scheduled for release next week, addresses longstanding user frustration regarding the interface element obstructing content, particularly within Excel spreadsheets.
The floating Copilot button, which appeared in the bottom right-hand section of documents and spreadsheets in recent weeks, has drawn significant criticism from users. In Excel, the button has been reported to obstruct cells, creating usability issues that previous adjustments failed to resolve. While Microsoft previously offered a "dock" option to reduce the button's size, it did not fully alleviate concerns about the feature's intrusiveness.
Katie Kivett, partner group product manager at Microsoft, acknowledged the need for greater user control in a statement provided to The Verge. "While we are seeing increased engagement with Copilot in Office apps with this update, we are also hearing the need for more control over how Copilot appears," Kivett said. She noted that while the long-term goal is to make Copilot more adaptive, the company is making short-term adjustments to address immediate feedback.
The new update will introduce an option to move the button to the ribbon interface. Users will access this setting by right-clicking the "Dynamic Action Button," allowing the icon to sit within the standard toolbar rather than floating over the document workspace. This provides a more permanent solution for users who wish to remove the button from their immediate view.
This adjustment follows a similar move by Microsoft last month, when the company began removing "unnecessary" Copilot buttons from various Windows 11 applications. The shift suggests a recalibration in how the tech giant integrates its artificial intelligence tools into existing software ecosystems, responding to user sentiment that the previous proliferation of buttons was more disruptive than helpful.
