Differences & Benefits

Copilot Chat vs. M365 Copilot

As Microsoft continues to expand its AI-powered tools, many people are encountering both Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot—two powerful assistants with distinct roles. While they share the "Copilot" name and are both designed to boost productivity, they serve different purposes and are integrated into different parts of the Microsoft ecosystem. Understanding the key differences between them can help you make the most of each tool and choose the right one for your specific needs.

What's the difference?

COPILOT CHAT 

Like a clever and resourceful assistant you can talk to—kind of like chatting with a helpful coworker who knows a lot about Microsoft tools, your files, and even your work tasks. You can ask it questions, get help with writing, summarize documents, or brainstorm ideas—all in a conversational way, right inside Microsoft apps or a web chat window.

copilot-logo (1)

MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT 

A premium license, offering fully integrated AI experience that enhances productivity across Microsoft 365 apps using your work content. Copilot Chat is included in M365 Copilot.

Copilot - apps

How do I know which version I have?

COPILOT CHAT 

If you have Copilot CHAT, you will see the Copilot logo in the center of the page and a few tiles below that provide ways of using the chat assistant.

Copilot Chat Access

MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT 

If you hold a full M365 Copilot license, when you arrive at the Copilot landing page, you'll see a ‘Work’ and ‘Web’ toggle at the top of the window.

The green checkmark at the top of your Copilot Chat page is the ‘private & secure’ indicator. It indicates that you are using the Commercial or Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) version Copilot. This version is designed to protect your data and comply with organizational privacy and security standards.

You'll also see the Copilot logo appear in M365 apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. 

M365 Enterprise Screenshot

Side-by-side comparison: Copilot CHAT vs M365 Copilot

FEATURE 

COPILOT CHAT 

MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT 

ACCESS 
  • Included with many M365 business subscriptions. Accessible through an Edge browser or Microsoft Teams. 
  • Requires a M365 Copilot add-on license. Accessible within most M365 apps. 

DATA SOURCES 
  • Web-based responses (web-grounded) 
  • Work-based responses (work-grounded): emails, meetings, files, chats 

INTEGRATION 
  • Standalone chat experience via m365copilot.com or pinned in Teams/Outlook 
  • Deeply integrated into M365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint 

USE CASES 
  • General productivity, task automation, Q&A, research, summarization, start a first draft, brainstorm, learn something new, offer a new perspective 
  • Advanced document creation, meeting insights, email drafting, data analysis, and more 

SECURITY 
  • Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) with Entra sign-in; All your searches and data remain securely contained within your organization's tenant 
  • Same as Copilot Chat 

BEST FOR 
  • Anyone needing a smart assistant for general tasks 
  • Power users and professionals who want AI embedded in their daily workflow 

 

Learn about the benefits of each version of Copilot and explore some simple use cases to get you started. 

Copilot CHAT

Copilot Chat is more than just a basic AI assistant—it's a powerful, secure, and cost-effective way to bring the benefits of AI to your workday.

It's Highly Capable

  • It can summarize content, generate ideas, automate tasks, and answer complex questions—all within a secure, enterprise-grade environment. It’s a robust tool that meets the needs of most users right out of the gate.

It Builds AI Readiness

  • It helps you get started with AI in the workplace, develop effective prompting skills, and build confidence using generative tools—laying the foundation for broader Copilot adoption.

It's a Safer Alternative to BYOAI (bring your own AI)

  • For anyone tempted to bring their own AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, Copilot Chat offers a far more secure, compliant, and integrated alternative—keeping our data protected and secure. It is built with enterprise-grade security, ensuring your data stays protected and compliant with your organization’s policies.

 

M365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot unlocks the full potential of AI by embedding it directly into the tools your teams use every day—Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and more.

Unlock Deep Integration with Work Content

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot goes beyond general AI assistance. It’s work-grounded, meaning it can access and reason over your: emails, meetings, documents, chats and calendars

Supercharge Productivity in Core Apps

  • With Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can turns everyday tasks into high-impact, low-effort workflows such as: drafting documents and emails in seconds, summarizing meetings and suggest action items, analyzing data and generate visualizations in Excel, and creating presentations from outlines or documents.

Improves Efficiency

  • It’s not just a tool—it’s a productivity multiplier. People that adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot report time savings for themselves and across departments which means people can concentrate on higher-value tasks, as well as higher quality outputs and reduced cognitive loads.

Built on Microsoft’s Security and Compliance

  • Just like Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot is built with enterprise-grade security, ensuring your data stays protected and compliant with your organization’s policies.

Use Cases: Copilot CHAT

Ask General Knowledge Questions

Learn something new or get a quick explanation.

Prompt:
"What’s the difference between a project plan and a project charter?"

Rephrase Text or Translate

Make your writing clearer or translate it into another language.

Prompt:
“Can you rewrite this paragraph so that it no more than 2 sentences and has a positive tone”

Summarize Web Content

Paste in text from a website or article & get a quick summary.

Prompt:
"Here’s a long article I found—can you summarize the main points? [insert URL]"

Get Help Writing or Editing Text

Improve your writing or generate content.

Prompt:
“Can you help me write a short LinkedIn post about starting a new job?”

Brainstorm Ideas

Come up with new or creative ideas.

Prompt:
"Help me plan for my upcoming quarterly goal setting meeting. I'm a Marketing Coordinator and have been with the company for 5 years."

Practice Conversations

Prepare for an upcoming meeting or improve communication skills.

Prompt:
"Can you ask me 3 common questions I might be asked by my manager in my performance review?"

Use Cases: M365 Copilot

Summarize a Document

Quickly understand the key points of a long Word document or PDF. 

Prompt:
"Can you summarize this document for me in a few bullet points?"

Draft an Email or Message

Save time by having Copilot write a professional email or Teams message.

Prompt:
"Write a friendly follow-up email to a client asking for an update on the project status."

Turn a Document into a Presentation

Save time converting key concepts into a PowerPoint including speaker notes.

Prompt:
Create a 5-slide presentation summarizing this document for a team meeting."

Summarize Project Progress 

Ask Copilot to summarize overall project tasks or status based on a Planner board. 

Prompt:
"Summarize the current status of our marketing campaign plan. Which tasks are overdue, in progress, or completed?"

Instantly Draft Documents

Start a first draft of a proposal or report based on a short prompt or existing content.

Prompt:
"Draft a two-page project proposal for launching a new internal newsletter."

Summarize Long Email Threads

Catch up on long email chains quickly with a summary and suggested replies.

Prompt:
"Summarize this email thread and suggest a response confirming the meeting."

Recap Meetings Automatically

Get meeting notes, action items, and key decisions--even if you missed the meeting.

Prompt:
"What were the main takeaways from yesterday’s product sync?"

Summarize & Organize Collaborative Work

Turn messy notes or brainstorming into structured plans or summaries.

Prompt:
"Summarize this brainstorming session into key themes and next steps."

Summarize & Organize Collaborative Work

Turn messy notes or brainstorming into structured plans or summaries.

Prompt:
"Summarize this brainstorming session into key themes and next steps."

 

Copilot: the secure choice for many.

We get it! AI security is top of mind for many these days. Copilot is your AI assistant, secured by Microsoft to keep your data safe and compliant. 

 

 

YOUR DATA STAYS SAFE

When you use Copilot, you don’t have to worry about accidentally sharing sensitive company information with public AI tools. 

Everything stays within your Microsoft 365 environment, and you know it meets Microsoft’s strict security and compliance standards.

NO NEED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE

Before Copilot, you may have had to search for your own AI tools to get work done faster. 

You now have a secure, supported AI tool that’s powerful and trusted by your  organization.

A SEAMLESS MICROSOFT EXPERIENCE

Using Copilot helps you get comfortable with the tools and workflows that are part of the broader M365 Copilot experience.  It can make your transition smoother and more consistent across the apps you already use

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