How to Turn Off Copilot in Word (Windows, Mac and Admin Options)

By Mirko Peters · 2026-11-12

How to turn off Copilot in Word: the Enable Copilot checkbox on Windows and Mac, what it affects, what to do with a work account, and how admins control it.

To turn off Copilot in Word on Windows, go to File, Options, Copilot, clear the Enable Copilot checkbox, select OK and restart Word. On a Mac, the setting sits under Preferences, Authoring and Proofing Tools, Copilot. This article is for Word users who want the assistant out of the way and for admins who get that request. It shows the exact steps, what the setting does and doesn't switch off, why the checkbox may be missing with a work or school account, and which controls an admin has. The steps come from Microsoft's support article on turning off Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps.

Key points

• On Windows, go to File, Options, Copilot, clear Enable Copilot, select OK and restart Word. The checkbox exists from Word version 2412.
• On Mac, open Preferences, Authoring and Proofing Tools, Copilot and clear Enable Copilot. The checkbox exists from Word version 16.93.
• The setting is per app and per device, so Excel and PowerPoint each need their own checkbox, and everyone who uses that device is affected.
• Microsoft says you can't turn off Copilot in the iOS, Android or web versions of Word, Excel or PowerPoint.
• Removing the Copilot icon from the ribbon does not turn Copilot off, because other entry points such as the shortcut menu still work.

How to turn off Copilot in Word on Windows and Mac

Microsoft documents a checkbox for Word for Microsoft 365 on both platforms. The checkbox only exists in recent versions, so update Word first if you don't see it.

Windows

1. In Word, select File, then Options.
2. Select Copilot in the list on the left.
3. Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox.
4. Select OK, then close and restart Word.

Microsoft says the checkbox is available starting with Word version 2412. If your Word is older and the Copilot entry isn't in the Options list, update Word and look again.

Mac

1. Open the Word menu and select Preferences.
2. Select Authoring and Proofing Tools, then Copilot.
3. Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox.
4. Close and restart Word.

On the Mac, the checkbox is available starting with Word version 16.93.

When the checkbox is cleared, the Copilot icon on the ribbon is disabled, and you can't use Copilot capabilities in that app. If you want the same result in the other Office apps, the same page says each app has its own checkbox. Clearing it in Word doesn't change Excel or PowerPoint.

What the setting does and doesn't switch off

The behavior is narrower than most people expect, and Microsoft spells out the limits.

• It's per app. Turning Copilot off in Word leaves it on in Excel and PowerPoint until you clear the checkbox there too.
• It's per device. The checkbox applies to that app on that computer. If you sign in to Word on a second computer, the setting there is separate.
• It affects everyone who uses the device. Microsoft says that turning Copilot off on a device turns it off for anyone using that device. That matters on a shared PC.
• Removing the icon isn't the same thing. You can customize the ribbon and remove the Copilot icon. Microsoft states that this doesn't turn Copilot off, because Copilot remains reachable through other methods, such as the shortcut menu. If you only want a cleaner ribbon, remove the icon. If you want Copilot gone, clear the checkbox.
• Web and mobile are different. Microsoft states that you can't turn off Copilot in the iOS, Android or web versions of Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

One practical tip: after you clear the checkbox and restart Word, open a document and look at the ribbon. The icon should now be disabled. If it still looks active, check whether you changed the setting in the right app and whether Word really restarted. Closing the document isn't enough, because the whole application has to close.

Check your Word version first

If the Copilot entry doesn't show up in the Word options, the version is the first thing to check. In Word for Windows, File, then Account shows the version information. On a Mac, the About Word entry in the Word menu does the same. Compare it with the numbers above: 2412 on Windows and 16.93 on a Mac.

If your version is older, update Word first. Microsoft 365 apps update on their own schedule, and on a company PC an admin may control when updates arrive, so it's possible that your build is simply behind. Ask IT before you try to force an update on a managed machine. If your version is new enough and the entry is still missing, the likeliest cause is the account type, which the next section covers.

Turn Copilot back on later

Nothing about this setting is permanent. To bring Copilot back, open the same place in the Word options, select the Enable Copilot checkbox again and restart Word. Your documents aren't affected either way, because the setting only controls whether the Copilot features are available in the app.

The only thing to remember is the scope. If you cleared the checkbox in Word and in Excel, you need to select it again in both. That's a good reason to write down which apps you changed, especially on a shared computer where somebody else may wonder why a feature has vanished.

If the Copilot checkbox is missing or you use a work account

Microsoft's support article says that these settings aren't available when you're signed in with a work or school account. That is the most common reason people can't find the checkbox in an organization. In that case, the access to Copilot is an admin decision, not a user setting. Ask your IT team whether a license is assigned to you and whether they want to change it.

If you use a personal account and the checkbox still isn't there, Microsoft offers a fallback. Change your account privacy settings instead. On Windows, go to File, Account, Account Privacy, Manage Settings. On Mac, go to Preferences, then Personal Settings, then Privacy. Be aware of the side effect, which Microsoft names: this also turns off other features, such as text predictions in Word and automatic alt text for images. Decide whether you can live without those before you use the privacy route.

Outlook works differently. Microsoft says Outlook has a separate Turn on Copilot toggle, and that setting applies across all devices signed in with the same account. If your question is about mail and not Word, use that toggle.

What admins can do about Copilot in Word

For work and school accounts, two separate things exist, and admins often mix them up.

Licensed Copilot. Microsoft's requirements page says users need a Microsoft Copilot license plus a qualifying prerequisite license. Admins assign these licenses in the Microsoft 365 admin center. If a user shouldn't have licensed Copilot, the license assignment is the control to look at. The pages I checked describe assigning licenses and don't give a click path for removing one, so use the admin center help for that step and test with one account before you change many.

Copilot Chat. Microsoft Copilot Chat is available to users with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, and a Copilot license is not required for it. Admins decide whether Copilot Chat is pinned in the Microsoft 365 apps. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, the role needed is AI administrator, and the setting is under Copilot, then Settings, then Pin Microsoft Copilot Chat. The choices are to pin it (the recommended default) or not to pin it. Changes can take up to 48 hours. Microsoft's pinning article names Teams and Outlook as examples for the navigation bar and doesn't list Word, so don't promise your users that this setting changes Word. Users who aren't licensed can also unpin Copilot Chat themselves in their app settings.

If you manage devices and want to check what users see, test with a pilot account that has the same license and policy as the group. A policy change that works for one group may not apply to another. Document the outcome in a short note, so the next admin doesn't have to repeat the test.

Common mistakes

• Assuming one checkbox covers every app. Word, Excel and PowerPoint each have their own.
• Removing the ribbon icon and calling it done. Microsoft says Copilot stays reachable through other methods.
• Forgetting to restart Word. The change applies after you close and reopen the app.
• Searching for the checkbox in an old version. It needs Word version 2412 on Windows or 16.93 on Mac.
• Using the privacy route without knowing the cost. It also disables text predictions and automatic alt text.
• Expecting a user setting on a work account. In an organization, license and policy decide.

Related topics to explore

• Turn off Copilot in Excel and PowerPoint: the same checkbox exists in each app and needs its own click.
• Turn off Copilot in Outlook: it uses a separate Turn on Copilot toggle that follows the account across devices.
• Remove Copilot from Windows 11: the Windows app is a different product with its own uninstall and policy options.
• Licensing for admins: the Microsoft Copilot requirements and license options explain which licenses qualify.
• Copilot Chat pinning: the pinning article explains the tenant-wide setting and what users can change.

Next step

To turn off Copilot in Word, clear Enable Copilot in the Word options, restart the app, and repeat the step in Excel and PowerPoint if you want them quiet too. Microsoft's article on how to turn off Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps is the one to bookmark, and admins should ask which accounts really need a Copilot license.