Microsoft Expands Free AI Features in Office Apps for Microsoft 365 Subscribers
By
Tom Warren
Plain bagel done well. Pleasantly substantive.
Summary
Microsoft is expanding free AI features in its Office apps (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for Microsoft 365 subscribers, without requiring the $30/month Copilot subscription. The company is improving Copilot Chat in Outlook to view content across entire inboxes including calendars, and adding more AI capabilities to regular Office apps starting in early 2026.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledMicrosoft is adding even more AI features to Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
A range of free additions are coming to its Office apps in early 2026 that don't require the $30 per month, per user Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Microsoft first introduced the free version of Copilot Chat into Microsoft 365 apps in September, and it's now improving how this chatbot works in Outlook.
Copilot Chat will soon be able to view content across an entire Outlook inbox, including calendar.
Microsoft is bringing more of its Office AI features to regular Microsoft 365 subscribers.
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zdnet.com·2d ago