Microsoft adds free Copilot Chat to Microsoft 365 apps

Microsoft is making a free version of the Copilot Chat capability available to all Microsoft 365 users, although more premium features will be locked behind a subscription. The Chat window will now appear in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote, allowing users to query a document, create images, and more. Microsoft is also integrating GPT-5 into the Copilot experience. Licensed Copilot users will gain access to Researcher and Analyst agents within Copilot, helping them explore ideas, analyze data, and accelerate their work. The Copilot Pro plan, priced at $20 per user per month, includes "extensive usage" limits, access to various models, and advanced research tools. It also adds project-specific notebooks, an AI design studio for branded images, and AI "agents" that can pursue tasks on the user's behalf. While the free Copilot chat introduces a new syntax, allowing users to type a "/" key and then search for what they need, there are also free alternatives available for those who don't want to add Copilot to their system.