How to disable Copilot in Microsoft Word

Disable Copilot in Microsoft Word for macOS

This method may work. If it does not, use the alternate, brute-force method below.

• Start Word. From the top-line Word menu, go to Preferences, then Privacy.
• Click Manage Connected Experiences.
• Clear the checkbox next to "Turn on all connected experiences." Ignore the warning message. Click OK.
• Close the Preferences menu, and quit Word.
• Make absolutely certain that you have quit Word, then restart it.
• From the top-line Word menu, go to Preferences, then Copilot.
• Clear the checkbox next to Enable Copilot, and click OK.

This method disables many features in Word that you probably do not want anyway; details here.

Alternate, brute-force method. This is not my discovery: it was reported by Jimi Odell, a contributor to the Microsoft Community forum.

• Open Word for macOS.
• From the top-line menu, use Help->Check for Updates. In the application window that opens, clear the checkbox that enables automatic updates. Quit Word,
• Drag the Word app from your Applications folder to the Trash.
• Open this page:

  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac

• Scroll down to "September 17, 2024 16.89.1 (24091630)".
• Click on "Word" to download the update installer to your Downloads folder.
• Find the update installer in your Downloads folder and run it to install this older version of Word.
• Open Word. You may need to quit it and then open it again, but Copilot will not be present.

When Microsoft releases a new version of Word that allows you to disable Copilot, you can resume automatic updates. Until then, you may need to ignore and close the application that offers to update Microsoft Office.

Disable Copilot in Microsoft Word for Windows

• Open Word for Windows.
• From the File menu, choose Options (it will be near the bottom of the window on the left-hand side).
• Click Copilot on the left-hand menu.
• Clear the checkbox next to Enable Copilot.
• Click OK.

Disable Copilot in browser-based Word

If you know how to disable Copilot in Word running inside a web browser, please let me know. All publicly-available methods seem to have to relation to reality.

This method may perhaps work after your current subscription renews, but I am unable to test it.

Edward Mendelson (edward [dot] mendelson [at] columbia [dot] edu)