Microsoft is merging its Copilot apps ahead of a “super app”

Microsoft has begun merging its Copilot AI assistants — the consumer and the enterprise ones — into a single app. First up for the merger are the separate Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps: both personal and work accounts will move into one program, which keeps the name “Microsoft Copilot” but gets a refreshed icon. It also puts an end to a longstanding minor annoyance — the two identical Copilot icons in the Windows system tray and taskbar will finally disappear.

According to the company, the updated app “brings together the best of Copilot chat and image generation with the Microsoft 365 capabilities for work.” All of this is being framed as a technical step on the way to a “super app” that Microsoft plans to release later this year — essentially laying the foundation for changes to come.

How and when

The global rollout of the mobile and web versions begins in mid-August, and the Windows and Mac apps will update in mid-September. Mobile app users will be prompted to download the new version, and some members of the Windows Insider program will see the changes as early as this week.

Exactly what changes depends on which app you use. Current Microsoft Copilot users will be moved to the updated version along with their chats and content. Users of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app will get minor changes to navigation, a new icon, and access to Copilot chat. If you use both apps, the data will be consolidated into one — but the chats, content, and data from your personal and work accounts will stay separated within the app.

What gets lost

Enterprise security, compliance, and governance mechanisms are unaffected. As before, you can switch between a personal Microsoft account and a work or school Microsoft Entra ID, and they remain fully isolated. Copilot's core capabilities are still free, though usage limits in the free tier may differ for some users.

Not everything will make the move to the unified app. The Podcasts and Deep Research features are being shut down and will stop working after August 18. Group chats — their threads, messages, and content — won't survive past that date either. Other services, such as Shopping and Copilot Health, may be temporarily unavailable during the rollout.

The changes come a few months after the appointment of a new Copilot lead responsible for both the consumer and enterprise sides at once. Microsoft is clearly pushing Copilot toward an enterprise interface, moving away from the distinctive design the assistant received in 2024 after Mustafa Suleyman joined the company.

Source: The Verge