Microsoft Merges Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Into a Single App

Microsoft is combining its consumer Copilot app and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app into a single application that handles both personal and work accounts, with a worldwide rollout for mobile and web versions beginning in mid-August 2026. The consolidation, detailed in an update posted to Microsoft’s support documentation, is the first structural step toward the “super app” the company has said it plans to launch later in 2026, and it ends a two-year stretch in which Microsoft shipped two separate Copilot apps that could sit side by side in the same taskbar.

The unified app keeps the “Microsoft Copilot” name but ships with a new icon, replacing the distinct icons the two apps carried until now. Functionally, it folds the consumer assistant’s chat and image creation into the same shell as the Microsoft 365 work experience.

“Starting with a fresh look, the updated app combines the best of Copilot chat and image creation, with the power of Microsoft 365 for your work,” the company said in the support post.

Under the new structure, users can open Word, Excel, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 apps and files directly from inside the Copilot app, and can sign in with a personal Microsoft account, a work or school account, or both. The two account types remain separated by design: data entered through a work account, authenticated through Microsoft’s Entra identity system, does not flow into the personal experience, and vice versa. Microsoft states that enterprise security, privacy, compliance, and administrative controls are unchanged by the merge, and that tenant-level protections continue to apply when Copilot is used with a work or school account.

What Existing Copilot Users Will See Change

The migration mechanics depend on which app a person uses now, and Microsoft has laid out the paths account by account in its documentation.

Users of the standalone consumer Copilot app will be moved to the updated version automatically, with chat history and most created content carried over. On mobile, they will need to download an updated version of the app to continue using it; on the web, they will be redirected to the updated experience without taking any action. Files shared and generated in the standalone app will be moved to OneDrive, where they can be managed through the OneDrive app or a Microsoft account sign-in.

Users of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app with a personal account will see what Microsoft describes as minor navigation and appearance changes plus the new icon, and those without a Microsoft 365 subscription gain access to Copilot chat at no extra cost. People who use both apps with a personal account will have their chats and content merged into the single updated app, though data remains separated between account types inside it. Work and school account holders see the lightest touch: the icon and name update on Windows, Mac, and mobile, with otherwise minimal changes to the experience.

Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat Retire on August 18, 2026

The consolidation comes with a feature cull. Microsoft is retiring Podcasts from Copilot, ending the ability to create or access them after August 18, 2026, though users can download individual episodes from their podcast library before then. Deep Research, the consumer app’s detailed report-generation feature, is also being retired starting August 18, 2026. Group Chat threads, messages, and content, including images generated inside group chats, will not be carried forward after that date, and Microsoft advises users to copy anything they want to keep into a document or notes app beforehand.

Some features that survive the transition may still be interrupted during it: the company cautions that capabilities such as Shopping and Copilot Health may be temporarily unavailable, or show functionality gaps, while the new version rolls out.

On pricing, the core experience stays free. Chatting, image creation, and file uploads remain available at no cost subject to capacity and usage limits, and users who hit a limit can either wait or upgrade. Higher usage limits, access to agents, and complex multi-step tasks sit behind a Microsoft 365 subscription. That two-tier structure has already drawn regulatory attention in the UK, where Microsoft faces a consumer probe over Copilot price rises reported earlier this month.

The Rollout Schedule and the Super App Behind It

Mobile and web apps begin their worldwide rollout in mid-August 2026, with the Windows and Mac apps following in mid-September 2026, according to Microsoft’s stated schedule reported by The Verge. Some Windows Insiders begin receiving the update the week of August 10, 2026.

The app merge is the consumer-facing piece of a broader consolidation. Microsoft appointed a single executive to run both the consumer and commercial sides of Copilot earlier in 2026, and the company has confirmed plans for a unified Copilot “super app” to launch later in the year. Folding the two existing apps into one shell, with one icon and one sign-in surface spanning personal and work accounts, lays the product foundation for that launch: after the September desktop rollout completes, Microsoft will for the first time have a single Copilot container on every platform it ships on.