Microsoft merges Copilot apps into one, removes underused AI features, and simplifies the experience to compete with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Microsoft is bringing its two Copilot apps together into one. The company is merging its consumer Copilot app with its business-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app. At the same time, it is removing several AI features that did not work well. This matters because it shows Microsoft is rethinking its whole AI strategy after two years of heavy investment.
The change began rolling out on August 13, 2026. It combines chat, image generation, and Microsoft 365 tools like Word, Excel, and Outlook into one app. Users will be able to switch between personal and work accounts without opening separate apps. The new app will simply be called “Microsoft Copilot.”
Several features will disappear for general users by August 18, 2026. These include Group Chats, AI-generated podcasts, and experimental tools from Copilot Labs. The Deep Research feature is also being dropped, though paying business users can use a replacement called Researcher. Microsoft’s animated character, known as Mico, is being retired too.
Group Chats will be completely deleted on August 18, along with any shared messages and images inside them. Microsoft has told users to copy anything they want to keep before that date. Files created in the old standalone Copilot app will be moved over to OneDrive. Microsoft warns that some features may briefly vanish during the switch.
Jacob Andreou, the Microsoft executive who oversees Copilot, explained the thinking in an internal memo in July. He said Copilot needs to earn the “right to exist” in people’s daily lives. To do that, he said, the company must remove features that simply are not working for users.
Microsoft says running two separate apps made things too complicated. Personal and workplace AI use increasingly overlap, so keeping them apart no longer made sense. It also put Copilot at a disadvantage against strong rivals like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. This mirrors a wider trend, as Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google have all recently combined similar tools into single apps.
In short, Microsoft is simplifying Copilot to make it more competitive. The company is trading a scattered set of tools for one combined app. Analysts see this as part of a bigger plan, with reports suggesting Microsoft may build an even larger “Super App” later this quarter. For now, users should expect a smoother app, but also the loss of a few features they may have grown used to.
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