Copilot Chat
The baseline AI chat that comes with eligible Microsoft 365 licences. It answers from the web and from content a user supplies, while automatic access to emails, files, meetings and calendars through Microsoft Graph comes only with the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on.
What it means in practice
The Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot comparison explains that Microsoft describes three licence positions, not two, and only the Premium one needs the add-on. An administrator can decide whether Copilot Chat is pinned in the Microsoft 365 app, whether users can generate images, how agents are created and whether web search grounding is allowed. Because the add-on is a licence held by one user, an organisation can start on Copilot Chat and give the add-on first to the roles that need it.
How we use it
The Using Copilot Chat course is built for organisations whose licence covers Copilot Chat only, with no Office integration. It covers what Work Mode and Web Mode are grounded in and why that matters, how to write prompts that hold up and how to set prompts running on a schedule. It works as a follow-on from Copilot Essentials or on its own.
FAQ
Questions about Copilot Chat
Is Copilot Chat Safe to use with Business Data?
The comparison reports Microsoft's statement that Copilot Chat is covered by Enterprise Data Protection when staff sign in with a work account. Several entry points also accept a personal account, and a personal sign-in is outside that protection, so a business should confirm staff use work accounts.
Copilot Chat vs Microsoft 365 Copilot: Which does your business need?
Does Copilot Chat see my company's Emails and Documents?
Not automatically. The comparison cites Microsoft's documentation that Copilot Chat cannot use organisational data through Microsoft Graph. It works with what you paste, upload or have open in Outlook and Teams, or with an agent given access.
Copilot Chat vs Microsoft 365 Copilot: Which does your business need?
What it means for a Business
Copilot Chat is the licence most organisations actually hold, so it is often where Copilot work starts. Microsoft states that it is covered by Enterprise Data Protection when staff sign in with a work account; a personal sign-in falls outside that protection.
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