Some time ago, Microsoft Office transitioned to Microsoft 365. It evolved from being solely a suite of well-known applications (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and Publisher) to incorporating cloud services such as OneDrive, Teams, and Office on the Web. As part of this change, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows were consolidated into the Microsoft 365 app. Recently, the Microsoft 365 app has been renamed the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. This new name and icon reflect the integration of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app.

As part of the update, you can still access applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook through Microsoft 365. Alternatively, you can choose to make a one-time purchase of these programs by buying the standalone Office 2024 suite. There are no changes to the Microsoft 365 subscription plans.

The main focus now is on the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, designed to be an everyday productivity tool for both work and life. It can be used to access your Microsoft productivity tools, content, and applications all in one place. Microsoft states that it is your go-to starting point for finding, creating, sharing, and collaborating.

In the era of AI and the integration of Copilot, Microsoft 365 has become more than that. Microsoft says the rebranding reflects the new ways to collaborate with Microsoft 365 Copilot for tasks such as asking questions, creating content, and drafting documents using your personal data. The app icon and name, “Microsoft 365 Copilot,” began rolling out on January 15, 2025. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is available to users with work, school, or personal Microsoft accounts. You can download the Microsoft 365 Copilot app from the Microsoft 365 home page, the Microsoft Store on Windows, the Google Play store, and the Apple App store.

Additionally, Copilot Chat is available within the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and is promoted as your AI companion for everyday tasks. It is a conversational chat experience that provides an easy way to learn, grow, and gain confidence with the help of advanced language models.

Unlike the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Copilot Chat can also pull information from the web. It is free for work or school users who have a Microsoft 365 or Microsoft 365 Copilot license. In the future, Copilot Chat will be accessible to the primary account holder of Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions, but it will not be available for users without these subscriptions.

What do you think about Microsoft's rebranding of Office? Do you miss the old days before subscriptions and when buying the Office programs was simpler? Share your thoughts in the comments.