Microsoft Adding Option to Remove Floating Copilot Button From Office Apps
Microsoft’s late‑May 2026 Office update lets users move the floating Copilot button to the ribbon via right‑click “Dynamic Action Button,” addressing complaints it blocked Excel cells (a dock option had made it smaller). Katie Kivett said engagement is up, but users want more control; Microsoft also cut “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from Windows 11 about a month earlier.
Microsoft is rolling out updates to its Office applications in late May 2026 that will allow users to disable a floating Copilot button that has drawn complaints since its introduction in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
The button, which floats above the bottom-right section of documents and spreadsheets, has been particularly frustrating for Excel users because it obstructs cells and could not be fully disabled. Microsoft already offered a dock option to make the button smaller, but the upcoming update goes further — users will be able to move the button to the ribbon entirely, removing it from its floating position over documents. The option will appear when users right-click the “Dynamic Action Button.”
“While we are seeing increased engagement with Copilot in Office apps with this update, we are also hearing the need for more control over how Copilot appears,” said Katie Kivett, partner group product manager at Microsoft. “While one of our goals is to evolve Copilot to be more adaptive and flexible over time, we are making some adjustments in the short term.”
The change comes roughly a month after Microsoft also began removing what it described as “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from various Windows 11 apps, suggesting the company may be reassessing how prominently it surfaces Copilot across its software products.
For Office users who have found the floating button disruptive to their workflow, the update offers a more manageable alternative — keeping Copilot accessible via the ribbon without it overlapping document content.