Microsoft makes Copilot easier to summon, harder to ignore in Office

Microsoft is "streamlining" access to Copilot within its productivity applications and updating the keyboard shortcut to activate the assistant. "We heard from many of you that you're unsure how to start engaging with Copilot," the company says, though it did not elaborate on where it had heard this. On its Microsoft 365 Copilot feedback forum, the top-voted request was for more granular agent availability controls. Awkwardly, the fifth-most-voted request at the time of writing is "Disable the M365 Copilot Floating Button in Office Apps," which called the feature "highly disruptive." One commenter stated: "Not allowing users to remove this floating bubble is beyond obnoxious." Fortunately for such refuseniks, Microsoft is going to make accessing Copilot more straightforward. First, the company is reducing the number of entry points to its assistant. There will be the Copilot icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen (hover over it to get suggestions), and a contextual entry point when users interact with content (Microsoft gives the example of selecting text). Microsoft has also updated the keyboard shortcuts for its assistant. Hitting F6 now shifts the focus to the Copilot button in the canvas, and the Up Arrow key lets users move between prompts. In addition to setting focus on the Copilot button, Alt+C will move focus to the Copilot Chat pane if it is already open. "Before you know it, Copilot will be editing your content directly from conversation," enthused Microsoft. The first user to comment on Microsoft's announcement wrote: "How to not show the icon at all? Even the docked one is really annoying." Shush you. This is all about helping the "many" users Microsoft has heard from who want to engage with Copilot. The new Copilot button and updated shortcuts are due to reach general availability in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows and Mac by early June. Mac users will need to hit Cmd + Control + I to set focus on the Copilot button. (R)