Microsoft debuts a more buttoned-up look for Copilot

Source: Engadget

Overview

Copilot is getting yet another visual overhaul as Microsoft reconsiders its approach to AI across Windows and its various apps. The new changes focus on the version of Copilot accessible in Microsoft 365, streamlining the AI assistant for a more consistent experience across Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Design Changes

The most striking difference in Copilot’s new look is the reduced use of color. While Copilot can still produce full‑color outputs and reference other apps by their colorful icons, the default interface is now largely black and white, emphasizing text. Microsoft says this shift aims to make the experience more readable and responsive, and to “craft intelligence that feels present but not imposing.”

Andreas Storm on X, May 28 2026

Prompt Surface and Interaction

The Microsoft 365 Copilot app and the Copilot experience inside Microsoft apps now feature a new “prompt surface” that changes size and reveals additional functions as you type:

• A plain text request yields a straightforward answer.
• Mentioning other skills (e.g., research, visualization) expands the text box to show menu options for selecting files or guiding visual responses.
• Side panels and menus collapse when not in use, keeping the interface tidy.

The AI is now available in a consistent location across all Microsoft 365 apps—a side pane that works similarly to the standalone Copilot app.

Scope of the Redesign

For now, the redesign is limited to Microsoft’s productivity software. The consumer‑focused Copilot introduced in 2024, which lives in Microsoft’s mobile app, remains bright, colorful, and occasionally “blobby.” Whether the buttoned‑up look will extend to other Copilot versions depends on Microsoft’s evolving AI strategy.

Microsoft’s AI Strategy

Microsoft is becoming more selective about where Copilot and AI features appear in Windows 11, even pulling Copilot out of certain apps. The company is also shifting its AI model lineup:

• After early investment in OpenAI and use of its GPT models, Microsoft has redefined that partnership.
• Microsoft is rolling out its own in‑house AI models and investing in other AI companies.

A visual redesign alone won’t solve all the issues Windows users have faced with Copilot, but it signals that Microsoft’s AI strategy remains very much in flux.