Turn off Copilot Summary in Word Documents

Question

Turn off Copilot Summary in Word Documents

Robert Smith 25

How do I turn off the Copilot summary at the top of word documents

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hendrix-V 20,225 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Robert Smith,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Currently, Copilot summary is part of the integrated Copilot experience in Word, and while there isn’t a single global switch to disable it completely, you can manage or hide it in a few ways:

1 - Collapse or Close the Copilot Pane

In Word, click the collapse arrow or the X in the top-right corner of the Copilot pane. This hides the summary without turning off Copilot entirely.

2 - Disable Copilot Add-in

Go to File > Options > Add-ins, then under Manage, select COM Add-ins. If Copilot is listed, uncheck it to disable Copilot features in Word.

3 - Manage Privacy Settings

Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Connected Experiences to adjust how Copilot interacts with your content.

If you’re using a Microsoft 365 subscription managed by your organization, Copilot settings may be controlled by your admin. You can request changes through your IT team or admin center.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Hendrix-V 20,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-20T23:31:47.8966667+00:00

Hi,

I just wanted to follow up and check if the information I provided was helpful. If you have any further questions or updates regarding this issue, please feel free to let me know in the Comments section. I'd be happy to assist you.
Dennis 30 Reputation points

2026-02-18T17:33:47.02+00:00

These solutions don't work. There needs to be a "Setting" or menu option (copilot panes "..." menu) to toggle it on /off
KLAMER Jan 30 Reputation points

2026-02-26T13:29:31.4133333+00:00

highly intrusive to have valuable screen-space kidnapped by an application you have little control over (other then turn off completely).
Lee Donahue 20 Reputation points

2026-03-06T13:40:04.86+00:00

More garbage from Microslop. Can't even do my work anymore because of all these useless "features." Thanks for nothing.
Jim Leatzow 15 Reputation points

2026-05-11T13:09:50.5233333+00:00

These people seem to have forgotten who their customers are that pay their salaries. They never seem to ask users their opinions before implementing new "stuff" (being polite here) that we as the user/customer has to waste time researching in order to turn it off. They could offer a switch on the toolbar but no, that would be too easy to turn off their idea of a new & better way to do things. I am sick of their dictatorial philosophy.
yafrst 5 Reputation points

2026-07-28T14:10:26.1266667+00:00

None of these option work. Every time some new features are added it's a pain because in majority they are useless like additional editing buttons that are a waste of space. Same situation with the "summary by copilot" that MS is shoving down the users throat. No way to get rid of it. The space is limited, the use of it even more limited.
Aidan 5 Reputation points

2026-07-31T14:15:31.7333333+00:00
I do not see the Copilot pane on my screen. Not sure where that would be.

Copilot is not listed when I view my COM add-ins

I turned connected experiences off but that did not solve the issue.
Shuman, Deborah 0 Reputation points

2026-08-27T22:14:01.32+00:00

There's no X in the top right corner of the Copilot pane, and there's no Copilot in the COM add-ins. This is why it's so incredibly annoying to get instructions that bear no semblance to reality. I don't know why this has to be forced on users.
BuddyY 0 Reputation points

2026-10-16T13:06:20.1333333+00:00

The "collapse button" just reduces the size of the summary, does not remove it entirely. I do want copilot enabled for help in writing the document, but really do not need any sort of AI summary of a document I am in the middle of writing. It's distracting and just eats up real estate at the top of the window. Bah. There really, (really, really, really) needs to be an 'off' switch for the summary on it's own, without disabling the rest of copilot. Honestly, I have yet to open a document where I've used the summary for anything at all -

Answer 2

To turn off the Copilot summary feature in Word documents, you can hide the summary that appears when you open a document. However, specific steps to disable it completely are not detailed in the provided context. It is suggested that you may need to wait for updates or check your settings for any options related to Copilot features.

If the summary is distracting, you can try to hide it or look for updates that may address this issue, as updates can sometimes change how features behave.

References: