Microsoft consolidates consumer and Microsoft 365 Copilot into unified app with feature reductions

Microsoft is merging its consumer Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps into a single interface across multiple platforms, introducing significant feature changes and a streamlined experience in a move towards broader product unification.

Microsoft is bringing its consumer Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps together in a single interface, in a move that underlines how quickly the company is consolidating its AI products around one branded experience. The change will begin on mobile and web in mid-August, before extending to Windows and Mac in mid-September, according to Microsoft and coverage from Windows Central. Personal, work and school accounts will all use the same app, but chats, files and other content will remain separated by account type.

The most immediate changes start on 18 August, when Microsoft will retire the Podcasts feature from consumer Copilot. The company says previously created podcasts will no longer be accessible after that date. Deep Research is also being wound down in the consumer app, with Microsoft directing users to Researcher instead. According to Microsoft support pages and reporting by Thurrott, Researcher will remain available to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers, while Personal and Family users will still be able to reach earlier reports through chat history.

Not every feature is disappearing in the same way. Microsoft says Group Chats will not transfer into the updated experience, and The Verge has reported that existing threads, messages and shared content will not move across, which means users may need to save anything important before the cutover. Mico, the animated voice character introduced last year, is also being shifted away from standard Copilot Voice and into the company’s Learn Live experience. Microsoft has also warned that Copilot Health may be temporarily unavailable during parts of the rollout.

The unification does not merge consumer and enterprise identities. Microsoft says its existing security, compliance and governance controls will continue to apply, and Entra work and school accounts will remain separate from personal Microsoft accounts. For administrators, the more pressing task is likely to be identifying workflows that depend on the retiring features and preparing users for the new layout and account behaviour before the desktop rollout reaches full scale in September.

The wider strategy is consistent with Microsoft’s recent approach to Copilot in other products. The company already folded its separate Edge Copilot Mode into the browser earlier this year, and chief executive Satya Nadella outlined a broader Copilot “super app” vision on 29 July, according to Microsoft and industry reporting. For now, though, the immediate focus is on the product simplification already under way: one app, fewer consumer features, and a clearer line between what remains free and what is being pushed towards paid tiers.