Microsoft is introducing Grok to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through a restricted preview phase, offering users more AI-driven productivity tools within Microsoft 365 Copilot as it tests third-party model integrations for broader deployment.
Microsoft is preparing to add Grok to Word, Excel and PowerPoint through Microsoft 365 Copilot, widening the range of AI models available to business users. The company is initially treating the rollout as a limited preview under its Frontier programme, with Microsoft saying it will use the test phase to gather feedback and assess how people use the model before deciding whether to broaden access.
The move matters because Microsoft is not simply dropping another chatbot into its apps; it is extending model choice inside the Copilot experience. Frontier users will be able to pick Grok for productivity tasks in the core Office apps, while Microsoft has not said which specific Grok model is being used in the preview. The company has also framed the integration as part of a wider effort to expand third-party model support across Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Access will be controlled by IT administrators rather than individual users. Microsoft says admins must enable Grok before employees can use it, and its guidance for connecting external AI models explains that organisations need the right Microsoft 365 Copilot licences in place and should review the legal and data-processing terms before turning those models on. Microsoft has also added SpaceXAI to its Online Services Subprocessor List, indicating that some customer data may be processed when users select Grok, while administrators keep visibility over how that data is handled in supported Copilot experiences.
The preview will not be available in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association countries or the United Kingdom, and Microsoft has not given a timetable for those regions. The company says third-party models are subject to testing, safety checks and Responsible AI reviews before they are added to Copilot. The rollout follows a broader expansion of Microsoft’s AI features across its productivity suite, including new editing tools in SharePoint and a growing push to make Copilot more central to document creation, analysis and presentation work.
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