Does Office 2024 have Copilot? No. Office 2024 and Office LTSC 2024 are one-time purchase versions that do not include Copilot, and Microsoft does not add it through updates. Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook needs a Microsoft 365 subscription. You can still use Microsoft's separate Copilot app in a browser alongside Office 2024.
| Option | Copilot inside Office apps? | How you pay (US list, November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Office 2024 / Office LTSC 2024 | No | One-time purchase |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | Yes, 60 AI credits a month | $99.99 a year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | Yes, owner only, 60 AI credits a month | $129.99 a year |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | Yes, much higher limits for the owner | $199.99 a year |
| Microsoft 365 business plans | Copilot Chat in the apps, no extra licence | Per user subscription |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) | Yes, full Copilot across work data | Add-on licence per user |
Does Office 2024 include Copilot?
No, Office 2024 does not include Copilot. Neither the consumer editions (Office Home 2024 and Home & Business 2024) nor the business editions (Office LTSC Standard and Professional Plus 2024) contain Copilot features, and Microsoft does not add new features to them after release. Copilot in the Office apps is reserved for Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Microsoft's Office LTSC 2024 overview says the release does not include the cloud-backed features of Microsoft 365 Apps, so users "don't have access to real-time collaboration, AI-driven automation" and similar tools. When Office LTSC 2024 launched in September 2024, Microsoft also stated it cannot be used with Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Microsoft's own Office Home & Business 2024 product page lists the apps and the one-PC-or-Mac licence, and promotes Copilot only as part of Microsoft 365 plans.
Why doesn't Microsoft add Copilot to Office 2024?
Copilot runs in Microsoft's cloud and is tied to a subscription that pays for ongoing AI usage, while Office 2024 is a perpetual product that is "locked in time" and receives security and quality updates only. Adding Copilot would mean giving one-time buyers a continuing cloud service with running costs and no recurring payment, which Microsoft's licensing model does not do.
Copilot features also depend on cloud storage. Copilot in Excel, for example, requires AutoSave, which means the workbook must be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, a service that comes with Microsoft 365 rather than with Office 2024.
Cause and effect: the same design that makes Office 2024 stable and subscription-free, with no feature changes for five years, is what keeps Copilot out of it. You cannot have a fixed feature set and a constantly evolving AI assistant in the same product.
Which Microsoft plans include Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
For home users, Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium include Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. For businesses, Microsoft 365 business plans include Copilot Chat inside the apps without an extra licence, while full Microsoft 365 Copilot, which can work across your emails, meetings and files, is a paid add-on.
- Personal: Copilot for one person with 60 AI credits a month, according to Microsoft's Understanding AI credits page. Each AI action, such as drafting text or creating a table, uses one credit.
- Family: the same 60 credits, but only the subscription owner can use Copilot; shared members get the apps without AI. Our Microsoft 365 Family vs Personal guide explains the sharing rules.
- Premium: launched in late 2025 to replace Copilot Pro, with much higher AI limits for the owner and US list pricing of $199.99 a year at the time of writing.
- Business plans: Microsoft began rolling out free Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote for business users in September 2025, as reported by Petri.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: the full work assistant, listed at $30 per user per month, with a lower-priced Copilot Business option for organisations of up to 300 users.
Microsoft's Copilot in Microsoft 365 subscriptions FAQ covers the home plans, including which apps use AI credits.
Can I add Copilot to Office 2024?
No. There is no add-on, update or upgrade path that adds Copilot to the Office 2024 desktop apps. If you want Copilot inside Word or Excel, you need to move to a Microsoft 365 subscription, which installs the Microsoft 365 Apps version of Office in place of Office 2024 on that computer.
What you can do is use Copilot next to Office 2024. Microsoft's free Copilot app and website work like any other AI chat tool: you can paste text in, ask for a summary or a rewrite, and paste the result back into your Office 2024 document.
What we commonly see: users sign in to Office 2024 with a Microsoft account that also has a Microsoft 365 trial or Family invitation, then wonder why Copilot appears in one app and not another. The licence that activated the installed apps decides which features appear, not the account you happen to be signed in with.
Does Office 2024 have any AI features at all?
Office 2024 has no generative AI features. It does include long-standing assistance tools that work without Copilot, such as built-in spelling and grammar checking, Flash Fill and Recommended Charts in Excel, and Dictate in Word. These are helpers that predate Copilot, and none of them uses AI credits or a subscription.
The improvements in Office 2024 are mostly practical. Excel adds dynamic charts that update with dynamic arrays, new text and array functions and the IMAGE function; Outlook gets faster search; and PowerPoint adds Cameo and a recording studio.
Our Office 2024 vs Office 2021 comparison lists these changes app by app if you are deciding whether the upgrade is worth it.
Is Office 2024 or Microsoft 365 better if I want AI?
If AI features in Word, Excel and Outlook are important to you, Microsoft 365 is the only Microsoft option, because Office 2024 will never include Copilot. If you mainly write documents, manage spreadsheets and send email, and use AI occasionally in a browser, Office 2024 avoids a recurring bill and still covers everyday work fully.
| You value most | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Copilot drafting, summarising and analysing inside the apps | Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium |
| No subscription, fixed feature set until 2029 | Office 2024 |
| Offline use without regular sign-in checks | Office 2024 |
| 1 TB or more of cloud storage and Teams calling | Microsoft 365 |
| Business email with Exchange Online plus AI | Microsoft 365 business plans |
The cost side of this decision is covered in our Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 five-year cost guide, which takes the July 2026 business price rise into account.
How long will Office 2024 be supported without Copilot?
Office 2024 receives security updates until 9 October 2029, and it will stay without Copilot for that whole period. Microsoft's support for the one-time versions covers fixes, not new features, so the product you install now is the product you will have in 2029, minus any security vulnerabilities patched along the way.
That five-year window, and why there is no extended support, is explained in our guide to the Office 2024 end-of-support date.
Advanced nuance: Microsoft could, in principle, include AI features in a future perpetual release. Nothing has been announced, and any such features would almost certainly depend on a Microsoft account and cloud usage limits. Buy Office 2024 for what it does today, not for features that might appear in a later version.
Who should buy Office 2024 instead of a Copilot plan?
Office 2024 suits people and small businesses who want the classic desktop apps on one computer, prefer to pay once, and do not need AI built into their documents. It also suits organisations with privacy or compliance rules that restrict sending document content to cloud AI services, since Office 2024 has no Copilot to disable or govern.
For a single Windows PC, Office 2024 Professional Plus includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Access. For a Mac or PC with commercial use rights, Office 2024 Home & Business is the alternative. See the current prices on each product page.
If you later decide you want Copilot, nothing stops you from moving to Microsoft 365. Your .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files open the same way in both.
Frequently asked questions
Is Copilot free in Word and Excel?
Not for home users on Office 2024. Copilot inside Word and Excel requires Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium at home, with a monthly AI credit allowance. Business users on Microsoft 365 business plans get Copilot Chat in the apps at no extra cost, while the full Microsoft 365 Copilot assistant is a paid per-user add-on.
Can I turn off Copilot in Microsoft 365 if I don't want it?
Yes. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps include a setting to turn Copilot off, according to Microsoft's Copilot FAQ. Some apps, such as Designer, Notepad and Paint, do not offer that switch. Existing Personal and Family subscribers may also be offered Classic plans without Copilot, but these are not sold to new customers.
Does Office 2021 have Copilot?
No. Office 2021 never included Copilot, and its support ended on 13 October 2026, so it receives no further updates of any kind. Like Office 2024, it is a perpetual version with a fixed feature set. Copilot has only ever been delivered through Microsoft 365 subscriptions and Microsoft's standalone Copilot apps.
Will Copilot work in Office 2024 if I sign in with a Microsoft 365 account?
No. Signing in to Office 2024 with an account that has a Microsoft 365 subscription does not add Copilot to the Office 2024 apps. To get Copilot, you need to uninstall Office 2024 and install the Microsoft 365 Apps from your subscription, which then activate with that account instead of the Office 2024 product key.
Does Office LTSC 2024 Professional Plus include Copilot for business?
No. Office LTSC 2024 Professional Plus is a volume-licensed perpetual edition without Copilot, and Microsoft said at launch that it cannot be used with Copilot for Microsoft 365. Organisations that want Copilot need Microsoft 365 Apps through a qualifying Microsoft 365 business or enterprise subscription.
Related guides
- Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365: which is cheaper over 5 years?
- How long will Office 2024 be supported?
- Office 365 lifetime licence explained
- Office 2024 Home & Business vs Professional Plus
Links in this guide
| Link | Type | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Office LTSC 2024 overview | External | Microsoft confirms no AI-driven features or new features |
| Understanding AI credits | External | Monthly credit allowances for home plans |
| Copilot Chat in Microsoft 365 apps (Petri) | External | Free Copilot Chat for business users |
| Copilot in Microsoft 365 subscriptions FAQ | External | Which home plans include Copilot |
| Microsoft 365 Family vs Personal | Internal | Owner-only Copilot on Family |
| Office 2024 vs Office 2021 | Internal | Non-AI features new in Office 2024 |
| Office 2024 vs Microsoft 365 cost | Internal | Five-year cost comparison |
| Office 2024 end-of-support date | Internal | Support window until 2029 |
| Office 2024 Professional Plus | Internal | Perpetual Office for one Windows PC |
| Office 2024 Home & Business | Internal | Perpetual Office for PC or Mac |