How to Hide or Disable the Floating Copilot Icon in Excel

Published on June 11, 2026

How to Hide or Disable the Floating Copilot Icon in Excel

A recent update to Microsoft Excel has introduced a controversial new interface element: a floating Copilot button that hovers directly over active grid cells and spreadsheets. While artificial intelligence tools can offer value, placing a persistent overlay directly in the middle of active workspaces has caused widespread frustration. The giant bubble routinely blocks crucial data cells, formulas, and presentations.

To make matters worse, attempts to "dock" the icon to the side only offer temporary relief. The moment you close and reopen Excel, the button resumes its default floating position right over your data.

If this new overlay is disrupting your workflow, you are not alone. Excel users have discussed this update extensively in an active r/excel community discussion, documenting several technical workarounds. Depending on whether you use a personal Microsoft 365 account or an enterprise-managed corporate system, there are four reliable ways to hide or disable the floating icon.

Method 1: Check for the Dedicated Copilot Settings Toggle

On retail packages and some personal subscription builds (such as Version 2604 Build 16.0.19929.20086), Microsoft has included a simple local toggle to turn off the button directly.

To check if your version supports this local switch, follow these steps:

  1. Open Excel and click on File in the top menu.
  2. Select Options in the bottom left corner.
  3. Look for a dedicated Copilot tab in the sidebar menu on the left side.
  4. If you see it, click on the Copilot tab and uncheck the box labeled Enable Copilot.
  5. Save your changes and close the options panel.

Why this setting might be missing: Many corporate users and those on enterprise update channels report that this dedicated Copilot tab is completely absent from their settings menus. If your IT administrator manages your Microsoft 365 license, they may have disabled end-user control of this setting. If you do not see this tab, move to the next method.

Method 2: Disabling Connected Experiences (Personal & Unmanaged PCs)

If the dedicated toggle is missing but you are working on a personal PC or a device where you retain account control, you can hide the icon by disabling cloud-connected analytical services. Under the hood, the floating bubble relies on cloud communication to analyze active context. Blocking this access prevents Excel from rendering the button over your cells.

Follow these steps to adjust your privacy setting:

  1. Navigate to File > Account inside Excel.
  2. Under the Account Privacy section, click on Manage Settings.
  3. Scroll down through the options to reach the Connected experiences section.
  4. Locate the setting titled Turn on experiences that analyze your content and clear its checkbox.
  5. Click OK to save, and then restart Excel completely.

The catch with this workaround: Disabling analytical connected experiences stops Excel from sending analytical content to Microsoft's servers. While this effectively kills the floating Copilot button, it also acts as a blunt instrument. Disabling this setting will break other features that rely on cloud analytical connections, such as the Stocks and Geography data types or search suggestions. If you depend on those built-in lookup functions, you may want to look at other workarounds.

Method 3: The Enterprise Administration Solution (For M365 IT Admins)

For organizations where hundreds of employees are reporting blocked views due to the new overlay, client-side adjustments can be exhausting or locked down. Fortunately, enterprise administrators can disable the annoying floating pin-point center-wide.

If you are an IT administrator (or if you can pass these instructions to your IT support desk), you can remove the icon org-wide by updating the Microsoft 365 Admin Console:

  1. Log into your organization's Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  2. Navigate to the central Copilot settings area.
  3. Locate the policy entry named Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat on your dashboard.
  4. Modify this setting from its default to "Do not pin".
  5. Save the policy settings.

The crucial final step: To force Excel to read this new policy, end-users cannot simply close and reopen Excel. Community members have noted that the local software keeps the active layout pinned until local configurations reload. Users must either manually click Update License (found under Account Settings) or initiate a full reboot of the PC. Once the computer reboots, the floating Copilot bubble will be completely gone.

Method 4: Use Ken Puls' "Hide the Copilot Chiclet" Add-In

If you work on an enterprise machine where IT controls your settings and they refuse to disable Copilot org-wide, you are not entirely out of luck. Excel expert and Microsoft Office MVP Ken Puls (of Excelguru) has released a public, community-focused workaround.

Ken designed a specialized, free Excel add-in called Hide the Copilot Chiclet that programs Excel to hide the button locally.

The Technical Background behind the Add-In

According to official deployment documentation (specifically Microsoft message MC1189000), the Copilot button was transitioned from a standard element on the app menu bar to a customizable canvas item. This architectural shift is what allows the widget to float directly over active spreadsheet rows as you type. Ken Puls' add-in intercepts this canvas layout rule and suppresses the specific signal, hiding the floating chiclet in the active cells and letting you work natively on your data.

Reclaiming Your Screen Real Estate

While Excel continues to evolve, adding floating elements without a direct and universally accessible toggle can lead to severe layout frustrations. If you have been forced to write formulas blindly beneath a persistent chat icon, trying these settings can help restore your environment to its clean, grid-focused roots.

If none of these methods are accessible in your current setup, Microsoft's product design decisions are guided heavily by feedback. You can register your disapproval of the floating button directly inside Excel by navigating to Help > Feedback and submitting your comments to the development team.