Microsoft Copilot Models in Detail: GPT-5.6, Claude and the Copilot Variants Explained
Anyone who looks more closely at Microsoft Copilot quickly runs into a problem: the name “Copilot” is used for several, technically different products, which also don’t all use the same AI model. Anyone wanting to understand why a request in Word is sometimes answered differently than the same question in Windows Copilot needs to take a look under the hood. This article sorts out the most important Copilot variants, explains the models each one uses, and uses concrete examples to show what each tier is suited for in everyday use.
Why “Copilot” is not just “Copilot”
Microsoft has deliberately turned the name Copilot into an umbrella brand, similar to how other companies do with brands for entire product families. Behind the surface, however, the variants differ considerably: in the data they have access to, in the language model used, and in the security and privacy commitments that apply to each.
Copilot in Windows
The variant integrated into the taskbar is primarily a general-purpose chat for everyday questions, research and simple writing tasks. It has no direct access to internal company documents or emails and is therefore functionally closer to a classic chatbot than a genuine office assistant.
Microsoft 365 Copilot (Business and Enterprise)
This variant is the actual business version. It is connected, via the so-called Microsoft Graph interface, to the documents, emails, calendar entries and chats that the respective user already has access to. This allows it, for example, to create a summary that is actually based on a team’s real project files, rather than merely reflecting general world knowledge. This connection is the decisive technical difference from all other Copilot variants.
Microsoft 365 Premium (successor to Copilot Pro)
The tier intended for private users and self-employed people brings full Copilot features into personal Office applications, but without the deep connection to a company network with many users that the Business variant offers. It is aimed at individuals, not teams.
GitHub Copilot: its own product line
For completeness, it should be mentioned that GitHub Copilot is a standalone product for software developers that assists with writing program code. It shares only the brand name and part of the underlying technology with the other Copilot variants, but is aimed at a completely different target group and is mentioned here only for context.
Which AI models are really behind it
For a long time, practically the entire Copilot family ran exclusively on models from OpenAI. That changed in 2026. In July 2026, Microsoft and OpenAI announced that the new model GPT-5.6 would become the preferred model for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the new Copilot workspaces. The model is specifically optimized for knowledge work and is meant to work more efficiently than its predecessors on more complex, multi-step tasks.
At the same time, Microsoft has broadened its strategy and, since 2025, has also offered models from Anthropic in Microsoft 365 Copilot. In practice, administrators in many enterprise environments can now select or restrict which model is used for which application. This is an important difference from pure single-model providers: technically, Copilot works more like a switchboard that mediates between several models in the background, rather than like a single, unchanging language model.
Anyone who asks “which model does Copilot use” no longer gets a simple answer in 2026. The more accurate question is: which model is Copilot currently using for this particular task, and can that be changed in the settings.
Comparison table of the Copilot variants
| Variant | Approximate price | Target group | Underlying model | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot in Windows | Free | All Windows users | OpenAI models, simplified version | No access to your own files or emails |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | approx. 20 euros/month | Private users, self-employed | OpenAI models including GPT-5.6 | Full Office integration, no company network |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business | approx. 21 to 22 euros/user/month | Small and medium-sized businesses | GPT-5.6 preferred, selectable add-on models | Access to company documents via Microsoft Graph |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise | approx. 30 euros/user/month | Larger organizations | GPT-5.6, plus selectable Anthropic models | Extended controls, “agents” (AI building blocks that independently carry out multi-step tasks for a department) |
| GitHub Copilot (for context) | from 0 euros, Pro tiers from approx. 10 euros/month | Software developers | Various specialized code models | Standalone developer tool, not intended for office work |
Practical examples of use from everyday office life
Example 1: Handling an email flood in Outlook
A case worker returns from a two-week absence and finds over 200 unread emails. Copilot summarizes long threads, flags emails requiring direct action, and suggests ready-made reply drafts for routine inquiries. Instead of opening every message individually, the employee gets an overview within a few minutes.
Example 2: Meeting summary in Teams
After a one-hour project meeting, Copilot automatically creates a summary with the most important decisions, open questions, and a list of concrete tasks including the person responsible for each. Anyone who couldn’t attend doesn’t have to watch a recording, but can read the summary in a few minutes.
Example 3: Building a yield spreadsheet in Excel
An example with a real estate angle: a property manager wants to calculate the gross rental yield for several possible purchase prices for an apartment building. He describes to Copilot in Excel, in plain language, which columns he needs, such as purchase price, annual rent, operating costs and the resulting yield in percent. Copilot builds a basic structure with the appropriate formulas from this, which the manager then adapts to the actual figures for his property. Importantly: Copilot provides a usable calculation template, but the substantive review of the formulas and the values used remains the manager’s own responsibility.
Example 4: Revising a listing exposé text in Word
A real estate agency has written a factual but linguistically very dry property description for a listing exposé. Copilot in Word can, on request, give the text a friendlier, more readable tone, suggest shorter sentences, or remove repetition, without changing the actual facts about the property. The human remains responsible for the factual accuracy of the information; Copilot merely handles the linguistic fine-tuning.
Example 5: A first slide outline in PowerPoint
For an internal presentation on quarterly results, Copilot delivers a first slide outline, complete with suggestions for suitable chart types, based on a short bullet-point text. This mainly saves the tedious first half hour of structuring; the actual substantive elaboration remains manual work.
What the model switch concretely means for users
For daily work in Word, Excel or Outlook, most users hardly notice the switch from one model to the next, since Microsoft largely controls model selection automatically in the background. The topic becomes relevant mainly for IT managers at companies, who can determine in the admin settings which models are even permitted for their organization at all, for example for data protection reasons. For private users, generally only the choice of subscription tier remains, not the individual model selection.
Frequently asked questions about the Copilot models
Is GPT-5.6 available in every Copilot variant?
No. GPT-5.6 is used mainly in Microsoft 365 Copilot and in Microsoft 365 Premium. The free Windows variant sometimes uses simplified or older model versions.
Can I, as a user, choose which model Copilot uses myself?
In enterprise environments, administrators can restrict or enable model selection. Private users generally have no direct model selection, only the choice of subscription tier.
Why does Microsoft use Anthropic models alongside OpenAI?
Since 2025, Microsoft has deliberately pursued a multi-model-provider strategy, so it can deploy suitable models for different tasks and not be dependent on a single provider.
Is GitHub Copilot the same as Microsoft 365 Copilot?
No, GitHub Copilot is a standalone product for software development with its own models and its own pricing structure, sharing only the brand name with the office version.
Are Copilot’s calculation results in Excel reliable?
Copilot provides a good basic structure and suitable formula suggestions, but the substantive check of the values and formulas must still be carried out by a human, especially for business-relevant calculations.
An overview of the individual pricing tiers, data protection questions, and the general assessment of Microsoft Copilot is available on the provider page Microsoft Copilot overview. Anyone wanting to see the other eight providers compared instead will find the overview on the main page comparison of all AI models.
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