GPT-5 Supercharges Microsoft Copilot — Smarter, Multimodal, and Everywhere

OpenAI’s GPT-5 is now powering Microsoft Copilot across Microsoft 365 and core Copilot experiences—bringing deeper reasoning, smoother multimodal understanding, and faster responses to your daily work.

Copilot just got a major upgrade. With GPT-5, you can ask richer questions, work across text, images, and files, and get more accurate, actionable answers—right inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and Windows. No new workflow required; it simply works where you do.

What’s new with GPT-5 in Copilot

• Deeper reasoning & planning
  Break down complex, multi-step tasks (summarize → compare → draft → schedule) in a single prompt. GPT-5 is designed for tougher, open-ended knowledge work with fewer hallucinations.

• True multimodal assistance
  Work seamlessly across text, images, and documents (e.g., “extract actions from this screenshot and draft an email”).

• Faster, smarter replies
  GPT-5 delivers better results with less thinking time and improved accuracy.

• Everywhere you already are
  Available in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio, with model routing that selects the best capability for the task.

• Voice that feels natural (rolling out)
  Microsoft’s new MAI-Voice-1 and the MAI-1-preview text model begin appearing in select Copilot experiences, enhancing speech and offering more flexible model orchestration.

Instant value for your workflows

In Word & PowerPoint

• Turn a brief into a first draft, then “tighten tone, add a 5-bullet exec summary, and build 3 slides.”
  In Excel

• “Analyze Q3 revenue vs. target, flag anomalies, and suggest 3 actions,” then generate a chart from the insight.
  In Outlook & Teams

• “Summarize this thread, highlight decisions, and propose next steps,” or transform meeting notes into tasks with owners.
  On Windows

• Ask Copilot to “pull actions from this screenshot and open the files I’ll need.”

Who should care (and why)

• Leaders & Ops: Faster planning and decision support from real working documents and conversations.

• Sales & Service: Better follow-ups, quicker proposals, and clearer summaries—directly in the tools you use.

• Finance & PMO: Less manual wrangling; more time on insights and approvals.

• Creators & Analysts: Draft, visualize, and iterate without context-switching.

Get started (in minutes)

1. Check availability: GPT-5 is generally available in Microsoft 365 Copilot as of August 2025; no extra install for end users.

2. Update guidance: Ensure your tenant is on the latest Copilot updates; confirm Copilot access for target groups.

3. Pilot with a squad: Pick 5–10 people across functions and run a 14-day prompt playbook.

4. Measure impact: Track time saved on drafting, summarizing, and analysis; standardize winning prompts.

Security & governance notes (quick read)

• Model routing: Microsoft 365 Copilot may route tasks to GPT-5 and, where applicable, Microsoft’s in-house models to optimize latency/cost while keeping enterprise controls.

• Data handling: Enterprise data protections in Microsoft 365 still apply; GPT-5 is hosted on Azure AI infrastructure.

Is GPT-5 turned on by default in Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft began enabling GPT-5 in August 2025; availability may vary by region/tenant rollout.

Do I need Copilot Pro or extra licensing?
For Microsoft 365, you’ll need the standard Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing; GPT-5 comes as part of that experience once enabled in your tenant. (Check your admin center for eligibility.)

What about voice and speech features?
New MAI-Voice-1 capabilities are rolling out in select Copilot experiences and Labs; expect gradual expansion.

How accurate is GPT-5 compared to earlier models?
OpenAI reports fewer hallucinations and better performance on complex tasks vs. prior models, especially when “thinking” is engaged.