Microsoft 365 app UI and Copilot are getting a massive update in 2025 including new icon

Microsoft has announced that it plans a massive UI (user interface) overhaul for Microsoft 365 (M365) and Copilot in January 2025. The company informed about the changes on its Microsoft 365 Message Center portal. Microsoft says the UI update is being done to better "support future AI-first experiences."

First, we have the Microsoft 365 app UI updates, in which the tech giant has highlighted the list of changes it is making to the application. You can read them below to get a rough mental image of the new app:

• The app will no longer have a top header. Instead, tools like user profile, settings, and feedback will move to the bottom left toolbar. The feedback button will be available under the ‘Settings and more’ section in the bottom left toolbar.
• The search box will now be presented on the Homepage for users to find all their content across multiple file types and storage locations. Note: There is no change to the search experience—only the placement of the feature.
• All the apps on the left tool bar are aligned to the top and the AI rich experiences like Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Copilot Pages will be presented together to establish correlation.
• The organization logo, previously displayed in the top header under the Organization theme, will no longer be visible in the app. Note: This change does not affect other Microsoft 365 apps where the organization logo will still appear in the header.
• The ‘Back’ button on the Windows Microsoft 365 Copilot app will not be available. Users will still be able to use the left AppBar to navigate between pages.
• The ‘My Day’ feature is being removed from the app experience, and users will no longer see the button to launch the calendar and to-do on the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Note: This change does not affect other Microsoft 365 apps where My Day feature is available.
• The ‘Help me create’ feature will be retired from the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Launched in February 2024, ‘Help me create’ was focused on helping users go from their stated intent to document creation using an LLM. With Microsoft 365 Copilot app becoming the destination for Copilot, we will be bringing AI powered document creation into Copilot tab. Users will be able to brainstorm ideas and draft new content based on a storyboard or a script to an agenda or an executive summary from Copilot Chat.

Following that, Microsoft has also outlined all the changes it is making to Copilot. For example, the app name changes from "Microsoft 365" to "Microsoft 365 Copilot". The new icon, which debuted at Ignite 2024, is also being introduced:

Microsoft expects the changes to roll out in mid-January next year. The above changes were published under M365 Message Center message IDs MC958905 and MC958903, respectively. Please note that a Microsoft 365 Copilot already exists, which is an AI assistant meant to improve people's productivity when using Office apps.

Aside from these, Microsoft also detailed the four new sections the Copilot page on the M365 Admin Center will have. These four sections, Overview, Health, Discover, and Settings, will help users understand, identify and track various aspects of the feature:

The Copilot page in the Microsoft 365 admin center ... will soon feature four sections: Overview, Health, Discover, and Settings.

Overview will provide key metrics and insights including active user rate, AI assistance score, Copilot-assisted hours, and user sentiment.

Health will consolidate Copilot-specific health insights such as device update status for Microsoft 365 apps, distribution of devices with diagnostic data, Copilot-specific message center posts, and known active issues.

Discover will allow you to explore Copilot capabilities, understand user eligibility requirements, and access curated resources. These resources will cover compliance standards, adoption guidance, the Copilot prompt library, and more. You can also purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses here.

Settings will offer essential controls to configure Microsoft 365 Copilot to meet your organization’s needs and navigate to other key control surfaces including agent management and data security and compliance settings.

The above update was published under M365 Message Center ID 472918.