Copilot in Teams is about to lose one of its two front doors. Starting mid-October 2026, Microsoft is removing the Copilot entry from the Teams chat list on desktop and web, and from then on every user reaches Copilot through the Copilot app in the Teams app bar. No data is lost, no conversations disappear, and Microsoft labels it ‘no action required’. But if your adoption material, help desk scripts and app policies were built around the chat list, this change will land on your desk whether you act or not.
This article covers what is changing for Copilot in Teams, who is affected, the rollout timeline, the admin steps worth taking before mid-October, and my take on why this small change matters for Copilot adoption.
What Is Changing for Copilot in Teams
Today there are two ways to open Copilot in Teams. Users can click the Copilot entry at the top of their chat list, or they can open the Copilot app from the Teams app bar on the left. Those two doors do not lead to the same room. The chat list entry gives a more limited experience, while the Copilot app gives access to the full set of Copilot capabilities.
With Message Center post MC1477999, Microsoft is closing the smaller door. The Copilot entry point in the Teams chat list will be removed, and users will be directed to the Copilot app instead. Before the entry disappears, anyone who still uses it will see a coachmark pointing them to the Copilot app. If the Copilot app has been unpinned from the app bar in your tenant, users are sent to the app overflow menu, where they have to find it themselves.
What stays the same for Copilot in Teams
Microsoft is clear about what does not change:
- Existing Copilot conversations, notifications, supported deep links and session continuity keep working.
- No user conversations, prompts, chat history or Copilot data are removed.
- The Copilot app in the Teams app bar remains available and unchanged.
- Teams mobile is not affected at all.
- The change is enabled by Microsoft and needs no tenant configuration.
Why Microsoft Is Simplifying Access to Copilot in Teams
Microsoft’s reasoning is consistency. Two entry points with different capabilities is confusing. A user who opens Copilot from the chat list and hits a limit has no idea that the same Copilot, opened one click away in the app bar, can do more. That user does not think ‘I opened the wrong entry point’. That user thinks ‘Copilot cannot do this’, and stops trying.
A single access point also makes Copilot easier to find and return to, and it reduces clutter in the chat list, which for most people is already the busiest part of Teams. From an adoption point of view, one door is simply easier to teach, easier to screenshot and easier to support than two.
Rollout Timeline
| Phase | Cloud | Start | Expected completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coachmark to the Copilot app | Worldwide, GCC | Before the removal | Mid-October 2026 |
| Chat list entry point removed | Worldwide, GCC | Mid-October 2026 | Late October 2026 |
There is no separate Preview phase for this change. It rolls out directly to all tenants in scope. This should be rolling out from mid-October 2026 according to Microsoft, with completion expected by late October 2026.
Who Is Affected by the Copilot in Teams Change
The change affects organizations whose users access Microsoft 365 Copilot in Microsoft Teams, and specifically users of the Teams desktop and web apps who currently open Copilot from the chat list. The platforms in scope are Teams desktop and Teams web.
In practice there are three groups to think about when Copilot in Teams moves:
- Chat list habit users. People who learned Copilot in Teams through the chat list and never opened the app. They will see the coachmark, and most will follow it. Some will not.
- Users in tenants where the Copilot app is not pinned. This is the group at risk. Without a pinned app, the path to Copilot runs through the overflow menu, and a feature that is hard to find is a feature that stops being used.
- Your support and adoption team. Every quick reference card, e-learning module and intranet page that shows the chat list entry will be wrong by November.
How to Prepare Copilot in Teams Before Mid-October
Microsoft says no action is required, and technically that is true. Nothing breaks. But Microsoft also lists a set of recommendations, and in my experience they are the difference between a quiet change and a week of ‘where did Copilot go’ tickets.
Step 1: Pin the Copilot app for Copilot in Teams users
Pinning the Copilot app in Teams is done in the Teams admin center through app setup policies, not in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Here is how:
- Sign in to the Teams admin center.
- Go to Teams apps and open Setup policies.
- Open the Global policy, or the policy that is assigned to the users you want to cover.
- Under Pinned apps, add the Copilot app and move it to a visible position in the list.
- Save the policy and assign it to the right users or groups.
Two things to keep in mind. Pinning only works if the Copilot app is also allowed for those users, through app permission policies or app centric management, depending on how your tenant is configured. And policy changes are not instant, so do this now rather than the week the rollout starts. The full steps are in Pin Microsoft Copilot Chat in the Microsoft 365 apps and Manage app setup policies in Microsoft Teams.
Step 2: Update your Copilot in Teams training material
Search your adoption content for screenshots of the chat list entry. Think of onboarding decks, quick start guides, intranet news posts, champion material and recorded training sessions. Replace them with the Copilot app in the app bar. This is boring work, and it is exactly the work that decides whether new users find Copilot or give up.
Step 3: Brief your help desk
Give the service desk a one line answer before the first ticket arrives: Copilot in Teams now lives in the Copilot app on the left side of Teams, and nothing was lost. If the app is not visible, it is in the overflow menu, and here is how to pin it.
Step 4: Tell your users
A short message in your usual channel is enough. Tell people that Copilot in Teams is moving to the Copilot app in the app bar, that their conversations come along, and that mobile stays the same. A heads up turns a surprise into a non-event.
Step 5: Watch the feedback after rollout
Keep an eye on usage reports and help desk tickets in the weeks after late October. If usage of Copilot in Teams drops, check whether the users involved have the app pinned before you draw any other conclusion.
Admin Tips
A few things I would check for Copilot in Teams while you are in the Teams admin center anyway:
- Look at every setup policy, not only Global. Many tenants have custom setup policies for frontline workers, specific departments or pilot groups. Copilot in Teams needs the app pinned in each of them.
- Check the order of pinned apps. If Copilot sits at position nine of nine, it may land in the overflow on smaller screens. Put it where people actually look.
- Do not confuse the two admin centers. The Pin Copilot Chat setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center covers the navigation bar in Microsoft 365 apps. Pinning inside Teams is controlled by Teams app setup policies.
- Document the decision. If your organization deliberately unpinned Copilot, for example during a pilot, write down whether that is still the intention. If it is not, this is the moment to change it.
If you are reviewing Copilot controls more broadly, our Copilot Scheduled Prompts governance article covers another quiet change in how Copilot is managed, and Restricted Content Discovery: Copilot and Search Get Sharper covers the content side of a safe Copilot rollout.
License and Availability
This change does not introduce a new license or add-on. It applies to Copilot in Teams on desktop and web for users who access Copilot there today, whether that is Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat or a full Microsoft 365 Copilot license. The change applies to Worldwide and GCC tenants. Teams mobile is not included.
If you want a structured way to check your Copilot setup beyond this one change, download our free Microsoft 365 Copilot whitepaper.
The Paul-Take
I like this change. Two ways into Copilot in Teams, one of them with fewer features, never made sense. It made Copilot harder to explain, harder to support and harder to measure. One entry point with the full experience is better for users and better for adoption.
What worries me is the phrase ‘no action required’. Microsoft is right that nothing breaks. But adoption is fragile. Most users do not go looking for a feature that moved. They see it is gone, assume it was switched off, and go back to how they worked before. I have seen this happen with smaller changes than this one.
So my advice is simple. Block half an hour this week, open the Teams admin center, and make sure the Copilot app is pinned in every app setup policy you have. Then update the three or four screenshots your users actually look at. That half hour protects every euro you already spent on Copilot licenses and training.
This should be rolling out from mid-October 2026 according to Microsoft, with completion expected by late October 2026.
MVP Reference List
- Message Center ID: MC1477999, Microsoft Teams: Removing Copilot from the chat list (published September 23, 2026)
- Pin Microsoft Copilot Chat in the Microsoft 365 apps (Microsoft Learn)
- Manage app setup policies in Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Learn)
- Manage app permission policies in Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Learn)
- Decide which Copilot is right for you (Microsoft Learn)