Microsoft Office has informed 400 million users about the rebranding exercise, which integrates their famous software suite with its AI tool, Copilot.
Microsoft Office users have criticized the rebranding of the software (stock) (Image: HJBC/iStock via Getty Images ).
Microsoft Office users have criticised the company’s latest rebranding process after it changed the name of its popular software suite. The package, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, was first released by Bill Gates’ global corporation in 1990 and has 400 million users worldwide.
However, last week, users received a dialogue box informing them that it had been renamed. It read, “Welcome to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.” “Microsoft 365 Copilot apps (formerly Office) let you create, share, and collaborate all in one place with your favourite apps, now including Copilot.”
Copilot was founded in 2023 as a replacement for Cortana, and it is an AI chatbot that allows users to maximise their productivity by generating content and automating tasks.
Upon hearing news of the change, software creator and entrepreneur Peter Deden said, “RIP MS Office. RIP Microsoft 365. It’s now ‘Microsoft 365 Copilot’.
“We’re one rebrand away from Excel being a prompt box that says, ‘Trust me, bro, the math checks out.'”
Another person said, “Microsoft Office is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. This is worse than Twitter changing its name to X. I want to have a 2-hour podcast discussion with the middle manager who approved this decision.”
A third pointed out, “This is stupid and brand destroying, yes, but note that the brand destruction actually happened in 2020 when they changed the name of Office to ‘Microsoft 365’ – it had nothing to do with AI.”
While a fourth
Microsoft shared the reason behind the rebranding, saying, “Microsoft 365 (Office) apps are now called Microsoft 365 Copilot apps on the web (office.com, microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android), and Windows. The new app name and icon reflect the integration of Copilot within Microsoft 365 apps.”
It added: “The Microsoft 365 Copilot app serves as your everyday productivity app for work and life. But in the age of AI and Copilot integration, it has become much more than that. We’ve made a number of improvements to the work and education experience, as well as for consumers with personal accounts.”
Meanwhile, Gareth Oystrick, senior director of marketing for Microsoft 365, responded to the criticism, saying, “We haven’t made any recent naming changes to our Office apps. Office apps Word, Excel, and PowerPoint remain unchanged within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite.
“In November 2022, we renamed the Office ‘Hub’-only app to Microsoft 365 apps for web and mobile. In January 2025, we updated it to Microsoft 365 Copilot apps to reflect its role in bringing Copilot and Microsoft 365 productivity experiences into one place.”
Microsoft advised users, “Existing users with work and personal accounts may see these changes across their web (Office.com, Microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android), and Windows apps.
“If you’re signed in and still don’t see the changes, verify that you’re connected to the Internet and then restart the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.”
