Your Microsoft 365 Subscription Will Now Cost More Unless You Do This – MUO – MakeUseOf

Microsoft 365 users might have noticed a friendly-looking message this month, letting them know that Copilot, Microsoft’s AI tool, is now included in their plan. You should know that this “gift” comes with a price—that could be easy to miss.As of January 2025, Microsoft 365 Office apps automatically come with Copilot, Microsoft’s AI tool. The bundle is a shift away from the company’s former structure, which only offered Copilot Pro as a robust, optional add-on to your Microsoft 365 workflow. Now, you no longer have a choice: Copilot is busting down the door of your Office apps, including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and so on. The update, which occurs automatically with your next Microsoft 365 renewal, prompts a price increase of $3 on your subscription. If you’re not fond of Copilot or AI features in general, or at least, you’re not ready to pay for them, you do have the power to downgrade—or, go back to a non-Copilot plan.The process of finding your way back to a standard or “Classic” plan, as Microsoft has dubbed them, is not quite straightforward. This isn’t surprising, considering that Microsoft hopes you’ll stay on the AI-inclusive plan. Here are the steps to switch your plan to one without Copilot built in:Per Microsoft Support, the Personal Classic or Family Classic plan “may not always be offered,” so it’s possible that the price increase will catch up with us somewhere down the line. Hopefully, that’s not any time soon.It’s not a great feeling when a subscription service jacks up its price for a feature you didn’t opt to add yourself, but it’s nice that you have some control, in this case. Price increases are inevitable; we’re certainly seeing it with streaming services, from Netflix inflating its ad-free subscription to $17.99 and YouTube TV bumping its monthly fee by $10 to a whopping $82.99. Productivity apps are no different. In Microsoft’s announcement of the Copilot bundle, the company made sure to remind us that this is the “first time since its release” in 2013 that it has increased the price. Equally inevitable is AI, which is coming into our apps whether we like it or not. That being said, AI-related laws and regulations are still playing catch up. So, as long as AI remains prohibited in specific situations, there will always be some level of control in separating, or disabling, these features from our day-to-day tools. We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedThis thread is open for discussion.Be the first to post your thoughts.No one wants to arrive in a new location with a dead smartphone battery.I buy books, games, and entertainment on Amazon but refuse to buy these tech items online. Here’s why.Absolutely bring a backup charger or battery pack, but if you forget, you should be able to keep your device charged.Which is the best operating system for your computer? Here’s what to consider.It’s a must-have tool for any analyst.Are you missing emails because your iPhone’s Mail app isn’t updating? Here’s what you should do to fix it.

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