How to disable Copilot in Microsoft Excel

Copilot, Microsoft's generative AI tool, is enabled by default in modern versions of Excel, Word, and other Microsoft 365 (M365) apps. If you wish to disable Copilot in Excel, it can be done easily by following the steps below:

• Select the File tab (upper left)
• Select Options (lower left)
• Select Copilot (left sidebar)
• Uncheck the box next to Enable Copilot
• Select OK
• Close any open Excel windows
• Relaunch Excel

If you later change your mind, you can turn Copilot back on at any time by checking the Enable Copilot box and restarting Excel.

How to disable Copilot in Windows Notepad

Like other Microsoft office apps, Windows Notepad now includes Copilot features built in. Some people may like the Copilot features (create a prompt-based draft document, summarize a document, change a document's tone or format, etc.) but others may rather disable Notepad's new AI-related capabilities.

If you want to disable Copilot in Windows Notepad, simply follow the steps below. You can re-enable Copilot at any time if you change your mind.

• Click or tap the Settings button (the gear icon) in the upper right corner of the Notepad window.

• Scroll down to the AI Features section of the Settings menu.
• The toggle switch next to Copilot will be set to On (if Copilot is enabled). Click or tap it to change it to Off. 

How to disable Copilot in Microsoft Word

Microsoft has integrated Copilot, its generative AI tool, into Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 applications. There are many benefits to using Copilot—which Microsoft is quick to point out—but it may not be for everyone. For example, with some layouts in Word, Copilot will superimpose its icon over the text (and possibly cursor) beneath it, as shown below.

Disabling Copilot in Microsoft Word is a simple process. If you ever want to reenable it, that can be done easily as well. To disable Copilot in Word, follow these steps:

• Select the File tab (upper left)
• Select Options (lower left)
• Select Copilot
• Uncheck the box next to Enable Copilot
• Select OK

How to opt out of LinkedIn using your data to train AI models

LinkedIn is making changes to its privacy settings. One of those changes involves feeding user data (your data) into the company's generative AI (GenAI) models to help train them. Users in the UK, European Economic Area, and Switzerland are not yet impacted by this change, but users in other areas of the world may automatically be opted in.

See below for how to opt out of letting LinkedIn train its GenAI models on your data. These steps apply to the desktop version of the website, but should be similar for the mobile version.

• While logged into your LinkedIn account, click the "Me" icon on the bar across the top of the screen.
• From the drop down menu that appears, select "Settings & Privacy".
• Select "Data Privacy" on the left sidebar.
• Select "Data for Generative AI Improvement".
• If the toggle for "Use my data for training content creation AI models" is set to On, select it to turn it Off.