The latest figures on Copilot are likely to set off alarm bells at Microsoft.
For years, Microsoft has been trying to integrate its in-house Copilot AI into every Windows 11 and Office application it can find. Recent figures show that the tools are barely being adopted.
Hardly Anyone Uses Copilot on Windows 11
Just under 450 million people use the Microsoft 365 Office Suite. However, fewer than 4.5 percent of them also pay for Copilot. These figures come from a recentWindows Latesthas reported. But it gets even “better.”
Of the less than 4.5 percent who actually pay for Copilot, only 20 to 30 percent use the AI tools regularly. That means that, overall, only about one percent of all users actually use Copilot.
Considering that Copilot can now be used in nearly every application, these are pretty damning figures. The biggest problem for Microsoft is likely that the vast majority of AI users prefer to turn to competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google.
The cost of Copilot should not be underestimated. As Windows Latest calculates, the Copilot license costs just under $35 per user per month—on top of the Microsoft 365 license.
The solution is now intended to bundle the many services into a single AI app. Instead of squeezing Copilot into every hidden corner of the operating system, users will have a central hub for it in the future. In other words, exactly how it works successfully for nearly all other AI providers.
The new app is expected to launch in August 2026, and it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will be able to use it to bring about the major turnaround the company is likely hoping for.
If there are no changes in Copilot usage, Microsoft might have to reevaluate its entire approach. The AI pie seems to be largely divided up, and only tiny crumbs remain for Copilot at the moment. It might be smarter to follow Apple’s lead and admit that other developers are faster and further ahead.
