Microsoft lets users exile floating Copilot button after interface rage

Microsoft is rolling out an update that reduces the prominence of Copilot in productivity apps. The floating Dynamic Action Button previously appeared in user workspaces, which triggered customer complaints about content being obscured. Microsoft had already provided settings to turn off Copilot features in Excel and Word, but the new change adds a menu option labeled “Move to ribbon.” Selecting it moves the Copilot control back to the ribbon, removing the floating button from the workspace. Users can still restore the floating behavior if they miss the earlier design choice. Microsoft also acknowledged that forcing Copilot entry points was not universally welcomed and promised fewer entry points and a rethink of integration.

"Microsoft has made Copilot a little less in-your-face with the option to banish the assistant's Dynamic Action Button to the toolbar. The change, rolling out this week, comes after howls of outrage from customers over Microsoft's decision to drop a Copilot button onto user workspaces. Although the desire to get users clicking on the assistant is understandable, obscuring content in its productivity applications was perhaps not the best way to do it."

"Microsoft's forums show plenty of frustration with the floating button. Some call it " infuriating," while others are less tactful. One Excel user wrote: "Did you let copilot design this idea and no human review it? Such abomination." Another said: "Putting a button over the working content was not a good move by Microsoft," which gets to the heart of the problem."

"There was already a way to turn off Copilot features in Excel and Word via the Settings screen, but the latest update indicates that Microsoft has paid attention to recent feedback. A user commented: "There needs to be a toggle or something to move it back to the ribbon," and that is pretty much what Microsoft has done. A new option has been added to the button's menu, "Move to ribbon," which does exactly that."

"Click it, and Copilot is banished to the ribbon. The floating Copilot Dynamic Action Button is no more, although it can be moved back if a user happens to miss that particular design decision. Microsoft has acknowledged that forcing Copilot on users was not universally welcomed. Windows boss Pavan Davuluri promised a reduction in Copilot entry points and a rethink of how the technology is integrated into the operating system."

Read at theregister