OVERVIEW
Target Audience: McGill students, staff, and faculty
Microsoft 365 offers different versions of Copilot:
- Copilot Chat is an AI chatbot tool available to McGill students, faculty and staff with an eligible Microsoft 365 accounts.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on) is an AI assistant that is built into Microsoft 365 apps (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook etc.) and is only available for purchase by McGill faculty or staff and requires an assigned paid-add on license to access.
For more information, you can visit About: Microsoft 365 Copilot.
This article is divided into the following sections:
General questions:
- What is the different between Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on) and Microsoft Copilot (personal)?
- Which tool should I use?
- Can I use the public version of Copilot Chat (not logged in)?
- Why do I get an authentication error when logging in the first time?
- Why should I sign in with my McGill credentials when using Copilot Chat?
- How can I tell I am using the Enterprise data protection version of Copilot Chat?
- Are agents currently available at McGill?
- Can Copilot Chat access my organization's Microsoft 365 data by default?
- What happens when Copilot Chat uses the web to answer a prompt?
- Does Copilot send my entire uploaded file or PDF to Microsoft search engine when searching the web?
Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on)
- What additional data can Microsoft 365 Copilot use?
- What if I am a student, can I get request this add-on?
- What can I do with Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on?
Privacy, security, and compliance (applies to both Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot)
- Are prompts and responses encrypted and protected under Microsoft 365 terms?
- Where are prompts and responses stored?
- Can IT administrators audit, retain, or investigate Copilot activity?
- Do sensitivity labels, encryption, retention policies, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) continue to apply when Copilot is used?
- Are there data residency commitments for Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat?
- Are the privacy controls the same when I am signed in with my McGill account and when I am not signed in?
- Can users export or delete Copilot activity history?
General Questions
What is the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft 365 offers different Copilot experiences depending on the account you use, the license you have, and the data you are entering. The table below compares the three options and their key differences.
| Microsoft Copilot Chat (included for eligible McGill users) | Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on) | |
| Intended for |
McGill students, faculty and staff | McGill faculty and staff by request only. |
| Core purpose | Secure AI chat (via McGill login) for McGill-related writing, drafting documents, quick summaries, basic research and analysis, and image generation. | AI assistant that is built into Microsoft 365 apps (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook etc.) to automate daily tasks, such as drafting emails, summarizing meetings, creating presentations in PowerPoint, analyzing data in Excel etc. |
| Cost | No cost | Paid add-on license upon request. |
| Access | Access Copilot Chat in:
|
Access Microsoft 365 Copilot in various Microsoft 365 apps, such as:
|
| Login |
Sign in with your McGill credentials to access the Enterprise data protection (secure) version of Copilot Chat for McGill-related tasks. |
Once your request has been approved and your Microsoft 365 Copilot license has been activated, sign in with your McGill credentials to access Microsoft 365 Copilot. |
Use Copilot Chat and sign in with your McGill credentials when you need a secure AI chat experience for tasks such as drafting, rewriting, summarizing, brainstorming, basic research and analysis, or working with McGill-related data.
Use Microsoft 365 Copilot if you are a McGill faculty or staff who has been assigned a license and want Copilot capabilities integrated more deeply into Microsoft 365 applications.
Can I use the public version of Copilot Chat (not logged in)?
A public version (when not logged in) is available, but does not conform to the University's privacy and data protection standards and should not be used for McGill-related purposes.
Why do I get an authentication error when logging in the first time?
You must allow pop-up windows so the authentication window can be displayed. You will enter and submit your McGill credentials through that window.
Microsoft Copilot Chat (included for eligible McGill users)
Why should I sign in with my McGill credentials when using Copilot Chat?
Signing in with your McGill account provides enterprise data protection for your Copilot Chat prompts and responses and are not used to training its models. Always make sure you are signed in with your McGill credentials before using Copilot Chat for McGill-related tasks.
How can I tell I am using the Enterprise data protection version of Copilot Chat?
When signed in with an eligible work or school account, Copilot Chat will indicate that Enterprise data protection applies with a shield icon on the top-left.
Are agents currently available at McGill?
No. Agents are currently disabled at McGill. For future reference and general background on how Microsoft describes data, privacy, and security for Copilot extensibility and agents, see the linked Microsoft documentation.
Can Copilot Chat access my organization's Microsoft 365 data by default?
Not by default. Without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Copilot Chat cannot access shared enterprise data, individual data, or Microsoft Graph connector data. Users can still upload files directly or use supported app context.
What happens when Copilot Chat uses the web to answer a prompt?
When Copilot Chat needs information from the internet, it may use Bing (Microsoft's search engine) to search for information related to your question. That search is not connected to your work/school identity and is not shared with advertisers.
Does Copilot send my entire uploaded file or PDF to Microsoft's search engine when searching the web?
No. Entire uploaded files, webpages, and PDFs are not sent as search queries. Uploaded files used in Copilot Chat are stored in the user’s OneDrive for Business. For more details, visit Microsoft’s Copilot Chat Privacy and Protections page.
Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on license)
What additional data can Microsoft 365 Copilot use?
Microsoft 365 Copilot can use Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 app context to work with emails, files, chats, meetings, and other content the signed-in user already has permission to access.
What if I am a student, can I get request this add-on?
No. Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on is only available to McGill faculty and staff.
What can I do with Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on?
The paid add-on license can provide additional features and work directly in various Microsoft apps such as:
- Copilot in Teams automatically generates a summary with decisions and action items.
- Copilot in Excel can quickly analyze the dataset, spot trends, and even create pivot tables and visualizations.
- Copilot in Word can be used to draft documents using internal data stored in SharePoint.
- Copilot can summarize entire email threads, surface urgent items, and draft responses based on internal data (calendar invites, Teams messages, previous email context).
- Use Copilot Notebook as a workspace for a project where you include all relevant documents, reports, datasets, codes, emails, etc. and ask Copilot to summarize reports and highlight challenges, draft strategic priorities and more.
Privacy, security, and compliance
Are prompts and responses encrypted and protected under Microsoft 365 terms?
Yes. Enterprise data protection uses Microsoft 365 security measures to protect organizational data, including encryption when data is sent and stored, separation of data between organizations, and coverage under the Data Protection Addendum and Product Terms.
Where are prompts and responses stored?
Copilot prompts, the data it uses, and its answers stay within your organization’s Microsoft 365 environment. For Copilot Chat, prompts and responses are logged and stored in Microsoft Exchange to support compliance features.
Can IT administrators audit, retain, or investigate Copilot activity?
Yes. Microsoft documents auditing, retention, and eDiscovery support for Copilot prompts, responses, and relevant records through Microsoft Purview and related Microsoft 365 compliance tools.
Do sensitivity labels, encryption, retention policies, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) continue to apply when Copilot is used?
Yes. Microsoft Purview controls such as sensitivity labels, DLP, eDiscovery, retention, and auditing continue to apply to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat.
Are there data residency commitments for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat?
Yes. Microsoft documents data residency commitments for both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat, including storage at rest in the applicable local region geography and Multi-Geo behavior.
Are the privacy controls the same when I’m signed in with my McGill account and when I’m not signed in?
No. Personal Microsoft Copilot privacy controls applies to personal Microsoft accounts and does not apply to Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on license) when signed in with a work or school account.
Can users export or delete Copilot activity history?
Yes. Microsoft provides support and guidance for deleting activity history for work or school accounts.
