Microsoft Clarifies No Plans to Retire Office Brand Amidst Transition to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Renaming of Office Hub

According to Microsoft, the Office brand is very much alive. The company has formally named the Office app as Microsoft 365 Copilot, a transformation that follows its initial rebranding to Microsoft 365. This convoluted naming process exemplifies Microsoft’s ongoing struggles with product nomenclature, particularly as Copilot becomes increasingly integrated throughout the organization. But why has the narrative surrounding the “death of Office” resurfaced?

The discussion gained traction after a series of viral posts on the platform X, prominently featuring claims by Perplexity AI which suggested that Microsoft had entirely abandoned the Office brand, with millions of users suddenly shifting to AI tools. However, this narrative strays far from the truth, as Windows Latest was one of the first to highlight these inaccuracies and address the misinformation circulating on X.

It’s important to note that while “Microsoft 365 Copilot” indeed exists and is functional within the Windows 11 environment, the original reports about this development being a recent occurrence are incorrect. Windows Latest was among the first to report on this progress back in January 2025, debunking the assertion that the changes were new.

The Office application, originally known as Office Hub, underwent a name change to Microsoft 365 in November 2022, which was further updated to Microsoft 365 Copilot in January 2025. This series of changes reflects Microsoft’s intent to consolidate branding around its productivity suite.

For several years, Microsoft has strategically moved away from promoting “Office” as a consumer-facing brand in favor of Microsoft 365, which encompasses the entire suite of tools and services. Despite the name changes, the “Office” designation persists in certain contexts, such as in Office 2021 LTSC, and is still frequently referenced when talking about the Office apps included in the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Thus, the notion that the Office brand is obsolete fails to hold water. Microsoft maintains that “Office” is an integral component of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and that “Microsoft 365 Copilot” simply refers to an application within this broader system.

“We have not made any recent naming changes to our Office apps. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — the Office apps within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite — remain unchanged. In November 2022, we renamed only the Office ‘hub’ app for web and mobile to the Microsoft 365 app. In January 2025, we updated it to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to reflect its role in bringing Copilot and Microsoft 365 productivity experiences together in one place.”

Gareth Oystryk, Senior Director of Marketing, Microsoft 365

Understanding Microsoft 365 Copilot

The renaming of the Office app to Microsoft 365 in November 2022 set the stage for further developments. The Office Hub, which consolidated access to essential applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, transitioned to Microsoft 365 Copilot in January 2025 to better reflect its enhanced features.

This series of updates may create a perception that the entirety of “Office” or “Microsoft 365” is undergoing significant changes, but it’s essential to recognize that these are primarily app-level adjustments rather than an overhaul of the entire product suite.

The confusion stems from misleading terminology; many users interpret the introduction of “Microsoft 365 Copilot app” as indicative of a wider rebranding exercise, rather than a mere re-labeling of the Office app.

Clarifying Microsoft 365’s Naming

Moreover, Microsoft has affirmed that the broader subscription service, known as Microsoft 365, retains its name and has not been altered to “Microsoft 365 Copilot.”

Microsoft 365 encompasses a subscription offering for both individual and business users, granting access to core Office apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with cloud services like OneDrive and Exchange email. It’s notable, however, that for enterprise customers, access to features like Copilot within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint may not be included for all users—it often requires an additional fee or a subscription tier upgrade. Personal users may also experience limitations on Copilot’s functionality and have the option to disable its interface.

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