Microsoft is letting users move the floating Copilot button in Word and Excel after admitting it disrupted workflows

Microsoft Office is finally letting you move the Copilot button after acknowledging that the new floating button was getting in the way of users' workflows in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. According to Windows Latest, starting in the last week of May 2026, an update will give users the option to move it back to the ribbon where it belongs.

The button, officially called the Dynamic Action Button, has been part of Microsoft Office apps since December 2025. It floats above the bottom right section of spreadsheets and documents, causing problems for users. Excel users were hit hardest, with the button floating directly over spreadsheet cells and blocking data with no easy way to dismiss it.

Once the update rolls out, users can right-click the Copilot icon and move it back to the ribbon. Microsoft already added a docked mode that reduces the space the button takes up, and that option is staying. Users will be able to switch between the floating button, the docked version, and the ribbon placement depending on their preference.

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Microsoft added the button to make Copilot more visible and drive more clicks, which it did. Only around 3.3% of Microsoft 365 users actually pay for Copilot, and despite Microsoft's efforts, adoption remains well below expectations. To push more users toward Copilot, Microsoft quietly expanded the Dynamic Action Button to everyone by May 2026.

What it didn't say was how much of that engagement was accidental. After a wave of complaints, Microsoft admitted users want more control over the Copilot button's location. "While we are seeing increased engagement with Copilot in Office apps with this update, we are also hearing the need for more control over how Copilot appears," said Katie Kivett, partner group product manager at Microsoft.

Microsoft says this is a short-term adjustment while it continues working to make Copilot more adaptive across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That said, this change to Office apps follows similar changes in Windows 11, where Microsoft is removing unnecessary Copilot buttons from apps like Notepad and Snip & Sketch. We also recently covered Microsoft's plan to let users remap the dedicated Copilot key back to Right Ctrl or Context Menu.