Microsoft Copilot models in 2026: GPT-6 Astra, Claude, Grok and Auto

Updated: November 9, 2026

Microsoft Copilot runs on several models at once, and the list depends on which Copilot you use. The free consumer app exposes conversation modes, with Smart mode powered by GPT-5 and Think Deeper powered by OpenAI's latest reasoning models. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat defaults to Auto routing and adds a model selector with OpenAI and Anthropic options, while Copilot Cowork lists named models such as GPT 6 Astra, GPT 6.1 Sol, Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Sonnet 5 and Grok 4.7. Copilot Studio keeps a separate catalog whose default is GPT Chat Latest, and five older GPT models there retire on November 12, 2026.

The tables below map each Copilot surface to the models Microsoft documents for it, list the admin settings that turn Anthropic models on or off, and give the Copilot Studio retirement dates. Every model name was checked against Microsoft's support pages, Learn documentation and release notes on November 9, 2026, and where Microsoft has announced a model without documenting where it appears, the text says so.

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MICROSOFT COPILOT MODELS BY SURFACE IN NOVEMBER 2026.

Microsoft sells and ships Copilot as a family of products, and each one draws on its own set of models. The same question typed into the consumer app, into Copilot Chat at work and into a Cowork task can be answered by different models, so the first thing to establish is which surface is in front of you.

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Copilot surface	How the model is chosen	Models Microsoft names
Consumer Microsoft Copilot	Conversation modes	Smart: GPT-5; Think Deeper: latest OpenAI reasoning models
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat	Auto by default, model selector	GPT-5.5 Instant, GPT 5.5 Thinking, Claude (Anthropic)
Researcher agent	Model selector in Chat	Claude selectable, other Researcher models in the menu
Copilot in Word and PowerPoint	Models menu	Sonnet 5 in Word; MAI-Image-2-Efficient and FLUX.2 Flex for PowerPoint images
Copilot Cowork	Auto by default, model dropdown	GPT 6 Astra, GPT 6.1 Sol, GPT 5.6 Terra, Claude Fable 5.1, Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Grok 4.7
Copilot Studio agents	Maker picks a primary model	GPT Chat Latest (default), Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6 to 4.8, Grok 4.2 (experimental)

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The lists change often. Microsoft's Cowork changelog recorded new models in May, June, September and October 2026, and the Copilot Studio catalog was last revised on October 23, 2026 with a new wave of retirements.

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CONSUMER MICROSOFT COPILOT: SMART, THINK DEEPER AND THE OTHER MODES.

The free Copilot app for personal Microsoft accounts does not show model names in a picker. Users choose a conversation mode, and Microsoft's support page describes five of them: Quick response, Think Deeper, Study and learn, Smart and Search.

Microsoft names a model for two modes. Smart mode is powered by GPT-5 and is available to all Copilot users. Think Deeper is powered by the latest reasoning models from OpenAI, spends up to about 10 seconds reasoning before it answers, and has no usage cap, although Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium subscribers get priority when capacity is limited. Quick response, Study and learn and Search are described by what they do (fast answers, step-by-step tutoring and web answers with citations) without a named model.

Microsoft also notes that some modes may require signing in, without saying which ones. For a consumer user, the practical choice is between Smart for general work, Think Deeper for problems that need multi-step reasoning, and Search when the answer depends on current web information.

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MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT CHAT: AUTO ROUTING AND THE MODEL SELECTOR.

At work or school, Copilot Chat starts in Auto mode. Microsoft's Copilot Chat overview, updated on November 5, 2026, explains that a real-time router picks the underlying model for each prompt: a high-throughput model for routine questions, and a deeper reasoning model that plans, gathers context and checks its work when the prompt is complex or open-ended. Users can override Auto with the model selector in the interface.

The Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes show how that selector has filled up during 2026. GPT-5.2 arrived in January with Quick Response and Think Deeper options. On May 19, 2026 Microsoft added GPT-5.5 Instant and GPT 5.5 Thinking to Copilot Chat, the second aimed at multistep reasoning and structured analysis. On June 16, 2026 Anthropic's Claude became selectable in Copilot Chat for complex analysis, document understanding and structured content. In August, Researcher models became selectable directly from Chat, and in October a Switch Model option was added to the Regenerate menu so a user can see the same prompt answered by a different model without starting over.

Microsoft's Copilot blog has also announced newer models for "Microsoft Copilot" in its September 2026 posts: GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5. The Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes, which we read on November 9, 2026, do not yet document which of those models appear in the Copilot Chat selector or for which licenses, so the table above lists only the Chat models the release notes confirm. The GPT-6 Astra announcement itself places that model in Copilot Cowork and Copilot Studio.

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CLAUDE IN MICROSOFT COPILOT: DEFAULTS, ADMIN SETTINGS AND REGIONS.

Anthropic models run in Microsoft's Copilot products with Anthropic acting as a Microsoft subprocessor. Microsoft's page on Anthropic models in Microsoft Online Services, last updated on November 4, 2026, sets out where Claude appears and who controls it.

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Tenant type	Claude default	How admins change it
Commercial cloud outside EU, EFTA and UK	On	Copilot settings: Disable Anthropic as a Microsoft subprocessor
EU, EFTA and UK	Off (No users)	Opt in to Anthropic, then choose users or groups
GCC (non-federal)	Available since July 22, 2026	Separate GCC setting
GCC High, DoD, other sovereign clouds	Not available	No option in the admin center

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Inside a tenant where Claude is enabled, users can select Claude in Researcher and in Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps, including Edit with Copilot, and Copilot Studio makers choose it when they build an agent. Access can be limited to specific users or Microsoft Entra security groups, and changing the setting requires the AI Administrator or Global Administrator role. Claude models in Copilot are currently excluded from the EU Data Boundary and from in-country processing commitments, which is why EU and UK tenants start with Claude off; our report on Claude joining the EU Data Boundary in Microsoft Copilot covers the planned change.

Two classes of Anthropic model carry extra conditions. Fable 5.1 is available to some organizations under Microsoft's Product Terms and Data Protection Addendum, with no extra opt-in once the subprocessor setting is on; Microsoft does not publish which organizations qualify. Models labeled as Anthropic models with Data Retention, with Fable 5.0 and Claude Mythos 5 given as examples, are off by default everywhere, require the admin to accept Anthropic's Commercial Terms, and let Anthropic store most inputs and outputs for up to 30 days.

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COPILOT COWORK MODELS: GPT 6 ASTRA, GPT 6.1 SOL, CLAUDE FABLE 5.1 AND GROK 4.7.

Copilot Cowork, the agent that carries out multi-step tasks across Microsoft 365, has the broadest model menu of any Copilot surface. The dropdown in the chat box defaults to Auto, which picks from the models the organization has enabled. A model chosen by hand stays selected on that device until the user changes it. Cowork also sets a reasoning effort, with Light, Medium, High, Extra High and Max levels and Medium as the default.

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Cowork model	Provider	Microsoft's description or change
Auto	Microsoft router	Default, for most day-to-day work
GPT 6 Astra	OpenAI	Latest model for tough problems (added September 2026)
GPT 6.1 Sol	OpenAI	Added October 2026, replaces GPT 6 Sol
GPT 5.6 Terra	OpenAI	Balanced effort for common tasks
GPT 5.5 (Frontier)	OpenAI, hosted in Azure AI Foundry	Capable model for medium effort work
Claude Fable 5.1	Anthropic	Most advanced model for ambitious work (replaced Fable 5 in September 2026)
Opus 5	Anthropic	For complex, high-stakes work
Claude Sonnet 5	Anthropic	Everyday tasks and fast responses (replaced Sonnet 4.6 in June 2026)
Grok 4.7	xAI	Added October 2026

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The Cowork changelog, updated on November 7, 2026, is the more current of Microsoft's two Cowork pages; the model reference page was last revised on September 14 and still lists GPT 5.6 Sol and omits Grok 4.7. The changelog also records Claude Opus 4.7 (May 2026), Claude Opus 4.8 (June 2026) and image generation with ChatGPT Images 2.0. Admins can switch off the whole Anthropic model family for the tenant in the Microsoft 365 admin center; the setting cannot target a subset of users, and when it is off Auto chooses among the remaining models.

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COPILOT STUDIO MODELS AND THE NOVEMBER 12, 2026 RETIREMENTS.

Copilot Studio, where organizations build their own agents, has a catalog of its own. Its documentation, last updated on October 23, 2026, lists GPT Chat Latest as the default primary model, and agents fall back to it when a selected model is turned off. Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Opus 4.7 and Claude Opus 4.8 are generally available, processed in the US for US tenants and cross-geo elsewhere. Grok 4.2 is experimental, limited to the US early access environment and not meant for production. Makers can also connect external models from Anthropic, xAI or Mistral once admins enable them in the Power Platform admin center.

Several GPT versions are being retired in favor of GPT Chat Latest, with the dates and extension options below.

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Copilot Studio model	Replacement	Retirement date	Extension
GPT-5.3 Chat	GPT Chat Latest	October 15, 2026	Up to 30 days
GPT-5.4 Reasoning	GPT Chat Latest	October 15, 2026	Up to 30 days
GPT-5.5 Chat	GPT Chat Latest	October 31, 2026	None
GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 Mini	GPT Chat Latest	November 12, 2026	Up to 30 days
GPT-5 Chat, GPT-5 Auto, GPT-5 Reasoning	GPT Chat Latest	November 12, 2026	Up to 30 days

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FedRAMP tenants and non-US environments where cross-geo data movement is restricted keep GPT-4.1 and GPT-5, and in GCC, GCC High and DoD the default model remains GPT-4o. Teams that built agents on GPT-4.1 or GPT-5 have a few days left to test them on GPT Chat Latest or request the 30-day extension.

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HOW TO CHECK WHICH MODEL YOUR MICROSOFT COPILOT IS USING.

Start with the product. A personal Microsoft account in the Copilot app sees conversation modes, and the mode name is the only model signal it gets. A work or school account in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat can open the model selector, see whether Auto is active, and pick a named model; after a response, the Regenerate menu's Switch Model option shows the same prompt answered by another model. In Cowork, the dropdown in the chat box shows the selected model and reasoning effort, and in Copilot Studio the model is set in each agent's settings.

If a model listed above is missing, the cause is usually an admin setting or a license. Anthropic models appear only when the tenant allows Anthropic as a subprocessor (off by default in the EU, EFTA and UK), Data Retention models need a separate opt-in, and Microsoft says Anthropic models are available only in applicable Microsoft 365 licensed experiences. Our guide to Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses, Copilot Chat and Frontier access explains who gets which experience, and the Microsoft Copilot pricing tiers guide covers what each plan costs. Context limits differ by surface as well, as set out in our Microsoft Copilot context window guide.

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MICROSOFT COPILOT MODEL CHOICE: WHAT IS DOCUMENTED AND WHAT IS STILL MISSING.

Microsoft documents a clear split. Consumers get modes, with GPT-5 behind Smart and OpenAI reasoning models behind Think Deeper. Copilot Chat users get Auto plus a selector that the release notes confirm includes GPT-5.5 Instant, GPT 5.5 Thinking and Claude. Cowork users get the widest named list, from GPT 6 Astra and GPT 6.1 Sol to Claude Fable 5.1 and Grok 4.7, and Copilot Studio makers build on GPT Chat Latest or Claude as five older GPT models retire on November 12, 2026.

The gap is in Copilot Chat. Microsoft has announced GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 for Microsoft Copilot, while its release notes and Learn pages do not yet say which of them reach the Chat selector or which licenses include them. Microsoft also does not publish the models behind Quick response, Search or the Auto router at any given moment, so the visible mode or model name in each product remains the most reliable way to know what is answering.

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