This technical innovation opens up a wide range of possibilities: Copilot is increasingly becoming a smart intermediary that acts as a dispatcher. Depending on your query, Copilot automatically selects the AI model that best suits the task, ensuring that you always receive the most relevant and accurate answer.
Specifically, this means that Claude models will be available alongside the existing OpenAI models, under the same security and compliance agreements that apply to all Microsoft Online Services.
Where is this available?
The rollout is taking place in phases. For most commercial customers outside the European Union, Claude is enabled by default; users do not need to take any action. Full availability is expected by the end of March 2026.
For organizations within the European Union, a different approach applies: Claude is turned off by default. An administrator can enable it through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under Settings > Data Access > AI Providers.
What will change in practice?
Users will soon be able to select Claude in the following places, among others:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot (web, desktop, and mobile)
- Copilot Studio (when creating an agent)
- Agent Mode in Excel
- The Researcher feature in Copilot.
In Copilot itself, an indicator appears when Claude is active, so you know which model you're using at that moment.
What is this not?
This is not a replacement for the existing OpenAI integration. Microsoft offers a choice of models; you can continue to work with GPT models if you wish. Claude is an addition, not a mandatory switch.
This also does not involve a separate Anthropic account or separate subscription fees. The Microsoft Product Terms and the Microsoft Data Protection Addendum apply, just as they do for all other Microsoft Online Services.
What does this mean for your data?
It’s important to note that Anthropic models are currently outside the EU Data Boundary. This means that data processing via Claude is not guaranteed to remain within the EU, even if your organization would normally expect it to. This is something to be aware of before you enable this feature as an administrator.
This is a crucial issue, especially for European companies and/or organizations that are required to operate within local data centers (such as in Germany and Austria). The fact that Anthropic models currently fall outside the EU’s data border makes it especially important to carefully consider whether to enable Claude within Copilot, particularly if your organization has strict requirements regarding data location and protection.
So be sure to find out about the data location implications before you start using Claude.
Learn more about Microsoft 365 Copilot:
