# GPT-5.6 is now the preferred model in Microsoft 365 Copilot

_Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT · AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

OpenAI announced Wednesday that GPT-5.6 will become the new preferred model in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing the company's latest flagship model series into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Chat and Cowork for Microsoft 365 customers. The update integrates OpenAI's newest model series into productivity tools used daily, aiming to help users create, analyze and collaborate with more capable AI assistance across workstreams. OpenAI said GPT-5.6 delivers more useful work from every token with stronger performance per dollar and on-demand capability for complex tasks. In Word, the model can help draft, edit and refine documents with fewer rounds of prompting. In Excel, it supports deeper analysis while using tokens more efficiently. In PowerPoint, it helps turn early ideas into more polished presentations with less manual guidance. In Cowork, it helps users complete complex, cross-functional work and produce higher-quality outputs with less manual coordination. Microsoft will access OpenAI models directly through the API to bring GPT-5.6 to Microsoft 365 customers. Nitin Agrawal, President of Copilot & Agents Core at Microsoft, said the company is excited to continue building with OpenAI to bring more powerful AI experiences to people and organizations worldwide. Nikunj Handa, Head of API Product at OpenAI, said the partnership helps organizations get more useful work from every token and more value from AI in the tools they already use.

## Sources

- [OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-6-preferred-model-microsoft-365-copilot)

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