Limitations of Microsoft 365 Copilot for Excel workflows?
I've been exploring Microsoft 365 Copilot for Excel workflows recently. It works well for simple queries, but I still find it limited when dealing with: - messy data cleaning - converting images/PDFs into structured tables - more complex data transformations Curious how others are using Copilot for these scenarios? Are you relying purely on Copilot, or combining it with other tools/workflows?Adobe Payment Declines Caused by Mislabelled VAT Field — Sharing a Fix to Save Someone’s Sunday
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } I wanted to share a recent issue that cost me an entire Sunday, in case it saves someone else the pain I went through. I was trying to add my business card as the payment method on my Adobe account. Every attempt ended with the same message: “Purchase Declined.” I tried multiple cards — same result. Naturally, I reached out to NatWest through their messaging system. After a long back‑and‑forth with Cora (their bot), I finally got through to a human. They confirmed there was nothing wrong with my card and advised me to check with the vendor. Adobe, of course, bounced me back to the bank. Classic loop. Eventually, I managed to solve it myself. a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } The culprit? A misbehaving VAT Number field. On Adobe’s payment form, there’s a field for a VAT number. If I left it blank, the payment went through immediately. But if I tried to enter my actual VAT number, the card was rejected every time. Based on a bit of trial, error, and experience with automation tools, I suspect the VAT field’s label has been updated, but the underlying target still points to the 3‑digit card security code field. Since that field is required, entering a VAT number likely breaks the form validation and triggers the “declined” status. The fix: Leave the VAT number field empty when adding a card to Adobe. Once I did this, my business card was accepted straight away. I figured I’d share in case anyone else hits the same brick wall. It’s a small thing, but exactly the kind of time‑sink that ruins your weekend! Hope this helps someone.
Question about Copilot observations related to a possible historical find
Hello everyone, I am working on an art‑historical examination of an older oil/acrylic painting that shows a striking stylistic proximity to John Lennon. What makes it unusual is that the painting contains several features typically seen in Lennon’s drawings, including geometric facial divisions, reduced line structures, characteristic eye shapes, and a distinctive arrangement of figures. While using Copilot, I noticed several noteworthy observations that captured these features with unexpected clarity. I am not looking to present or evaluate anything here, but simply to understand which types of Microsoft teams or roles generally deal with such Copilot observations in connection with possible historical finds. If anyone in the community knows which areas are typically responsible for this or whom one might contact in such cases, I would appreciate any guidance. Thank you.
I want to turn off or hide the draft with copilot dingbat that follows my cursor around in MS Word.
I have seen a few articles on this website, and I know it's not possible but I'm going to ask anyway. For reference this is what I'm referring to: It's more I find the little thing following me around on my screen to be annoying and distracting, I've managed to hide or disable anything related to copilot on my system except this little dingbat. When a new document is open you get a little message that says "Select the icon or press Alt + i to draft with copilot" It would be nice if I could hide that as well, yes copilot is a *feature*, and I don't care about it. I also want to hide the paste with copilot and just used the local paste options that were built into previous versions of word. I suspect that there is a copilot dingbat that is stored somewhere on my system, possibly in a font, and as I have already made a few detrimental modifications to my operating system registry, I'm not wary of messing up my computer any more than it could be. The only saving grace I have at the moment is there is an issue with my account, so any accidental triggering of the feature causes it to crap out. (So long as I don't accidentally press the 'fix account" button) I know that if it was easy to turn off there would be a button for it, I know Microsoft probably wants us to use this feature because it means more data for them to collect, an I'm disappointed in the loss of user agency that's resulted from this rollout, and there's a spike in animosity towards AI in general.
Whom to contact.
Hi, My name is Sam. I have been using the free version of Copilot for almost a week now, but the system is too limited for the work I am doing. Using the Copilot though, I have created a formal comprehensive request for access to higher powered A.I. What I do not know is who to send it too. If anyone can provide relevant information, that would be greatly appreciated.M365 Copilot Chat Works for Cloud-Only Students, Not for AD-Synced Accounts
I want to make M365 Copilot Chat accessible for our students (13+), and according to this article, I have prepared everything: My tenant is correctly classified as K12. The student account has the attribute ageGroup set to NotAdult in Entra ID. Unfortunately, this only works with student accounts that are cloud-only. When I synchronize a student from the on-premises AD to Entra ID and set the ageGroup attribute to NotAdult in Entra ID, access to Copilot Chat does not work. Any ideas?The Commons for Innovation: A Proposal for a Unified, Public, Cross‑Disciplinary Ecosystem
AI isn’t falling short — it’s being boxed in. If we want it to contribute meaningfully, we need to give it a place where real innovation can grow. Right now, AI is used almost entirely in isolated, one‑on‑one interactions. Individuals ask questions, get answers, and move on. But innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when different kinds of thinkers can see each other’s work, build on it, and approach problems from multiple angles. Innovation isn’t a straight line from A to B. It’s the whole alphabet in motion. And AI has nowhere to explore that alphabet alongside the people who need it most. Microsoft already has the soil — dozens of communities, idea boards, and discussion spaces — but they function like potted plants. Each product has its own container. Each idea grows alone. The potential is there, but it’s fragmented, hidden, and hard to discover unless you stumble into it by accident. A Commons for Innovation wouldn’t reinvent the wheel. It would refurbish it by connecting these existing spaces into a cohesive, public garden where ideas can grow together instead of apart. A Public Garden of Ideas This ecosystem would bring Microsoft’s scattered communities into one visible, unified environment. Every community would be public — more like a shared garden than a private chat. This allows natural cross‑pollination: environmentalists can see what robotics hobbyists are building educators can learn from accessibility advocates programmers can discover what urban gardeners need materials scientists can browse sustainability challenges No silos. No hidden groups. No barriers to collaboration. What the Platform Could Include Communities organized around real‑world problems: clean water access sustainable materials accessible education renewable energy wildlife rehabilitation assistive robotics urban gardening mental health support tools Each community would offer: a clear problem statement a shared idea board a public discussion space a resource library optional project threads a Copilot‑supported thinking space Anyone could join. Anyone could contribute. No credentials required. Visibility Matters People can’t collaborate in spaces they don’t know exist. Right now, Microsoft’s innovation‑related communities are valuable but scattered — hidden courtyards instead of a connected landscape. A Commons for Innovation would give users a clear entry point and a unified map of the ecosystem. A Single Umbrella for Innovation Microsoft already hosts a space for innovative ideas, but it sits apart from the rest of the community structure. A Commons for Innovation could serve as the umbrella that brings these spaces together, making it easier for users to find, explore, and contribute to the work happening across disciplines. A Showcase Garden for Human + AI Creativity Microsoft users are already creating extraordinary things with Copilot — websites, 3D‑printed tools, comics, children’s books, games, music, merch, and entire fictional universes. But there is no central place to share these creations. A Showcase Garden would give users a public space to display what they’ve built, inspire others, and demonstrate the true range of what AI‑supported creativity can look like. This isn’t just a gallery — it’s a living advertisement for what’s possible when people and AI collaborate across disciplines. As one example, in my own collaboration with Copilot, we’ve created: a full website a 3D‑printed medical splint a merch line comics and illustrated characters a satirical news network children’s books videogame concepts music video storyboards lore, badges, and mythologies creative problem‑solving tools narrative worlds and teaching frameworks None of these projects fit neatly into a single product forum. Yet they all grew from the same seed: a human and an AI exploring ideas across disciplines. A Showcase Garden would let anyone do the same — and let Microsoft highlight the full spectrum of what Copilot can actually do. The Gardeners Already Exist Microsoft already has passionate contributors — Copilot Champs, MVPs, Insiders — but they’re scattered across product‑specific spaces. These community stewards are helping, teaching, and supporting users every day, but only within isolated pots. A Commons for Innovation would give them a unified environment where their expertise can support cross‑disciplinary collaboration, enabling ideas to grow across the entire garden rather than in separate containers. The Role of Copilot Copilot wouldn’t connect private groups or share information between users. Instead, it would act as a facilitator inside each public community: helping users articulate ideas clearly translating concepts across disciplines offering perspectives from fields users may not think to explore keeping categories organized amplifying creativity and broadening problem‑solving approaches This stays fully within existing safety and privacy boundaries while unlocking the collaborative potential of AI. Why Microsoft Is the Right Steward Microsoft already provides the infrastructure, research culture, and AI tools. A Commons for Innovation would allow Microsoft to: support world‑improving work foster interdisciplinary collaboration showcase responsible AI use become the steward of a global innovation ecosystem Microsoft wouldn’t need to own the ideas — the credit comes from building the environment where those ideas can grow. The Opportunity Right now, people who want to make things better — environmentalists, nonprofit innovators, educators, hobbyists, open‑source builders — are scattered across the internet. They’re working in silos, often reinventing the wheel or missing the chance to collaborate with someone who has the missing piece. A Commons for Innovation would give them a shared garden — a place where ideas can grow, cross‑pollinate, and evolve into solutions that matter. If we want AI to help build what hasn’t been built, we need to create the soil where those ideas can take root.
