Understanding web search in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Agents

Why web search matters

When web search is on, Copilot Chat and Agents generate a short Bing query based on your prompt. This allows Copilot to reason more effectively over your prompt by incorporating timely, relevant information from the web.

This is especially helpful when:

• You’re exploring specialized or emerging topics

• You need current industry trends or market data

• You’re planning travel or events

• You’re conducting competitive analysis or research

Try out Web search with prompts like:

Information sources for Web search

When Copilot uses web search, you’ll see a sources button below your response.

Select the button to view the exact query Copilot sent to Bing and the sources it used. This helps you understand how Copilot interpreted your prompt and builds trust in the results.

How Web search works

• Depending on if you have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license or not, your web search experience may have standard access or priority access to Copilot Chat services. To learn more about standard and priority access to features in Microsoft 365 Copilot, see Standard and priority access to Copilot Chat.

• Copilot​​​​​​​ generates a Bing search query using a few words from your prompt or any file you’ve uploaded.

• The full prompt or file is not used as the query unless it’s already very short (for example, “New York City weather”).

• If your organization allows web search, you’ll be able to use it without taking additional action.

Turn on Web search for Copilot Chat and Agents

Your organization's policies determine whether Copilot uses web search. If your organization has turned on Copilot, and you have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, you can control whether Copilot uses web search when you're in work mode.

To turn web search on or off:

1. In Copilot Chat, select the ... Copilot chats and more menu in the top-right corner.

2. Use the Web search toggle to turn web search on or off.

If web search is turned off by your organization, Copilot will still respond without the benefit of current web information.

You may see a message like:

• "Web search is off. Responses won't include web insights, which may affect relevance. Your organization controls this setting."

To turn on web search if your organization has turned it off, reach out to your administrator.