Two years since its release, Microsoft is killing off Outlook's Themes by Copilot feature

Having gone all-in with Copilot, Microsoft has started the process of reeling things back in a little. As part of this, the company has quietly announced that it is killing off a Copilot-powered feature of Outlook.

The announcement reveals that Microsoft is retiring Themes by Copilot in Microsoft Outlook – possibly because of a lack of interest from users, although no reason is given.

In a posting to the Microsoft 365 Message Center, Microsoft says: “Themes by Copilot in Microsoft Outlook will be retired worldwide from mid- to late October 2026. Users with a Copilot license will lose the ability to select or revert to these themes, though current themes remain until changed. No action is required”.

Providing more information about the impact of the change and what users need to be aware of, the company goes on to say:

What and why

We are retiring Themes by Copilot in Microsoft Outlook. Themes by Copilot currently allows users with a Copilot license to create and apply a Copilot-generated theme in Settings. As part of this change, Themes by Copilot will be removed from Settings, and users will no longer be able to select or return to a Theme by Copilot after changing to a different theme.

Rollout schedule

• General Availability (Worldwide): Retirement begins in mid-October 2026 and is expected to complete by late October 2026.

Impact on your organization

Who is affected

• Users with a Copilot license.

Platforms and services

• New Outlook for Windows
• Outlook for Android
• Outlook for iOS
• Outlook for Mac
• Outlook on the web

What will happen

• Themes by Copilot will be removed from Settings. Users who are currently using a Theme by Copilot will retain their current theme until they change it.
• Themes by Copilot configured to automatically refresh will remain applied but will stop refreshing. Users will retain the current theme imagery until they change their theme.
• Users can change from their existing Theme by Copilot to a non-Copilot theme but cannot return to a Theme by Copilot after doing so.

Action required and recommendations

No action is required.

It is not clear exactly why Microsoft has taken this decision, but the company is moving quite quickly in saying that the retirement will be completed by the end of this month.

Image credit: Pavlo I / Dreamstime.com

Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. She is currently training to be an LGBTQ+ affirmative psychotherapist. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!