If you use Excel as part of Microsoft 365, you may have noticed the Copilot floating icon that stubbornly follows your cursor around the worksheet. While Microsoft designed it to offer help and AI-driven assistance, many users find this persistent icon distracting and intrusive — especially when it blocks the view of cells or interferes with workflow.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not currently provide a global or straightforward setting to turn off or permanently hide this Copilot icon in Excel. But there is good news: with a simple VBA macro added to your Personal Macro Workbook, you can automatically hide this icon each time you start Excel, keeping your workspace clean and distraction-free.

Why the Copilot Icon Can Be Annoying

• The icon constantly moves alongside your active cell, disrupting visual focus
• No global toggle to permanently disable it means it reappears every workbook or Excel restart
• Temporary keyboard shortcuts exist but only hide it until you reopen the workbook
• This constant presence can break workflow rhythm, especially for power users

The Temporary Keyboard Shortcut (Not Permanent)

One quick manual fix discovered is using the keyboard shortcut:

• Press Alt + Program key (usually the “Menu” key near right Ctrl) then press H
• This hides the icon only for the current workbook session
• Once you close and reopen Excel or a workbook, the icon reappears

While this is helpful, it doesn’t solve the recurring annoyance long-term.

The VBA Permanent Fix to Hide the Copilot Icon on Workbook Open

Thanks to the Excel community, a small but powerful VBA macro can be added to your Personal Macro Workbook (PERSONAL.XLSB). This macro runs automatically whenever Excel starts or a new workbook opens, and it hides the Copilot icon programmatically every time.

Here’s the VBA code you need:

Private WithEvents app As Application

Private Sub Workbook_Open()
    Set app = Application
End Sub

Private Sub app_NewWorkbook(ByVal Wb As Workbook)
    Application.CommandBars("Copilot Menu").Controls("&Hide until I Reopen this Document").Execute
End Sub

Private Sub app_WorkbookOpen(ByVal Wb As Workbook)
    If Not ActiveWindow Is Nothing Then
        Application.CommandBars("Copilot Menu").Controls("&Hide until I Reopen this Document").Execute
    End If
End Sub

How to Set Up the VBA Macro

1. Open Excel and press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
2. In the VBA Project pane, locate or create your Personal Macro Workbook (PERSONAL.XLSB).
   • If you don’t already have one, you can create it by recording any simple macro and choosing to save it to the Personal Macro Workbook.
3. In the VBA Project for PERSONAL.XLSB, right-click on Microsoft Excel Objects, choose Insert > Class Module, and paste the code above into this new module.
4. Close the VBA editor and save your Personal Macro Workbook.
5. Restart Excel to allow the macro to run, and the Copilot icon should be hidden automatically.

Important Notes

• This macro hides the icon “until you reopen the document,” meaning the effect resets per session but automates hiding it each time Excel opens.
• You can easily enable or disable this by commenting/uncommenting the VBA code lines.
• No official Microsoft toggle currently exists, so this VBA approach is the best workaround available.

Why This VBA Solution Works Better Than Manual Hiding

• Automates the process: No need to manually press keyboard shortcuts every session.
• Invisible to users: Once set, it just works in the background without interrupting workflow.
• Customizable: Advanced users can extend or modify the macro according to their needs.

Final Takeaway

The persistent Excel Copilot floating icon can be a significant workflow distraction, but you don’t have to live with it. Using a simple VBA macro in your Personal Macro Workbook ensures the icon disappears automatically every time you start Excel or open a workbook, making your spreadsheet work cleaner and more focused.

Until Microsoft offers an official option to toggle the Copilot icon permanently, this VBA workaround remains the best way to kill the annoying Copilot chicklet for good.