Best AI for Word: Copilot and Free Alternatives
Use Copilot in Word to draft, rewrite and summarize documents, or try free chatbots with your DOCX files. See test results and a copy-ready prompt.
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For writing in Word, the built-in Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal is a convenient choice - it drafts text, rewrites paragraphs and summarizes documents without making you copy text into a browser. If you write only occasionally, try free ChatGPT with pasted text or an uploaded .docx file. If you use Copilot every day, Microsoft 365 Premium offers a higher AI limit.
This is one of the short answers in our Which AI for what? - 50 answers series. I checked the options on October 8, 2026.
Three options: free, best for most people and advanced
My quick test
You cannot call Copilot in Word through an API, so I tested the task itself with the GPT-6.1 Sol model. The test used Polish: I gave it a letter containing nine errors, including misspellings and two missing commas, and instructed it not to alter numbers or names. The model corrected all nine errors, left the amount 12,480, the contract number and the dates unchanged, and also correctly lowercased the greeting after “Dear Sir or Madam,” and removed the comma after “Sincerely.” The translated examples in this description are translations of the original Polish test material, not a new English-language test. The test cost $0.006.
What Copilot in Word does best
- Drafting a letter or report from a few sentences of description.
- Rewriting a selected paragraph to make it shorter, more formal or simpler.
- Summarizing a long document and answering questions about it in the side pane.
Copy-ready proofreading prompt
Proofread this text for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors only. Do not change the style, numbers, dates, names or sentence order. First provide the corrected text, then a numbered list of changes in the format “before -> after”. Type of text: [letter to a client / report / coursework]. Audience: [who will read it]. TEXT: [paste the text or select a paragraph in Word]
What to watch out for
- Microsoft describes the AI limits in Personal and Family using terms such as “higher limit” and “generous limit” rather than specifying a number of requests. With intensive use, you could run out before the end of the month.
- For contracts, turn on Track Changes before inserting Copilot’s text, or ask for a list of edits as in the prompt above. That way, you can review every change.
- On a work computer, use your work account. A personal Copilot account can be used with work files only if your company allows it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Copilot in Word free?
No. Copilot in Office apps is included with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium. Free alternatives include ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini in a separate browser tab.
Does Copilot in Word work in Polish?
Yes. You can write instructions in Polish and get results in the document’s language or another language you request.
How can you add AI to Word without Microsoft 365?
The simplest option is to use a chat service: upload a .docx file to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, ask for edits and a list of changes, then transfer them to your document. It is slower than Copilot, but costs nothing.
Find more short answers in our Which AI for what? guide, and compare Microsoft and Google plans in Microsoft 365 Premium vs Google AI Pro. For email, see our article about AI for Outlook.
