Microsoft is threading Anthropic’s Claude models into the fabric of Copilot 365, offering enterprises a second premium choice in addition to the service from OpenAI. Getting started: Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 are available in preview for Researcher and Copilot Studio. Customers can choose to opt in, adapt between models according to task (policy), or cost-performance requirements. OpenAI is still the default for Microsoft 365 Copilot, but this change suggests an intentional pivot to multimodel capability within Redmond’s flagship productivity stack.
What Changes In Copilot 365 With Claude Model Options
The change for end users and builders is simple: After they’ve enabled the feature, a model picker will be visible in supported experiences that allow teams to pick Claude for specific prompts or projects. Consider, in addition, Claude’s reputation for rational instruction-following under long-context description handling, as other tasks continue running on OpenAI by default. Think of Researcher processing some dense end-of-quarter market report summary. In Copilot Studio, creators can assign Claude to specific copilots or skills when they’d like a more particular tone, safety profile, or style of reasoning.
Practically, this unlocks side-by-side experimentation. A legal ops team could compare how Claude and OpenAI process a 120-page contract; a support leader might include testing which model crafts clearer troubleshooting scripts; or a PMO might benchmark how each tackles multi-step planning. The operational gain is extremely unforked—users remain within Microsoft’s tools when they access a different frontier model family.
Where Claude Arrives First In Microsoft 365 Copilot
Support for Claude is available in the Microsoft Frontier Program to licensed Microsoft 365 Copilot customers. Copilot Studio is available in early access environments at the moment, with a broader preview coming within weeks. In both instances, open access is opt-in and gated by administrator approval so organizations can pilot the models with appropriate guardrails before broader adoption.
Microsoft notes that Anthropic’s models are running on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure. (Anthropic has its own terms and data-handling policy that customers who click to turn on Claude agree to; a nod that this will help keep privacy, compliance, and procurement teams in the loop during evaluation.)
Why Microsoft Is Getting Multimodel For Copilot 365
This is the first Copilot AI partner that isn’t OpenAI-based, and reflects a larger shift in the industry toward multimodel architectures. Cloud providers are already luring customers based on model choice — AWS with Bedrock and Google Cloud with its model options and connectivity software — underscoring that no one model is best for every task. Since latency, cost, safety constraints, and output style all differ, teams increasingly mix and match.
The approach also reduces vendor concentration and introduces leverage as the market matures. Microsoft has also publicly restated its commitment to OpenAI, as it returns to the topic of ensuring that “the best of industry” is part of Copilot. The stories of competitive friction among the companies reiterate the practical value of having a second top-tier model in play within the same workflows.
Governance And Data Safeguards For Claude In Copilot
Since Claude asks are executed on Amazon infrastructure under Anthropic’s umbrella, admins should re-evaluate data residency, DLP, and vendor risk policies before activating the preview. Microsoft notes that enterprise controls still work (IT can force approvals, impose environment-level restrictions, and get visibility about usage) but sensitive tenants might prefer to run phased pilots based on nonconfidential content until legal and compliance teams have reviewed agreements.
A simple rollout checklist:
- Define limits around where Claude can be applied.
- Create a mapping of what data classifications are within scope.
- Log evaluation results.
- Record the prompt content for audit (where allowed).
Many organizations already use Microsoft Purview and the like. The same governing mindset should apply to multimodel AI, even if in preview.
For Customers, What This Means For Everyday Copilot Use
The immediate upside is flexibility. Claude Opus 4.1 explores complex and multi-step reasoning; Sonnet 4 is optimized for broad overall performance as well as responsiveness. Evaluators have repeatedly commented on Claude’s skill in following precise instructions and composing clear prose — two strengths that can certainly pay off for highly constrained research summaries, policy drafts, or grounded analysis.
Expect teams to run bake-offs: pick a representative workload, standardize prompts, compare accuracy, tone, and turnaround time, and measure costs. Builders can use Copilot Studio to anchor Claude to particular automations — classification, redrafting, or policy checks — where it fits best given its safety experience and output style. The result is Copilot 365 — a more robust ecosystem where model choice is no longer a new platform but rather a configuration.
Bottom line: Microsoft is extending Copilot’s functionality without requiring a change of platform. OpenAI stays in the driver’s seat, but customers now receive a second premium engine when the road requires it — an analysis that reflects where enterprise AI is going and how contemporary AI stacks will run.
