In short. Copilot Chat users can open Chat settings, choose Personalization, expand Advanced, and turn off Web search when their organization permits it.
Definition: Copilot Chat's user-level web search control is in Chat settings, under Personalization and its Advanced section. Turning off the Web search toggle stops web content from being included in Copilot responses when the organization permits users to control the setting.
Key facts
- Microsoft's web search help places the control in Copilot Chat's Chat settings, under Personalization and Advanced.
- The setting is a Web search toggle that can turn web search on or off.
- Web search availability depends on the account type, license, and organization settings.
- Microsoft documents a separate Allow web search in Copilot policy for IT administrators in Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365. The policy applies to Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat.
- When an administrator enables web search, the user-level control is on by default. When an administrator disables it, the control is dimmed and unavailable.
Where is the Advanced personalization setting?
Microsoft's support instructions begin in Copilot Chat. Select the Settings and more menu in the top-right corner, choose Chat settings, then choose Personalization. At the bottom of the Personalization page, expand Advanced and use Web search.
Copilot Chat > Settings and more > Chat settings > Personalization > Advanced > Web search
The same help page says that Work IQ must be turned on before a user can choose whether Copilot uses web information, and only when the organization permits web search. It also says that a work or school account whose organization has turned web search off should contact an administrator.
What does the user toggle control?
Microsoft's web search and data access documentation describes two controls: an administrator control and a user control. The user control is called Web content in that section. It controls whether Microsoft Copilot includes real-time web content in responses and is available to Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat users.
When the user turns off Web content, web content is excluded from Copilot responses. The preference persists across sessions and applies across supported Copilot clients and devices. The same documentation states that the user-level toggle is available when the IT administrator enables web search. If the administrator disables web search, the toggle is unavailable and the user cannot turn it on.
How does the administrator policy affect the setting?
The Allow web search in Copilot policy is available only in Cloud Policy service for Microsoft 365. Microsoft says administrators can turn web search on or off for users or user groups across the tenant, and that the policy covers both Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat.
If the policy is enabled, Microsoft documents three choices: web search enabled in both products, web search disabled in both products, or web search disabled in Copilot Work mode while enabled in Copilot Web mode and Copilot Chat. If an administrator enables web search for Copilot users, users retain the option to turn it off with the user-level control.
The privacy setting for optional connected experiences in Microsoft 365 apps has no effect on web search availability. Microsoft gives Word, Excel, and Teams as examples of those apps.
What can a user see after web search is disabled?
The Microsoft support page says Copilot can show a message that web search is off and that responses will exclude web insights. It also says that a user whose organization controls the setting must contact the administrator to turn web search on.
The support page explains that Copilot generates a short Bing query from a prompt when web search is on. It also provides a Sources button below a response, where a user can view the exact query sent to Bing and the sources used.
Related terms
- Microsoft Copilot
- Copilot Search in Bing
- Where can the exact Bing query generated by Copilot Chat be inspected?
- Does Copilot Chat send the full prompt or file to Bing search?
FAQ
Can an administrator disable the toggle for users?
Yes. Microsoft says that when an administrator disables web search, the Web content toggle is turned off, appears dimmed, and cannot be turned on by the user.
Does turning off optional connected experiences disable web search?
The privacy setting for optional connected experiences in Microsoft 365 apps has no effect on web search availability. Web search can remain available when that setting is off.
Does the user preference persist?
Microsoft says that a user's web content preference persists across sessions and applies across supported Copilot clients and devices.
Sources
- Microsoft Support, "How web search works in Microsoft Copilot Chat and agents", 29 September 2026
- Microsoft Learn, "Data, privacy, and security for web search in Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat", 18 August 2026
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