Despite charging you more for its new, AI-inclusive plan, Microsoft is actually taking some features away. In an effort to thrust its Copilot AI tool on you, Microsoft Office apps will no longer offer Smart Lookup, one of its former research features.
Microsoft Is Disabling a Common Office App Tool
If you’ve ever needed a quick definition or synonym while using Microsoft Word or Powerpoint, you’ve probably usedSmart Lookup. The tool used to be accessible via a right-click, and would present you with references regarding your selected term in the right side panel. Now, according toMicrosoft Support, the company has nixed the feature—even if it still appears in your dropdown menu.
At the time of writing, you’re able to still right-click on a word and select Smart Lookup. However, the side panel will present you with the following message:
“We are sorry, but this feature is deprecated.”
The panel will then point you toOffice.com, and suggest that you search for the word on Bing. Thanks, but no thanks.
Microsoft Continues Its Campaign For Copilot
Despite oddly guiding you towards Bing for your search needs, the real writing on the wall here is that Smart Lookup is no longer necessary when there’s Copilot. Copilot can do what Smart Lookup did and more; you can easily use the AI-assistant to look up definitions and synonyms, among other related tasks.
The problem is: not everyone is ready to jump on the Copilot train. SinceMicrosoft combined its Office apps with Copilot, Microsoft 365 plans all got more expensive, automatically. To avoid the unexpected price hike, many have opted out of the new bundle, essentiallydowngrading to a Microsoft 365 plan without Copilot. Microsoft now calls these “Classic” plans.
Unfortunately, those on Classic plans will not only lose access to Smart Lookup, but they also won’t have Copilot to replace it. Of course, if you never used Smart Lookup, then you won’t notice any difference. Personally, I’ve always just used my browser for additional research, or when I’ve needed a thesaurus. Then again, I’m one of those people who’s happy to work in a sea of windows and tabs, and that’s certainly not everyone’s style.
It all seems quite convenient, doesn’t it? I understand that as technology evolves, companies have to stop offering support for outdated models. We see this, for example, withApple’s “obsolete” list of Macs. Maybe retiring this feature was necessary for Microsoft to give its full attention to its new software. Or, maybe Smart Lookup is a hostage Microsoft is leveraging to force us into (Copilot) compliance.
