Change Copilot Studio Agent Welcome Message

When someone opens your Copilot Studio chatbot, the very first thing they see is the welcome message. By default, it’s pretty basic, but now you can change it!

Whether you’re building a support bot, an HR assistant, or a custom solution for your business, updating the welcome message helps you set the tone, guide users better, and make the experience more personal.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how to customize the welcome message in Copilot Studio and how to disable the welcome message in Copilot Studio.

Welcome Message in Copilot Studio

The agent welcome message is the first automated message that appears when a user opens a chat with your bot.

It depends upon the name of the agent. In my case, my agent’s name is Expense Agent, so it gives me the following welcome message.

Hello, I'm Expense Agent, a virtual assistant. Just so you are aware, I sometimes use AI to answer your questions. If you provided a website during creation, try asking me about it! Next try giving me some more knowledge by setting up generative AI.

This is helpful for:

• Letting users know what the bot can do
• Prompting the user to respond
• Giving your bot a personality

Check Out: Create a Multi-Agent in Copilot Studio

Customize the Welcome Message in Copilot Studio

To change what your chatbot says when the conversation starts, follow these steps:

1. Go to Copilot Studio, click to open the chatbot (agent) you want to update.

In my case, I’m using a bot called Expense Agent.

2. In the top tab, click Topics. Locate and open the System topic titled “Conversation Start.”

3. When you open the Conversation Start topic, you’ll notice two key elements:
   • Trigger: On Conversation Start
   • Message action: This contains the default greeting that the Copilot Studio agent sends when a user opens the chat window.

This message is what users see as the very first interaction, and it often includes the name of the agent and a general explanation of what the bot can do. For example:

Hello, I'm Expense Agent, a virtual assistant. Just so you are aware, I sometimes use AI to answer your questions. If you provided a website during creation, try asking me about it! Next try giving me some more knowledge by setting up generative AI.

4. Now that you’re inside the Conversation Start topic, locate the message action that contains the default greeting. Replace the existing message with your own custom text.

Hi there! I'm here to help with your expense claims. Let me know what you need!

5. Once you’re happy with your message, click Save at the top to apply the changes.

6. Once you’ve saved the changes, open your chatbot in preview mode or from the live chat widget. Start a new conversation.

You’ll now see your new custom welcome message appear at the beginning of the chat.

Learn: Create Autonomous Agents in Copilot Studio

Disable Welcome Message in Copilot Studio

If you want to remove the welcome message entirely (for example, to trigger another custom topic right away), here’s how:

Steps to Disable the Welcome Message:

1. Go to the Topics section in Copilot Studio.
2. Locate the system topic named Conversation Start.
3. Turn off the toggle switch beside the topic name.

This will prevent the system-generated greeting from being sent when a new chat begins.

Customizing the welcome message in Copilot Studio is an easy way to make your chatbot feel more helpful and personal. You can update the default greeting to match your needs or even turn it off if you prefer a different flow.

Also, you may like some tutorials:

• Create an Agent Flow Using Designer in Copilot Studio
• Publish an Agent to a Live or Demo Website in Copilot Studio
• Create an Agent Flow With Natural Language in Copilot Studio