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Last Updated: October 31, 2026
Microsoft Designer at a glance
- Type: Specialist (quick AI images inside Microsoft apps)
- Best for: Microsoft 365 users who need an occasional AI graphic or photo fix
- Starting price: Free; more AI credits with Microsoft 365 from $9.99 a month
- Free plan or trial: Free, with monthly AI credits
- Our take: Worth using because it is already there
Pricing and sign-up terms as of the Last Updated date above. Set by the provider and can change; confirm on their site.
Microsoft Designer review: what it is
This Microsoft Designer review is for the owner who already lives in Microsoft apps and wants quick AI graphics without adding another tool. Microsoft Designer is Microsoft’s specialist AI design app for quick graphics. It creates images, social posts, stickers, invitations, greeting cards, and monograms from a text description, and it edits photos with tools like background removal, upscaling, and object erasing.
We researched and evaluated it for our AI design tools roundup. It was ranked in earlier editions but dropped out of the ranked list this quarter, and it now appears in our Tool Guide instead. This review explains why, and who it still suits.
How Microsoft Designer saves you a hire
Small, one-off graphics are the design jobs owners most often put off: the event invitation, the holiday post, the banner for a newsletter, the cleaned-up product photo. Designer turns a sentence into a usable image for those moments, and it is free to start.
Its biggest advantage is where it shows up. Designer features are built into Word, PowerPoint, Photos, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, so you can ask Copilot for an image or banner without leaving the document you are already writing. For a business that runs on Microsoft 365, that removes the hand-off to a designer for simple visuals in proposals and slide decks.
Best for
- Microsoft 365 subscribers who want AI images inside Word and PowerPoint at no added cost.
- Owners who need an occasional graphic, such as an invitation or a social post, rather than a weekly content calendar.
- Quick photo cleanup, like removing a background or erasing a distraction from a product shot.
Strengths
- Free to start. A free Microsoft account includes monthly AI credits for creating and editing.
- More credits with Microsoft 365. Personal, Family, and Premium plans give the account owner up to four times more credits.
- Built into the apps you already use. Designer features appear in Word, PowerPoint, Photos, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, on the web and on mobile.
- Useful photo edits. Background removal and blur, object erasing, restyling, and upscaling cover common product-photo fixes.
Limits to know
- Free AI is capped by credits. Each AI action uses one credit, and credits are shared across Copilot and other Microsoft apps, so they can run out quickly.
- Thin on business design features. It is built for quick graphics, not brand kits, large template libraries, or print-ready marketing sets.
- Family plans share storage, not AI. On Microsoft 365 Family, AI features are for the subscription owner only.
- Features vary. Microsoft notes that availability differs by device, language, and platform.
What it costs
Designer itself is free. Paying for Microsoft 365 raises your monthly AI credits and adds the rest of the Office apps and storage.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Designer AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Designer (free) | $0 | $0 | Monthly AI credits |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | $99.99 | Up to 4x more credits, one person, 1 TB storage |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | $129.99 | Up to 4x more credits for the owner only, up to six people, 2 TB shared |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99 | $199.99 | Up to 4x more credits, plus extensive AI image creation in Copilot |
Credits refresh at the start of each month. Microsoft does not list exact credit numbers on the Designer page, so check Services and subscriptions in your Microsoft account to see your allowance. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Designer is effectively included. If you do not, paying for Microsoft 365 only to get more Designer credits is hard to justify when Canva and Adobe Express offer more design features on their free plans.
Prices verified October 31, 2026, on Microsoft’s Designer page. Pricing is set by Microsoft and can change; confirm current plans on their site before you subscribe.
What changed recently
Microsoft keeps folding Designer into Copilot. Between February and April 2026 it rolled out new Designer tools in Copilot for refining prompts and adjusting images, and it retired the standalone Designer bot and Designer banners in Teams in favor of Copilot by late February. Microsoft’s Designer page now says every image is automatically boosted, so creation speed no longer depends on how often you create. Designer left our ranked list this quarter for a simpler reason: the free AI is limited by credits, and other free plans now cover more design jobs.
Is Microsoft Designer right for you?
If you already pay for Microsoft 365 and mostly need an image for a proposal, a slide, or the occasional social post, Designer is worth using simply because it is already there. It handles quick visuals and photo fixes without another login.
If design is a regular part of your marketing, a dedicated design app gives you templates, brand kits, and print-ready files: Canva covers far more design jobs on a generous free plan (see our Canva review), and Adobe Express pairs a broad free plan with Firefly AI and a clear commercial-use position (see our Adobe Express review). If your visuals mostly end up in presentations, Gamma builds whole decks from a prompt (see our Gamma review).
Solo owners can use Microsoft Designer free, with monthly AI credits, and get more credits plus the Office apps with Microsoft 365 Personal. Small teams already on Microsoft 365 get AI images inside Word and PowerPoint at no added cost. For either, when the job is a quick graphic and not a weekly content calendar, Designer is the easiest place to start.
See how all of them rank in our roundup of the best AI design tools.
Microsoft Designer FAQ
Is Microsoft Designer free?
Yes. A free Microsoft account includes monthly AI credits for creating and editing images. Each AI action uses one credit.
Do Microsoft 365 subscribers get more?
Yes. Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium give the account owner up to four times more credits. As of October 2026, Personal is $9.99 a month and Family is $12.99 a month.
Does Designer work inside Word and PowerPoint?
Yes. Designer features are built into Word, PowerPoint, Photos, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, where you can ask Copilot to create images or banners.
Why is Microsoft Designer not in your ranked list?
Its free AI is now limited by credits, and the free plans of Canva and Adobe Express cover more design jobs for a small business.
Bottom line
The short version of this Microsoft Designer review: it is a handy, free way to make quick AI graphics, and a real bonus if you already pay for Microsoft 365. It is not a replacement for a full design tool, so use it for one-off visuals and pick Canva or Adobe Express if design is a weekly job.
Compare every option in our best AI design tools roundup, or browse the full AI Tool Guide.