How Copilot Chat works with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license

_{Last updated: April 2026}

Copilot Chat is available to Microsoft business users. The features you can use depend on whether your admin has assigned you a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license.

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To use Copilot Chat you need to sign in with your work or school account and have a qualifying Microsoft 365 business subscription.

Copilot Chat with or without an add-on license

Feature	Without a Copilot license (Copilot Chat only)	With a Copilot license （Microsoft 365 Copilot）
AI model access	Standard access	Priority access
Web data reasoning	Yes	Yes
Work data reasoning	Limited (uploaded files)	Full (meetings, emails, chats, files, and more)
Access to agents	Limited (no advanced agents)	Extensive use (including advanced agents like Researcher, Analyst, and custom agents)
Security	Enterprise grade	Enterprise grade
Copilot studio access	Pay-as-you-go	Included
Priority	Standard (may be limited during peak times)	Priority (faster, more reliable)
Copilot in Outlook	Included	Included
Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps	Depends on your label	Included

For additional information about what you have access to with Copilot sign into Copilot.microsoft.com check what label is assigned to you.

A label of Copilot Chat (Basic), M365 Copilot (Basic), or M365 Copilot (Premium) appears under your name.

This label indicates where you can access Copilot directly. Learn more about labels and what they mean in What Copilot license do I have.

Copilot help for IT admins

If you're an admin and want to learn more about setting up Copilot Chat in your organization, see the following:

How Copilot Chat works with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license

Copilot Chat with or without an add-on license

Copilot help for IT admins

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