Copilot in Teams is turned on through your Microsoft 365 admin center, not through the app itself

If you are looking for the Copilot button in Teams and cannot find it, the feature has not been enabled for your organization yet. Copilot in Teams is a tenant-level setting, which means your IT administrator or whoever manages your Microsoft 365 account has to switch it on before any individual user can access it. You cannot enable it yourself from within the Teams app.

The person who manages your organization's Microsoft 365 subscription will need to go to the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to the Teams settings, and toggle Copilot on. Once that happens, the Copilot icon appears in your Teams interface within a few hours, though it can sometimes take up to 24 hours to show up for all users.

If you are the administrator, the steps are straightforward. If you are not, you will need to contact whoever manages your organization's software licenses and ask them to enable it.

Key Takeaways

  • Copilot in Teams must be enabled by your Microsoft 365 administrator in the admin center — individual users cannot turn it on themselves.
  • Once enabled at the organization level, Copilot appears as an icon in the Teams interface and works in chat, channels, and meetings.
  • The feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in addition to your regular Teams license, so your administrator needs to confirm you have both.
  • If Copilot does not appear after your administrator enables it, wait up to 24 hours and then refresh your Teams app or sign out and back in.

What your administrator needs to do in the Microsoft 365 admin center

Your Microsoft 365 administrator logs into the admin center at admin.microsoft.com using their admin account. From the left sidebar, they navigate to Settings, then Org settings. In that menu, they look for Microsoft Copilot (not "Copilot Pro" or other Copilot products — this is the one for Teams).

The administrator clicks on Microsoft Copilot and sees a toggle switch. They turn it on, then click Save. That is the entire process. The setting applies to everyone in the organization, though it can take a few hours to roll out to all users.

If the administrator does not see Microsoft Copilot in the Org settings menu, it may be because your organization does not have the right license. Copilot in Teams requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license separate from your regular Teams license. Your administrator can check what licenses are assigned by going to Billing in the admin center and looking at Your products.

Checking whether you have the right license

Copilot in Teams is not included in a standard Microsoft 365 Business or Microsoft 365 Enterprise license. Your organization has to purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses separately and assign them to the users who should have access. This is different from Copilot Pro, which is a consumer product you buy individually.

If your administrator has enabled the feature in the admin center but you still do not see Copilot in Teams, the most common reason is that the license has not been assigned to your user account. Ask your administrator to check whether your account has a Microsoft 365 Copilot license attached. If it does not, they can assign it through the admin center under Users and then Active users.

Where to find Copilot once it is enabled

After your administrator enables Copilot and you have the right license, the Copilot icon appears in several places in Teams. In a one-on-one chat or group chat, you will see a Copilot icon in the message compose area at the bottom of the screen. In a Teams channel, the icon appears in the same location. During a Teams meeting, Copilot shows up as an icon in the meeting controls.

Click the icon to open Copilot. In chat, it can summarize conversations, answer questions about what was discussed, and help you draft responses. In meetings, it can summarize what was said, list action items, and answer questions about the meeting content. The exact capabilities depend on which version of Copilot your organization has licensed.

What to do if Copilot does not appear after it is enabled

If your administrator has enabled Copilot and you have the license, but you still do not see the icon in Teams, try these steps in order. First, refresh your Teams app by pressing Ctrl+R on Windows or Command+R on Mac. If that does not work, sign out of Teams completely and sign back in.

If you are using the Teams web app instead of the desktop app, try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then reload the page. Sometimes browser data prevents new features from showing up. If you are on the desktop app and it has not been updated in a while, check for updates by clicking your profile picture in the top right, then Settings, then About Teams. If an update is available, install it and restart the app.

If none of these steps work after 24 hours, contact your IT administrator or Microsoft support. There may be a delay in the license assignment or a configuration issue on the backend that needs to be resolved.

Understanding the difference between Copilot in Teams and Copilot Pro

Copilot Pro is a separate product you can buy as an individual for about $20 per month. It works in Bing, Edge, and some other Microsoft products, but it does not give you access to Copilot in Teams. The two are not connected. Your organization has to purchase and enable Microsoft 365 Copilot specifically for it to work inside Teams.

If you have Copilot Pro on your personal account but your organization has not enabled Copilot in Teams, you will not see Copilot features in your work Teams. Conversely, if your organization has enabled Copilot in Teams but you do not have Copilot Pro, you can still use Copilot in Teams — you just cannot use it in other places.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enable Copilot in Teams myself if I am the only user?

No. Even if you are a solo user or a small business owner, Copilot in Teams is a tenant-level setting that must be enabled through the Microsoft 365 admin center. You need admin access to your Microsoft 365 account to turn it on. If you set up your Microsoft 365 subscription yourself, you are the administrator and can enable it. If someone else manages it, you need to ask them.

Does enabling Copilot in Teams cost extra money?

Yes. Copilot in Teams requires a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license beyond your regular Teams license. The cost varies depending on your organization's licensing agreement with Microsoft. Contact your administrator or Microsoft sales to find out what the license costs for your situation.

What if my organization does not want to enable Copilot?

That is a choice your administrator can make. If Copilot is not enabled in your organization's admin center, no one in your organization can use it in Teams, regardless of whether they have a license. Your administrator can keep it disabled indefinitely.

Does Copilot in Teams see my private messages?

Copilot in Teams can only see the conversation you are currently in when you ask it a question. It does not have access to your entire message history or other conversations. However, the content you send to Copilot is processed by Microsoft servers, so check your organization's data privacy policies if you work with sensitive information.

How long does it take for Copilot to show up after my administrator enables it?

Usually a few hours, but it can take up to 24 hours for the feature to appear for all users. If you do not see it after a day, refresh your app, sign out and back in, or contact your administrator to confirm the setting was saved correctly.