Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 Requirements – A Complete Guide

AI has taken everyone by storm and the industry has made significant advancements in the recent years, leaving a profound impact on a variety of industries. Microsoft was quick to realize the potential of generative AI and has been offering Copilot for quite some time now. Microsoft Copilot is now also available for use with Microsoft 365, giving a boost to productivity and efficiency. It combines data of Microsoft 365 apps with LLMs (Large Language Models), and has the potential of serving as a powerful productivity tool.

Microsoft firmly believes that the integration of Copilot in Office applications will be a transformative experience in document creation and editing. Driven by OpenAI’s GPT-4, Copilot functions as an assistant within Microsoft 365 apps. It can be accessed directly within Microsoft 365 and Office 365 apps, enabling users to produce text in documents, develop PowerPoint presentations from Word files, or assist in utilizing advanced functions such as PivotTables in Excel. The possibilities are plenty ranging from summarizing missed Teams meetings to summarizing email threads and drafting email responses and creating detailed documents.

Microsoft Copilot Versions

Copilot was previously only available for enterprise customers who had to commit to at least 300 users, which turned out to be just under $10,000 additional cost for businesses. Realizing its potential and interest, Microsoft Copilot is now available for all types of consumers and businesses whether small or large. Microsoft is currently offering Copilot in three versions.

• Free Version

  Both consumers and businesses can use the free version, which is more like a ChatGPT-like chatbot. It is available on the web across different platforms, including iOS, Windows and macOS. It gives free access to GPT-4, the ability to use voice, images or text in searches and allows creating AI-generated images.

• Copilot Pro

  Copilot Pro is available for consumers and businesses and includes Copilot AI features inside Microsoft 365 Apps, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. The subscription also gives users access to GPT-4/GPT-4 Turbo on a priority bases during peak times as well as access to DALL-E 3. The paid option gives priority access for accelerated performance and is accessible from Microsoft 365 apps. This allows users to perform various tasks from within those apps such as summarizing emails, drafting documents and creating presentations.

• Copilot for Microsoft 365

  Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a premium subscription geared towards power and business users who need even more features and capabilities than Copilot Pro. This option is available for subscribers of Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, M365 E3/E5 and Office 365 E3/E5. It works seamlessly with core Microsoft 365 Apps including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams. AI assistance is also available in other apps, including Microsoft Loop, Whiteboard, and OneNote.

Requirements for Using Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365

• Prerequisites

  Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 has certain prerequisites and the users need to have a base license assigned in order for it to work. The following are the prerequisites and requirements for using Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

• Microsoft Entra ID

  Formerly known as Azure Active Directory ID, Microsoft Entra ID is needed to add/sync users in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

• License Requirements

  Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available as an add-on and has the following license requirements for using Copilot for Microsoft 365:

  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  • Office 365 (E3/E5)
  • Microsoft 365 (E3/E5)
  • Microsoft 365 for faculty (A3/A5)
  • Office 365 for faculty (A3/A5)

  Microsoft 365 Apps

  The apps requirements for using Copilot for Microsoft 365 are straight forward. Microsoft 365 Apps have to be deployed in order for Copilot to work. Some users might need to refresh Microsoft 365 apps if the Copilot icon does not show up after subscription. Third-party cookies should be enabled when using Copilot in online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Apps that currently seamlessly work with Microsoft Copilot include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and Exchange.

• Microsoft Outlook

  Users need to sync their Microsoft 365 settings to get Copilot working in the new Microsoft Outlook on both Windows and Mac. Support for the desktop app (classic Outlook) will be added in the future.

• Microsoft OneDrive

  Microsoft OneDrive account is needed for certain features to work, including sharing and saving files, OneDrive Management and file restore.

• Microsoft Loop and Microsoft Whiteboard

  Microsoft Loop has to be enabled via the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center for each tenant to be able to use Copilot. The option is available under Customization -> Policy Management. Similar to Microsoft Loop, Microsoft Whiteboard also has to be enabled for tenants.

• Microsoft Teams

  Teams is supported across multiple platforms, including Windows, web, macOS, iOS and Android. Meeting recording or transcription has to be turned on in order to use enable Copilot features in Teams, including, referencing to the contents of the meeting after it has ended.

• Network Requirements

  Copilot has the same network requirements as Microsoft 365 and requires WebSocket connections to be allowed in order to work properly.

• Update Channels

  Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 follows the same deployment and update practice as Microsoft 365 Apps. With the exception of semi-annual channel, it is available on all other update channels, including preview and beta channel.

• Conditional Access

  Conditional Access is currently partially supported and full support is intended soon. Currently, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 supports Conditional Access Policies.

• Restricted Access Control

  Although support is intended, restricted access control is currently not supported by Microsoft Copilot, which is also the case with Microsoft Purview Information Barriers.

Apps4Rent Is Your Go-to Partner for Copilot

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 brings the power of next-gen Artificial Intelligence to work and marks the beginning of a new era and more efficient workflows. However, deploying and managing business apps is a time-consuming process and can distract IT teams from their core IT functions.

Being an authorized Microsoft apps partner, Apps4Rent can help you acquire, deploy, and configure Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365. We are available on different channels, including call, email and chat and offer round the clock support and services. Get in touch with Apps4Rent to know more and quickly get started with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

FAQs Related to Microsoft Copilot Requirements

1. How many versions of Microsoft Copilot are currently available?

Free, Copilot Pro and Copilot for Microsoft 365.

2. Who can purchase the Microsoft Copilot license?

Existing subscribers of Microsoft 365 Home and Personal can subscribe to Copilot Pro, while Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available for Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, Microsoft E3/E5 and Office 365 E3/E5 subscribers

3. Which platforms are currently supported?

Copilot works on the web, Windows, macOS and iPad

4. How much does a subscription cost?

Copilot Pro costs $20 per month and Copilot for Microsoft 365 costs $30 per month (with an annual commitment). More details about Copilot for Microsoft 365 Plan, its features and other important details are provided here.

5. Can Microsoft Copilot be used with Office 365?

Microsoft Copilot 365 is primarily intended for businesses and large organizations and requires a ‘business’ license to work. Users with Home/Personal versions can opt for Microsoft Copilot Pro.