Admin guide
Nightschool AI: which plans include Microsoft 365 Copilot, for admins
Start from the license each group already holds, then work out what is left to buy.
Microsoft's licensing page describes three routes to Microsoft 365 Copilot: it is included in Microsoft 365 E7, it is sold as an add-on license for qualifying Microsoft 365 plans, and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is offered to organizations with up to 300 users.
Published
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft 365 E7 includes Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Other qualifying Microsoft 365 plans add Copilot with an add-on license.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is for organizations with up to 300 users.
- Prices and the list of qualifying plans change, so read them on Microsoft's page.
The full guide
Tap any section to open it.
About this guide
This page is for the IT or procurement admin asked whether the company already owns Microsoft 365 Copilot or has to buy it. It lists the licensing routes Microsoft describes on its own licensing page. It does not quote prices, because they change; read them on Microsoft's page.
RoutesThree ways to license Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft's licensing page lists Microsoft 365 Copilot as included in Microsoft 365 E7. If a group of your staff already holds E7, there is nothing extra to buy for them.
For other qualifying Microsoft 365 plans, Copilot is an add-on license assigned per user. Read the page for the current list of qualifying plans before you write a purchase request.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business is offered to organizations with up to 300 users. A company above that size uses the E7 or add-on routes.
MappingMap groups, not the whole company
Most organizations hold more than one Microsoft 365 plan. List each group of staff, the plan it holds today, and the route it would use. That stops you buying an add-on for people whose plan already includes Copilot.
A user without a Copilot license still sits inside your tenant settings. Tenant-wide Copilot settings, such as model providers and agents, are managed in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Copilot, Settings.
ChecklistLicensing checklist you can copy
Fill this in before anyone signs a purchase order.
1. List the groups
Name each group of staff and the Microsoft 365 plan it holds today.
2. Mark E7
Groups on Microsoft 365 E7 already include Copilot.
3. Check qualifying plans
For other groups, confirm the plan is on Microsoft's qualifying list for the add-on.
4. Check the 300 limit
Copilot Business is only for organizations with up to 300 users.
5. Read prices live
Do not copy prices into a policy document; they change.
6. Record the source
Write the date you read Microsoft's licensing page next to each line.
SourcesWhere each fact comes from
Microsoft, "Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing": learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-licensing. Microsoft, "Configure Copilot in the Microsoft 365 admin center": learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/configure-copilot-admin-center.
Each fact on this page was read on that vendor page on 2026-11-08. Licensing pages change, so open the source and your own agreement before you rely on a detail here.
Train the admins, then the people they support
This page covers one admin task. The Nightschool AI admin and governance course walks the whole Microsoft 365 Copilot setup in order: licensing, data protection, oversharing, Purview DLP, audit and retention, web search, agents and model providers, with every step checked against Microsoft's own documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Microsoft 365 E7 include Copilot?
Yes. Microsoft's licensing page lists Microsoft 365 Copilot as included in Microsoft 365 E7. Confirm what your own agreement covers with your Microsoft account team.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot Business?
A Copilot offering Microsoft describes for organizations with up to 300 users. Larger organizations use E7 or the add-on license.
Can we license Copilot for only some staff?
Yes, on the add-on route the license is assigned per user, so you can license one group, such as analysts, and not others. Check that their base plan is on Microsoft's qualifying list.
Where are the prices?
On Microsoft's own pages. This page does not quote them, because prices change and a copied price in a policy document goes stale.
Does licensing Copilot change our data protection terms?
Microsoft says Copilot is covered by your Data Protection Addendum with Microsoft acting as a data processor, with an exception for web search queries. The admin course covers that in its data protection lesson.
Where do tenant-wide Copilot settings live?
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, under Copilot, Settings. Data controls such as DLP, audit and retention live in the Microsoft Purview portal.
Keep going
Related Guides and Courses
Set it up once, write it down, then teach it
Write down who owns each Copilot setting before the day someone asks you to change it.
Nightschool AI is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Microsoft. Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Purview and SharePoint are Microsoft's products, named here only to describe them. Facts checked against Microsoft's public pages on 2026-11-08; confirm in your own admin console before you change a setting.