Effective August 25, 2025, Microsoft introduced a new Copilot License Check Diagnostic tool for Microsoft 365 Copilot. This customer-facing diagnostic is available to help organizations verify that users have the correct Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses assigned. It is accessible via the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer (RCA) portal by selecting the Copilot section and choosing “Copilot License Details”. The goal is to quickly confirm license readiness so that all Copilot features work as expected for eligible users. Proper licensing is critical – without the right license setup, users cannot access key Copilot AI features. This new tool provides an easy way to catch any licensing issues before they cause problems, ensuring a smooth Copilot experience for your organization.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assistant integrated into the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day (such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams). It leverages advanced generative AI (large language models) to help draft content, summarize information, analyze data, and automate tasks within these applications. For example, Copilot can write email responses in Outlook, create presentation slides in PowerPoint from an outline, or summarize a meeting in Teams. Because it’s built into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Copilot can use the context of your work data (documents, emails, chats) securely to provide relevant, in-context assistance. In short, Microsoft 365 Copilot acts as an intelligent productivity aid, allowing users to get more done with less effort, while respecting the organization’s security and compliance boundaries.
Key Features of the Copilot License Check Diagnostic
The Copilot License Check Diagnostic is designed to ensure that every user who should have access to Microsoft 365 Copilot is properly licensed. Its key features include:
- License Assignment Verification: It checks that the Microsoft 365 Copilot license is correctly assigned and active for the user. This confirms the user actually has the Copilot add-on license in place.
- Prerequisite License Check: It verifies the user has all required base licenses for Copilot. For example, the diagnostic will confirm the user has an appropriate Microsoft 365 subscription (such as an Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3/E5 plan, which includes the necessary Office apps and services) that Copilot depends on. Any missing prerequisite (like a required Office 365 component) is flagged.
- Service Plans Enabled: It inspects the Copilot license details to ensure all service plans within the Copilot license are enabled. This means if the Copilot license includes multiple components or features, none of them are accidentally turned off for the user.
- Identify Gaps or Issues: The tool will highlight any licensing gaps or misconfigurations that could block the user from using Copilot. For instance, if a user’s license is missing a component or has expired, the diagnostic will report that, so it can be corrected promptly.
By running these checks, the diagnostic helps administrators preemptively address licensing issues, reducing the risk that a user is unable to access Copilot due to an oversight. In practice, this tool is useful for: IT administrators who are rolling out Copilot and want to validate license setup across users, support engineers troubleshooting why a particular user can’t access Copilot features, and adoption project leads making sure everyone is ready before a Copilot launch. The diagnostic can be run with either a Global Administrator account or a normal user account, so even a standard user can confirm their own Copilot license status if needed.
Licensing
Microsoft 365 Copilot is not included by default in standard Microsoft 365 plans – it requires a separate add-on license for each user. Each user must have a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription and the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on to use the service. In practice, this means a user needs an existing Microsoft 365 plan such as Business Standard, Business Premium, or an Enterprise E3/E5 license, and then you assign the Microsoft 365 Copilot license on top of that. The Copilot license is a paid add-on per user per month and is purchased in addition to the regular Microsoft 365 subscription.
The Copilot License Check Diagnostic directly addresses this by confirming both conditions are met for each user (the presence of the Copilot license and the necessary base license). This ensures that your organization’s investment in Copilot is correctly assigned and that users who should have Copilot are indeed able to use it.
Licensing can be complex, especially as Microsoft updates requirements over time. For expert guidance on how best to license Microsoft 365 Copilot for your organization, you can consult SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT. Our licensing experts help you understand the prerequisites, pick the right subscription plan, and ensure cost-effective deployment of Copilot tailored to your needs. We have extensive experience with Microsoft licensing and are happy to assist with any questions or planning.
More Information
For more details, refer to the official Microsoft announcement on the Tech Community blog: New Diagnostic: Copilot License Details check (August 25, 2025) – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftteamssupport/new-diagnostic-copilot-license-details-check/4447829. This source provides the original description of the Copilot License Check Diagnostic.
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