Lesson 1: What You Have: Plans, Features and Copilot Access

Before You Start: About This Course

This course is independent. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Microsoft, and it does not copy Microsoft's documentation. Microsoft changes Excel's plans, prices, AI features and screens often, sometimes every month. Every plan detail in this lesson was last checked on 1 November 2026. If something here doesn't match what you see, Microsoft's current pages are the ones to trust.

In this lesson you will build a one-page "What I Have" record that you will use for the rest of the course. Open a blank note or document now.

Task 1: Identify Your Excel Version

Excel comes in three forms, and they don't all have the same features:

• Desktop: installed on Windows or Mac. It has the most features.
• Web: runs in a browser at office.com. It has fewer features.
• Mobile: phone and tablet apps. They are best for viewing and light edits.

Do this on desktop:

1. Open Excel.
2. Select File, then Account. On some versions it is Help.
3. Under Product Information, note the product name, for example Microsoft 365 or Office Home and Student.
4. Select About Excel to see the full version number and whether Excel is 32-bit or 64-bit.
5. Write all of this in your record.

On web or mobile: write down which one you use. The web version updates itself, so there is no version number to record.

Tip: a one-off purchase such as Office Home and Student doesn't get the subscription's new features, including Copilot.

Task 2: Identify Your Plan Type

Your plan decides most of what you get. There are three broad groups:

1. Consumer: Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium, paid by you.
2. Small business: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium, usually for organisations of up to 300 users.
3. Corporate (enterprise): plans managed by a large organisation's IT department.

Do this:

1. Sign in at account.microsoft.com for a personal account, or check with your manager or IT for a work account.
2. Note the exact plan name.
3. Note whether you sign in with a personal account or a work or school account.
4. Add the plan and today's date to your record.

Task 3: Check Your Copilot Access

Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant. In Excel it opens as a side pane. What you get depends on your plan. As of 1 November 2026:

• Personal and Family: Copilot in the desktop apps is included, with monthly AI credit limits. On Family, only the plan owner gets Copilot. People the plan is shared with do not.
• Premium: Copilot with higher usage limits. Premium replaced the old Copilot Pro add-on.
• Business and corporate: full Copilot in Excel needs a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence on top of your plan. Organisations with up to 300 users can buy the cheaper Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on. Since 15 April 2026, users without a licence in organisations of more than 2,000 users have lost Copilot inside Excel. Smaller organisations may still see a limited version.
• The COPILOT worksheet function: it was only ever a preview, and Microsoft retired it on 14 September 2026. Old cells that use it now show #NAME? when they recalculate. Use the Copilot pane instead.

In your record, keep each feature in its own group:

• Confirmed: you have seen it on Microsoft's current page and in your own Excel.
• Preview: labelled preview, Insider or Frontier. It may change or disappear.
• Unconfirmed: you have not been able to verify it.

Do this:

1. Open Excel and look for the Copilot button on the Home tab.
2. Search Microsoft's site for your plan name plus "Copilot" and read the current page.
3. Write down what you found, add the date, and put it in the right group.

Task 4: Spot Features Switched Off by IT

If you use a work account, IT administrators can switch features off for everyone. This is normal. They do it for security, cost or compliance reasons. Signs that something has been switched off:

• The Copilot button is missing or greyed out, even though your plan should include it.
• Get Add-ins is missing, or only shows an approved list.
• Share only lets you share with colleagues, not with outside email addresses.
• A message says a feature is "managed by your organization".

Think of it like a company car: the model has cruise control, but the fleet manager decides whether it's turned on.

Task 5: Write a Short Access Request

When a feature is switched off, ask for it politely and specifically. Use this template:

Subject: Request: Copilot in Excel access Hi IT team, I use Excel (desktop, version 2510) on our Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan. The Copilot button isn't available. I'd like access to help me summarise sales data and check my formulas. Is this possible, or is a licence needed? Thanks, [Name]

A good request includes:

1. Your Excel version and plan.
2. The exact feature.
3. What you would use it for.
4. A question about licence or policy, which shows you understand that access may cost money.

Do this: draft a request for one feature you are missing. Keep it in your record, even if you don't send it yet.

Your Task: Complete Your "What I Have" Record

Your finished record should list:

• Excel version(s) and how you use them: desktop, web or mobile
• Plan name and account type
• Copilot access, sorted into confirmed, preview and unconfirmed
• Any features IT has switched off
• One drafted access request
• Date checked

Check it again whenever Excel looks different.

Key Takeaways

• This course is independent of Microsoft. Always check plan details on Microsoft's current pages and write down the date you checked.
• Find your version under File > Account > About Excel. Desktop, web and mobile have different features.
• Your plan (consumer, small business or corporate) decides your Copilot access. Business and corporate users usually need a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.
• The COPILOT worksheet function was retired on 14 September 2026. Use the Copilot pane instead.
• IT can switch off Copilot, add-ins and external sharing. Ask for access with a clear, specific request.