Lesson 1: What You Have: Plans, IT Settings and Copilot Access

Before you start: what this course is

This course is independent of Microsoft. Microsoft does not write, review or endorse it, and it does not copy Microsoft's documentation. Microsoft changes its plans, prices, Copilot features and screens almost every month. For that reason, every plan detail in this lesson is given as checked on 1 November 2026. Check it again on Microsoft's own current pages before you rely on it.

Think of this lesson as checking your toolbox before a job. Most lessons in this course will say "this depends on your plan". After this lesson you will know which plan you have and what comes with it.

Task 1: Find your plan and your version of Word

The same document can open in three versions of Word:

• Desktop (Windows or Mac): the full app with every feature.
• Web (Word in a browser): good for co-authoring, but some features are missing.
• Mobile (phone or tablet): built for reading and quick edits.

Do this on desktop:

1. Open Word.
2. Select File, then Account. (On some setups the start screen shows Account directly.)
3. Under Product Information, note the product name, for example Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or Microsoft 365 Personal.
4. Select About Word and note the version and build number.
5. Under User Information, check which account you are signed in with. A work account and a personal account can give different features on the same computer.

On web: sign in at microsoft365.com, select your profile picture, then view your account to see your subscriptions. On mobile: open your account from your profile picture in the app.

Record: your plan name, your Word version or versions, and today's date.

Task 2: Match your plan to what it includes

This is the picture as of 1 November 2026. Confirm it on Microsoft's current plan pages and write down the date you checked.

Consumer plans (home and individual):

• Microsoft 365 Personal and Family include desktop, web and mobile Word. Copilot works inside Word with a monthly allowance of AI credits. In Family, only the subscription owner gets the Copilot features. Other members of the family plan do not.
• Microsoft 365 Premium (launched October 2025) gives the owner much higher Copilot usage limits.
• Basic and "Classic" plans include no Copilot features inside the Office apps.

Small-business plans:

• Business Basic includes only the web and mobile versions of Word. It has no desktop Word.
• Business Standard and Business Premium include desktop, web and mobile Word.
• Copilot that works with your files inside Word needs a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, bought on top of your plan.

Corporate (enterprise) plans: your organisation chooses the plan and the licences. You do not choose them yourself.

Task 3: Find out where Copilot works for you

On 15 April 2026 Microsoft changed how Copilot works for work and school accounts. Microsoft now uses two labels:

• Copilot Chat (Basic): the free chat that comes with work accounts.
• M365 Copilot (Premium): the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.

What changed for work accounts without the paid licence:

1. In organisations with more than 2,000 seats, Copilot Chat was removed from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
2. In organisations with 2,000 seats or fewer, Copilot Chat stayed in those apps on "standard access". Its quality and speed may drop at busy times of day.
3. Everyone keeps Copilot Chat in the separate Microsoft 365 Copilot app, on the web and in Outlook.

Do this:

1. Open a document in Word and look for the Copilot button on the Home tab.
2. If it is there, open it and note any label that shows Basic or Premium.
3. If it is not there, open the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and check whether Copilot works there.
4. If a Copilot feature carries a Preview or Frontier tag, mark it as "preview, unconfirmed" in your notes. Preview features can change or disappear.

Example: Priya works at a 5,000-person bank and has no paid licence. She sees no Copilot button in Word, but she can still draft text in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and paste it into Word.

Task 4: Understand why IT may have switched features off

In a corporate setup, administrators control a central settings console. They may switch features off for good reasons:

• Security and data protection: to block sharing links to people outside the organisation.
• Compliance: to require sensitivity labels, or to stop files being saved to personal storage.
• Cost: paid licences such as Microsoft 365 Copilot are given only to some staff.
• Rollout control: to hold back new or preview features until they have been tested.

A missing button is not always a fault. Ask your IT team before you look for a workaround.

Task 5: Write your one-page setup inventory

Create a new Word document with these four headings and fill them in now:

1. My setup: plan name, account type (personal or work), Word versions you use, and the date you checked.
2. Features I have: desktop Word, co-authoring, Copilot in Word (Basic or Premium), Copilot app only.
3. Features switched off or missing: for example, external sharing, Copilot in Word, or add-ins.
4. Who to ask: a name or helpdesk for each missing feature. On a personal plan, this is you and Microsoft support.

Keep this page. Later lessons will ask you to check it.

Key takeaways

• This course is independent of Microsoft. Check every plan detail on Microsoft's current pages, and date what you find.
• Find your plan under File > Account > Product Information in desktop Word.
• Business Basic has no desktop Word. Business Standard and Premium do.
• Since 15 April 2026, work accounts without a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence may have Copilot only in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, depending on the size of the organisation.
• Mark preview features as unconfirmed.
• Missing features at work are often IT decisions. Record them and know who to ask.