Why your plan matters
In Level 1 you found out which Outlook you are using. Now you need to know what that Outlook is allowed to do. Two people can open the same new Outlook and see different buttons. The reason is usually one of three things: the plan behind the account, the licences your organisation has bought, or settings your IT team has switched off.
This lesson has three tasks. You will find your plan, match it to a Copilot level, and work out why a feature might be missing. Plans and AI features change often. Everything below was checked on Microsoft's pages on 1 November 2026, so check it again before you rely on it.
Task 1: Find your plan and record it
If you sign in with a personal Microsoft account (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or MSN):
- Go to account.microsoft.com/services and sign in.
- Read the name of your subscription, for example Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium. If no subscription is listed, you are on a free account.
- On Windows 11 there is a quicker way: select Start, then select your account name to see the Microsoft 365 subscription you hold.
If you sign in with a work or school account:
- Sign in at m365.cloud.microsoft with your work account.
- Scroll to the bottom of the home page. A Copilot label appears under your name. Write it down. Task 2 explains what it means.
- To see your other licences, select your account picture, then View account (or My Microsoft account), then Subscriptions.
- If the Subscriptions page is empty or blocked, your IT team may have hidden it. Note this down; Task 3 covers what to ask.
Do this now: start a note called My Outlook plan and write down:
- Account type: free consumer, Personal/Family/Premium, small business or corporate
- Plan or licence name, exactly as shown
- Copilot label (work accounts only)
- The date you checked
Task 2: Match your plan to a Copilot level
Copilot in Outlook is not one product. Think of it as three levels.
Level A: Personal, Family and Premium (consumer plans)
- These plans include Copilot in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
- Use is limited by a monthly allowance of AI credits. When checked, Personal and Family included 60 credits a month.
- On Family and Premium, only the subscription owner gets the AI features. Other people sharing the plan do not.
- A free Outlook.com account with no subscription does not get Copilot in the Microsoft 365 apps.
Level B: Copilot Chat, included with business plans
- Plans such as Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium include Copilot Chat at no extra cost. You must sign in with your work account.
- In Outlook, Microsoft says you can ask Copilot Chat about your email and calendar and ask it to do simple actions, such as flagging a message or scheduling a meeting.
- You get standard access, which may be slower when demand is high.
- Your label reads Copilot Chat (Basic) or M365 Copilot (Basic).
Level C: a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence (paid add-on)
- Your organisation buys this for each person on top of the business plan.
- It gives Copilot fuller access to your work data, such as files and meetings, and priority access to the model.
- Your label reads M365 Copilot (Premium).
- Microsoft's Outlook FAQ says chatting with Copilot from the icon in Outlook's header needs a work or school account with a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. Exactly which features belong to which level keeps changing, so check Microsoft's current Copilot in Outlook FAQ.
Do this now: add your level (A, B, C or none) to your note.
Task 3: Missing, different plan, or switched off?
When a feature you have read about is not there, there are three possible reasons. Work through them in this order:
- Wrong Outlook or device. The feature may not exist in your version. Classic, new, web and mobile Outlook differ (Level 1). Compare with Outlook on the web before you go further.
- Different plan. The feature may need a plan you do not have, such as a Copilot licence (Level C) or a consumer subscription instead of a free account. Check your note from Task 1.
- Disabled by IT. In a business, an administrator gives each person their licences and can remove a service, such as the Copilot licence, from a user. Signs of this: a colleague on the same plan has the feature, a button appears but is greyed out, or a message tells you to contact your administrator.
What to ask your IT team. Keep the request short and specific:
- "Which Microsoft 365 licence is assigned to my account?"
- "Is [feature] turned off for our organisation, or just not part of our plan?"
- "Do I have Copilot Chat only, or a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence?"
- "If it's off on purpose, is there an approved alternative?"
If you run a small business, you may be the administrator. In that case, the answer is in the Microsoft 365 admin center under the user's licences.
Example. Priya works at a start-up on Business Standard. She reads that Copilot can draft replies inside a thread, but she cannot find the option. Her label says Copilot Chat (Basic), so she is at Level B. She asks IT whether a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is available, rather than reporting a fault.
Your task
Finish your My Outlook plan note. Pick one feature this course will cover later, such as scheduling a send or summarising a thread. Then find out whether you have it. If you don't, decide which of the three reasons applies and write the question you would send to IT.
Key takeaways
- Find your plan at account.microsoft.com/services (personal) or under View account > Subscriptions and the m365.cloud.microsoft label (work), and date your notes.
- Personal, Family and Premium include Copilot with monthly AI credits. On shared plans, only the owner gets it.
- Business plans include Copilot Chat. Fuller Copilot needs a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, shown as M365 Copilot (Premium).
- For a missing feature, check the Outlook version first, then the plan, then IT settings.
- Ask IT specific questions about licences and settings, and recheck Microsoft's pages because features change often.
This course is independent of Microsoft.