Copilot in Outlook: no button in the email and what to do about it

Symptoms

• There is no Copilot button or "Summarize" option in the email
• Colleagues have Copilot in Outlook and you do not
• The button is in the web version but missing in the desktop app

Causes and fixes

1. No Microsoft 365 Copilot license is assigned to your account

What to do: Ask the admin to assign a license in the Microsoft 365 admin center; the change appears within a few hours

2. You are using an old version of classic Outlook

What to do: Turn on the "New Outlook" toggle in the top right corner or update Microsoft 365 to the current channel

3. The mailbox is on the company's on-premises Exchange server

What to do: Copilot works with Exchange Online mailboxes: IT decides on moving the mailbox

4. The personal subscription is on a different Microsoft account

What to do: Check which account you are signed into Outlook with: Copilot Pro works only on the account where it was bought

Common problems and fixes

• Copilot in Outlook for work email: which license to get and where the data lives

About Copilot in Outlook

Summaries of long email threads, reply drafts and meeting prep right in Outlook. Paid plans from $20/mo.

Copilot in Outlook · Alternatives to Copilot in Outlook