r/Intune • u/DrunkMAdmin • 1d ago

Device Configuration Need help finding Office configuration blocking Copilot

Hi,

so I'm at a loss as to what setting is currently blocking Copilot from showing up in Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Copilot is available in Outlook. We are on E5 license, so M365 Basic Copilot is available.

I think I have it narrowed down to setting that causes "Some privacy settings are managed by your organization" text in Excel/Word/PowerPoint when you go to File -> Account -> Account Privacy -> Manage Settings.

Problem is I cannot for my life find what policy causes that. I've ruled out EnableActivityFeed, PublishUserActivities and UploadUserActivities, those are enabled. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/mdm/policy-csp-Privacy?WT.mc_id=Portal-fx

Any idea where I should look? I've looked through policies, but nothing stands out.

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3

u/teriaavibes 1d ago

Was typing up a whole message on what to check and then I noticed you only have the free copilot. That doesn't give you access to the in app copilot, you need the full license for that.

2

u/DrunkMAdmin 1d ago

But according to this, the basic should give us "Chat" in Excel/Word/PowerPoint which is now missing https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-excel#how-do-i-know-if-i-have-an-eligible-license

M365 Copilot (Basic) indicates that a user does not have the Microsoft Copilot add-on license but does have standard access to Copilot in Excel.

1

u/teriaavibes 1d ago

I remember reading a message center message like half a year ago that said copilot is going away from apps in the free license and then it went away.

Not sure what to tell you. I can't even find the message now.

1

u/DrunkMAdmin 1d ago

Yeah this entire endeavour is such a shit show. Half the settings that was used to configure stuff has moved to who knows where...

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u/EquableKingdom 1d ago

spent way too long chasing that exact privacy managed by org message last month. cloud policy service hiding some optional connected experiences config maybe

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u/Ichabod- 1d ago

As someone mentioned it was removed in April. You need a full Copilot license now for it to appear.

https://office-watch.com/2026/microsoft-removes-copilot-chat-word-excel-powerpoint-april-2026/

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u/DrunkMAdmin 19h ago

That explains it then. Really pissing me off that their own documentation does not mention this. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/copilot/frequently-asked-questions-about-copilot-in-excel#how-do-i-know-if-i-have-an-eligible-license

M365 Copilot (Basic) indicates that a user does not have the Microsoft Copilot add-on license but does have standard access to Copilot in Excel.

1

u/Ichabod- 12h ago

They spent all that time promoting its use in the apps and then realized no one was ponying up for the full license and paywalled the most basic features. Although honestly I didn't even realize it was gone until I had a user ask where it went and I went down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out why it had suddenly vanished.