I upgraded 365 to Premium today but Copilot has not upgraded and is not available in Word

Question

I upgraded 365 to Premium today but Copilot has not upgraded and is not available in Word. It indicates that my sub has timed out. Please restore to Premium status

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

First, make sure you’re signed in with the account that bought the subscription, with the Microsoft 365 Premium subscription, the Copilot features inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the desktop apps are only available to the subscription owner. Family members get access to the apps themselves, but the integrated Copilot button shows only for the primary account that purchased the plan.

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Here are a few things I recommend checking:

• "How to find and enable missing Copilot button in Microsoft 365 apps" https://support.microsoft.com/office/how-to-find-and-enable-missing-copilot-button-in-microsoft-365-apps-c8482b93-4b96-4bb8-8ec9-5148f4d42441
• Make sure you’re signed in with the account that bought the subscription. > In each Office app, go to "File" > "Account" and confirm the email shown there.
• Update Office to the latest version. > Still under “File” > “Account,” select “Update Options” > “Update Now.”
• Update your license. > In the same area, click “Update License” so Office can re-detect your subscription benefits.
• Check the settings for connected experiences. > Go to “File” > “Account” > “Manage Settings” and confirm that connected experiences/content analysis are turned on.

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If issue still persists:

I’d suggest is to uninstall any existing Office apps on your Mac to avoid conflict:

• Here are the steps: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193

Then, to reinstall Microsoft Office:

• Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services again.
• Sign in using the same Microsoft account linked to your license.
• Find your Microsoft 365 Premium subscription and click the "Install".
• That will download the installer for the Office apps, just run it and follow the steps.

If anything’s unclear or the "Install" option still doesn’t show, feel free to let me know. I’ll be happy to walk you through it!

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I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

The Premium subscription is active but Word on Mac is still using the old license state. Use these steps on the Mac to get Copilot and Premium features recognized:

1. Confirm the correct account is signed in
   • In Word, check the account shown at the top-right of the window.
   • Ensure it is the same Microsoft account that has the Microsoft 365 Premium (or Copilot-eligible) subscription.
2. Refresh the license in Word for Mac
   • Open Word.
   • On the macOS menu bar, select Word > About Word.
   • Select More Info....
   • Select Refresh License.
   • Close all Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote), then reopen Word and check Copilot again.
3. Check privacy settings (required for Copilot to appear)
   • In Word, select Word > Preferences > Privacy.
   • Turn on Experiences that analyze your content.
   • Scroll down and turn on All connected experiences.
   • Restart Word and check if Copilot is now available on the Home tab.
4. If Copilot is still missing or the subscription still shows as timed out
   • For home users who have verified the correct account, refreshed the license, and enabled privacy settings, contact Support directly for account/subscription repair using the path described in the Copilot license validation article.

Subscription restoration (billing/entitlement changes) can only be done by Microsoft account support; the steps above ensure the local apps pick up the updated Premium status.

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References:

• How to find and enable missing Copilot button in Microsoft 365 apps
• Copilot is missing, disabled, or doesn't work correctly
• I am getting license validation errors with Copilot
• Edit with Copilot in Word
• Agent Mode in Word