can't enable copilot

Question

I have a subscription to 365 Family. In Word, when copilot is disabled, the icon appears but is grayed out. When I enable it, the icon disappears. How to I fix that?

Answer 1

Thank you for letting me know.

First, just to clarify, with the Microsoft 365 Family 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.

If you haven't tried anything yet:

• Make sure you're signed in with the same Microsoft account that the subscription is linked to.
• Open any Microsoft 365 app such as Word. > At the top of the screen, select Word (or the app name) in the menu bar. > Select About Word. > Click More Info… > Select "Refresh License".
• After that, close any open documents and completely restart all Microsoft 365 apps so the license refresh can take effect.

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If issue still persists:

If you haven't already, 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
• Sign in using the same Microsoft account linked to your license.
• Find your Microsoft 365 Family 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

Copilot in Microsoft 365 Family is only available to the subscription owner and only when that account has an eligible Copilot license (for example, Copilot Pro). The behavior described (icon dimmed when disabled, disappearing when enabled) typically indicates that the account in Word does not have an active Copilot license, so the UI hides the control when Copilot is turned on.

To fix this, ensure that:

1. The primary account in Word is the Microsoft 365 Family subscription owner.
2. That same account has a Copilot license (such as Copilot Pro) associated with it.
3. The license is refreshed on Mac:
   • In Word, select Word > About Word > More Info... > Refresh License.
   • Close all Office apps and reopen Word.
4. Required privacy settings are enabled on Mac:
   • In Word, go to Word > Preferences > Privacy.
   • Turn on Experiences that analyze your content.
   • Turn on All connected experiences.

If the account is not the subscription owner, or there is no Copilot license on that account, the Copilot button will not be available even when enabled.

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References:

• How to find and enable missing Copilot button in Microsoft 365 apps
• Frequently asked questions about Copilot in OneDrive
• Copilot is missing, disabled, or doesn't work correctly