The new desktop MS 365 Outlook app does not recognize my premium subscription or Outlook CoPilot

Question

File -> Account Info -> Email Account -> shows my MS user id <PII removed>@comcast.net

Additional subscription -> <PII removed>@comcast.net -> Personal subscription

Manage -> Microsoft 365 Premium

Back to List -> <PII removed>@comcast.net -> Personal subscription & no CoPilot

I deleted & re-installed MS 365. I deleted email accounts & any existing *.ost file, rebooted several times, and always get the same response,

Answer 1

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and I modified your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data. 

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Hi Kenneth Wagner,

I understand that new Outlook lists your Microsoft 365 subscription, but the account still does not receive the expected premium and Copilot features.

Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, so contributors cannot access your subscription or account records.

The AI answer provides the correct general process for connecting a subscription purchased through a Microsoft account that uses a third-party email address. Have you had a chance to try its Add subscription and Link Accounts steps, and what happened afterward?

I would also like to add two checks that were not covered:

1. Confirm that the signed-in Microsoft account is the subscription owner. Copilot benefits are available to the owner and are not shared with other members of a Microsoft 365 Family or Premium subscription.
2. In new Outlook, open Settings > General > Privacy and data > Privacy settings, and make sure Experiences that analyze your content and All connected experiences are enabled. Restart Outlook after changing either setting.

For reference, see Sharing Copilot in Outlook.

I hope these checks help identify why the connected subscription is not enabling Copilot.

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Answer 2

For new Outlook for Windows, a Microsoft 365 or Copilot subscription is recognized in one of two supported ways:

1. If the subscription is tied to a Microsoft account that uses an Outlook.com email address, add that Microsoft account in Settings > Accounts > Your accounts and Outlook should automatically detect the subscription.
2. If the subscription is tied to a Microsoft account that uses a third-party address such as a Comcast address, use Settings > Accounts > Your accounts > Add subscription and sign in with that Microsoft account.

For third-party mail accounts in new Outlook, premium features can also be linked when there is a Microsoft 365 subscription on a Microsoft account with the same email identity as the third-party mail account. In that case, the path is:

View tab > View settings or File tab > Account info > Accounts > Your accounts > choose the account > Manage > Link Accounts

Important points that match this scenario:

• This experience is supported in new Outlook for Windows, not classic Outlook for Windows or Outlook.com.
• The Add subscription option in new Outlook for Windows requires build 16.95.131.0 or above.
• Reinstalling Microsoft 365, deleting OST files, recreating mail accounts, signing out and back in, and restarting may not resolve missing Copilot entry points in Outlook in every case.
• There is a known issue in classic Outlook for Windows where Copilot buttons can be missing; the documented workaround is to use new Outlook or Outlook Web Access.

Based on the details provided, the supported next checks are:

1. In new Outlook, go to Settings > Accounts > Your accounts.
2. Confirm the subscription was added with Add subscription using the Microsoft account that owns the Personal subscription.
3. If the Comcast mailbox is the same identity as the Microsoft account, open Manage for that account and check whether Link Accounts is available.
4. Verify new Outlook is on build 16.95.131.0 or above so the subscription-connection feature is available.
5. If Copilot is still missing specifically in classic Outlook, use new Outlook or Outlook on the web as the documented workaround.

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• Connecting a Microsoft subscription to Outlook
• Link non-Microsoft email accounts to your existing Microsoft subscription for premium benefits
• Copilot buttons are missing in classic Outlook for Windows