Access to all Copilot Notebook features with Copilot chat (free version) doesn't work anymore

Question

Access to all Copilot Notebook features with Copilot chat (free version) doesn't work anymore

ANGIBOT Titouan 0

Hello,

In June 11th 2026, you announced that Copilot Chat users (so without a paid license) could create a Notebook, add references, create mind maps and study guides, and above all could "ask questions across those sources." https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft-copilot-blog/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-notebooks--june-2026/4525625

For the past few days, this last feature (so using Copilot on the right side of Notebook interface) hasn't been working and gives me an error saying I don't have the necessary license ("It seems you don't have a valid license. To get access, please check with your administrator."). Several of my colleagues have had the same error, even though it was working until last week. NB : Generating study guides, mind maps, is still working.

Is using Copilot in Notebook no longer accessible? Do we now need a paid M365 Copilot license?

Thanks in advance for your time.

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Answer 2

Helen Luu 3,550 Independent Advisor

Hello @ANGIBOT Titouan I have tested the feature on my end and am still able to use Copilot functionality without a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription assigned to my account.

Could you please confirm whether you are referring to the same Copilot feature shown in your screenshot?
Accessing the Copilot button in OneNote for Teams

If so, I would appreciate it if you could sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center - Your Products using an administrator account and let me know which licenses are currently assigned to your account and your colleagues?

Additionally, could you please check whether the issue occurs only in OneNote, or if it also affects other Microsoft 365 applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint?

As part of the troubleshooting process, I recommend reassigning your license, then waiting at least 4 hours for the licensing changes to fully propagate. After that, please test again and let me know whether Copilot is working as expected.

I look forward to your update.

ANGIBOT Titouan 0 Reputation points

2026-09-24T07:29:52.7533333+00:00

This msg was an error, refer to the one below.
ANGIBOT Titouan 0 Reputation points

2026-09-24T07:31:42.33+00:00

Hello @Helen Luu ,

Thank you for your response. It's not about using Copilot in OneNote but in Notebook : "It seems that you do not have a valid license. To get access, please check with your administrator." (I tried many times, with other Notebooks with other sources as tests, still the same answer).

Last week it was still working, and we realized it wasn't working anymore because I was running a training session on Notebook and when we tested it, the participants got this error, which I was able to reproduce on my side as well, even while posting this second message. None of us have a paid license, so we’re using Copilot for free. I don’t have admin rights to log into your link, but hopefully you can still help me.

It doesn't occur in other applications since we do not have a paying license so Copilot doesn't appear at all in the applications if I'm not wrong ?
Helen Luu 3,550 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-24T16:41:47.7066667+00:00

Hello @ANGIBOT Titouan

Thank you for your quick response.

If you do not have administrative rights, I would first recommend checking with your IT administrator to see whether any recent changes have been made to your licenses, account configuration, or tenant settings that may be related to the issue.

As this is a user-to-user support forum, I do not have access to your Microsoft 365 tenant and am unable to perform a deeper investigation or review your organization's configuration directly. My role is limited to providing guidance and troubleshooting suggestions based on the information available.

I recommend working with your IT administrator to verify the configuration and determine whether any recent changes may have contributed to the issue.

Please let me know if you have any updates or additional details, and I will do my best to assist further.