Your Copilot Usage Report in the Microsoft 365 admin center shows zero active users even though people in your organization are using Copilot. This happens because the report relies on specific telemetry signals that can be blocked or misconfigured. The most common causes are privacy controls that suppress usage data, incorrect license assignments, or a delay in data processing. This article explains why the report shows zero active users and provides steps to fix the data flow.
Key Takeaways: Fixing a Zero Active User Report in Copilot
- Microsoft 365 admin center > Health > Usage > Copilot: Check the data freshness indicator to see if the report is delayed.
- Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy > Privacy profile: Disable the setting that hides user activity data from reports.
- Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing > Licenses: Verify each user has a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license assigned.
Why the Copilot Usage Report Shows Zero Active Users
The Copilot Usage Report pulls telemetry from Microsoft Graph activity logs. These logs track when a user sends a prompt to Copilot in any Microsoft 365 app. If the logs are empty, the report shows zero active users. The root cause is almost always one of three things: a privacy setting that blocks telemetry, a licensing gap, or a data processing delay.
Microsoft 365 allows tenant admins to control what data appears in usage reports. The Display concealed user names in reports setting is often the culprit. When enabled, it hides individual user names. But a related setting, Hide user activity data, can block all activity data from being collected. If this second setting is turned on, the report will show zero active users even if people are actively using Copilot.
Another cause is license assignment. A user must have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license assigned to their account. The report only counts users who have a valid license and have generated at least one Copilot activity event in the last 28 days. If a license was assigned recently, it can take up to 48 hours for the first activity event to appear.
Steps to Restore Copilot Usage Data in the Report
- Check the data freshness indicator
Open the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to Health > Usage > Copilot. Look at the top of the page for a small note that says “Data last updated” followed by a timestamp. If the timestamp is more than 48 hours old, the report is stale. Wait 24 hours and check again before applying any fixes. - Review the privacy profile settings
In the admin center, go to Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy > Privacy profile. Locate the setting Hide user activity data. If this checkbox is selected, deselect it. Then click Save. This change can take up to 24 hours to take effect. - Verify Copilot licenses are assigned
Go to Billing > Licenses. Select the Copilot for Microsoft 365 product. Review the list of assigned users. If a user does not have a license, select their name and click Assign license. After assigning, the user must perform a Copilot action such as sending a prompt in Word or Outlook. The activity will appear in the report within 48 hours. - Check if a service health issue is blocking telemetry
Go to Health > Service health. Look for any advisory or incident related to Copilot or Microsoft Graph. If a service health issue is active, wait for Microsoft to resolve it. The report will update once the service is restored. - Test with a known active user
Ask a user who has a Copilot license to open Word and use Copilot to generate a document summary. Wait 24 hours and refresh the Copilot Usage Report. If the user now appears as active, the problem was a data delay or a privacy setting. If the user still does not appear, proceed to the next step. - Enable audit log search
Go to Compliance > Audit. If audit logging is not turned on, click Start recording user and admin activity. This is required for Copilot telemetry to flow into usage reports. After enabling, it can take up to 24 hours for data to appear.
If Copilot Usage Still Shows Zero After the Main Fix
The report shows zero users but I see Copilot activity in audit logs
This usually means the privacy profile setting is still blocking user activity data. Go back to Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy > Privacy profile and confirm that Hide user activity data is deselected. Also check that Display concealed user names in reports is set as desired. If the setting was changed recently, wait 48 hours for the report to update.
The report shows data for some users but not others
This points to a license assignment issue for the missing users. Go to Billing > Licenses and filter for the Copilot for Microsoft 365 product. Compare the list of assigned users against the users who appear in the report. Assign any missing licenses. Also verify that each user has used Copilot at least once in the last 28 days.
The report is empty after a new tenant setup
New tenants can take up to 48 hours before any usage report populates. This is by design. During this period, the report will show zero active users even if licenses are assigned and users are active. Wait 48 hours and refresh the page. If the report is still empty, check the privacy profile and audit log settings as described above.
Copilot Usage Report vs Audit Log: Key Differences
| Item | Copilot Usage Report | Audit Log |
|---|---|---|
| Data source | Microsoft Graph activity logs | Microsoft 365 audit records |
| Update frequency | Every 24 to 48 hours | Near real-time |
| User granularity | Aggregated per user per day | Individual events with timestamps |
| Privacy setting impact | Blocked by Hide user activity data | Not affected by that setting |
| License required | Copilot for Microsoft 365 | Any Microsoft 365 license with audit |
The Copilot Usage Report is a summary tool. It is designed for tenant admins who need a quick view of adoption. The audit log provides raw event data for deeper investigation. If the usage report remains stuck at zero, the audit log can confirm whether users are actually generating Copilot activity.
To check the audit log, go to Compliance > Audit. Search for the workload Copilot or Microsoft Graph. Look for events such as CopilotInteraction or CopilotSuggestion. If these events exist, the usage report has a configuration issue. If no events exist, users may not be using Copilot or the license was assigned too recently.
You can now verify and restore the Copilot Usage Report by checking the privacy profile, license assignments, and audit log status. Start with the data freshness indicator to rule out a simple delay. Then disable the Hide user activity data setting if it is enabled. Finally, confirm each user has a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. For ongoing monitoring, set a weekly reminder to review the report and the service health dashboard.