New Outlook Does Not Show Copilot Summary Button: Fix

You have Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed and enabled, but the Copilot Summary button does not appear in the new Outlook for Windows. This usually happens because the Copilot license is not assigned to your user account, the Outlook version is outdated, or the feature is disabled in the Microsoft 365 admin center. This article explains the root causes and provides step-by-step fixes to make the Copilot Summary button visible.

Why the Copilot Summary Button Is Missing in New Outlook

Copilot in Outlook requires a specific Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned to each user. The license is not granted automatically when your organization purchases Copilot. An admin must assign it through the Microsoft 365 admin center. If the license is missing, Outlook hides the Copilot Summary button.

A second cause is an outdated Outlook client. New Outlook receives frequent updates that add Copilot features. If your Outlook version is older than the minimum build required for Copilot, the button does not appear.

A third cause is a disabled Copilot setting in Outlook. Even with a valid license, the Copilot feature can be turned off inside Outlook Settings. This setting is per user and per device.

Finally, the Copilot Summary button only appears on email messages that contain enough content for summarization. Very short messages, messages with only images, or draft messages do not trigger the button. This is by design and is not a fault.

Steps to Fix the Missing Copilot Summary Button

Follow these steps in order. After each step, restart new Outlook and check if the Summary button appears on a long email message.

Step 1: Verify Your Copilot License Assignment

1. Open the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
   Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with admin credentials.
2. Navigate to Users > Active Users
   In the left navigation, select Users, then Active Users.
3. Select your user account
   Click your display name to open the user details panel.
4. Open the Licenses and Apps tab
   In the panel, click the Licenses and Apps tab.
5. Confirm the Copilot license is checked
   Look for “Microsoft 365 Copilot” in the license list. If it is unchecked, check the box and click Save Changes.

If you do not see the Copilot license in the list, your organization has not purchased it. Contact your Microsoft account representative.

Step 2: Update New Outlook to the Latest Build

1. Open new Outlook
   Launch the new Outlook for Windows app.
2. Go to File > Office Account
   Click File in the top-left corner, then click Office Account.
3. Click Update Options
   Under Product Information, click Update Options.
4. Select Update Now
   Click Update Now. Outlook checks for updates and installs the latest version.
5. Restart Outlook
   After the update finishes, close and reopen Outlook.

The minimum build for Copilot in new Outlook is Version 1.2023.4.0. You can check your version in File > Office Account > About Outlook.

Step 3: Enable the Copilot Setting in Outlook

1. Open Outlook Settings
   Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of new Outlook.
2. Select General > Copilot
   In the Settings window, click General, then click Copilot.
3. Turn on Copilot
   Ensure the toggle for “Copilot” is set to On. If it is Off, click the toggle to enable it.
4. Close Settings and restart Outlook
   Click the X to close Settings, then restart new Outlook.

Step 4: Verify the Summary Button on a Suitable Message

1. Select an email with at least 100 words
   Open an email message that contains multiple paragraphs. Short messages or messages with only images do not show the button.
2. Look for the Copilot Summary button
   In the reading pane, look at the top of the message. The button appears as “Summary by Copilot” or a sparkle icon. Clicking it generates a short summary.

If the Copilot Summary Button Still Does Not Appear

Copilot license is assigned but the button is missing for multiple users

If all users in your organization have the license assigned but the button is still missing, check the Microsoft 365 admin center for a service health issue. Go to Health > Service Health and look for any advisory about Copilot or Outlook. If a service degradation is reported, wait for Microsoft to resolve it.

Copilot appears in classic Outlook but not in new Outlook

Some Copilot features are rolling out gradually to new Outlook. If the button works in classic Outlook but not in new Outlook, your tenant may not have received the feature update yet. Microsoft stages feature rollouts over several weeks. Check the Microsoft 365 Roadmap for the feature ID 383737.

Copilot Summary button appears but clicking it does nothing

This indicates a connectivity issue between Outlook and the Copilot service. Verify your internet connection. If the problem persists, sign out of Outlook and sign back in. Go to File > Account > Sign Out, then sign in again with your work or school account.

Copilot Summary Button Availability: New Outlook vs Classic Outlook

Item	New Outlook for Windows	Classic Outlook for Windows
Copilot Summary button location	Top of the reading pane, next to message header	Top of the reading pane, next to message header
Requires Copilot license	Yes	Yes
Requires minimum Outlook build	Version 1.2023.4.0	Version 2302 or later
Feature toggle in Settings	General > Copilot	Not available (always on if licensed)
Works offline	No	No
Supported message types	Email messages only	Email messages only

After completing these steps, the Copilot Summary button should appear on eligible email messages in new Outlook. If the button remains hidden, verify your tenant has the latest Copilot service update by checking the Microsoft 365 admin center Health dashboard. As a final check, try using the Ctrl+Shift+S keyboard shortcut to manually trigger a summary — this shortcut works in new Outlook when Copilot is enabled.