Microsoft 365 Copilot Trial Does Not Start After License Purchase: Fix

You purchased a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, but the Copilot trial does not start. The Copilot pane remains grayed out, or you see a message that your trial has not begun. This problem occurs because the license assignment and provisioning process is not instantaneous. Microsoft 365 requires a few manual steps to activate the Copilot trial on a user account. This article explains the root cause and provides a step-by-step fix to get Copilot working.

Why the Copilot Trial Does Not Start After License Purchase

When you purchase a Copilot license through the Microsoft 365 admin center, the system creates a license entitlement in your tenant. However, the license is not automatically assigned to any user. Without an active assignment, the Copilot feature remains disabled for all users. Additionally, even after assignment, the user’s Microsoft 365 client apps cache an old license token. The token does not include the Copilot trial permission until the user signs out and signs back in. This delay between purchase, assignment, and token refresh causes the trial to appear as if it did not start.

A second factor is the provisioning time for the trial. In some tenants, especially those with custom domain settings or conditional access policies, the Copilot service takes up to 24 hours to fully provision. During this window, the admin may see the license listed in the admin center, but users cannot activate Copilot. The steps below address both the assignment and the token refresh issues.

Steps to Start the Copilot Trial After License Purchase

Step 1: Verify the License Appears in Your Tenant

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with a Global Admin or Billing Admin account.
2. Navigate to Billing > Licenses
   In the left navigation pane, select Billing then Licenses. You should see an entry for Microsoft 365 Copilot with an available quantity greater than zero.
3. If the license is missing
   Contact your reseller or open a service request with Microsoft Support. A missing license indicates the purchase did not complete correctly.

Step 2: Assign the Copilot License to the User

1. Go to Users > Active users
   In the admin center, select Users then Active users. Find the user who needs the Copilot trial.
2. Open the user’s properties
   Click the user’s display name to open the details pane, then select the Licenses and apps tab.
3. Check the Copilot license box
   Under the Licenses section, locate Microsoft 365 Copilot and select the check box. If multiple licenses exist, select the one that matches your purchased plan.
4. Save the assignment
   Click Save changes at the bottom of the pane. Wait 30 seconds for the assignment to propagate.

Step 3: Force a License Token Refresh on the Client

1. Sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps
   In Word, Excel, or Outlook, click the profile icon in the top-right corner and select Sign out. Do this for every app that should show Copilot.
2. Close all Microsoft 365 applications
   Close Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams completely. Ensure no processes remain running in the system tray.
3. Sign back in
   Open any Microsoft 365 app, click Sign in, and enter the same user credentials. The app downloads a new license token that includes the Copilot trial permission.
4. Open the Copilot pane
   In Word or Excel, click the Copilot icon on the Home tab. The pane should now display the trial welcome message or a prompt to begin using Copilot.

Step 4: Wait for Provisioning (If the Trial Still Does Not Start)

1. Check the admin center for provisioning status
   In the admin center, go to Settings > Org settings > Microsoft 365 Copilot. Look for a banner that says Provisioning in progress.
2. Wait up to 24 hours
   If provisioning is in progress, the trial will become active automatically within 24 hours. No further admin action is required.
3. Repeat the sign-out and sign-in process after 24 hours
   After the provisioning completes, force a token refresh again by signing out and back into all Microsoft 365 apps.

If Copilot Still Does Not Start After the Main Fix

Copilot Is Grayed Out in the Web App But Works in Desktop Apps

This occurs when the web browser caches an old authentication token. Clear the browser cache for the Microsoft 365 domain. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. Select Cached images and files and clear data for the last 24 hours. Then reload the web app and sign in again.

Copilot Shows a License Error After Assignment

If the user sees a message that their license is invalid, the assigned license may be from a different product family. Verify that the license assigned is specifically Microsoft 365 Copilot and not a different add-on like Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance. Remove the wrong license and assign the correct one using the steps in Step 2.

Copilot Trial Expires Immediately After Starting

This is a billing synchronization issue. The trial period may have started on the purchase date rather than the assignment date. Contact Microsoft Support to reset the trial start date. Provide the purchase order number and the user’s UPN.

Copilot Trial Not Starting vs Copilot Subscription Activation: Key Differences

Item	Trial License	Paid Subscription
License type	Time-limited (30 days)	Renewing monthly or annually
Assignment method	Manual via admin center	Manual via admin center
Provisioning delay	Up to 24 hours	Usually under 1 hour
Token refresh needed	Yes, sign out and sign in	Yes, sign out and sign in
Admin center status	Shows as “Trial” in Licenses page	Shows as “Active” in Licenses page
Expiration handling	License disappears after 30 days	License remains until subscription is canceled

The core difference is the provisioning delay and the license type label in the admin center. Both require manual assignment and a client token refresh to activate Copilot.

You can now start the Copilot trial by assigning the license in the Microsoft 365 admin center and signing the user out and back into their apps. If the trial still does not start, wait up to 24 hours for provisioning to complete. For persistent issues, clear the browser cache or verify the license product name. As an advanced tip, use the Microsoft 365 admin center > Health > Service health dashboard to check if the Copilot service has an active incident that could delay provisioning.