How to Disable Microsoft 365 Copilot for One User

You need to turn off Copilot for a single person in your organization without affecting other users. This situation often occurs when a user does not need the feature, when you want to test Copilot with a pilot group first, or when licensing costs must be controlled per individual. The cause is that Copilot is enabled by default for all licensed users after the admin assigns the Copilot license. This article explains how to block Copilot for one user using the Microsoft 365 admin center, PowerShell, and group policy settings.

How Microsoft 365 Copilot Licensing Works for Individual Users

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a per-user add-on license. When you assign this license to a user, Copilot becomes available in supported apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. The license is tied to the user’s Azure Active Directory identity. Disabling Copilot for one user means either removing the license assignment or blocking the service through a policy. Both methods keep the user’s base Microsoft 365 subscription intact.

Two main approaches exist. The first approach removes the Copilot license from the user. The second approach keeps the license assigned but uses a service plan disable or a group policy to prevent Copilot from loading. The second method is useful when you want to retain the license for future use without granting current access.

Prerequisites for Disabling Copilot for One User

Before you start, confirm these items:

• You have Global Administrator or License Administrator role in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• The target user has a Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned.
• You know the user’s User Principal Name (UPN), typically their email address.
• For PowerShell method, you have the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module installed and have consented to the required permissions.

Method 1: Disable Copilot via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

This method does not require any scripting. You remove the Copilot license from the user’s account directly in the admin interface.

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Open a browser and go to https://admin.microsoft.com. Sign in with your Global Administrator or License Administrator account.
2. Navigate to Active Users
   In the left navigation, select Users and then Active users. A list of all users in your tenant appears.
3. Select the target user
   Click the display name of the user for whom you want to disable Copilot. A detail panel opens on the right side of the screen.
4. Open the Licenses and Apps tab
   In the user detail panel, select the Licenses and apps tab. You see a list of all licenses assigned to this user.
5. Uncheck the Copilot license
   Find the license named Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot for Microsoft 365. Uncheck the checkbox next to it. If you want to keep other Microsoft 365 licenses, leave those checked.
6. Save changes
   Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the panel. A confirmation message appears. The user loses access to Copilot within 15 to 30 minutes.

Method 2: Disable Copilot Using Microsoft Graph PowerShell

Use this method when you need to disable Copilot for multiple users or automate the process. The following steps assume you have the Microsoft Graph PowerShell module installed.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
   Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
2. Connect to Microsoft Graph
   Run the command Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All", "Organization.Read.All". Sign in with your Global Administrator account when prompted.
3. Get the user object
   Run $User = Get-MgUser -UserId "user@yourdomain.com". Replace the email address with the target user’s UPN.
4. Get the Copilot SKU ID
   Run $Sku = Get-MgSubscribedSku | Where-Object {$_.SkuPartNumber -eq "COPILOT_M365"}. The SKU part number for Microsoft 365 Copilot is COPILOT_M365. Verify the output contains an SkuId value.
5. Remove the Copilot license
   Run Set-MgUserLicense -UserId $User.Id -RemoveLicenses @($Sku.SkuId) -AddLicenses @(). This command removes only the Copilot license while keeping all other assigned licenses.
6. Confirm the change
   Run Get-MgUserLicenseDetail -UserId $User.Id and verify that the Copilot SKU no longer appears in the output.

Method 3: Disable Copilot Using Group Policy

This method keeps the Copilot license assigned but prevents the Copilot feature from loading on the user’s device. It is useful when you want to block Copilot without removing the license.

1. Download the Microsoft 365 Group Policy Administrative Templates
   Go to the Microsoft Download Center and download the latest Microsoft 365 Apps Administrative Templates (ADMX/ADML files). Install them on your domain controller or local policy editor.
2. Open Group Policy Management Console
   Press Win + R, type gpmc.msc, and press Enter. Right-click the domain or an organizational unit where the user resides, then select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here.
3. Name the GPO
   Give the GPO a descriptive name, for example Disable Copilot for Specific User.
4. Edit the GPO
   Right-click the new GPO and select Edit. Navigate to User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Microsoft 365 Copilot.
5. Enable the policy to turn off Copilot
   Double-click the policy setting Turn off Microsoft 365 Copilot. Select Enabled, then click OK.
6. Apply the GPO to the specific user
   In the Group Policy Management Console, go to the Security Filtering section. Remove the default Authenticated Users entry. Add the specific user or a security group that contains the user. Run gpupdate /force on the user’s device to apply the policy immediately.

Common Issues When Disabling Copilot for One User

Copilot Still Appears After License Removal

If Copilot icons and features still show in Microsoft 365 apps after you remove the license, the cached license data on the client has not refreshed. Have the user sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps, restart the device, and sign back in. The service plan change can take up to 30 minutes to propagate across all Microsoft servers.

Cannot Find the Copilot License in the Admin Center

If the Copilot license does not appear under the user’s Licenses and Apps tab, the user was never assigned a Copilot license. Verify the user’s license assignment by going to Billing > Licenses in the admin center. Look for the Microsoft 365 Copilot product and check the assigned users count.

PowerShell Returns an Error About Insufficient Permissions

The Set-MgUserLicense cmdlet requires the User.ReadWrite.All permission. If you see an access denied error, run Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All" again and consent to the permission. You may also need the Organization.Read.All scope to read the SKU list.

Disable License vs Disable Service Plan: Key Differences

Item	Remove License	Disable Service Plan
Effect on Copilot	Completely removes feature access	Blocks Copilot while license remains assigned
License cost	Frees the license for another user	License remains consumed and billed
Admin method	Admin center or PowerShell	Group Policy or service plan disable in Azure AD
Propagation time	15 to 30 minutes	Immediate after policy refresh
Best for	Permanent removal or reallocation	Temporary block or pilot testing

You can now disable Microsoft 365 Copilot for one user using the admin center, PowerShell, or group policy. Start with the admin center method if you only need to handle a single user. For bulk changes or automation, use the PowerShell commands provided. If you want to keep the license but prevent the feature from loading, apply the group policy setting Turn off Microsoft 365 Copilot to the user’s device.