When your Microsoft Copilot license expires, the Copilot pane stops responding or shows a message that your subscription has ended. This happens because the license term has ended and the service is no longer provisioned for your account. In this article, you will learn the exact steps to renew an expired Copilot license through the Microsoft 365 admin center and verify that the service is active again.
Key Takeaways: Renewing Your Copilot License
- Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing > Your products: Find the expired Copilot subscription and select “Renew now” to restart the billing cycle.
- Azure Active Directory > Licenses > All products: Verify that the license is assigned to the intended user after renewal.
- Copilot pane > Settings > Account: Check the license status to confirm the service is active again.
Why Copilot Stops Working After License Expiration
Microsoft Copilot licenses are tied to a subscription term, typically monthly or annual. When the term ends without renewal, Microsoft deactivates the license in the Microsoft 365 tenant. The Copilot service then returns a status of “Expired” or “Unlicensed” for affected users. No data is deleted, but the service will not generate responses until the license is renewed. The expiration affects only the Copilot feature, not the underlying Microsoft 365 apps.
What Happens to User Data During Expiration
User data including conversation history, custom prompts, and grounded responses remain stored in the Microsoft Graph. The data is not deleted upon license expiration. After renewal, users regain full access to their previous Copilot settings and history. No manual data recovery is needed.
Steps to Renew an Expired Copilot License
Follow these steps in the Microsoft 365 admin center to renew the license. You need global admin or billing admin permissions to complete the renewal.
- Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
Go tohttps://admin.microsoft.comand sign in with your admin account. - Navigate to Billing > Your products
In the left navigation pane, select Billing, then select Your products. This page lists all active and expired subscriptions for your tenant. - Find the expired Copilot subscription
Scroll through the list or use the search box. Look for a subscription named Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro. The status column shows “Expired” for any expired license. - Select the subscription and click “Renew now”
Click on the subscription name to open the details pane. In the details pane, locate the Renew now button and click it. If the button is not visible, the subscription may have passed the grace period and must be purchased again as a new subscription. - Complete the payment process
A new billing window opens. Review the term length and price. Select your payment method and confirm the purchase. The renewal takes effect immediately. - Assign the license to the user
After renewal, go to Billing > Licenses and select the renewed Copilot product. Select the user who needs the license and click Assign. If the user already had a license, it may auto-assign within a few minutes.
If the License Cannot Be Renewed
If the Renew now button is missing, the subscription has entered a disabled state. This occurs when the grace period of 30 days for monthly subscriptions or 90 days for annual subscriptions has ended. In this case, you must purchase a new Copilot subscription.
- Purchase a new subscription
In the admin center, go to Billing > Purchase services. Search for Copilot and select the correct plan. Complete the purchase. - Assign the new license
After purchase, go to Billing > Licenses and assign the new license to the user. The old expired license remains visible but inactive.
Common Issues After Renewal
Copilot Still Shows “Expired” After Renewal
The license status may take up to 30 minutes to update. Sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps and sign back in. In the Copilot pane, go to Settings > Account and check the status. If it still shows expired, verify that the license is assigned to the user in the admin center.
Copilot Returns No Responses After Renewal
If the license is active but Copilot does not respond, the service may need a cache refresh. Clear the Microsoft 365 app cache by going to Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Advanced options > Reset on Windows. On the web, clear browser cache and cookies.
User Cannot Access Copilot in Specific Apps
Copilot may be disabled per app in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to Settings > Org settings > Copilot and ensure the toggle for each app is enabled. This setting overrides individual license assignments.
Copilot License Renewal vs New Purchase: Key Differences
| Item | Renewal | New Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| License term | Continues from previous end date | Starts a new term from purchase date |
| User data retention | All data preserved | All data preserved |
| Grace period | 30 days (monthly) or 90 days (annual) | Not applicable |
| Admin center action | Billing > Your products > Renew now | Billing > Purchase services |
| Cost | Same as original price | May differ if pricing changed |
Renewing an expired Microsoft Copilot license is a straightforward process through the Microsoft 365 admin center. After renewal, assign the license to the user and wait up to 30 minutes for the status to update. If you have multiple users, consider enabling auto-renewal in the subscription settings to avoid future interruptions.