How to Turn On Copilot Connectors in Microsoft 365 Admin Center

You need to enable Copilot connectors so that Copilot can access data from third-party services like Salesforce, ServiceNow, or Jira. Without connectors turned on, Copilot cannot ground its responses in external data sources. The Microsoft 365 admin center contains the central switch for each connector. This article explains the exact steps to activate connectors and verify that they work.

What Are Copilot Connectors and Why You Need to Turn Them On

Copilot connectors are integrations that allow Copilot for Microsoft 365 to access data from external software-as-a-service applications. When a connector is enabled, Copilot can retrieve records, tickets, or documents from that service and include them in its responses. Connectors are off by default. You must turn them on in the Microsoft 365 admin center and also grant consent in Microsoft Entra ID.

Each connector corresponds to a specific service. Examples include Salesforce, ServiceNow, Jira Cloud, and Confluence Cloud. After you enable a connector, Copilot can query that service when a user asks a question that requires data from it. The connector does not copy all data into Microsoft 365. It queries the external service in real time when a user prompt triggers it.

Prerequisites for Using Connectors

Before you can turn on connectors, you must have the following:

• A Copilot for Microsoft 365 license assigned to each user who will use the connector.
• Global Administrator or SharePoint Administrator role in Microsoft 365.
• An active account and API access in the external service. For example, a Salesforce account with API enabled.
• Microsoft Entra ID permissions to grant admin consent for the connector application.

Steps to Turn On Copilot Connectors in the Admin Center

Follow these steps to enable a connector for the first time. The process is the same for each supported third-party service.

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Sign in to admin.microsoft.com with your Global Administrator account. In the left navigation pane, expand Settings and select Copilot.
2. Select the Connectors tab
   On the Copilot page, click the Connectors tab. You see a list of available third-party connectors. Each row shows the connector name, status, and the service it connects to.
3. Choose the connector to enable
   Click the connector you want to turn on. For this example, select Salesforce. A side panel opens with details about the connector.
4. Turn on the connector toggle
   In the side panel, set the toggle switch to On. A message appears stating that admin consent is required in Microsoft Entra ID.
5. Grant admin consent in Microsoft Entra ID
   Click the link that says Grant admin consent. You are redirected to the Microsoft Entra admin center. Sign in again if prompted. Review the permissions the connector requests. Click Accept. The connector now has permission to read data from the external service on behalf of your organization.
6. Configure the connector connection
   Return to the admin center side panel. Some connectors require additional configuration, such as entering a Salesforce instance URL or a ServiceNow API endpoint. Fill in the required fields. The fields vary by connector.
7. Save the connector settings
   Click Save at the bottom of the side panel. The connector status changes to Enabled. The change may take up to 15 minutes to propagate across all Microsoft 365 services.
8. Verify the connector is working
   Open Microsoft Teams or Copilot in a Microsoft 365 app. Ask a question that references data from the external service. For example, type “Show me the top open opportunities in Salesforce.” Copilot should return data from Salesforce if the connector is active.

If Copilot Connectors Still Do Not Appear or Fail to Enable

Several issues can prevent connectors from turning on or functioning correctly. Below are the most common problems and how to resolve them.

Connector tab is missing from the Copilot settings page

If you do not see the Connectors tab, your tenant may not have the required Copilot for Microsoft 365 licenses assigned. Go to Billing > Licenses in the admin center and confirm that at least one user has an active Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. Also verify that your tenant is in a supported region. Connectors are not available in all geographies yet.

Admin consent fails with a permission error

When you click Grant admin consent, you may see an error stating that you do not have sufficient permissions. You must be a Global Administrator in Microsoft Entra ID. A SharePoint Administrator role in Microsoft 365 is not enough. If you are a Global Administrator, try using an InPrivate or Incognito browser window. Clear cached credentials and sign in again.

Connector shows enabled but Copilot returns no external data

This usually means the connector configuration is incomplete. Go back to the connector side panel and verify that the endpoint URL or instance name is correct. Also check that the external service account used for the connection has API access and that the user asking the question has a license for both Copilot and the external service. Some connectors require the user to have an account in the external service with at least read permissions.

Copilot returns a message saying it cannot access the connector

This error often occurs when the admin consent has expired or was revoked. Go to Microsoft Entra admin center > Enterprise applications. Find the connector application. Under Permissions, check that admin consent is still granted. If not, repeat the consent step. Also verify that the connector toggle in the admin center is still set to On.

Copilot Connector Availability: Microsoft First-Party vs Third-Party Connectors

Item	Microsoft First-Party Connectors	Third-Party Connectors
Description	Built-in connectors for Microsoft services like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Dynamics 365	Connectors for external services like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Jira, and Confluence
Requires admin consent	No, enabled by default	Yes, requires admin consent in Microsoft Entra ID
Configuration in admin center	Not required, always active	Must be turned on and configured per connector
Data location	Data remains within Microsoft 365	Data stays in the external service; queried in real time
License requirement	Copilot for Microsoft 365 license	Copilot for Microsoft 365 license plus active account in the external service

You can now turn on Copilot connectors for any supported third-party service. Start with the connector that matches your team’s most-used external application. After enabling it, test with a specific question that references that data source. To manage connectors at scale, use the Microsoft Graph API to enable connectors for multiple tenants or services in one script.