What happened to Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft began investigating a problem on 24 September 2026 after some users reported that Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat could no longer complete prompts or open Copilot Notebooks.
Microsoft traced the problem to a licensing mismatch in the request flow. In practical terms, the service can incorrectly treat an affected user as though that user does not have the required Copilot license, even when the account is normally entitled to use the feature.
That explains why some affected users can suddenly encounter a licensing-style error even though their Microsoft 365 subscription or Copilot entitlement was working normally before the incident.
Microsoft service-health status
Service degradation remains under remediation
The most recent published updates reviewed for this article say Microsoft validated the first remediation change and began deploying it while preparing additional changes. Microsoft said users should experience progressive relief, with direct Copilot access expected to recover by September 30, 2026.
Microsoft’s service-health notices identify the affected scenarios as prompt generation, image generation, and failures when attempting to access or view Copilot Notebooks.
Incident references: Microsoft 365 incident mirror containing CP1478444 and CW1478470 .
Why does Copilot suddenly say you do not have a valid license?
A licensing error normally suggests that the account does not have the service entitlement required for a particular Copilot feature. During this incident, however, Microsoft says the backend request flow itself is producing a licensing mismatch.
That means the error shown in the interface can be misleading. The user may have the correct Microsoft 365 subscription and still receive an error that looks like a genuine licensing failure.
Users have also reported wording such as “It seems you don’t have a valid license. To get access, please check with your administrator.”
During the confirmed incident, that message should not automatically be interpreted as proof that an administrator removed the user’s Copilot access.
Why this matters
If an administrator reacts immediately by removing, reassigning, downgrading or otherwise modifying licenses, they may introduce a second problem while Microsoft is already repairing the first one.
The safer first step is to determine whether the account’s actual license assignment has changed and whether the organization is listed as affected in Microsoft 365 Service Health.
Which Copilot features are failing?
Microsoft’s incident notices identify several specific scenarios rather than describing every Copilot capability as unavailable.
| Feature | Possible symptom | Incident relationship |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot prompts | Prompt generation fails or the user cannot receive a response. | Explicitly listed by Microsoft. |
| Copilot Chat | Requests fail even though the account normally has Copilot Chat access. | Covered by CW1478470. |
| Image generation | Image-generation requests fail. | Explicitly listed in the incident. |
| Copilot Notebooks | Users may be unable to access or view notebooks or may receive a licensing error. | Explicitly listed by Microsoft. |
| OneNote Copilot functionality | Some notebook-related Copilot behavior may continue to require an additional remediation change. | Microsoft said a separate change is still needed for OneNote Copilot functionality. |
A user experiencing a completely different problem, such as an expired subscription, disabled service plan, unsupported license, browser extension conflict or network block, may require separate troubleshooting.
What are CP1478444 and CW1478470?
Microsoft is tracking two closely related advisories.
| Incident ID | Service | Reported impact |
|---|---|---|
| CP1478444 | Microsoft Copilot in Microsoft 365 | Some users may be unable to access or receive prompt responses with Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Notebooks. |
| CW1478470 | Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat | Some users may be unable to access or receive prompt responses with Copilot Chat or Copilot Notebooks. |
Both advisories describe the same underlying class of problem: a licensing mismatch that makes affected users appear unlicensed inside the Copilot request flow.
If your organization has access to Microsoft 365 Service Health, search for these incident IDs directly. The tenant-specific health dashboard is the most useful place for administrators to determine whether Microsoft currently considers their organization affected.
What should you do if Microsoft 365 Copilot is not working?
Start by separating a service-side incident from an actual licensing problem.
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Check whether Copilot worked before September 24. If the same account had normal access shortly before the incident and no administrator changed its license, that history is useful evidence.
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Check Microsoft 365 Service Health. Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to review CP1478444 and CW1478470 in the admin center.
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Confirm your Microsoft account. Make sure Copilot is using the work or school account that actually holds the expected Microsoft 365 entitlement.
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Do not repeatedly change licenses just to test the incident. If Microsoft confirms your tenant is affected, changing licensing may not repair the service-side mismatch.
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Try again after Microsoft’s remediation progresses. The company says it is deploying changes and expects progressive relief rather than an instantaneous universal recovery.
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Troubleshoot the license separately if the issue remains after recovery. At that point, check the actual service plan, account, subscription and Copilot license assignment.
Important: If your organization has a genuine licensing configuration problem unrelated to the incident, waiting for Microsoft’s service recovery will not correct that configuration. The point is to verify the cause before making changes.
What should Microsoft 365 administrators check?
Administrators have more useful diagnostic information than end users because they can compare the user’s assigned license with Microsoft 365 Service Health.
1. Review Service Health first
Open the Microsoft 365 admin center and check the Service health section for CP1478444 and CW1478470. Read the latest Microsoft update before changing the affected user’s entitlement.
2. Confirm the user’s assigned license
Check whether the account still has the Microsoft 365 license and Copilot entitlement expected for the feature being used.
Microsoft Copilot licensing is feature-specific. Some Copilot Chat experiences are available through eligible Microsoft 365 subscriptions, while premium Microsoft Copilot functionality requires the corresponding Microsoft Copilot license.
3. Check the relevant service plans
Microsoft documents situations where the Microsoft 365 admin center and Copilot’s diagnostic system can become unsynchronized. An admin may see a service plan assigned while the diagnostic tool reports that the plan is missing.
That is a separate known licensing scenario and should not automatically be confused with the September 24 service incident.
4. Confirm SharePoint or OneDrive service-plan access for Notebooks
Microsoft says accounts need a SharePoint or OneDrive service plan to create Copilot Notebooks, in addition to the relevant Copilot or Copilot Chat entitlement.
Microsoft documentation: Microsoft Copilot service description , Copilot Chat requirements , and Microsoft Copilot service plans .
How can you tell the outage from a real Copilot license problem?
The error text alone is not enough. Compare the account state, timing and affected features.
| Clue | More consistent with the incident | More consistent with a real licensing issue |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Access was working normally before the September 24 incident. | Access stopped after a subscription, license or account change. |
| Service Health | Microsoft lists the tenant or service as affected by CP1478444 or CW1478470. | No relevant Microsoft incident is shown. |
| License assignment | The expected license remains assigned. | The required license or service plan is genuinely missing or disabled. |
| Multiple users | Several previously working users fail at roughly the same time. | Only one account is affected following a configuration change. |
| Feature behavior | Prompts, image generation or Notebooks fail in the same pattern Microsoft listed. | A different feature fails with a plan-specific entitlement message. |
These clues are not absolute proof by themselves, but they help avoid treating every licensing-style error as the same problem.
Do Copilot Notebooks normally require a license?
Yes, but the exact requirement is more nuanced than simply “you need a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on.”
Microsoft’s current Copilot Notebooks documentation says Notebooks is available to Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat licensed users. For work and school accounts, the account also needs a SharePoint or OneDrive license service plan to create notebooks.
Microsoft also offers Copilot Notebooks to supported Microsoft 365 consumer subscriptions such as Personal, Family, Premium and Pro, although some notebook capabilities differ by plan.
This distinction is important during the incident because a user who legitimately qualifies for Copilot Notebooks can still receive a false licensing failure when Microsoft’s backend request flow misclassifies that user.
Why SharePoint or OneDrive matters
Copilot Notebooks stores and works with references and collaborative content that depend on Microsoft 365 storage services. Microsoft therefore requires the relevant SharePoint or OneDrive service plan for notebook creation in organizational accounts.
If the broader incident is resolved but a specific user still cannot create a notebook, checking the SharePoint or OneDrive service plan is a reasonable next diagnostic step.
Official Microsoft sources: Copilot Notebooks FAQ and Get started with Copilot Notebooks .
How to run Microsoft’s Copilot license troubleshooter
If Copilot still appears unlicensed after Microsoft reports the service incident resolved, Microsoft provides a Copilot license troubleshooter through the Windows Get Help app.
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Open the Get Help app in Windows. Use the affected user’s device if possible.
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Search for “Copilot License Troubleshooter.” Use the search box inside Get Help.
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Start the troubleshooter. Follow the diagnostic steps Microsoft provides.
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Review the findings. The tool can help identify cases where Copilot should be licensed but the expected entitlement is not being recognized correctly.
Microsoft also offers a Copilot connectivity troubleshooter for cases where the license appears correct but Copilot cannot connect because of firewall rules or another network blocker.
Official Microsoft support page: Copilot troubleshooters .
When will Microsoft 365 Copilot be fixed?
Microsoft’s September 25 service-health update said the first change needed for full remediation had been validated and was being deployed.
Microsoft also said it was accelerating additional changes and expected users to experience progressive relief by Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
The company’s published estimate says users are expected to regain access and receive prompt responses when accessing Copilot directly by September 30.
Microsoft separately noted that OneNote Copilot functionality requires an additional change and that it was still finalizing the recovery timing for that portion.
Do not treat September 30 as a guaranteed exact recovery moment for every user. Microsoft describes progressive relief and may revise the estimate as deployment continues. Administrators should use the latest Service Health update as the authoritative status.
The next Microsoft update listed in the latest service-health notice reviewed for this article is scheduled for September 28, 2026 at 22:00 UTC.
What if Copilot is still broken after Microsoft says the incident is resolved?
Once Microsoft confirms recovery, a persistent error should be treated as a separate account, licensing or connectivity problem rather than automatically attributed to CP1478444 or CW1478470.
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Confirm the correct work or school account. Sign out of unrelated Microsoft accounts and verify which account Copilot is using.
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Check the Microsoft 365 license assignment. Confirm the account still holds the product and service plans required for the feature.
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Check SharePoint or OneDrive service plans for Notebooks. Microsoft requires one of these plans to create organizational Copilot Notebooks.
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Run the Copilot license troubleshooter. Use Get Help to check whether the entitlement is recognized correctly.
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Run the connectivity troubleshooter if licensing looks correct. Firewall or network configuration can block Copilot independently of licensing.
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Escalate through Microsoft 365 support. Provide the affected user, license, feature, exact error and relevant diagnostic results.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot down right now?
Microsoft is tracking service degradation under CP1478444 and CW1478470. The latest published updates reviewed for this article say remediation is still being deployed and users are expected to see progressive relief.
Why does Copilot say I do not have a valid license?
During the confirmed incident, Microsoft says a licensing mismatch in the request flow can cause affected users to be treated as unlicensed even when they normally have valid access.
Should my administrator remove and reassign my Copilot license?
Not automatically. First check Microsoft 365 Service Health and confirm whether the account’s actual license changed. Reassigning a correct license may be unnecessary if the failure is caused by Microsoft’s service-side mismatch.
Is Copilot Chat affected too?
Yes. Microsoft is separately tracking CW1478470 for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, including failing prompt and image-generation requests and Copilot Notebooks access failures.
Are Copilot Notebooks affected?
Yes. Microsoft explicitly lists failures when attempting to access or view Copilot Notebooks among the affected scenarios.
Do Copilot Notebooks require SharePoint or OneDrive?
Microsoft says organizational accounts need a SharePoint or OneDrive service plan to create Copilot Notebooks, in addition to an eligible Copilot or Copilot Chat entitlement.
Is the problem expected to be fixed by September 30?
Microsoft’s published estimate says users are expected to regain direct Copilot prompt access by September 30, with progressive relief before then. OneNote Copilot requires an additional change, and Microsoft may revise its estimate.
What if my account never had Copilot access before?
The service incident does not grant new licensing. If the account did not previously qualify for Copilot or the relevant feature, you still need to verify the required Microsoft 365 license and service plans.
The important distinction: false licensing failure vs actual missing license
Microsoft has confirmed that the current Copilot problem can make affected users appear unlicensed even when their normal entitlement is valid.
If Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat or Copilot Notebooks suddenly stopped working during this incident, first check CP1478444 and CW1478470 in Microsoft 365 Service Health.
If the license is still correctly assigned, avoid unnecessary licensing changes while Microsoft’s remediation is in progress. If the error continues after Microsoft confirms service recovery, then move to ordinary licensing checks, SharePoint or OneDrive service-plan verification, and Microsoft’s Copilot license troubleshooter.