Microsoft Copilot Basic and Premium Explained
Evangelist at Barhead Solutions | Microsoft Business Applications MVP | Content Creator
Lisa Crosbie compares Copilot Basic and Premium, focusing on how licensing affects work-data access and Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps.
Key insights
- Crosbie's video walks through checking a Copilot license and comparing Basic and Premium.
- The video description highlights Work IQ and access to work data as Premium topics.
- It also covers Copilot inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- The supplied material does not give a complete license-check procedure or rollout details.
Lisa Crosbie [MVP] recently published a video comparing the Basic and Premium versions of Microsoft Copilot for work. The walkthrough covers how to check which version a user has, what each offers, and the role of Work IQ, work-data access and Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The practical takeaway is that seeing Copilot at work does not, by itself, explain which capabilities a user’s license provides.
What's new
Crosbie’s video is framed around a common workplace question: which Copilot experience does a person actually have? Its description says the walkthrough starts with checking a license, then compares what users can do with Copilot Chat Basic and Copilot Premium. That makes the piece a guide to understanding the user experience and its licensing context, rather than an announcement of a newly released feature.
The topics listed for the video include Work IQ, access to work data, and Copilot inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It also points to Copilot’s ability to work with files, emails, meetings and wider work context as part of the Premium discussion. The description names Cowork, Code, Autopilot and building Copilot agents as related subjects, but does not explain their mechanics or entitlements in the material available here.
The research notes distinguish Copilot Chat Basic, Microsoft 365 Copilot Basic and Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium. They describe Basic chat as primarily web-grounded, while the Premium add-on is associated with deeper Microsoft 365 app integration and priority access. That distinction is useful, but the supplied video description does not provide a full feature-by-feature entitlement table, so it should not be treated as one.
Why it matters
For employees, the difference affects what they can reasonably expect from the Copilot interface. A chat experience focused on web information is not the same as an assistant that can use permitted organizational content or work within Office apps. The research notes say Microsoft Graph and Work IQ can ground responses in allowed work material, including documents, email, meetings and collaboration information.
For makers and teams evaluating AI use, the distinction helps set expectations before designing workflows around Copilot. A visible button or chat window does not establish that a user can access work data or use the same features in Word, Excel and PowerPoint as someone with a different license. The notes also say that two people can see Copilot while receiving different capabilities because licenses and administrative settings differ.
For administrators, the key issue is matching the user’s entitlement and organization configuration to the intended use. The supplied material names an add-on license for the Premium experience and says some usage-based capabilities may depend on organizational configuration. It does not provide current prices, a complete eligibility list, or a detailed deployment procedure, so those points need checking against the organization’s own licensing information.
This is relevant across the broader Microsoft 365 environment because the comparison concerns both chat and features embedded in productivity apps. It is not a claim that every Microsoft 365 user has the same Copilot experience. The relevant access depends on the license and settings described in the research notes.
How it works
The video description gives a high-level sequence rather than a detailed click-by-click tutorial. It says Crosbie begins by showing how to check a license, then discusses what users get with both Basic and Premium before examining Premium work-data and app capabilities. A viewer can use that sequence to frame the questions they need to resolve in their own tenant.
- Check which Copilot license or experience applies to the user. The source description says this is the starting point, but does not provide the exact screens or steps.
- Identify whether the experience is Copilot Chat Basic or includes Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities. The research notes caution that the names cover different levels of access.
- Check whether the user can use Copilot inside Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and whether work-data grounding is available. The materials identify these as differences to consider, but do not specify every app-level entitlement.
- Consider the organization’s configuration for additional experiences. The research notes say usage-based capabilities can depend on that configuration.
In the research notes, Basic chat is characterized as secure, enterprise-oriented chat that primarily uses web data and has limited organizational-content access. Premium is described as adding deeper integration and priority access, with work-data context among the important distinctions. “Work data” here means permitted organizational information, not unrestricted access to every company file or message.
Limitations and open questions
The available source material is a video description and chapter list, not a full transcript. It does not show the exact screens Crosbie uses to check a license, list the precise features in each tier, or establish whether a particular user or tenant qualifies. As a result, this article summarizes the topics and distinctions in the supplied material rather than presenting a definitive licensing guide.
The research notes use several labels—Copilot Chat Basic, Microsoft 365 Copilot Basic and Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium—and indicate that administrative settings can affect what appears. They do not fully reconcile how every label maps to every Microsoft license or app capability. They also say that Cowork and Code can be usage-based, while the exact availability and billing depend on organizational configuration.
Readers should therefore treat the comparison as a prompt to verify their own assigned license and configuration, not as confirmation that a named feature is enabled for everyone. The supplied material does not establish universal availability, rollout timing, regional access or current pricing. It also does not explain the named Cowork, Code, Autopilot or agent-building topics in enough detail to assess their requirements.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell which Copilot version I have?
Crosbie’s video starts by showing how to check a license, but the supplied description does not include the specific screens or steps.
What is the main difference between Basic and Premium?
The research notes describe Basic chat as primarily web-grounded, while Premium is associated with work-data access and deeper integration in Microsoft 365 apps. Exact capabilities can depend on licensing and organization settings.
Does Premium include Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint?
The video description specifically discusses Copilot Premium in those apps. The supplied material does not provide a complete entitlement list or confirm availability for every user.
Are Cowork and Code included with Premium?
The video description lists Cowork and Code as topics beyond Premium. The research notes say usage-based capabilities can depend on organizational configuration, but do not establish exact requirements.