Before you add or cut Microsoft Copilot seats, check your own usage report, find why each seat is idle, and fix that cause.
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Many businesses pay for Microsoft Copilot seats that people rarely open. This week, open your own usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Then fix the real reason each seat sits idle, or give the seat back.
What changed
A few things are new this year. According to Microsoft Learn, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app is now called Microsoft Copilot. Its main web address is changing to copilot.cloud.microsoft. If your office uses a web filter, make sure that address is not blocked.
Microsoft also gives admins a Copilot usage report. An admin is the person who manages your company's Microsoft accounts. The report shows how many licensed people did not use Copilot in a set time, such as the past 28 days. Microsoft describes it as a privacy-preserving report built on totals.
From that same report, you can send a short message inside Microsoft apps to people who are not using Copilot. This is called the Organizational Messages feature. It comes with two ready-made messages:
- Encourage people to use Microsoft Copilot
- Help users save time with Copilot in Teams
Each person can click Got it or Learn more. After that, the message stops showing. You can see how many people acknowledged the message on the Organizational Messages page.
One more fact to keep in mind. The Microsoft adoption site says Copilot Chat is available to all Microsoft enterprise and business users.
Be careful with big numbers
You may have read that 64% of Copilot licenses go unused. Posts from Peafowl IT and Carolyn Healey on LinkedIn use that number. Both tie it to a 35.8% adoption figure.
Calance sees it differently. It says the 64% figure comes from flipping a survey result that measured something else. That survey, from Recon Analytics, looked at which AI tool paid users chose. Calance notes that where Copilot was the only tool offered, 68% used it. Where three tools were offered, 8% did.
Other reports paint other pictures:
- ABT says about 15 million of 450 million commercial Microsoft 365 users have paid Copilot seats.
- Jonathan Mast cites a report that fewer than 7% of 450 million commercial Office seats carry a Copilot license.
- A LinkedIn article on tenant readiness says weekly use runs at 20 to 30% of paid seats.
The sources do not agree. Calance makes a simple point: your own usage data is the only source that can tell you how many of your seats are idle.
Why seats sit idle
Calance says underuse has at least nine causes, and each needs a different fix. Some seats need coaching. Some need a technical fix. Some should go back.
The LinkedIn article on tenant readiness lists four common blockers:
- No clear use case. People get a license but no task where Copilot beats their old habit.
- Output friction. Drafts need heavy editing, so people stop trusting the first answer.
- Weak training. The license arrives, but the training that builds a daily habit does not.
- Data lockdown. Copilot can show anything a person can open, so security teams limit it.
That article also points to old files. Copilot follows the SharePoint and OneDrive permissions you already have. SharePoint and OneDrive are where Microsoft stores shared files. If old documents still sit there, Copilot may answer from them. After a few wrong answers, people stop asking.
Steps to take this week
- Open the usage report. Look at how many licensed people were inactive in the past 28 days.
- Check how "active" is measured. Calance notes that the Viva Insights report lets you change what counts as an active user. It also says the readiness report can lag up to 72 hours.
- Check access first. For anyone with no Copilot use at all, Calance advises checking technical access before you assume they are not interested.
- Pick one task per person. Microsoft's adoption guide suggests setting goals and focusing on high-impact work. It also suggests demos and hands-on support.
- Send the built-in message. Use the ready-made messages for inactive users, then check how many people clicked.
- Clean up old shared files. Fewer stale documents means fewer wrong answers.
- Review seats before renewal. ABT suggests a usage audit at least 90 days before your contract renews. Microsoft's guide also lists right-sizing licenses, which means keeping only the seats you need.
How I can help
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Sources
- Drive adoption with Microsoft Copilot Usage report Organizational Messaging, Microsoft Learn, 2026-09-28
- Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft Adoption, Microsoft, 2026-03-09
- Why 64% of Copilot Licenses Go Unused and How to Fix Adoption, peafowlit.com, 2026-05-07
- Copilot Adoption: Why 64% of Employees Never Open It | Carolyn Healey posted on the topic | LinkedIn, linkedin.com, 2026-04-18
- Why Most Copilot Licenses Go Unused and How to Fix It | Calance, calanceus.com, 2026-08-31
- Why Half of Copilot Licenses Sit Unused (And What Your Bank Can Do About It), myabt.com, 2026-02-02
- Why does nobody use the AI software their company already paid for? - Do that with AI! AI Coaching & Mentorship to Help You Leverage AI, jonathanmast.com, 2026-10-02
- Your Copilot Seats Sit Idle Because Your Tenant Isn, linkedin.com, 2026-07-30
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I see who is not using Copilot?
Use the Microsoft Copilot usage report in the Microsoft 365 admin center. It can show the number of inactive users for a time range, such as the past 28 days.
Is it true that 64% of Copilot licenses go unused?
Some articles say so. Calance says that number comes from flipping a survey result that measured something else. Your own usage data is the best guide for your business.
Can I remind inactive people to try Copilot?
Yes. The usage report has a built-in Organizational Messages feature with two ready-made messages. People click Got it or Learn more, and you can track how many clicked.
Why does Copilot sometimes give wrong answers from old files?
Copilot follows the SharePoint and OneDrive permissions already in place. If old documents are still shared, it may pull answers from them.
When should I review my Copilot seats?
ABT suggests a usage audit at least 90 days before your contract renews. That gives you time to keep only the seats you need.
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