⚡ TL;DR
- The problem: Many Microsoft 365 Business Standard users lost access to Copilot inside Word / Excel / Outlook in early July 2026.
- The cause: In-app Copilot came from a free trial (Frontier program) that ended on 1 July 2026 — it was never bundled into Business Standard.
- The fix: Purchase a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Business) license as an add-on, or upgrade the plan.
- The timing: M365 prices rose the same day (1 July 2026) — renewing early locks in the old price.
Why did Copilot disappear from Word and Excel?
Short answer: In-app Copilot (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) requires a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license that is not included in Business Standard. Users had access because they were in a free Frontier trial, and that trial ended on 1 July 2026.
To be clear: customers did not lose a feature they paid for — they were using a free trial that expired at the same moment Microsoft raised its prices.
- ✅ Copilot Chat (web browser) — still free, included in all Business tiers
- ❌ In-app Copilot (the Copilot button in Word/Excel) — gone without an added license
- ⏳ Copilot Cowork (agentic, multi-step) — moved to usage-based billing on 16 June 2026
How much Copilot does Microsoft 365 Business Standard include?
Short answer: Only Copilot Chat via web browser — there is no Copilot button inside desktop apps.
Business Standard users get Microsoft Copilot Chat with Commercial Data Protection, so company data typed in is not used to train external models. But it cannot summarize your Outlook inbox, analyze your real Excel files, or work with internal data through Work IQ.
💡 From around August 2026, Microsoft is adding inbox/calendar awareness to Copilot Chat, plus +50GB mailbox storage and URL time-of-click protection at no extra cost — still not the full in-app Copilot.
Copilot Chat vs Copilot Business vs Copilot Studio: what’s the difference?
| Copilot Chat | Microsoft 365 Copilot (Business) | Copilot Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | General AI chat | Full Copilot inside apps + Work IQ | Platform to build your own AI agents |
| Where | Web browser only | Word / Excel / PPT / Outlook / Teams | Custom agents (web/Teams/customers) |
| Price | Free (in plan) | Per user/month (add-on) | Per credit (tenant-wide pool) |
| Best for | Everyone | Heavy document/email users — best value | Orgs building HR/IT/customer bots |
Note — Copilot Cowork: a separate, agentic layer that executes multi-step work, sitting on top of full Copilot and billed by credits. A great upsell talking point, but not an urgent decision for most SMEs yet.
What is Copilot Cowork and how is it billed?
Short answer: Cowork executes complete, multi-step deliverables (not just chat replies). It reached general availability on 16 June 2026 and bills on usage at $0.01 per credit.
Key points for IT admins:
- Cowork requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license first.
- Admins must configure usage-based billing by 1 July 2026, or Cowork access stops tenant-wide (a hard cut-off).
- Numbers to know: a light task ≈ 100–300 credits ($1–$3); a heavy task ≈ 700+ credits ($7+). Credits are shared across Cowork, Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform.
How big is the July 2026 Microsoft 365 price increase?
Short answer: Most Business plans rose 12–17% effective 1 July 2026 — but renewing before that date locks in the old price for the full term.
| Plan | Old price | New price (1 Jul 2026) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Basic | $6 | $7 | +17% |
| Business Standard | $12.50 | $14 | +12% |
| Business Premium | $22 | $22 | No change |
(Per user/month, annual commitment · Standalone Microsoft 365 Copilot pricing is unchanged.)
What SMEs should do before 1 July 2026: audit unused licenses (SMEs typically carry 10–15% waste), consider early renewal to lock pricing, and decide on Copilot as part of the same renewal.
Should Thai SMEs turn on Copilot Business?
Short answer: Most worthwhile for document- and email-heavy teams, because ROI depends entirely on real adoption — not on buying licenses that sit unused.
- ~70% of Thai SMEs have already tried or adopted AI.
- Nearly 90% of adopters report a clear revenue increase.
- 80% of Thais use AI, but only 16% use it to its full potential.
- Thailand’s AI market is growing 28% per year, projected to reach THB 114 billion by 2030.
“Copilot isn’t another IT cost line — it lets a team of 5 perform like a team of 20. The deciding factor isn’t the license price; it’s teaching your people to actually use it every day.” — Microsoft Licensing advisory team, Hinet Computer System
How Hinet helps (as a partner covering both IT and marketing): license assessment and right-sizing before the price hike, sourcing Microsoft 365 Copilot / Copilot Business at SME-friendly pricing, and hands-on Copilot adoption and prompt training so your team truly uses it.
📞 Talk to Hinet: 02-235-7745-9 · ✉️ service@hinet.co.th
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Can Microsoft 365 Business Standard use in-app Copilot?
No. Business Standard alone only includes web-based Copilot Chat. An added Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required for in-app use.
Q2: How much does Copilot Business cost?
Standard Microsoft 365 Copilot is about $30/user/month (~THB 1,000). SME-oriented packages (under 300 users) offer more accessible options — contact Hinet for a tailored quote.
Q3: Can I lock the old price by renewing before 1 July 2026?
Yes. Renewing or upgrading before 1 July 2026 locks pre-increase pricing for that term.
Q4: What happens if Copilot Cowork billing isn’t configured?
Admins must set up usage-based billing by 1 July 2026, or Cowork is disabled tenant-wide (for tenants that used it during Frontier).
Q5: How is free Copilot Chat different from the full version?
Copilot Chat is web-only and answers general questions; full Copilot works inside your apps and accesses your real work data (documents, email, calendar) via Work IQ.
Written by: Microsoft Licensing advisory team — Hinet Computer System / Hinet Design & Develop, an IT Support and Digital Marketing provider serving Thai SMEs for over 20 years (established 2004).
Published: 2 July 2026
