Microsoft is reportedly preparing a major adjustment to the benefit distribution mechanism of its generative AI service Copilot, intending to remove the previous restriction that it could only be used by the subscription holder alone, and to allow primary subscribers of the Microsoft 365 Family and Premium plans to open Copilot and related AI features for sharing with up to five family members.
According to tech media Neowin, once this adjustment takes effect, subscription holders will also be able to manage AI access permissions for underage family members. Microsoft's official support page currently still clearly states that the Copilot feature in the above plans is exclusive to the primary subscriber, and no official announcement has been made regarding a specific launch date, applicable regions, or specific sharing quotas.
Regarding the usage management mechanism, Microsoft plans to consolidate the Copilot usage limits previously scattered across various applications into a unified quota pool to be jointly allocated among family members, and to allow Premium and Pro subscribers to purchase additional AI usage when their quota runs low. Previously, the AI capabilities of Copilot embedded in applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Designer were not shared along with traditional Office applications and storage benefits.
Notably, this adjustment comes as Microsoft restructures its family plan benefit system. According to official Microsoft documents, starting from October 7, 2026, newly purchased and renewed Family and Premium subscriptions will be adjusted to 2TB of OneDrive storage shared by the whole family, and existing users will also gradually transition to this model upon renewal starting from April 1, 2027. If the Copilot sharing policy is ultimately implemented, it will further accelerate the penetration and popularization of generative AI in consumer household scenarios.