Copilot not accessible from within the new Outlook

Add the Microsoft account or work/school account that owns your Copilot entitlement to new Outlook; having only the BellSouth IMAP mailbox connected does not make that Copilot identity available to Outlook.

Add the Copilot-enabled account

1. In new Outlook, select your account profile in the app header.
2. Select Add an account.
3. Sign in with the same Microsoft, work, or school account through which Copilot works in Word.
4. Leave the BellSouth IMAP account connected.
5. Restart new Outlook, compose a message from BellSouth, and retry Draft with Copilot.

New Outlook can share Copilot access from an eligible signed-in account with connected third-party email accounts. This applies to:

• A Microsoft account with an eligible Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, or Pro subscription.
• A work or school account with a Copilot license.

The licensed account must be logged into Outlook on the same device as the third-party mailbox.^1^ Microsoft also documents adding another account from the profile menu.[^2^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Use Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium at work")

If the subscription uses the BellSouth address

If your Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription is registered to a Microsoft account whose sign-in identity is the same BellSouth address, use new Outlook’s account-linking option:

1. Open View > View settings, or File > Account info.
2. Select Accounts > Your accounts.
3. Select the BellSouth account and choose Manage.
4. Select Add Account and authenticate the Microsoft account carrying the subscription.

The Add Account linking option appears only when Microsoft detects a qualifying subscription with the same email identity.^3^

If it remains unavailable

• Open Settings > Copilot > Copilot control and ensure Turn on Copilot is enabled.^4^
• Check that Connected Experiences has not been disabled in Outlook privacy settings. Disabling it makes an account ineligible for Copilot sharing.^1^
• If using Microsoft 365 Family, Copilot belongs to the subscription owner; other family members do not inherit it through subscription sharing.^1^
• For an organizational license, ask the Microsoft 365 administrator to confirm that the exact work/school account added to Outlook has the Copilot license. Mailbox-grounded organizational experiences ordinarily require an Exchange Online mailbox.^5^

Reinstalling or repairing Outlook is unlikely to address this specific configuration until the Copilot-enabled identity is present in Outlook alongside the IMAP account.

References

1. Sharing Copilot in Outlook | Microsoft Support
2. [Use Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium at work | Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])
3. Link non-Microsoft email accounts to your existing Microsoft subscription | Microsoft Support
4. What's new in new Outlook for Windows | Microsoft Support
5. Microsoft Copilot requirements