{"id":61782,"date":"2026-07-02T08:27:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/?p=61782"},"modified":"2026-07-02T08:27:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:27:46","slug":"microsoft-fixes-copilot-button-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/microsoft-fixes-copilot-button-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft fixes bug that removed Copilot button in Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft<\/a> has resolved a known issue that caused the Copilot Chat and Copilot buttons to vanish from the Classic Outlook interface for Windows users holding a Copilot Chat (Basic) license. The fix, delivered via a server-side service change on June 29<\/a>, 2026, addresses a glitch that left many users unable to access the AI assistant<\/a> directly from the email client’s primary navigation surfaces.<\/p>\n

Copilot Button Disappearance Symptoms<\/h2>\n

The bug, tracked by Microsoft in a support document, manifests in several distinct ways. Affected users may find the Copilot button missing from the top-right area above the ribbon, the Copilot icon absent from the left app bar or the More Apps section, or the button rendered entirely non-functional. In some cases, attempting to add Copilot through ribbon customization shows the command as unavailable or grayed out. Notably, Copilot remains accessible from other entry points, including Outlook on the web and the standalone Microsoft 365 Copilot application, confirming the issue was isolated to the Classic Outlook desktop client, not the service itself.<\/p>\n

What Should I Do If Copilot Buttons Are Missing in Classic Outlook?<\/h2>\n

If you are affected, the simplest fix is to restart the Classic Outlook client. Microsoft states that the service change applied on June 29, 2026, takes effect immediately upon restart. For users who still do not see the buttons after restarting, the recommended step is to manually update to the latest build by navigating to File, then Office<\/a> Account, selecting Update Options, and choosing Update Now.<\/p>\n

For environments where upgrading is not immediately feasible, Microsoft has confirmed that reverting to the previous Current Channel build (version 16.0.20026.20168) restores the missing functionality. Alternatively, users can switch to the new Outlook or access Outlook Web Access (OWA) as a temporary workaround while the update is deployed across their organization.<\/p>\n

Kaspersky Antivirus Linked to Separate Outlook Crash Issue<\/h2>\n

In a related but distinct problem, Microsoft is actively investigating reports of unexpected Outlook crashes on systems running Kaspersky Antivirus software. The crashes are tied to the Kaspersky Mail Checker module, specifically the file mcou.dll. The Outlook Team advises administrators to check the Application event log for Event ID 1000 entries where the faulting application name is OUTLOOK.EXE and the faulting module name is MCOU.DLL. This diagnostic step confirms whether the Kaspersky integration is the root cause. Microsoft has directed affected users to contact Kaspersky support directly, as the crash originates from the third-party antivirus component rather than Outlook itself.<\/p>\n

Broader Context: Recent Outlook Fixes<\/h2>\n

The Copilot button fix is part of a broader pattern of Microsoft addressing stability and feature issues in the Classic Outlook client. In recent months, the company resolved a bug that prevented some Classic Outlook users from sending emails via Outlook.com and fixed crashes caused by the Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in. These incidents underscore the complexity of maintaining the legacy Classic Outlook client alongside the newer Outlook for Windows platform, particularly as Microsoft continues to integrate AI features like Copilot into the productivity ecosystem.<\/p>\n

What Affected Users Should Do Now<\/h2>\n

Users who rely on the Classic Outlook client and hold a Copilot Chat (Basic) license should first restart the application to apply the June 29 service change. If the Copilot buttons remain missing, trigger a manual update via the Office Account settings. For organizations that manage updates centrally, reverting to build 16.0.20026.20168 or provisioning the new Outlook client are the most reliable workarounds. Users experiencing crashes on systems with Kaspersky Antivirus should verify the crash signature using Event 1000 logs and, if confirmed, contact Kaspersky support for a fix.<\/p>\n

Beyond these immediate steps, IT administrators should review their Outlook deployment channels to ensure that the fix is propagated across their user base. Using a centralized update management tool to push the latest Current Channel build will prevent users from encountering the bug in the first place. For organizations evaluating endpoint protection, selecting a multi-layered security solution with verified compatibility for Microsoft 365 applications can help avoid similar integration-related disruptions in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microsoft has resolved a known issue that caused the Copilot Chat and Copilot buttons to vanish from the Classic Outlook interface for Windows users holding a Copilot Chat (Basic) license. The fix, delivered via a server-side service change on June 29, 2026, addresses a glitch that left many users unable to access the AI assistant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/iili.io\/CY7aE8X.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Microsoft fixes bug that removed Copilot button in Outlook","footnotes":""},"categories":[349],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/iili.io\/CY7aE8X.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Microsoft fixes bug that removed Copilot button in Outlook","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}