Microsoft’s Copilot agents in SharePoint are quickly changing how teams interact with content, improve workflows, and manage permissions. Whether you’re an IT admin looking to streamline operations or a business user trying to get more out of your SharePoint environment, these agents are worth a closer look.
In this post, we’ll break down the different ways to create and access Copilot agents in SharePoint.. and explore the billing models that make it all work!
What Are Copilot Agents in SharePoint?
Copilot agents are AI-powered helpers embedded directly into SharePoint Online. They’re designed to automate tasks, find and interpret content, perform actions. Think of them as lightweight, customizable assistants that live inside your SharePoint sites.
Some of the core features include:
- Locating content: Find information across your site or intranet.
- Content reasoning: Understand and summarize documents and pages.
- Customization: Build your own agents using Copilot Studio.
These agents are integrated natively into SharePoint, so there’s no need to install anything or jump between platforms. If you’ve got the right permissions, you can start building and using them today.
How to Create Copilot Agents in SharePoint
Creating an agent in SharePoint is really easy. Really! If you’ve got files in SharePoint, you can quickly create a custom agent that is the expert on those files, and can answer any questions you have. The only real requirement is the ability to create files in a document library. Also, you don’t need to be a developer to build a Copilot agents in SharePoint. Microsoft has introduced a no-code AI agent builder right inside SharePoint
Here’s how it works (detailed instructions):
- Navigate to your SharePoint site
- Open the Copilot panel
- Click the Agent dropdown menu
- Choose “Create Agent”
- Click Edit to begin editing your new agent
- Add your instructions, knowledge, and a great name for this agent
- Test
It’s that simple. And with Copilot Studio integration on the horizon, you’ll soon be able to build even more sophisticated agents tailored to your organization’s needs. Technically….you can already use Copilot Studio to publish to SharePoint, but that’s another topic 😊. .
Access Models: Who Can Use Copilot Agents?
Access to Copilot agents depends on your licensing setup. Historically, you needed a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to use these agents. But that changed.
Microsoft recently introduced a consumption-based pricing model – also known as pay-as-you-go
This means:
- You only pay for what you use.
- You can mix and match licenses across your organization.
- You can augment existing licenses with consumption pricing to give more users access.
This model is ideal for organizations that want flexibility without committing to expensive enterprise-wide licenses. It’s similar to how Azure and AWS handle cloud services—scale up when needed, scale down when you don’t.
Billing Models Explained
Here’s a quick breakdown of the two main billing models for Copilot agents in SharePoint:
| Model | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| M365 Copilot License | Fixed monthly cost per user | Organizations with consistent, high usage |
| Consumption-Based Pricing | Pay only for actual usage (currently $0.01/message) | Teams with variable or low usage needs |
The newer consumption model is a game-changer for budget-conscious teams. It allows broader access to Copilot agents without overcommitting on licensing. The “per message” cost is a little misleading, however, because different operations will “cost” different amounts of messages. Here’s the breakdown:
| SharePoint agent feature | Billing rate | Use in Microsoft 365 Copilot scenarios1 | Autonomous use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generative answer | 2 messages | No charge | 2 messages |
| Tenant graph grounding for messages | 10 messages | No charge | 10 messages |
In a typical scenario, one user requesting information on SharePoint data would cost 12 messages if that user doesn’t have an M365 Copilot license.
Final Thoughts
Copilot agents in SharePoint are still evolving, but they’re already proving to be powerful tools for content management and automation. With flexible billing options and no-code creation tools, they’re more accessible than ever.
If you haven’t explored them yet, now’s the time. Whether you’re building your first agent or rethinking your licensing strategy, Copilot agents offer a smart way to get more out of SharePoint.
If you’d like to learn more about how to leverage no-code/low-code Copilot agents to automate your business, or you’d like me to train your users on how to create no-code/low-code agents, contact me!
