Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users, and they really are using it

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIApps EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users, and they really are using it Julie Bort 4:02 PM PDT · April 29, 2026 Despite the lingering perception that no one really uses Copilot, Microsoft said Wednesday that its user base and engagement are growing for the AI tool that’s baked into M365 apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook email. M365 Copilot now has 20 million paid enterprise Copilot seats, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the company’s quarterly earnings conference call. The company has quadrupled the number of companies paying for over 50,000 seats, Nadella said, noting that Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes, and Roche have more than 90,000 seats. He pointed to the deal announced earlier this week with Accenture for over 740,000 seats. “Our largest Copilot win to date,” he said. Plus, he insists that people are using it, engaging with Copilot as much as they do with email. “Copilot queries per user were up nearly 20% quarter over quarter. To put this momentum in perspective, weekly engagement is now at the same level as Outlook,” he said. “This is like a daily habit of intense usage.” He emphasized that Copilot is not dependent on any one model, like OpenAI. “You now have access in chat to multiple models by default, with intelligent auto routing in agents with critique and counsel, you can use multiple models together to generate optimal responses,” he said. Techcrunch event Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 REGISTER NOW Microsoft 365 supports Anthropic’s Claude, for instance. In fact, Morgan Stanley’s Keith Weiss said on the quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, “Those Microsoft 365 Copilot numbers are super impressive and I think way ahead of most people’s expectations.” Agent mode is one area that is driving usage, noting that “as of last week, Agent mode is now the default experience across Copilot and Word Excel and PowerPoint.” Microsoft last week made its Copilot’s agentic capabilities generally available. This allows Copilot to take multi-step actions directly in the documents. “You now have a new way to delegate and complete work using Copilot,” Nadella said. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Julie Bort Venture Editor April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Register now for unfiltered fireside chats and VC insights with leaders from Uber, Replit, Eclipse, and more. Plus, high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. Most Popular OpenAI ends Microsoft legal peril over its $50B Amazon deal Julie Bort Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an AI social network in iMessage Dominic-Madori Davis Meta’s loss is Thinking Machines’ gain Connie Loizos Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute Rebecca Bellan OpenAI releases GPT-5.5, bringing company one step closer to an AI ‘super app’ Lucas Ropek Microsoft offers buyout for up to 7% of US employees Amanda Silberling Surveillance vendors caught abusing access to telcos to track people’s phone locations, researchers say Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Tim CookJohn TernusNew GlennWhatsAppMythosTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.