Free account copilot limits increasingly stringent

Question

Free account copilot limits increasingly stringent

Amanda W 0

Add me to the list of people who are getting annoyed with the seemingly arbitrary limits on Copilot chats with a free account.

Today I got the message that I've hit my limit after 13 entries/prompts in one single chat (as in, I started a chat, pasted in some information, then asked questions following from the copilot analysis of that info). In the recent past I have used it quite a lot more than that without hitting a limit.

I appreciate that I'm using a free account but this still seems a bit stingy, especially since there's no way to know if I'm doing something that brings me closer to the limit. (And yes I've done all the things like checking I'm signed in properly).

If there was a plan that just allowed for more copilot use (with some kind of indication of how close you are to the limits!) I'd be interested, but I have no need for full 365. Is there any option to get a more generous allowance without paying for things I don't need?

Jacqui Brockwell 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T15:06:18.7633333+00:00

Add me to this list as well. Our Council was working reasonably and since the latest change we are now inundated with user complaints about usage restrictions after just a few prompts. We certainly aren't about to suddenly buy a bunch of full licenses - we are a small council and it will just mean us having to drop the use of Copilot in favour of other options instead. Bad business model.
Clary-N 19,130 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-12T07:47:53.17+00:00

Hi Jacqui,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I can understand your concern, especially when Copilot was working well for your council before these restrictions started affecting everyday use. For a smaller organization, purchasing additional licenses may not be a practical solution.

Since this is a user-to-user forum, I can't make changes to Copilot's usage limits, but I'd encourage you to share your experience through the Copilot feedback option so the product team can hear how these changes are affecting smaller organizations.

1 answer

Your answer

Jacqui Brockwell 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T15:06:18.7633333+00:00

Add me to this list as well. Our Council was working reasonably and since the latest change we are now inundated with user complaints about usage restrictions after just a few prompts. We certainly aren't about to suddenly buy a bunch of full licenses - we are a small council and it will just mean us having to drop the use of Copilot in favour of other options instead. Bad business model.
Clary-N 19,130 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-12T07:47:53.17+00:00

Hi Jacqui,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I can understand your concern, especially when Copilot was working well for your council before these restrictions started affecting everyday use. For a smaller organization, purchasing additional licenses may not be a practical solution.

Since this is a user-to-user forum, I can't make changes to Copilot's usage limits, but I'd encourage you to share your experience through the Copilot feedback option so the product team can hear how these changes are affecting smaller organizations.

Answer 1

Hi Amanda W,

I can understand why this feels so restrictive, especially when you were able to use it more extensively before and have now reached the limit after only 13 prompts. The lack of a visible counter or a clear explanation of what contributes to the limit makes it difficult to manage your usage.

The free version is subject to variable usage and capacity limits, so 13 prompts should not necessarily be treated as a fixed daily allowance. The amount available may vary, and there currently doesn’t appear to be a way to check how close you are to the limit.

Paid personal subscriptions offer higher usage limits, but I’m not aware of a separate consumer plan that provides only increased Copilot chat usage without the other services included in a Microsoft 365 subscription. The paid options can still have usage limits as well, so it’s worth reviewing the plan details before subscribing.

Since you’ve already confirmed that you’re signed in correctly, I wouldn’t suggest repeating steps such as reinstalling the app or clearing browser data. Instead, I’d recommend using … > Send feedback in the app to request a visible usage counter and a lower-cost chat-only plan. When submitting feedback, you could mention that the limit appeared after approximately 13 prompts and that your available usage was noticeably higher in the recent past. Just avoid including any personal or confidential information.

As this is a user-to-user forum, I can’t view your account usage or confirm exactly why the limit was triggered. However, your request for clearer limits and a more flexible subscription option is entirely reasonable, particularly when you don’t need the full set of included services.

I hope this at least clarifies the current options, even though there doesn’t appear to be a chat-only plan that fully meets what you’re looking for right now.