Microsoft ties new Agent 365 purchases to E5 licenses from June
Reviewed by Helen Jones
From 1 June 2026, Microsoft requires an E5 license for any new Microsoft Agent 365 purchases. Existing customers keep their current access until renewal. The change coincides with the launch of Copilot Cowork and Microsoft Scout, plus a shift to usage-based Copilot Credits billing. Pricing updates take effect 1 July. The requirement applies only to new purchases. Rollout of the packaging changes begins in June.
Before this change, smaller tenants could trial advanced agents on E3 or mixed licensing without committing the entire workforce to E5. The barrier was mainly budget and learning curve. Now the licensing gate sits at the purchase step itself. Teams that have been running light agent experiments will hit a hard stop on expansion unless they upgrade seats or accept that only a narrow E5 slice can use the new tools.
Analysis
Map every user who actually needs Agent 365 capabilities versus those who can stay on standard Copilot, then restrict new purchases to the E5 group before July pricing lands.
Source note
Pulse published by Collab365 Spaces, reviewed by Helen Jones on . Cite as "Microsoft ties new Agent 365 purchases to E5 licenses from June", Collab365 Spaces. 1 source referenced.