(Updated) Microsoft Viva Glint: Copilot will default to ON and move to VFAM as the single control [MC1222648]

Message ID: MC1222648 (Updated)

Updated February 26, 2026: We are extending the rollout timeline to give customers additional time to complete AI governance reviews and configure Viva Glint Copilot access policies in the Microsoft 365 admin center. We have also added additional content providing you with more resources and details surrounding this change. Thank you for your patience.

[Introduction]

Copilot in Viva Glint will align with Microsoft’s enterprise AI governance platform: enabling your IT and compliance teams to use centralized governance tools for access management and unified monitoring and reporting across all AI deployments in your tenant. Viva Glint will now use Viva Feature Access Management (VFAM) as the single control plane for Copilot access, consistent with other Microsoft Copilot experiences. As part of this change, the existing Glint service‑level Copilot toggles will be removed, and Copilot will default to ON at the Glint service level.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 551197.

Why We’re Making This Change to Copilot Access Management

Aligns Viva Glint with Microsoft’s enterprise AI governance platform: Managing Copilot access control with the Microsoft 365 admin center enables your IT and compliance teams to use centralized governance tools for access management and unified monitoring and reporting across all AI deployments in your tenant. This reduces governance complexity and audit burden by providing a single control plane for managing AI features across Microsoft 365.

Dynamic Entra Groups for Automatic Access Management 

Dynamic Entra groups in the Microsoft 365 admin center automatically maintain Copilot access based on user attributes (department, location, job title, manager status). When VFAM policies are scoped to dynamic groups, membership updates automatically as employees join, leave, or change roles – eliminating manual policy maintenance. For more information, see Create or update a dynamic group in Microsoft Entra ID. 

Who can manage Viva Glint Copilot Access in M365 Admin Center

• Viva Glint Tenant Administrators
• AI Administrators 
• Microsoft 365 Global Administrators 

Three Common Setup Scenarios for Viva Glint Copilot Access Control 

Administrators can configure Copilot access using one of three approaches: 

Scenario 1: Enable for all Viva Glint users (default) – The organization-wide setting is turned ON with no custom policies. All licensed users with appropriate Viva Glint permissions can access Copilot features.

Scenario 2: Pilot mode with specific groups – The organization-wide setting is turned OFF, and custom policies enable Copilot only for selected Microsoft Entra groups (for example, HR team, senior leadership). This approach supports phased rollouts or limited pilots before broader enablement.

Scenario 3: Broad enablement with exclusions – The organization-wide setting is turned ON, and custom policies disable Copilot for specific Microsoft Entra groups (for example, users in regions pending works council approval). All other users have access by default. 

[When this will happen:]

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by the end of April 2026 (previously late March 2026).

[How this affects your organization]

Who is affected

• All organizations using Viva Glint.
• Viva Glint service admins who previously managed Copilot toggles within Glint.
• Global/M365/Viva Glint Tenant Admins who manage feature access using VFAM.
• Users with Glint permissions (Reports + Comments access) who will see Copilot by default unless restricted in VFAM.

What’s changing

• The Copilot enable/disable settings currently found in Viva Glint admin pages (per survey program, per role, and Company Admin settings) will be removed.
• Copilot will default to ON for all customers at the Glint service layer.
• VFAM becomes the single, authoritative control for Copilot access in Viva Glint.

What stays the same

• VFAM access policies (tenant, group, user) continue to apply and default to ON. Learn more: Manage Viva Glint Copilot access in Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Users will only see Copilot if they have the required Glint permissions (Reports access and Comments access).

Impact

• Glint service admins: No more Copilot toggles to manage.
• Global/M365/Viva Glint Tenant Admins: Manage Copilot access exclusively in VFAM.
• Users: Copilot will appear by default, unless disabled in VFAM.

Licensing & Compliance Clarifications

• A license for Viva Glint, Microsoft Viva Suite, or Microsoft Viva Workplace Analytics and Employee Feedback is required to access Copilot in Viva Glint.
• A license for Microsoft 365 Copilot is not required to access Copilot in Viva Glint.

For compliance refer to:

• Data, privacy, and security compliance for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Glint

[What you can do to prepare:]

Resources for AI Governance Review and Setup 

AI Governance Fact Sheet: Comprehensive documentation addressing common questions from legal, privacy, security, and AI ethics committees, including data privacy protections, confidentiality thresholds, regulatory compliance (such as GDPR, EU AI Act), and responsible AI reviews. See Data, privacy, and security for Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Glint.

Setup Instructions for Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Step-by-step guidance for configuring the three common access scenarios, including how to create custom policies, scope policies to Microsoft Entra groups, use Dynamic Entra Groups, and understand policy precedence. See Manage Viva Glint Copilot access in Microsoft 365 admin center

Review your VFAM settings

• Go to admin.microsoft.com → Settings → Viva → Viva Glint → Manage settings for Microsoft Copilot in Viva Glint.
• Verify tenant‑level Copilot access.
• If you need to restrict Copilot for specific groups or users, configure custom VFAM policies.

Inform your Glint service admins

• They will no longer manage Copilot access inside the Glint admin portal.

Compliance considerations:

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.

Source: Microsoft

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