We explain how AI credits for Microsoft 365 work.

The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in Microsoft's most widely used applications has marked a turning point in digital productivity. But, What are the popular AI credits for Microsoft 365 and how do they affect subscriptions?

Microsoft 365 It's an ambitious push to leverage intelligent capabilities in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Paint, Photos, and other tools, integrating features that, until recently, seemed like science fiction. If you're a regular Microsoft 365 user (or want to become one), this article will be of interest to you.

What are AI credits for Microsoft 365?

AI credits for Microsoft 365 are the «digital currency» that Microsoft has created to measure and manage the use of artificial intelligence features within its applications and services.

Everytime that The user requests a smart task from Copilot—for example, summarizing emails in Outlook, generating a table in Word, editing an image in Designer, or requesting a schedule in OneNote—an AI credit is consumedThis mechanism is applied automatically in the background; the user only notices the deduction when they check their credit balance in their Microsoft account.

In other words, AI credits work like a locker that opens the door to the most innovative features of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Paint, Photos, Notepad and other applications.This change is significant both in personal and professional settings and affects millions of platform users.

How many AI credits do you have according to your subscription?

The amount of AI credits available each month varies depending on the type of subscription and the application you use. The most common plans—Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family—include a limited number of credits, while premium options expand or remove restrictions.

• Microsoft 365 Personal & Family: Subscribers receive 60 AI credits each monthThese credits can be used in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Designer, Paint, Photos, and Notepad.
• Free Designer App (no subscription): Designer users without subscription get 15 monthly credits.
• Copilot Pro: When you subscribe to Copilot Pro, the credit limit disappears. You can enjoy unlimited use of AI features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Designer, Paint, Photos and Notepad.

Microsoft maintains that the 60 monthly credits more than cover the needs of the average user who uses Copilot and Designer's intelligent features occasionally for management, studying, or household tasks. However, Intensive use can quickly deplete creditss, leaving only the option of waiting until the next month or upgrading to Copilot Pro to remove the limits.

How are AI credits used? Actions and applications where they are deducted

Each specific action in Microsoft 365 apps that requires AI will consume a credit from your balance. The system is automatic and activates in the background when you request an intelligent feature provided by Copilot or Designer.

The main tasks that discount credits in the most popular applications are:

• Word: Auto-compose, tone suggestions, sentence rewriting, smart table creation, draft generation, or auto-replies.
• Excel: Advanced templates, data analysis, automatic calendars, complex formulas, smart charts and pivot tables.
• Power point: Presentation design, slide creation, image creation, summaries, and tone adjustment.
• Outlook: Automatic summaries, suggested answers, and personalized drafts based on context.
• OneNote: Organization of notes, lists, study or travel plans, itineraries, and reminders.
• Designer: Advanced image editing, object removal, graphic generation, visual compositions and creative content.
• Paint, Photos and Notepad: Smart editing, visual content and note organization.

Credit consumption is simple: Every time you make a request within the apps, a credit is subtracted from your monthly balance.You can check your balance on your account.microsoft.com profile under "Manage Microsoft 365" or "AI Credit Balance."

One of the main features of Microsoft's AI credit system is that They are automatically reset on the first day of each month, for both free and paid plans. No matter when you subscribed or your billing cycle, your balance resets to zero and the credits corresponding to your plan are added.

The system is not cumulative. If you don't spend your 60 credits, you lose them and can only use the new ones in the next cycle.Microsoft seeks to promote regular usage and prevent unused credits from accumulating to better manage resources.

Credit distribution for Family and Personal subscriptions: How many can each member use?

A common question is whether credits can be shared among members of a family subscription. Microsoft's official response is that AI credits are only available to the primary holderEven if you share a subscription with family members, only you can access the AI ​​features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Designer.

If a member wants to have their own credits, they have these options:

• Purchase Microsoft 365 Personal: cancel the family membership and sign up for your independent plan, obtaining 60 monthly credits of your own.
• Upgrade to Copilot Pro: maintain the family subscription but purchase an individual plan that enables unlimited use without credits.

Microsoft aims to simplify management and prevent abuse, but this can be restrictive if multiple users want to experiment with Copilot or Designer intensively.

It is not possible to disable credit consumption for AI features if you want to continue using them in Microsoft 365.To prevent credits from being spent, simply disable Copilot in the app settings. This way, the AI ​​features won't appear and won't consume credit.

What happens if you use up all your credits before the end of the month?

When you run out of credits, You won't be able to use smart features in any apps until they are recharged the following monthThis includes summaries, image generation, note organization, and Copilot and Designer tools.

The solutions are:

• Wait for the automatic recharge of the monthly cycle to obtain new credits.
• Upgrade your plan to Copilot Pro, which allows unlimited use with no credit limit. The subscription costs around 22 euros per month in Spain, although this may vary.

Additional credits cannot be purchased or transferred; you can simply wait or upgrade to Copilot Pro to continue using AI without interruption.

You can check your balance of AI credits for Microsoft 365 in account.microsoft.com By signing in and accessing "Manage Microsoft 365." There, in the "AI Credit Balance" section, you'll see the updated status and usage details.

Credit Management in AI Builder and the Business Ecosystem

In business environments, AI Builder and the Power Platform use their own credit system (different from the AI ​​credits for Microsoft 365) to create, train, and deploy intelligent models at scale. Here's how mapping works in AI Builder:

• AI Builder Credits: They are purchased with licenses or as additional capacity, allowing them to be assigned to departments or environments.
• Supervision and control: From the Administration Center, their use is monitored and reassigned on demand.
• Consumption of shares: Training models, analyzing data, generating texts or classifying documents consumes credits at different rates.
• Plans for overspending: If they are exhausted, the features are blocked until capacity is increased or the monthly cycle passes. Temporary extensions can be requested.

AI Builder requires specific licenses and is considered a premium feature, with credits that do not accumulate monthly.

How does the new AI credit system for Microsoft 365 affect pricing?

The introduction of AI credits for Microsoft 365 has meant a 3 euro monthly increase in most plans in Spain and other markets. This reflects the added value of AI capabilities and the evolution of the platform.

The most affordable alternatives are traditional versions of Microsoft 365 without access to AI credits, such as the Basic Plan or the Classic versions.

Status of Copilot features on web, desktop, and mobile versions

Copilot's AI features are available in most versions of Office: desktop, web, and mobile. Cloud processing allows for hardware-independent use, although some versions (such as Excel in Spanish) are still in the preliminary stages.

Designer also works within Word, PowerPoint, and across standalone platforms, expanding your creative and visual possibilities.

In short, AI credits for Microsoft 365 have been consolidated as the access key to Microsoft's new smart toolsKnowing how they work, managing them properly, and making the most of each one can transform productivity and creativity in your digital life.