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M365 Adoption 3 min read

Monitoring Microsoft 365 Copilot: detailed reports and aggregated dashboards

Learn how to monitor Microsoft 365 Copilot with per-user reports and aggregated dashboards to optimise adoption and governance.

Davide Bianchi

Cloud & Infrastructure Engineer

In this article12sections
  1. Introduction
  2. Why monitor Copilot?
  3. Prerequisites
  4. Solution overview
  5. Step-by-step procedure
  6. 1. Accessing the Copilot Usage Report
  7. 2. Viewing the Copilot Dashboard
  8. 3. Analysing the Viva Insights Analyst dashboards
  9. Pitfalls and good practices
  10. Benefits
  11. Useful links
  12. Conclusion

Introduction

Adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot is one of the most significant innovations of recent years, but without effective monitoring it risks becoming a “black box”. Organisations need to know who uses Copilot, in which apps and how often, in order to ensure governance, security and business value.

Microsoft offers two main approaches:

  • Detailed, per-user reports: through the Microsoft 365 Copilot Usage Report, which shows which users have used Copilot, in which apps and to what extent.
  • Aggregated data: through the Copilot Dashboard and the Viva Insights Analyst dashboards, which provide a view of overall adoption and trends.

Why monitor Copilot?

Monitoring Copilot is not just a technical matter, it is a strategic one:

  • Governance and compliance: check that usage complies with internal policies and the GDPR.
  • Measuring ROI: understand whether the investment in Copilot delivers real productivity.
  • Licence optimisation: identify inactive users and reallocate resources.
  • Supporting Change Management: identify teams that need training or support.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • Active Microsoft 365 Copilot licences in the tenant.
  • The Global Admin or Reports Reader role to access the reports.
  • The Copilot Dashboard enabled in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (Viva Insights Admin Settings).
  • Access to Viva Insights Analysis for the adoption dashboards (the Insights Administrator or Insights Analyst role is required).

Solution overview

Monitoring relies on two complementary tools:

  1. Copilot Usage Report
    Provides per-user data broken down by user and app. Ideal for targeted analysis and compliance checks.

  2. Copilot Dashboard and Viva Insights
    Provide aggregated data and adoption trends. Perfect for presentations to management and for defining KPIs.

Step-by-step procedure

1. Accessing the Copilot Usage Report

  1. Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Reports > Usage > Microsoft 365 Copilot.
  2. You can filter by:
    • User (name, UPN)
    • App (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, etc.)
    • Period (days, weeks)
  3. Export the report to CSV for advanced analysis in Excel or Power BI.

Note: This report is per-user, so it is subject to company privacy policies. Make sure you inform users and comply with GDPR regulations.

CopilotUsageReport

2. Viewing the Copilot Dashboard

The Copilot Dashboard is available in Viva Insights Personal (if enabled) and shows:

  • Total number of prompts sent.
  • Breakdown by app.
  • Usage trends over time.

Warning: It does not show per-user data, only aggregated data. It is useful for understanding overall adoption.

CopilotDashboard

3. Analysing the Viva Insights Analyst dashboards

If you have Insight Analyst or Insight Administrator permissions, you can access the Viva Insights Analysis portal and dedicated reports such as:

  • Copilot Adoption: percentage of active users.
  • Copilot Engagement: usage frequency and correlations with productivity.

Beyond manual review, Viva Insights Analyst reporting offers advanced options that make it ideal for ongoing, customised analysis:

Automatic scheduling: reports can be scheduled to run daily, weekly or monthly, reducing manual work. Export and integration with Power BI: data can be exported and republished in Power BI to build interactive dashboards and advanced analyses. Filters and segmentation: reports can be filtered by role, department, geographic area or user group. Custom report creation: Insights Analyst lets you combine metrics and KPIs to build tailored reports aligned with business objectives.

Tip: use these features to automate monitoring and present management with always up-to-date dashboards, with no manual intervention.

Pitfalls and good practices

  • Dashboard enablement: it is not automatic and requires proper configuration in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  • Interpreting the data: do not stop at the numbers; correlate them with business objectives and qualitative feedback.
  • Training: if adoption is low, plan targeted training and awareness campaigns.

Benefits

  • Complete visibility: from the individual user to the company-wide overview.
  • Informed decisions: support for adoption and governance strategies.
  • Cost optimisation: identify unused licences.
  • Proactive governance: prevent compliance risks and misuse.

Conclusion

Monitoring Microsoft 365 Copilot is a cornerstone of modern governance. By combining detailed reports and aggregated dashboards, organisations can measure adoption, ensure compliance and maximise the value of their investment.

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