Agenticum · Thoughts · 6 min read

How to use Copilot in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: sign in, first prompt and prices in AED and SAR

Microsoft lists Copilot in more than 170 markets, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are not among the exceptions it names. Copilot supports Arabic for prompts and responses. This guide covers how to install it and sign in with the right account. It also shows how to write a first prompt and compares prices in AED and SAR.

Nikolay Zuykov · Agenticum · 4 November 2026

How to use Copilot: the short answer

Open the Microsoft Copilot app on Windows, Mac, iOS or Android, or open Copilot in a web browser. Sign in with a personal account or with your work or school account. Start a new chat. Write a prompt that states your goal and gives Copilot the context, details and data it needs. Read the answer, then follow up to correct or narrow it. Personal use works with or without a paid Microsoft 365 plan. To use Copilot on work files, email and meetings, your company needs an eligible Microsoft 365 plan.

Which Copilot do you mean?

Choose the option below that matches your intended use: personal, work or coding.

Microsoft Copilot app (personal). For individuals who sign in with a personal Microsoft account, Apple ID or Google account. It works with or without a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription.
Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot (work). For staff who sign in with a work or school account (Microsoft Entra ID). Copilot Chat comes at no additional cost with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid licence on top of that.
GitHub Copilot. A separate product for writing code, with its own free plan.

If a guide mentions the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, that app is now called the Microsoft Copilot app. To see which account you are using, look for the Work or Personal label next to your profile in the navigation pane.

Steps 1 to 3: install, open and sign in

Install the app for your device.
- Windows: download the desktop app from the Microsoft Store.
- Mac: download the desktop app from Microsoft's download page.
- iOS: install the Copilot app from the Apple App Store. It needs iOS 16.0 or later.
- Android: install the Microsoft Copilot app for Android.
- Web: you do not need to install anything. Microsoft's support page gives two addresses: www.copilot.com in its install section and copilot.cloud.microsoft in its overview. For work, open Copilot in a browser and sign in with your work or school account.
Open the app and choose the right account. The table below shows which accounts work where.
Sign in. Microsoft says signing in gives you your chat history, more image creation, longer conversations and extended voice sessions, plus other features.

Where you use Copilot	Personal use	Work use
Web, mobile and macOS	Microsoft account, Apple ID or Google account	Work or school account (Microsoft Entra ID)
Windows app	Microsoft account only	Work or school account (Microsoft Entra ID)

Steps 4 to 6: your first chat and a prompt that works

Start a new chat. Microsoft calls this a good place to begin.
Write a prompt with four parts. Microsoft's guidance splits a good prompt into goal, context, details and data. We wrote the example below for a typical office task in the Gulf. It is an example, not a real case.

Part	What to give Copilot	Example
Goal	What you want it to produce	Draft an email to the Dubai sales team about the new expense claim deadline.
Context	Why you need it and who it is for	Claims used to be monthly. Finance now wants them every Thursday.
Details	Length, tone, format and language	Under 150 words, friendly tone, subject line in English and Arabic.
Data	Which sources to use	/Expense policy 2026 and /Finance weekly meeting

At work, type a forward slash (/) and then the name of a file, person or meeting. This points Copilot to the source you mean.

Example prompt to copy and adapt:

Draft an email to the Dubai sales team announcing that expense claims are now due every Thursday instead of monthly. Keep it under 150 words and friendly, with a subject line in English and Arabic. Use /Expense policy 2026 and the notes from /Finance weekly meeting.

Follow up, then review. If the first answer is not quite right, ask Copilot to narrow the time period or change the format. Microsoft says Copilot sometimes gets things wrong. Check the figures and dates before you send anything.

Using Copilot at work: Copilot Chat, Work IQ and the Office apps

If your organisation has an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, all users with a Microsoft Entra account can use Copilot Chat at no additional cost. The full Microsoft 365 Copilot licence is a paid add-on, and it needs a separate qualifying Microsoft 365 licence. Copilot also works inside the apps you already use. These include the Microsoft 365 app on web, desktop and mobile, plus Microsoft Teams and Outlook.

The Work IQ switch controls what Copilot reads:

Work IQ on (the default): Copilot uses your organisation's data, such as files, email and Teams meetings, plus information from the web.
Work IQ off: Copilot answers only from the web and the AI model's training data. It does not use any of your Microsoft 365 data.

Copilot only uses work content that you are already authorised to access. It does not get around your file permissions.

Microsoft expects local processing of Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions, called data inferencing, to become available in the UAE by the end of 2026. This comes from an April 2026 update to a November 2025 Microsoft post. That update names the UAE. Saudi organisations should ask Microsoft or their Microsoft partner where their Copilot interactions are processed.

Arabic and availability in the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Microsoft Copilot is available in more than 170 markets. Microsoft names exceptions for regions like China (excluding Hong Kong SAR) and embargoed markets, where Copilot is either not available or not supported. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are not among the regions it names. Microsoft also notes that features and app availability may vary by region.

Arabic is supported for prompts and responses on work or school accounts and on personal Microsoft accounts. On a personal account you can also talk to Copilot in Arabic by voice.

Copilot may show an unsupported-language message even when its interface is in your language. Microsoft says this can happen, so a translated interface does not mean the language is supported for prompts. Check Microsoft's supported-language list for your account type.

What Copilot costs in AED and SAR

How we show prices: the Microsoft UAE store lists consumer plans in USD, and we convert them to AED at the fixed peg of USD 1 = AED 3.6725. The Microsoft Saudi store lists consumer plans in SAR, and we show those prices as listed. Business and enterprise figures are Microsoft's US list prices in USD, converted at USD 1 = AED 3.6725 and USD 1 = SAR 3.75. These are fixed pegged rates, not live market rates, rounded to two decimals.

Plan	Who it is for	USD	UAE (AED)	Saudi Arabia (SAR)
Microsoft Copilot app, no subscription	Individuals	No subscription needed	No subscription needed	No subscription needed
Microsoft 365 Personal	Consumer plan	9.99/month or 99.99/year (UAE store)	36.69/month or 367.21/year	42.99/month or 429.99/year (Saudi store)
Microsoft 365 Family	Consumer plan	13.99/month or 139.99/year (UAE store)	51.38/month or 514.11/year	55.99/month or 559.99/year (Saudi store)
Microsoft 365 Premium	Consumer plan	20.99/month or 209.99/year (UAE store)	77.09/month or 771.19/year	85.99/month or 859.99/year (Saudi store)
Copilot Chat	Entra users with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription	No additional cost	No additional cost	No additional cost
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business (add-on)	Up to 300 users on Business Basic, Standard or Premium	18.00 user/month paid yearly (was 21.00)	66.11 (was 77.12)	67.50 (was 78.75)
Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot	Businesses that want the apps with Copilot built in	23.50 user/month paid yearly	86.30	88.13
Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot	Businesses that also want the security features	32.00 user/month paid yearly	117.52	120.00
Microsoft 365 Copilot (enterprise add-on)	Organisations over 300 users with a qualifying Microsoft 365 licence	30.00 user/month paid yearly, or 31.50 paid monthly on an annual commitment	110.18 or 115.68	112.50 or 118.13
GitHub Copilot Free / Pro	Developers	Free / 10 per month	Free / 36.73	Free / 37.50

The Copilot Business price of USD 18.00 is a discount on USD 21.00. The offer runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026. It needs an annual commitment, and the discounted price applies to the first year only.
Business plans come with a one-month free trial that converts to a paid subscription automatically when it ends.
Some AI features are billed by usage and can add charges beyond your licence fees.
On consumer plans, AI features are available only to the subscription owner and cannot be shared, including on Family. Usage limits apply.

Which option should you start with?

Individual: install the Microsoft Copilot app and sign in with a personal account. You do not need a subscription to start. If you later want a Microsoft 365 plan, compare the prices for your country in the table above.
Family: on Microsoft 365 Family, AI features are available only to the subscription owner and cannot be shared. Usage limits apply.
Small business under 300 users: first check whether your current Microsoft 365 plan already gives staff Copilot Chat at no extra cost. If you are considering the paid Copilot Business add-on, eligible base plans include Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium. Its discounted first-year price is offered until 31 December 2026. If you take the one-month trial, write down when it ends.
Enterprise over 300 users: Microsoft points organisations of this size to its enterprise licensing. Start with Copilot Chat for all eligible users. Then add Microsoft 365 Copilot at USD 30.00 per user per month, paid yearly, for the roles that need it.
Developer: GitHub Copilot is the Copilot for code. Start on the free plan and move to Pro at USD 10 a month when you need it.

FAQ

Is Copilot free in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?

For personal use, the Microsoft Copilot app works without a Microsoft 365 subscription. At work, Copilot Chat costs nothing extra if your organisation has an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Copilot Business add-on are paid.

Can I write to Copilot in Arabic?

Yes. Arabic is supported for prompts and responses on work and personal accounts. Voice conversations in Arabic work on personal accounts.

Can I sign in to the Windows app with a Google account?

No. For personal use, the Windows app requires a Microsoft account. You can use an Apple ID or Google account on the web, on mobile and on macOS.

Will Copilot show me colleagues' files I cannot open?

No. Copilot only uses work content you are already authorised to access.