Microsoft is retiring the Create Agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio Applied Skill, known by its code APL-7008, on June 30, 2026. If you have been meaning to add this Copilot Studio Applied Skill to your transcript, you have until the end of June to earn it for free, and after that it is gone. Below is what the credential covered, what the retirement actually means for your transcript, and which Copilot Studio credentials you can still earn once it is gone.
Key takeaways
- APL-7008, the Create Agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio Applied Skill, retires on June 30, 2026.
- It is free, it is not proctored, and it runs as an interactive lab, so you can earn it in a single sitting.
- Applied Skills never expire. Once you pass, the credential stays on your Microsoft transcript permanently.
- After June 30, the Enhance Agents with Autonomous Capabilities Applied Skill and the AB-620 AI Agent Builder Associate certification are your remaining Copilot Studio options.
- This is one piece of a much larger shake-up. We are not even halfway through 2026, and Microsoft has already retired or replaced 14 certifications and 13 Applied Skills.
What the Copilot Studio Applied Skill (APL-7008) covered
APL-7008 validated your ability to build a custom agent from start to finish in Copilot Studio. It was a well-rounded credential that touched almost every core part of agent building, not just one narrow feature.
The assessment covered creating the initial agent, working with topics and trigger phrases, and configuring the different nodes in a conversation. It also covered managing variables and entities, setting up the generative AI side with knowledge sources and actions, and pulling data from Dataverse to make the agent more useful.
As someone who earned this Applied Skill myself, I can tell you it was a genuinely practical credential. It mapped closely to the work you actually do when you build an agent for a real business scenario.
If you want the full background on the credential, I covered it in detail when this Applied Skill first launched.
Why retiring this credential is a surprise
I will be honest: this retirement caught me off guard. Copilot Studio is exactly where Microsoft is pushing companies right now, so I expected an update to this credential rather than a full retirement.
There is a reason behind it, though. Copilot Studio is going through a massive change as a product. The interface is changing, topics have been deprioritized and tucked away in the new experience, and the platform now leans on skills and more AI capabilities. A refresh would have made sense to me. A complete retirement, with less than two weeks’ notice, still surprised me.
This is not happening in isolation either. The pace of credential changes has been relentless this year, which I broke down in my roundup of every Microsoft certification change in 2026.
What an Applied Skill retirement actually means
Here is where Applied Skills work differently from regular certifications, and it is the part most people miss. Applied Skills do not expire. If you pass one, it shows up as an active credential for two years after the retirement date, and then it moves to your historical credentials.
More importantly, it stays on your Microsoft transcript forever as a credential you have passed. Retirement does not erase it. It simply means no new learners can earn it after the cutoff date.
That is why earning APL-7008 before June 30 is worth doing, even though it is going away. You keep the credential permanently, and right now, you can still take it for free. If you want the bigger picture on how these two credential types differ, I wrote a full comparison of Applied Skills versus certifications.
The Copilot Studio credentials you can still earn
Losing APL-7008 does not leave you without options. Two Copilot Studio credentials are available today, and they cover different audiences.
The first is the Enhance Agents with Autonomous Capabilities Applied Skill. It goes deeper and more niche than APL-7008 did, focusing on the autonomous side of agents, but it is still firmly in the Copilot Studio world, and it is still free.
The second is the AB-620 AI Agent Builder Associate certification. This is a brand new exam aimed at developers and advanced builders creating production-ready agent solutions. I took it myself last month, and I will warn you that it is not an easy one, certainly harder than the title might suggest. I compared it to the maker-focused option in my breakdown of the AB-610 and AB-620 Copilot Studio certifications.
What this means for you
If earning a Copilot Studio credential has been on your list, the next few days matter. APL-7008 is free, unproctored, and you do not need to schedule it. You simply open the assessment on Microsoft Learn and complete the interactive lab, usually in a single sitting. After June 30, 2026, that option disappears.
So the practical move is simple. If you want APL-7008, earn it before the deadline and keep it on your transcript for good. If you miss the window or want to go further, the Enhance Agents with Autonomous Capabilities Applied Skill and the AB-620 certification are both still available.
Whatever you decide, do not assume you can come back to APL-7008 later. Once it retires, there is no way to earn it again.
Frequently asked questions
Is the APL-7008 Applied Skill really free?
Yes. Like all Microsoft Applied Skills, APL-7008 is free, it is not proctored, and there is nothing to schedule. You launch the interactive lab on Microsoft Learn and complete it whenever you are ready, up until June 30, 2026.
What happens to my credential after APL-7008 retires?
Nothing is taken away from you. Applied Skills do not expire, so the credential stays on your Microsoft transcript permanently. It shows as an active credential for two years after the retirement date, then moves to your historical credentials.
Can I still get Copilot Studio certified after June 30?
Yes. The Enhance Agents with Autonomous Capabilities Applied Skill and the AB-620 AI Agent Builder Associate certification are both available, and both focus on Copilot Studio. The AB-620 in particular is the path for developers building enterprise-grade agents.
Should I take the AB-620 if I already have APL-7008?
They are different credentials at different levels, and there is no automatic migration between them. APL-7008 proves foundational agent-building skills, while AB-620 targets advanced, production-ready agent development. If your work is heading toward enterprise agent solutions, AB-620 is the natural next step.
Ready to earn APL-7008 before it retires? You can take the Create Agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio Applied Skill for free on Microsoft Learn until June 30, 2026. Start the assessment on Microsoft Learn. If you want to sharpen your agent-building skills first, my Pluralsight courses walk through Copilot Studio step by step.
Prefer video? Watch the full walkthrough on my YouTube channel.
