Create a Power Platform environment

Power Platform Admin Center

Before you start the lab exercises, you must create a development environment to work in.

  1. Open a web browser, navigate to https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/manage/environments, and sign in using your credentials for this exercise.

  2. If prompted, choose the option to stay signed in.

  3. Close any pop-up messages that are displayed.

Add Dataverse to the default environment

  1. Select the ellipses (…) for the Contoso (default) environment and select Add Dataverse.

    Add Dataverse to the default environment in the Power Platform Admin center.

  2. Leave all of the default settings and select Add.

Create a new environment

  1. In the Environments page, select + New to create a new environment with the following settings:

    • Type: Developer
    • Macro Region Geography: North America
    • Name: Your name

    Create an environment in the Power Platform Admin center.

  2. Expand Change default settings and configure the following:
    • Environment group: None
    • Make this a Managed Environment: No
    • Get new features early: No
    • Create on behalf: No
    • Add a Dataverse data store?: Yes

  3. Select Next and in the Add Dataverse section:

    • Language: English (United States)
    • Currency: USD ($)
    • Deploy sample apps and data: No

  4. Select Save and wait until the state of your environment is Ready (you can use the Refresh button to update the display).

    [!NOTE] Environment provisioning can take several minutes depending on tenant configuration.

    Environment created in the Power Platform Admin center.

  5. In a new browser tab, navigate to https://copilotstudio.microsoft.com/ and sign in if prompted.

  6. If Copilot Studio opens in the new experience, locate the New experience toggle in the upper-right corner of the page and turn it off to return to the classic experience. On the Submit feedback to Microsoft dialog, select Submit > Done to close it. If Copilot Studio opens in the classic experience, skip this step.

    [!NOTE]
    If you experience issues loading Copilot Studio on your environment:

    • First, capture your environment ID (GUID) from the Power Platform admin center:
      1. Open the environment you created at https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/manage/environments.
      2. Locate the environment ID in the URL (a long string such as 12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef).
      3. Copy and save this value.
    • Then try accessing your environment directly by pasting your ID into the following URL: 
      https://copilotstudio.microsoft.com/environments/<your-environment-id>/home

  7. If prompted, select Get Started and keep the default country or region settings.

  8. Skip any welcome messages that appear.

  9. In the upper right corner of the page, switch environments by using the Environment Selector and select the environment you created.

    Select your environment in the Copilot Studio.

You now have a Power Platform environment to work in.