Use Copilot in OneNote with a screen reader

Access Copilot in OneNote

To access Copilot in OneNote, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows logo key and type "OneNote." 

2. Press Enter. The screen reader will announce the name of the first page in the OneNote window.

3. Use the Ctrl+Page down or Ctrl+Page up keys to move to the page where you want to use Copilot.

4. Press Alt+H+F+X to open the Copilot pane.

   Note: When you open Copilot for the first time, select the Get Started button to get instructions on how to use Copilot.

5. Press the Tab key until you hear “Prompt area group, tell me what you want to do.”

6. Type your queries or requests in the Compose box to begin an interaction with Copilot.

   1. To explore the prompt guide, press the Tab key until the screen reader reads, "Open prompt guide button collapsed, view prompt” and then, press Enter.

   2. A contextual menu will appear, showing the various categories of prompts: create, understand, edit, and ask. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the categories.

   3. Choose a category that you're interested in, then press Enter. For example, if you choose the Edit category, it will display prompts like "Suggest 3 ways I could write this to be [more engaging]" or "Rewrite [as a list]."

   4. Select a prompt and the first consistent part of the prompt will appear in the Compose box. Complete the prompt by typing the details of what information you want.

7. Press Enter and Copilot will generate a response to your prompt.

8. Select Copy to copy the Copilot’s response and Ctrl+V to paste it into OneNote or any desired app.

Understand your notes

Copilot can help you understand text notes that are already included in a section or page. It can rewrite your notes, list advantages and disadvantages, summarize, and make a to-do list.

Create to-do list

You can create to-do lists from your OneNote selections, pages, and sections. Follow these steps to create to-do lists using Copilot:

1. Press Alt+H+F+X to open the Copilot pane.

2. Type ‘Draft a to-do list’ in the Copilot compose box and give details about what the to-do list should be about. For example, “Draft a to-do list for my upcoming quarterly sprint.”

   1. To find a prompt from the prompt guide, press the Tabkey until you hear "Open prompt guide button collapsed, View prompt” and then press Enter.

   2. A contextual menu will appear, showing the various categories of prompts. Use the Up/ Down arrow keys to navigate through the categories.

   3. Press Enter when you hear “Understand, submenu, menu item 2 of 4”. Example prompts will appear.

   4. Navigate using the Up and Down arrow keys and press Enter when you hear, “Draft a to-do list from [my Fabrikam client meetings].”

   5. The prompt will appear in the compose box in the Copilot chat pane. Type the details of what you want Copilot to extract a to-do list for.

3. Press Enter and Copilot will generate a to-do list in the Copilot pane.

4. Select Copy to copy Copilot’s response. Open your desired application, like OneNote, and press Ctrl+V to paste the to-do list.

For more information on how to draft a to-do list in OneNote with Copilot, go to Create a to-do list and tasks in OneNote with Copilot.

List pros and cons

Copilot in OneNote can help you keep track of all the information coming to you. It provides intelligent insights that bring clarity and guidance to your notes. These insights can cover topics like “What’s missing from the project plan on this page,” “Give me the pros and cons of my idea,” and “How can I improve this development plan?”

Below is an example scenario to explain how to get insights into the pros and cons of using Copilot:

1. Press Alt+H+F+X to open the Copilot pane.

2. In the Copilot compose box, type a request like ‘List pros and cons’ and type the details about the insights you want. For example, you can ask, “List the pros and cons of the Q4 sales strategy.”

   1. To find the prompt in the prompt guide, press the Tab key until you hear "Open prompt guide button collapsed, View prompt” and then press Enter.

   2. A contextual menu will appear, showing the various categories of prompts. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to navigate through the categories.

   3. Press Enter when you hear “Understand, submenu, menu item 2 of 4”. The list of prompts under this category will appear.

   4. Navigate using the Up and Down arrow keys and press Enter on the prompt as you hear, “List the pros and cons of [the Q4 sales strategy in a table].” It will appear in your Compose box in the Copilot chat pane.

   5. Type the details of what you want Copilot to provide pros and cons for.

3. Press Enter and Copilot will provide insights into the Copilot pane.

4. Select Copy to copy Copilot’s response and Ctrl+V to paste it into OneNote.

Create new notes

Copilot in OneNote can provide you with ideas and help you plan your projects.

Drafting a plan

Copilot can help with creating a plan for your projects, campaigns, or personal goals. Follow these steps to let Copilot create a plan for you:

1. Open the Copilot chat pane by pressing Alt+H+F+X.

2. In the Copilot compose box, type ‘Draft a plan’ and provide details about what kind of plan you need. For example, “Draft a plan for an interview as the interviewer.”

   1. To find a prompt in the prompt guide, select the View Prompt  button in the Copilot chat pane to open the Copilot prompt menu.

   2. Press Enter on the "Draft a plan" prompt and it will appear in your compose box. Finish typing in the rest of your prompt to specify the section, selected text, topic, and feature to extract the plan.

3. Press Enter and Copilot will provide a plan in the Copilot chat pane.

4. Select Copy to copy Copilot’s response and press Ctrl + V to paste it into OneNote.

For more ideas on how to draft a plan in Copilot in OneNote, see Allow Copilot to create project plans in OneNote for you.