Copilot for Microsoft 365 combines the power of artificial intelligence (AI) with your work data and apps to help you unleash creativity, unlock productivity, and uplevel skills in a chat experience.
Like many AI apps, Copilot can find information on the web and write poems, but Copilot chat can also incorporate your work content, such as chats, emails, and files.
Ready to try it out? Let's get started!
Open Copilot
You can access the chat experience in Copilot in several ways, including:
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Use it in desktop and mobile versions of Microsoft Teams. See Use Microsoft Copilot in Teams.
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Launch the experience at Copilot.microsoft.com and select Work.
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Access it at Microsoft365.com. See Use Microsoft Copilot at Microsoft365.com.
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Use the mobile Copilot app. See Boost Your Business Productivity with Microsoft Copilot for Mobile.
What can I do with Copilot
Here are a few things you can do with the chat experience in Copilot:
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Catch up on things. Copilot can synthesize and summarize large amounts of data into simple, easy-to-digest summaries. See Catch up on things quickly with Copilot for Microsoft 365.
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Create content and brainstorm. Copilot can help you brainstorm ideas and draft new content based on anything from a storyboard or a script to an agenda or an executive summary. See Create content using Copilot for Microsoft 365.
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Get quick answers. Copilot lets you become your own personal search engine. Ask questions about specific files and messages, or find information you know is out there, but you can't remember where it's stored. See Ask questions and get answers using Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Prompt and iterate
A well-crafted prompt leads to better results.
The keys to maximizing value with Copilot are:
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Write great prompts: Your instructions to Copilot matter. Be clear, concise, and specific about what you want.
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Embrace iteration: Don’t settle for the first result. Iterate, refine, and experiment to get the best results.
A prompt is your guide to Copilot. It includes:
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Goals: What you want to achieve. I want a list of 3-5 bullet points to prepare me...
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Context: Relevant information....for an update to my manager.
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Details: Specific instructions.Respond with headers for each point and enough detail to provide context...
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Data: Any input data you provide....and focus on Word docs and email over the last five days.
Tip: When you’re giving Copilot instructions, you can direct it to specific work content by using the forward slash key (“/”), then typing the name of a file, person, or meeting. If you write a prompt and don’t reference a specific file, person, or meeting, Copilot will determine the best source of data for its response, including all your work content.
The power of Copilot is often not unearthed with one perfect prompt, but rather, with a little back-and-forth conversation. Did it get close the first time, but focus on the wrong time period? Did it give you a big block of text when you wanted a numbered list? Copilot is a conversational experience, so just follow up with another prompt, and Copilot builds on its initial response to get closer to what you’re looking for.
The chat capability in Copilot for Microsoft 365 works across multiple apps and content, giving you the power of AI together with your secure work data. Its ability to synthesize information and create things from multiple sources at once empowers you to tackle broader goals and objectives.
On the other hand, Copilot in Microsoft 365 Apps (such as Word or PowerPoint) is specifically orchestrated to help you within that app. For example, Copilot in Word is designed to help you better draft, edit, and consume content. In PowerPoint, it’s there to help you create better presentations.
Help shape the future of AI
AI is exciting new technology, but it’s still early in development and we’re continuing to learn. Sometimes Copilot gets things wrong, so it’s important to check the content that it generates.
Give us your feedback! Please use the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons to tell us what you like (or don't like), anything that Copilot gets wrong, or what we can do to improve your experience.
See also
Unleash your productivity with AI and Microsoft Copilot
