What is Microsoft Copilot?
What if you had an AI assistant that could draft emails, summarize reports, and organize your data—in seconds? That’s exactly what Microsoft Copilot can do! As the name implies, Copilot works alongside you to simplify and automate common tasks.
It helps to know that Copilot is free in the Microsoft environment but requires a subscription to use these AI features within workflows inside Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. Essentially, Copilot acts as your productivity partner by helping you:
- Draft documents, emails, and reports.
- Summarize lengthy content or data.
- Create presentations quickly and easily.
- Generate meeting agendas and follow-up notes.
- Offer insights and analyze data in Excel.
- Automate repetitive tasks and workflows.
Copilot aims to save you time by streamlining manual tasks, providing helpful suggestions, and keeping you organized.
In this article, I share more about the different options in Microsoft Copilot, or watch my video below:
Using Microsoft Copilot for Free
You can experience AI without a subscription through free tools like the Microsoft Edge and Bing browsers. To launch Copilot, click the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner. Next, use the chat screen to add prompts to generate content, summarize articles, assist with research, or even create images. Another way to explore Copilot’s features is at copilot.microsoft.com or look for the Copilot icon in your Windows taskbar.
Working with Copilot Chat in Microsoft 365
You may have recently noticed a change to your Microsoft 365 login, which has been changed to Microsoft 365 Copilot. This also gives you access to Copilot Chat AI features without an additional fee.
Paid Copilot Features for Enhanced Productivity in Microsoft 365
While these free tools give you a taste of what AI can do, Microsoft Copilot’s full capabilities are only available as a paid add-on in Microsoft 365, which costs $30 (US) per user per month for most organizations. With the paid version, Copilot offers seamless integration within Microsoft 365 applications, provides more tailored responses, and includes specialized tools designed to enhance productivity for most business professionals.
It’s good to know that the Personal and Family subscriptions of Microsoft 365 include Copilot at no additional cost.
How to Launch the Premium Copilot
To get started with the paid version of Copilot, open any Microsoft 365 application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or Teams) and look for the Copilot icon in the Ribbon. Some newer PCs have a dedicated Copilot key that can also launch Copilot. Once Copilot is open, start with simple prompts like “Summarize this document” or “Create a meeting agenda.” However, as you’ll discover, more specific and detailed prompts will help you get better results.
Key Premium Features of Copilot in Microsoft 365 Applications
- Copilot in Word: Offers AI-powered assistance for drafting, rewriting, and formatting documents. It also helps simplify or rewrite sections to improve clarity and tone. You can use prompts like “Create a professional report based on these meeting notes” or “Summarize this document for an executive briefing.”
- Copilot in Excel: Analyzes data, suggests and fixes formulas, generates charts, and summarizes data trends. It’s useful for professionals who work with complex data sets or need to produce reports quickly. Sample prompts include, “Explain this complex formula” or “Insert a bar chart comparing Q3 and Q4 performance.”
- Copilot in PowerPoint: Creates presentations from outlines or documents, suggests slide designs, and helps build visually appealing decks. For example, you can say, “Turn this report into a 10-slide presentation” or “Enhance the design of this slide.”
- Copilot in Outlook: Drafts emails, summarizes email threads, and assists with meeting management. It even analyzes email content for follow-ups and generates responses. Try prompts like “Draft an email to follow up on the attached meeting notes” or “Summarize my next steps in an email response.”
- Copilot in Teams: Transcribes meetings, summarizes conversations, and generates follow-up tasks or agendas. It also highlights key points and action items during live meetings. You could ask, “Summarize the key takeaways from this Teams meeting.”
Final Thoughts and Free Resources
Integrating Copilot into your daily work routine can save time, reduce manual tasks, and make you more efficient. To learn more about creating effective Copilot prompts and using Copilot efficiently, download my free Copilot resources from this page or at TheSoftwarePro.com/Copilot.
© Dawn Bjork, MCT, MOSE, CSP®, The Software Pro®
Microsoft Certified Trainer, Productivity Speaker, Certified Speaking Professional
