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Welcome to this training guide for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, a powerful tool that helps you create, edit, and optimize your documents, presentations, and spreadsheets. Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 uses artificial intelligence to understand your content, suggest relevant material, and offer contextualized feedback. Whether you need to write a report, design a slide, or analyze data, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 can assist you. You can also collaborate with others in real time, seamlessly share your work, and access your Microsoft files from any device. Below, we'll review how to use Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 to enhance your productivity and creativity. Let's get started!

Microsoft has a series of products and services that use the "Copilot" name, including Copilot in Windows, Microsoft Security Copilot, Copilot for Service, Copilot for Sales, and more. The exact name of the service we're looking at today is "Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365" - Copilot AI tools that integrate with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive). Throughout the guide, any time we reference "Microsoft Copilot", or "Copilot", know that we're talking about "Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365".

Accessing Microsoft Copilot for M365

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available as an add-in for your Microsoft Office desktop applications and as an application in the Microsoft Office Portal.  The Microsoft Copilot web application can be used as a centralized location to browse information across your company's Microsoft Tenant and chat with Microsoft Copilot.

There are two easy ways to access this feature:

• Microsoft Teams
  A Microsoft Copilot icon will appear in your Microsoft Teams application.
  
  
  
• Web Browser
  From your preferred web browser, navigate to https://www.microsoft365.com
  On the left sidebar, you'll see an icon for Microsoft Copilot.
  

The Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 application will present you with a text box at the bottom of the screen along with helpful tips on different types of prompts you can use.  Please note that you can specifically call on Files, People, Emails, or Meetings by beginning the prompt with a forward slash “/” and typing out the name of what you want to reference.

 

Microsoft Copilot for M365 in web applications

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be available in your Microsoft Office web apps immediately after the relevant license has been added to your account. Once applied, here's how to open Copilot:

• Navigate to https://www.microsoft365.com/
• Open the web app you want to use (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, or Excel).
  
  
  • Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
    The Copilot icon will appear on the right side of the top ribbon:
    
    
    
  • Outlook
    The Copilot icon will appear in the ribbon when editing an outgoing message:
    
    Copilot will also appear at the top of the reading pane in Outlook as Summary by Copilot:
    

Microsoft Copilot for M365 on desktop applications

Enable Copilot for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

While Copilot for web apps is available immediately after licensing, Microsoft Copilot for your Windows computer's installed apps can take 24+ hours to appear. If needed, you can force-update your license on the installed version of Office 365 to add Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365:

• Open Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
• Select File
• Select Account
• Click the Update License button:
  
  
  
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• You will be prompted to Sign into Office 365. Authenticate with your Microsoft credentials.
  
  
• Upon successfully authenticating, you'll see a confirmation screen. Click the Close button:
  
• Relaunch any open Microsoft apps to confirm Copilot is now available.

Enable Copilot for Outlook

To take advantage of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Outlook, you need to use the "New Outlook" view. This change will appear and operate similarly to the web version of Outlook.  If you've yet to experience the new Outlook, take a moment to familiarize yourself with some key features and changes.

To upgrade your copy of Outlook to the new version follow these steps:

• Open Outlook on your computer
• Look for the Try the new Outlook toggle in the top-right corner:
  
  
  
• Click the toggle to the "On" position. Outlook will then download and install the new version:
• When the download is complete, click Switch to move to the new version of Outlook
  
  
• Select Continue on the Privacy Prompt
• Outlook will relaunch into the new interface

You can switch back to the previous Outlook interface if you have to.  Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 will no longer be accessible if you choose to revert:

• Open Outlook on your computer
  
• Toggle the New Outlook slider to “off” on the top-right of your window
  
• Provide feedback to Microsoft on why you're switching back and Click Ok
  
• Outlook will relaunch into the old interface

Application-specific tips

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Copilot for M365 for Microsoft Word can help you in different ways when creating a new document or editing an existing one.

Starting a new document

• When opening a new document you will be presented with a Copilot Prompt icon:
  
  
  
• Clicking this icon will bring up the Draft with Copilot field to help you get started:
  
  Remember to provide as much detail as possible when writing your prompt to get the best results. You can also reference specific files for more curated output.
  
  

Editing an existing document

• Click the Copilot icon in the ribbon to open the Copilot sidebar on the right side of the screen.  
  
  
  
• Use the text field to direct Copilot, including creating a new document, reviewing your currently open document, and more.
  
  
  
  

Microsoft Excel

To use Microsoft Copilot for Excel, your Excel file must be saved and accessible in a Microsoft 365 data repository (OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams), and your data must be formatted as a table.

File Location

If your Excel document is not in a Microsoft 365 data repository location your Copilot icon will appear in gray:

Once you save your document into a Microsoft 365 location the Copilot Icon will be in color:

Table format

When launching Copilot for Excel, if your data is not in a table, you will see this message in the Copilot window on the right side of the screen:

Once your data is in a formatted table, Copilot will be ready for use. Some available actions include showing data insights, modifying or sorting data, and producing charts:

 

Microsoft Outlook

Copilot can assist you by summarizing email threads, composing a first draft of an email for you to personalize, or providing feedback on your outgoing messages before you send them.

Summary by Copilot

When viewing emails, the Summary by Copilot button can summarize the entire email thread, often called a "conversation". This feature is valuable if you have been added to a conversation already in progress:

• At the top of the reading pane, click the button for Summary by Copilot
  Copilot will generate a summary of the converseation for your review.
  
  

Draft with Copilot

When using Draft with Copilot, you'll be presented with a Copilot prompt to describe what you want your email to be about.

• At the top of the Ribbon, click the Copilot Icon and select Draft with Copilot:
  
  
  You can alternatively click Draft with Copilot in the body of the email:
  
  
  
• Type out a prompt for what you'd like your email to convey, then click Generate and a draft email will be created for you to personalize.
  

Coaching by Copilot

Use Coaching by Copilot to review your email for clarity, tone, and reader sentiment. It can also propose changes based on the desired effect of your message.

• After creating an email, click the Copilot icon and then Coaching by Copilot: 
  
  
• Copilot will analyze your email and provide you with constructive feedback:
  

 

Microsoft PowerPoint

Copilot for PowerPoint can help you quickly create a draft presentation based on an existing document or generate content to add to an existing presentation.

Create presentation from file

Creating a presentation with Copilot from an existing Word document is a great way to get a head start on your slide deck. This process will assess the supplied document, import its content, and arrange it into a suggested structure, creating slides, visuals, and key talking points.

• Open PowerPoint on your device
• On the right side of your PowerPoint ribbon click the Copilot icon:
  

• Click Create presentation from file:
  
  
  
• You'll be asked to provide a link to the target document:
  

• Open Microsoft Word, then open the Word document acting as your source. Remember that the file must be in Microsoft-accessible storage (OneDrive, SharePoint, etc). Click the Share button, then Copy Link:

           

• Back in PowerPoint, paste the link into the Copilot prompt. Copilot will create a draft for your review:
  

 

 Modify an existing presentation

• Open an existing presentation and click the Copilot icon on the right side of your PowerPoint ribbon.
  
  
• In the prompt, select the View Point Icon for prompt ideas you can use in your presentation:
  
  
  
• Select a prompt - here, we'll try Edit

          

• Select an option, like Add an image:
  
  
  
• Fill out the prompt about what sort of image you're looking for:
  
  
  
• A newly generated image will be added to your slide along with a confirmation message:
  
  
  

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Copilot for Teams offers different features for general use or during meetings. Requests made to Copilot will traverse your files, emails, meetings, and Teams chats. Any questions that require outside information will be secure, safeguarding your corporate data.

Microsoft Copilot in Teams

• Open Teams and click the Copilot icon:
  
  
  
• Type your prompt into the text field at the bottom of the screen. If your prompt would benefit from being directed to specific files, people, meetings, or emails, use a forward slash ( / ) to invoke them.  Here are some example prompts to experiment with:
  
  
  1. 1. What follow-up actions do I have from today's meetings?
     2. Tasks due for /<Jane Doe>
     3. Summarize my emails from today

 

Microsoft Copilot for Teams Meetings

Copilot can analyze the entire transcript of your meetings to provide valuable insights, like assessing the tone of a meeting or creating follow-up steps. If you're joining a meeting late, you can ask Copilot to “catch you up” on the meeting and it will summarize what has been discussed so far. To use this feature you must enable Recording and Transcription in your meeting.

• After starting a meeting in Teams, click the More button, then Record and Transcribe:

• Select Start Recording which will start both recording and transcription
  
• Once selected you will get a prompt that the service is starting and then that it is enabled
  
  
  
  
• You can now select the Copilot icon in Teams to ask questions during the meeting:
  

• The Copilot sidebar will appear on the right side of the meeting for your private use:
  

Note: only users with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 will have this option during the meeting.

• At the end of a meeting, try asking Copilot for a summary and some next steps. You can paste that information into the notes section for all attendees to view even if they don’t have Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

 

As you begin using Microsoft Copilot, explore these features at your own pace. We hope you develop habits that feel natural as you leverage Copilot to work more confidently and efficiently.