CoPilot quickstart guide

Where you can use Copilot

Once a Copilot license is assigned, it appears automatically across Microsoft 365 apps, usually within 24 hours.

You’ll commonly see Copilot in:

  • Windows Copilot app
  • Outlook (email and calendar)
  • Word (drafting and rewriting documents)
  • Excel (analysis and summarising data)
  • Teams (meeting summaries and chat help)
Signing in to Copilot on your Windows computer
  1. On your Windows PC, open the Copilot app from the Start menu
  2. Sign in using your work email address (your Microsoft 365 account)
  3. Confirm you see your name or company account — not a personal Microsoft account

✅ If you are using the correct account, Copilot will have access to your work emails, documents, and meetings based on your permissions.

If Copilot does not appear yet:

  • Open an Office app (e.g. Word)
  • Go to File → Account → Update License
    This forces Office to refresh your licence status.
Copilot “Work” vs “Web” – what’s the difference?

Copilot has two distinct modes:

🔒 Work mode (recommended for business)
  • Uses your Microsoft 365 data (emails, documents, meetings)
  • Stays inside your organisation’s security boundary
  • Best for real business work

Examples:

  • “Summarise emails from this client”
  • “Draft a reply using yesterday’s meeting notes”
  • “Create a report from this Word document”
🌐 Web mode
  • Uses public internet information only
  • Does not see your company data
  • Similar to a general AI search assistant

When to use Web mode:

  • Researching public information
  • Writing generic content
  • Looking up non‑business topics

👉 For client data, internal emails, or business decisions, always use Work mode.

Using Copilot with Outlook (most common use case)

Copilot is extremely effective in Outlook and is usually where customers see the biggest time savings.

Common Outlook examples:
  • Summarise long email threads
  • Draft replies using a short instruction (“Reply politely and confirm next steps”)
  • Rewrite emails to sound more professional or clearer
  • Prepare meeting agendas from previous emails
  • Summarise meetings after they finish

Copilot does not automatically send emails — you remain in control and review everything before sending.

This makes it ideal for saving time without losing oversight

Common prompts to try (Outlook & Teams)

Copilot works best when you:

  • Tell it what you want to do
  • Tell it what content to use (this email, this meeting, this chat)
  • Tell it the format or tone you want

If the first result isn’t perfect, refine it with a follow‑up like “shorten this” or “make it more formal”.

📧 Outlook – Email and calendar

Summarise long email threads

  • “Summarise this email thread in 5 bullet points. Include decisions made and next steps.”
  • “Give me a TL;DR of this conversation suitable to forward to a manager.”

Draft replies quickly

  • “Draft a professional reply confirming the next steps and proposed timeline.”
  • “Reply politely, acknowledge their concerns, and ask for the missing information.”

Improve tone and clarity

  • “Rewrite this email to sound clearer and more customer‑friendly.”
  • “Make this email more direct and concise, without sounding rude.”

Prepare follow‑ups

  • “Draft a short follow‑up email if we don’t hear back in 3 business days.”
  • “Write a polite reminder email proposing two alternative meeting times.”

Email triage

  • “Summarise what has changed between the last two emails in this thread.”
  • “List any outstanding questions or actions from this email chain.”
👥 Teams – Meetings and chats

After a meeting

  • “Summarise this meeting and list action items with owners.”
  • “Create a follow‑up email summary based on this meeting.”

Catch up quickly

  • “What did I miss in this Teams chat today?”
  • “Summarise the key points from this conversation so far.”

Prepare for meetings

  • “Prepare me for this meeting using recent emails and prior meeting notes.”
  • “Suggest talking points for my next meeting with this client.”

Turn conversations into tasks

  • “Turn this Teams chat into a task list with next steps.”
  • “Create a checklist based on decisions made in this meeting.
✅ Tip: prompt patterns that work well

Encourage staff to use this simple structure:

Action + Context + Output

  • “Summarise this email thread into bullet points for management.”
  • “Draft a short customer‑friendly reply using this meeting discussion.”
  • “Rewrite this message in plain English for a non‑technical audience.”

Consistent prompts produce consistently better results and help teams adopt Copilot faster.

Top 10 prompts to print and keep (Outlook + Teams)
1) Inbox radar (weekly priorities)

Prompt: “What should be on my radar from emails last week?”

2) Summarise a messy email thread (fast)

Prompt: “Summarise this email thread in 5 bullets. Include: decisions, open questions, and next steps.”

3) Draft a reply with your key points (professional)

Prompt: “Draft a response to this email thread with a professional tone that includes these points: [paste your bullet points].”

4) Rewrite for clarity (customer-friendly)

Prompt: “Rewrite my draft email in plain English for a non-technical customer. Keep it short and action-oriented.”

5) Turn email into tasks (so nothing gets missed)

Prompt: “Convert this email thread into a task list: Task | Owner | Due date | Notes. If due dates aren’t stated, leave blank.”

6) Meeting recap (decisions + actions)

Prompt: “What decisions were made at the meeting, and what were the suggested next steps?”

7) Action items with owners (post-meeting)

Prompt: “Create a list of notes and action items from this meeting.”

8) Catch up on a chat (what did I miss?)

Prompt: “Summarise what I missed in this chat since [time/date]. Call out any decisions, risks, or actions for me.”

9) Prepare for a meeting (quick brief)

Prompt: “Help me prepare for my next meeting. Provide: context, likely goals, open questions, and 5 talking points.”

10) Write the follow-up message/email (based on the meeting)

Prompt: “Draft a follow-up to attendees summarising decisions and action items. Keep it under 150 words and include a clear next step.”

What is an “Agent” in Copilot?

An Agent is a specialised AI assistant that works inside Copilot to perform a specific role or task.

Think of agents as purpose‑built Copilot helpers, such as:

  • An agent that only helps draft customer emails
  • An agent trained on your internal procedures
  • An agent that summarises meetings in a consistent format

Agents use:

  • Instructions (what the agent should do)
  • Knowledge sources (files, emails, systems)
  • Skills or actions (where allowed)

Microsoft provides built‑in agents, and organisations can also create their own using low‑code tools like Agent Builder or Copilot Studio.

Important: Agents only access what your organisation allows, and all activity stays within Microsoft 365 security controls.

Getting started safely

We recommend customers start small:

  1. Use Copilot in Outlook first
  2. Always review AI‑generated content before sending
  3. Avoid entering sensitive information in non‑work AI tools
  4. Use Copilot consistently so staff build good habits