Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant, built into Windows and the Microsoft 365 apps you already use - Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and PowerPoint. In practice it drafts documents, summarises long email threads and meetings, builds and explains Excel formulas, and turns notes into slides. There is a free Copilot chat, and paid tiers (Copilot Pro for individuals, Microsoft 365 Copilot for businesses) that unlock the assistant inside the Office apps. Below is where it actually helps, how to start, and how to prompt it so the output is worth using.
What is Microsoft Copilot?
Copilot is the brand Microsoft uses for AI across its products. The same name covers a few things: a standalone chat assistant (on the web, in Windows and as an app), and the version embedded inside the Microsoft 365 apps that can read and act on your actual documents, emails and calendar. That second part - AI that works on your own files, with your permissions - is the real reason to use Copilot over a general chatbot.
Where you will actually use Copilot
Word
Draft a first version from a prompt, rewrite or shorten a passage, change the tone, or summarise a long document. It is fastest as a starting point you then edit - not a finished writer.
Excel
This is one of Copilot's strongest features. Describe what you want in plain English and it builds the formula, explains what a formula does, spots trends, and suggests charts - so you spend less time fighting syntax.
Outlook
Summarise a long thread, draft a reply in the right tone, and pull out the action items. For anyone who lives in their inbox, this is the daily time-saver.
Teams
Copilot can summarise a meeting, list decisions and action items, and catch you up on what you missed if you join late - working from the transcript rather than your memory.
PowerPoint
Turn a document or a set of notes into a first-draft deck, or restyle and condense slides you already have. Treat the output as scaffolding to refine, not a final presentation.
Copilot shines when you ask it well. This library packages tested prompts for plans, processes, reports, SOPs and meeting prep - paste them into Copilot in Word, Outlook or the chat and stop rewriting the wording every time. Works in Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
View the library →How to get started with Copilot
- Try the free chat first. Go to copilot.microsoft.com or open Copilot in Windows and ask it something - no Office licence needed.
- Check your plan for in-app Copilot. The Copilot button inside Word, Excel and Outlook requires a paid tier (Copilot Pro for individuals, or Microsoft 365 Copilot for organisations).
- Open an app and click Copilot. In Word or Excel, look for the Copilot icon on the ribbon or in the side panel.
- Ask in plain English and point it at the document, sheet or thread you mean.
- Always review. Copilot can be confidently wrong, especially with numbers - check before you send or share.
How to write good Copilot prompts
Copilot rewards specific, well-framed requests. The pattern that works:
- Say what you want and for whom: "Summarise this thread into three action items for my manager."
- Reference the source explicitly: this document, this sheet, this meeting.
- Specify the format: a table, five bullets, a short email.
- Refine, don't restart: "Make it more formal," "cut it to half the length."
If your results are inconsistent, our guide to writing better AI prompts helps, and the free prompt optimizer turns a rough request into a structured one you can paste in.
Copilot plans: free vs paid
The free Copilot chat is genuinely useful for questions, drafting and research. To get Copilot working inside the Office apps on your own files, you need a paid tier - Copilot Pro for individuals, or Microsoft 365 Copilot for businesses (usually priced per user, per month, on top of a Microsoft 365 subscription). Prices change, so confirm the current figures with Microsoft. Start with the free chat, and only pay once you know you want the in-app version. Weighing it against other tools? See our best AI productivity tools roundup, how to use Notion AI, and ChatGPT vs Claude for work.
Copilot in Excel is one of its best features - if you know what to ask. This pack gives accountants and finance teams ready-made prompts for analysis, reconciliations, variance commentary and reporting. Paste straight into Copilot.
View the pack →Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Copilot free?
There is a free Copilot chat you can use on the web, in Windows and via the app. To use Copilot inside the Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) on your own files, you need a paid tier - Copilot Pro for individuals or Microsoft 365 Copilot for businesses. Check Microsoft for current pricing.
What can Microsoft Copilot do?
Copilot drafts and rewrites documents in Word, builds and explains formulas and spots trends in Excel, summarises threads and drafts replies in Outlook, recaps meetings and action items in Teams, and turns notes into slide decks in PowerPoint. It works best as a fast first draft you then review.
Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?
They are different products. Copilot is Microsoft's assistant and its advantage is working inside Microsoft 365 on your own documents, emails and calendar. ChatGPT is OpenAI's assistant with the widest general adoption. Copilot's deep Office integration is the main reason to choose it for work.
How do I turn on Copilot in Word or Excel?
Open the app and look for the Copilot icon on the ribbon or in the side panel. If you do not see it, your account likely needs a paid Copilot tier - the in-app assistant is not part of the free chat.
Can I use my own prompts with Copilot?
Yes. Copilot responds to any clear, specific prompt, and prompt packs are model-agnostic - the same structured prompts work in Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. A tested library saves you rewriting the wording for every task.
In summary:
Microsoft Copilot is most valuable where a general chatbot can't reach - inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, working on your own files. Start with the free chat, upgrade only when you want the in-app version, and always review the output (especially numbers). To get sharper results faster, the Business & Operations Prompt Library ($27) and Prompts for Accountants ($19) give you tested prompts you can paste straight in, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.