What Copilot is
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant built into Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and OneDrive. With the paid license it can read and work with your own email, files, chats and meetings, so it can summarize, draft and find things for you.
It only ever sees what you already have access to. It cannot open a colleague’s mailbox or a folder you do not have permission to.
| Copilot Chat (included with Microsoft 365 business plans) | Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid add-on) | |
|---|---|---|
| Chat with AI, draft and rewrite text | Yes | Yes |
| Summarize a file you upload | Yes | Yes |
| Reads your email, calendar, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams | No | Yes |
| Built into Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams | Limited | Yes |
| Meeting recaps and “what did I miss” | No | Yes |
| Cost (Microsoft list price as of November 2026; check current pricing) | Included | About $21 per user per month, billed yearly (Copilot Business, up to 300 users) |
When you are signed in with your work account, your prompts and Copilot’s answers stay inside your organization’s Microsoft 365 and are not used to train Microsoft’s AI models (Microsoft calls this enterprise data protection).
Where to find it
Always sign in with your work account and look for the green shield or the word Protected next to Copilot. No shield, or a personal Microsoft account, means stop.
| Where | How to open it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Web | Go to m365.cloud.microsoft and click Copilot on the left | Questions across all your email, files and chats |
| Outlook | Copilot icon at the top of an email, or Draft with Copilot when writing | Summarizing threads, drafting replies |
| Word | Copilot button on the Home ribbon | Drafting and summarizing documents |
| Excel | Copilot button on the Home ribbon (file saved in OneDrive or SharePoint) | Explaining, sorting and charting data |
| PowerPoint | Copilot button on the Home ribbon | Turning a document into slides |
| Teams | Copilot in the chat list, and Recap in a meeting | Catching up on chats and meetings |
| Phone | Microsoft 365 Copilot app, signed in with your work account | Quick questions on the go |
Do not use copilot.microsoft.com with a personal account, ChatGPT, Gemini or other AI tools for confidential business work. They are not covered by your business agreement with Microsoft.
Using it safely with confidential or health information
Copilot inside your work account is covered by your organization’s Microsoft agreements, including the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement for healthcare customers who have it in place. The exception is web searches: when Copilot searches the internet, the search query goes to Bing and is outside those agreements.
- Work account only. Use Copilot only signed in with your work account, with the green Protected shield showing.
- No identifying details in web questions. When Copilot searches the internet (general knowledge, current research, “look up”), ask without names, dates of birth, account numbers or case details. If the answer shows web links under it, it searched the web.
- Fine: “Summarize current research on remote cognitive testing.”
- Not fine: “Look up treatment options for John Smith, 42, with a head injury.”
- Confidential work stays on your own files. Asking Copilot to summarize or draft from your own email, notes or documents is fine; it stays inside Microsoft 365.
- Check everything. Copilot can be confidently wrong: wrong numbers, invented references, details from the wrong file. Read every draft before it goes out, and check figures, dates and names against the source.
- You make the decisions. Use Copilot for drafting and admin, not for professional judgements, diagnoses or financial decisions.
- Sensitivity labels still apply. If your organization uses labels (for example “Confidential”), Copilot respects them, and content it creates from a labelled file inherits the label.
- Mind who can see a file. Copilot can quote anything you have access to. If you can see something you should not, tell your IT provider so the permissions can be fixed.
- Do not paste confidential data into other AI tools, including free AI websites, browser extensions and phone apps.
Admins can also turn off web search in Copilot for the whole organization if your data is especially sensitive.
What you can use it for
| Area | What it does for you | Example prompt |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook | Summarize a long thread | “Summarize this thread and list what I need to decide.” |
| Outlook | Draft a reply in your tone | “Draft a short, friendly reply confirming the appointment change and asking for the updated form.” |
| Outlook | Clear the inbox | “Which emails from this week need a reply from me?” |
| Word | First draft from your notes | “Using my notes in /[file], draft a summary section in a formal style.” |
| Word | Reword for an audience | “Rewrite this paragraph for a client at an eighth-grade reading level.” |
| Word | Summarize a long document | “Summarize this contract in five bullet points.” |
| Teams | Meeting recap | “What were the decisions and action items from today’s staff meeting?” |
| Teams | Catch up | “What did I miss in Teams chats this week?” |
| Excel | Understand a spreadsheet | “Show the number of orders per month this year as a chart.” |
| PowerPoint | Slides from a document | “Create a 10-slide presentation from this Word document.” |
| Copilot Chat | Find something | “Find the email where we discussed the new office lease.” |
| Copilot Chat | Business admin | “Draft a job posting for a part-time front desk coordinator.” |
| Copilot Chat | Plan your week | “Summarize my meetings tomorrow and what I need to prepare.” |
Getting good answers
Tell Copilot four things: what you want, where to look, who it is for, and what shape the answer should take.
- Goal: “Draft a summary of recommendations…”
- Source: type / and pick the file, email or meeting so Copilot uses exactly that one.
- Audience and tone: “…for the client, professional and concise…”
- Format: “…as five bullet points under 150 words.”
Then refine instead of starting over: “Shorter”, “More formal”, “Add a heading per item”. If an answer looks wrong, ask “Which file did you use for that?” and check it.
Limits
- It can miss things. A summary may leave out a detail that matters. For anything important, read the source.
- It does not send anything on its own. You review and send every email and save every document.
- Files must be in OneDrive or SharePoint. Copilot cannot read files saved only on your computer’s desktop or a USB drive.
Sources
- Microsoft: Enterprise data protection in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat
- Microsoft: Manage public web access in Copilot
- Microsoft: Copilot privacy and protections
Related
More guides
- Microsoft 365 admin: add staff, reset passwords and offboard someone who leaves
- Set up Microsoft Authenticator and Outlook on your phone (iPhone and Android)
- How to check your email's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records (and what the results mean)
- How to send an encrypted email in Outlook (Microsoft 365)
- What goes in a WISP: a checklist for small tax offices
- Share files with clients securely from OneDrive (expiring links, no attachments)
- Hand over HOA or office email when a board member or manager changes
- How to spot and report a phishing email in Outlook
Microsoft changes its menus from time to time, so a button may have moved. These guides are general information for small businesses; check with your IT provider before changing settings that affect everyone.