8 simple Microsoft Copilot tips and tricks that will help you stay on task

15 Nov 2024, 01:15 by Anu Joy · Android Police

Copilot is a generative AI chatbot from Microsoft that answers questions, replies to prompts, performs repetitive tasks, and generates images. It's available on all Android phones, our favorite Android tablets, Windows PCs, and iOS devices. You can use Copilot via a web browser, standalone app, or Microsoft 365 applications. This guide has the best Copilot tips and tricks to get more done and supercharge your productivity.

Is Copilot free?

Although Copilot is free for everyone, you need a Copilot Pro membership to access premium features. A subscription lets you use Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Outlook, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. The Pro membership costs $20 per month per user.

8 best Copilot features

Microsoft's AI chatbot is packed with useful tools

8 Summarize articles in the Edge browser

Get the gist of articles in a snap

You can ask Copilot to create a summary if you don't want to read a lengthy article online. You can also ask follow-up questions. The option is available on the Edge browser.

Launch the Edge browser and visit any website.
Click the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner.
Select Create a summary.
Click the refresh icon to go to the Copilot home page.

7 Analyze images with Copilot

Get answers to your questions from any browser

You can use Copilot on Windows and any browser to analyze images and screenshots. After uploading the picture, you can ask questions to gather more details. It can help analyze error codes and with troubleshooting.

Open Copilot in Windows or access the Copilot website from any browser.
Click the + icon.
Upload the image and enter your prompt.
Click Send.

6 Summarize lengthy emails in Microsoft Outlook

Use Copilot's Summarize tool to save time

It can be frustrating when you're added to a long email thread without context. You have to go through the entire chain to understand what's happening. To make things easier, use Copilot in Outlook to get the main points of emails. The summary includes annotations of the threads it references. Clicking a numbered citation takes you to the source so you can read the message.

Here's how to use the Summarize feature in Outlook:

Open Outlook.
Choose the email you want to summarize.
Click Summarize or Summary by Copilot.
You'll see a summary at the top of the email thread.

5 Compose emails in Outlook

Use Copilot to draft messages at work

Writing emails in the correct tone can be tricky, especially when you want to be diplomatic or assertive. It can also be challenging to simplify emails for readers with non-technical backgrounds. If you feel stuck in such situations, use Copilot to help draft emails. For the best results, be specific and mention the tone of the message.

Open Outlook.
Go to the Home tab and click New mail.
Click the Copilot icon above the message window.
Select Draft with Copilot.
Enter your prompt.
Click the options icon and select your email's tone and message length.
Click Generate.
Click Regenerate if you want to create another version of the email.
You can also add tweaks in the prompt box.
Select Keep it if you're happy with the draft.

4 Recap meetings in Microsoft Teams

Summarize meetings with Copilot

Copilot makes it easy to catch up with meetings in Teams with the recap feature. It comes in handy when you need a quick summary of meetings when you return from a vacation or if you miss parts of a presentation when you're late. Copilot in Teams summarizes what you missed during a live recording. It also provides a recap at the end of a meeting.

Here's how to get a summary of what you missed during a live meeting:

Open Teams and join a meeting.
Click the Copilot icon at the top.
Enter Recap what I missed in the prompt window.

Here's how to get a summary of a previously recorded meeting:

Open the meeting chat.
Go to the Recap tab.
Click the Copilot icon at the top.
Select View prompts.
Choose Recap the meeting.

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3 Create meeting notes in Teams

Use Copilot to automate the task

You can use Copilot in Teams to create meeting notes, including action items and topics. So, instead of taking note of the details, you can actively participate in the meeting. You can copy and paste the meeting minutes after a quick review.

Open Teams.
Select the Copilot icon from the meeting chat.
Click View prompts.
Choose Generate meeting notes, or enter the request in the prompt window.
Copy and paste the meeting notes in an email.

2 Search for files and meeting details with Copilot

Access information in a snap

You can use Copilot's Context IQ (CIQ) feature to reference people, meetings, emails, or files. To access it, type the forward slash when entering your prompt. It retrieves relevant content by scanning your chats, emails, files, and Microsoft 365 apps.

Log in to Copilot.
Use a forward slash (/) and enter a topic or person in your prompt.
Choose the relevant option from the emails, files, and meetings.

1 Use Copilot to make presentations in PowerPoint

Harness the power of AI to create presentations

You can get help from AI if you feel stuck with a presentation. Collect the information into a file and feed it to Copilot. Here's how to create a PowePoint presentation using Copilot.

Create a new presentation in PowerPoint.
Select the Copilot icon on the Home ribbon.
Select Create a presentation from [file].
Enter a file name.
Click Send.
You can review the presentation and make edits.

How to install Copilot on your Mac

Use Microsoft's AI chatbot on your Mac device

Unleash the power of AI using Copilot

Copilot can be a crucial tool for supercharging your productivity if you use Microsoft products and services. The tips in this guide help you make the most of the AI chatbot. If you want to learn more about Copilot, we have a comprehensive guide that explains how it works. You can also try some of the best Copilot prompts and tweak them to suit your needs.