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Quick Answer

In Word, click the Copilot icon in the margin and type 'Draft a proposal based on [File Name]'. In Outlook, click 'Draft with Copilot' in a new email and type 'Tell the team the project is delayed until Tuesday, professional tone'.

How to Use Microsoft Copilot in Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams — Practical Prompt Guide ​

Applies to: Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Copilot
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-06-17

Summary ​

This article provides app-specific, ready-to-use Microsoft 365 Copilot prompts organized by real-world task. Copy, adapt, and paste these prompts to get useful output from Copilot immediately — no prompt engineering required.

Prerequisites ​

  • A Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned to your account. If you do not see the Copilot icon in any app, ask IT to confirm whether a Copilot license is assigned to your account and, if it is not, how licenses are requested in your organization.
  • Files must be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint — Copilot cannot access files saved only on your local hard drive.
  • An active internet connection.

Instructions ​

1. Prompt Fundamentals — How to Get Better Results ​

Before diving into app-specific prompts, understanding three principles makes every prompt more effective.

  1. Be specific about format and length. Instead of Write about our project, say Write a 150-word project summary with three bullet points for key milestones.
  2. Give context. Reference the file, data range, or meeting by name: Based on the Q2 Sales Report in my OneDrive, summarize the top 3 regions by revenue.
  3. Specify the audience. Tell Copilot who will read the output: Write this for a non-technical executive audience or Keep it informal for a team chat.
  4. Iterate. Treat the first response as a draft. Follow up with refinement prompts like:
    • Shorten this to half the length
    • Make the tone more formal
    • Add a section on risks

Verification: If Copilot returns generic or unhelpful output, your prompt is too vague. Add specifics and try again.

2. Copilot Prompts for Word — Drafting and Editing ​

Use these prompts in the Copilot panel or by typing / on a blank line in Word.

Drafting from scratch:

  1. Draft a 500-word business case for upgrading our CRM system, structured with Problem, Solution, Benefits, and Next Steps sections
  2. Write a formal letter to a vendor requesting a 60-day payment extension, maintaining a professional and respectful tone
  3. Create a meeting agenda for a 30-minute project kickoff covering introductions, scope overview, timeline, and action items

Working with existing documents:

  1. Summarize this document in 5 bullet points suitable for an executive email
  2. Rewrite the second paragraph in plain English for a non-technical audience
  3. Find inconsistencies in dates or numbers mentioned in this document
  4. Convert the key points in this document into a FAQ format with questions and answers

Editing and refinement:

  1. Shorten this section to 100 words without losing the key message
  2. Improve the clarity of this paragraph — remove jargon and passive voice
  3. Add a professional closing paragraph recommending next steps

3. Copilot Prompts for Excel — Data Analysis and Formulas ​

Open the Copilot side panel in Excel. Data must be formatted as a Table (select your data and press Ctrl + T).

Analyzing data:

  1. What are the top 5 items by total sales in this table?
  2. Show me the monthly trend for the Revenue column as a line chart
  3. Are there any outliers or unusual values in the Expenses column?
  4. Compare Q1 and Q2 totals for each department

Creating formulas and columns:

  1. Add a column that calculates profit margin as (Revenue - Cost) / Revenue formatted as a percentage
  2. Add a column that categorizes each row as "High", "Medium", or "Low" based on the Amount column (High = above 10000, Medium = 5000-10000, Low = below 5000)
  3. Write a SUMIFS formula that totals the Amount column where Region is "North" and Status is "Closed"

Building visuals:

  1. Create a bar chart comparing total revenue by region
  2. Create a PivotTable showing total sales by product category and quarter
  3. Highlight all rows where the Due Date is in the past

4. Copilot Prompts for Outlook — Email Composition and Management ​

Click the Copilot icon in the compose toolbar when drafting an email, or use it to summarize threads.

Drafting new emails:

  1. Draft a polite follow-up email asking for the project timeline update that was due last Friday
  2. Write an email declining a meeting invitation due to a scheduling conflict, and suggest two alternative times next week
  3. Compose a thank-you email to the team for completing the migration project on schedule

Replying to emails:

  1. Draft a reply agreeing to the proposal but requesting a 2-week extension on the delivery date
  2. Write a brief reply confirming receipt and letting them know I will review by end of week
  3. Reply with three clarifying questions about the budget figures in this email

Summarizing and catching up:

  1. Open a long email thread and click Summary by Copilot at the top of the conversation.
  2. What decisions were made in this thread?
  3. What action items are assigned to me in this conversation?

Adjusting tone:

  1. After Copilot generates a draft, click Adjust and choose Formal, Direct, or Casual to match your audience.

5. Copilot Prompts for PowerPoint — Presentation Creation ​

Click the Copilot button in the ribbon to generate or refine slides.

Creating presentations:

  1. Create a 10-slide presentation about our Q2 results, including an agenda slide, key metrics, highlights, challenges, and next steps
  2. Create a presentation from [document name] — reference a Word document stored in OneDrive.
  3. Build a 5-slide onboarding overview for new employees covering company values, tools, key contacts, first-week schedule, and FAQs

Refining individual slides:

  1. Make this slide more visual — add icons or imagery suggestions
  2. Add speaker notes to every slide summarizing the key talking points
  3. Simplify this slide — reduce the text to three bullet points maximum

Adding content:

  1. Add a slide comparing Option A and Option B in a two-column table
  2. Add a timeline slide showing project milestones from January to June
  3. Create a summary slide that recaps the five key takeaways from this presentation

6. Copilot Prompts for Teams — Meetings and Chats ​

Copilot works during live meetings (when recording or transcription is enabled) and in chat threads.

During a live meeting:

  1. What has been discussed so far?
  2. What action items have been mentioned?
  3. What questions are still unresolved?
  4. What did [person's name] say about the deadline?

After a meeting (Recap tab):

  1. Open the meeting from your Calendar in Teams. Click the Recap tab.
  2. List all action items with the person responsible for each
  3. Summarize the key decisions made in this meeting
  4. Draft a follow-up email based on this meeting's action items

In chat threads:

  1. Click the Copilot icon in a chat with many messages.
  2. Summarize the last 7 days of this chat
  3. What files were shared in this conversation?
  4. What decisions were made in this chat this week?

7. Prompt Patterns You Can Reuse Across Any App ​

These templates work in any Copilot-enabled app. Replace the bracketed text with your specifics.

  1. The Summarizer: Summarize [this document / email thread / meeting] in [number] bullet points for [audience]
  2. The Transformer: Convert [this content] into [a different format: email, FAQ, table, presentation, bullet points]
  3. The Refiner: Rewrite [this section] to be [shorter / more formal / less technical / more persuasive]
  4. The Analyzer: What are the top [number] [items / trends / issues] in [this data / document]?
  5. The Drafter: Draft a [type of content] about [topic] for [audience], approximately [length] words

Troubleshooting ​

TIP

If Copilot returns generic output, add more specifics to your prompt. The difference between a vague prompt and a specific one is often 10 extra words — and the difference in output quality is dramatic.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Copilot icon missing from the appLicense not assigned to your accountContact your IT team to verify your Microsoft 365 Copilot license is active.
"I can't work with this data" in ExcelData is not formatted as a TableSelect your data range, press Ctrl + T to convert it to a Table, then try again.
"Copilot isn't available for this file"File is saved locally, not in the cloudMove the file to OneDrive or SharePoint. Copilot requires cloud-stored files.
Output is too generic or vaguePrompt lacks specificsAdd context: audience, length, format, tone, and specific details. See Method 1.
Copilot cannot find a referenced fileFile name is misspelled or not in OneDriveVerify the exact file name and confirm it is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Meeting Copilot shows no contentRecording or transcription was not enabledCopilot in meetings requires the meeting to be recorded or transcribed. Start recording before the meeting begins.
Copilot is slow or unresponsiveService or network issueCheck your internet connection. Wait a few minutes and try again. Check Microsoft 365 Service Health for outages.