Get up to speed with Copilot in Outlook

What is Copilot in Outlook?

Copilot in Outlook¹ is an AI assistant built directly into your email and calendar—no separate app, no new workflow. It works alongside the messages and meetings you’re in every day.

Copilot can help you:

• See what matters most right now
• Understand long or complex email conversations
• Get meeting context without digging
• Get up to speed on the go with voice chat

In short, it helps you understand what needs attention now. One of the fastest ways to put that to work is a quick daily briefing.

Start your day informed with a daily briefing

A good daily briefing can set the tone of your day. It helps you see what matters, what changed, and what you can move forward today. With Copilot in Outlook,¹ you can create that clarity on demand, right inside your inbox.

Here are a few prompts you can try:

• “What matters most in my inbox today?” to spot the conversations that need attention first
• “Orient me today” to get your bearings before you jump into replies
• “What quick wins can I clear right now?” to knock out small, high-impact actions fast
• “Show my top action items” to see likely follow-ups without hunting for them

Helpful hint: Try a “brief before you reply” rule. Two minutes up front can prevent five messy back-and-forth emails later.

Summarize email threads instantly

Long threads are where productivity goes to vanish. You scroll, you skim, you still aren’t sure what the decision was, and now you’ve lost ten minutes.

Copilot in Outlook¹ can summarize email threads so you can get the headline version first.

How to do it:

1. Open the email conversation (the full thread) in Outlook.
2. Look for Copilot at the top of the message or in the Copilot pane.
3. Select Summarize (or Summary by Copilot).
4. Skim the summary first, then open the thread only if you need a detail like a date, link, or attachment.

If you want a tighter summary, follow up with a prompt like:

• “What decisions were made?”
• “What are the next steps and who owns them?”
• “What’s still unresolved?”

This is especially useful when you’re returning from PTO, joining a project midstream, or managing client conversations that keep evolving.

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Get context on new projects faster

Getting looped into a new project can feel like walking into the middle of a conversation. With Copilot, you can pull the essentials (goal, status, and what you should do next) using a few targeted prompts.

How to do it:

1. Open the most recent project email or thread you were added to (the one with the freshest update).
2. In the Copilot pane, start with a “big picture” prompt like:
• “Give me the one-paragraph overview of this project.”
• “What’s the background and why are we doing this?”
3. Next, get quickly oriented on what’s happening right now:
• “What’s the current status, and what changed most recently?”
• “What are the key dates or milestones mentioned?”
4. Then map the people and the work:
• “Who are the main stakeholders and what are they responsible for?”
• “What workstreams or deliverables are referenced?”
5. Finally, make it actionable for you:
• “Where could I contribute fastest based on this context?”
• “What should I review first (docs, links, or prior notes referenced here)?”
6. When you’re ready to jump in, use Copilot to help you respond cleanly:
• “Draft a quick intro message confirming what I’m taking on and asking for any key links.”

Smart move: Ask Copilot to list any links, files, or “the doc/deck” references mentioned. It’s an easy way to gather source material without playing inbox detective.

Prepare for meetings without last-minute stress

When you’re juggling multiple clients or projects, meetings can blur together. The hardest part isn’t the meeting itself. It’s remembering what was decided last time, what’s changed since then, and what you’re expected to bring to the table.

Copilot in Outlook¹ helps you refresh that context without digging through old threads or notes.

How to use Copilot for quick meeting prep:

1. Open the meeting invite on your calendar.
2. In Copilot, start with a grounding prompt like:
• “What’s the purpose of this meeting?”
• “What should I know before this meeting?”
3. Then pull in the recent context:
• “Summarize past discussions related to this meeting.”
• “What decisions or action items are connected to this meeting?”
4. Make it practical for you:
• “What updates might I be expected to give?”
• “What questions should I be ready to answer?”

With a few prompts, you walk into the meeting clear on the goal, the history, and your role.

Less inbox time, more focus with Copilot in Outlook

Staying informed shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. Copilot in Outlook¹ helps by summarizing conversations and highlighting what needs action.

The result: less time catching up, more time doing the important work. Try Copilot in Outlook in Microsoft 365 to stay focused, prepared, and in control of your day, every day.

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