The Best New Features You Can Use in Microsoft Copilot Right Now
Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot has been constantly growing and adding new features since its introduction last year. (At the time, Microsoft called it Bing Chat.) As with all things AI, it can be difficult to keep up with updates, changes, and new features, but Microsoft is constantly adding them to Copilot. Here are some of the best features and changes Microsoft has made to Copilot this year.
Copilot now has an app
If you are still using the Copilot web app, continue to do so. However, since the beginning of this year , Microsoft has also offered Copilot as a dedicated mobile application . You can use this experience by logging in or out, but logging in to your Microsoft account gives you access to more features (including bypassing the very strict request limit).
Anyone can use Copilot in Microsoft 365 (if you pay).
One of Copilot’s flagship features is its integration with Microsoft 365. Microsoft has turned the bot into AI Clippy, adding AI assistant options to apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. However, Copilot in 365 was only available to business users—the rest of us who use these apps outside of work are out of luck.
That changed earlier this year when Microsoft introduced Copilot support in Microsoft 365 for all Copilot Pro users . By signing up for a $20 per month plan, you can try out Copilot in this suite of apps. While it’s an expensive subscription, if you’re interested in Copilot, it might be worth it since Microsoft is adding most of Copilot’s new features to Microsoft 365 Apps .
You can use Copilot in Outlook
Previously, if you wanted to use Copilot in Outlook, you had to go to the web app or go the long way through Microsoft Teams. However, as of last month, Microsoft has offered Copilot support within the Outlook app itself. This makes it easier to use some of Copilot’s new features in Outlook, such as learning how to draft an email, choosing the tone of a draft (e.g., neutral, casual, formal).
Help files when prompted by Copilot
As of last month, you can retrieve files from your device, SharePoint, and OneDrive when prompted by Copilot. If you want the bot to summarize a Word document or have the context of a Powerpoint presentation when responding to your request, simply enter / when prompted to search for a file.
New features in Word with Copilot
Personally, I think if there’s one app that could benefit the most from Copilot, it’s Word. In my opinion, the main strength of generative AI is working with text, so having an assistant to help you manage text processing can be a big help.
This year, Microsoft expanded Copilot capabilities in Word. Here are some of the highlights:
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Use rewriting in certain sections of the document.
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Highlight part of the text to summarize and share.
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Create tables from your text.
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Create new tables based on the format of previous tables in the document.
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Confidential documents are marked as confidential when they are referenced in new documents.
What’s New in Copilot in Excel
Microsoft is also adding new Copilot features to Excel. Here’s what you’ve been able to do since the beginning of this year:
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Request a chart of your data.
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Ask the co-pilot additional questions, including asking for clarification on previous answers.
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Create formula column parameters with one prompt.
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Use Copilot to find out why you’re having trouble with a task.
Copilot in OneNote
OneNote has had quite a few new Copilot features since January. If you have access to Copilot in OneNote and use the app frequently, here’s what you can expect:
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Create notes based on audio recordings and transcriptions, then ask Copilot to summarize the notes and arrange them in different ways.
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Create to-do lists with Copilot.
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Copilot can search information within your organization to add context to your queries.
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Ask Copilot to organize your notes.
Copilot for Teams has received an update
If you use Copilot in Teams, you may notice that the bot can now automatically take notes during meetings. If you go to the Meeting Wrap-up section , you can get a summary of what your team just talked about or during the call.
You may also see a new Copilot option pinned to the top of Teams chats. This allows you to quickly query Copilot inside chats by retrieving documents using the / key. You’ll also see that Teams will alert you when AI is being used in a meeting, such as when Copilot is used without transcription.
Let the AI make the hint for you
Soon, Copilot will begin auto-filling your queries . When you start typing, the bot will offer suggestions for what it thinks you can do. If you say “Summarize” before you can say what you want to sum, Copilot will guess what you want to round up, including things like “last 10 emails.”