Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant from Microsoft that combines AI capabilities with users' data and apps to help users boost creativity and productivity and quickly get answers in a chat experience. This article introduces how to get started, and applies to all Microsoft Copilot experiences: personal accounts (Personal, Family, Premium, Pro), work or school accounts, and free Copilot Chat.
[Accounts and data sources] When signed in with a work or school account, Copilot Chat uses organizational data (such as chats, emails, and files) as well as information from the web to answer prompts. When signed in with a personal Microsoft account, Copilot answers based on the user's own content and information from the web.
[How to get it] At work, you can access Copilot in a web browser and sign in with your work or school account. You can also use Copilot directly in the apps you already use, including Microsoft 365 apps on web, desktop, and mobile, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and more. On mobile devices, you can install the Microsoft Copilot mobile app for iOS or Android.
[Main interface and experiences] Once you enter, you will see three experiences in the left navigation, along with New chat, Search, Library, Agents and Skills, and Notebooks:
- Chat: for conversational Q&A, summaries, and drafting.
- Cowork: for longer, multi-step work that can be handed off to Copilot to complete on its own.
- Code: for coding assistance tasks.
[Work IQ and model selection] At the top of Chat, the Work IQ control is next to the Auto model selector. You can choose to turn Work IQ on or off:
- Work IQ on (default): Copilot uses organizational data (such as files, emails, and Teams meetings) as well as information from the web to answer prompts.
- Work IQ off: Copilot answers using only the web and the AI model's training data, without using any Microsoft 365 data; when off, prompt suggestions and the citation menu are limited to web-based sources. Both settings provide enterprise-grade security, privacy, and compliance. When answering prompts, Copilot uses onlyWork content that the user has been authorized to access. The Auto selector next to Work IQ controls which AI model responds to prompts, similar to the conversation mode in the personal Copilot experience.
[Tasks Copilot Chat can complete]
- Create content and brainstorm: Draft new content such as storyboards, scripts, agendas, or executive summaries.
- Get quick answers: Ask questions about specific files and messages, or find information you know exists but cannot remember where it is stored.
- Stay up to date: Summarize large amounts of data into easy-to-understand updates.
- Use voice commands: Select the microphone button to talk with Copilot Chat, interrupt audio replies, and Copilot will respond to new input.
- Hand off multi-step work: Use the Cowork tab to handle longer tasks and reduce back-and-forth interaction.
- Get coding help: Use the Code tab for coding assistance tasks.
[Writing high-quality prompts] Carefully written prompts lead to better results: be clear, concise, and specific; embrace iteration, do not settle for the first result, and get closer to what you need through refinement and experimentation; reference specific content by typing a forward slash (/) followed by a file, person, or meeting name to point to the specified source. If no specific content is referenced, Copilot will choose the best data source on its own. Good prompts usually contain clear information, and Copilot is conversational, so if the first reply is not ideal, you can keep asking follow-up questions, request a narrower time range, change the format, or go deeper on a certain point.
[Feedback and improvement] AI is still in the early stages of development, and Copilot sometimes makes mistakes, so reviewing its generated content is important. You can use the like and dislike buttons on each reply to give feedback on what works, what does not, and what could be improved.
[Using a personal account] If you sign in with a personal Microsoft account instead of a work or school account, Copilot works largely the same way, but with the following differences:
- Available from more places: In addition to Microsoft Copilot on the web, it is also available as a dedicated app on Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, and Android.
- Supports more account types for sign-in: On the web, mobile, and macOS, you can sign in with a Microsoft account, Apple ID, or Google account; the Windows app requires a Microsoft account.
- No Work IQ toggle: Copilot uses the user's own content (such as OneDrive files and Outlook.com email) and network information, rather than organizational data, so there are no work and network settings to manage.
[Other introductory topics covered by the official documentation] This introductory page also lists the following: Accessing Copilot on Windows, Copilot getting started guide, Getting started with Copilot on macOS, Get started with Search, Favorite files, Create to-dos, Schedule collaborative meetings, Get started with Chat, Prompts in Chat, Share responses, Summarize files, Create video recaps, Set up automatic replies, Use voice features, Use vision features, Personalize Copilot Chat, View chat history, About Copilot Chat licenses, Check Copilot licenses, Grounding and Work IQ in Chat, Learn about web search, Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps, Standard access and priority access, About Chat responses, Get started with Cowork, Start a conversation, Control actions before they run, Manage tasks and schedule prompts, What Cowork uses and stores, Security considerations, Get started with Agents, Microsoft-built agents, Researcher agent, Workflows agent, Get more agents, Uninstall agents, Get started with Pages, How Copilot Pages works, Pages, Loop, or Notebooks, Add chats to multiple pages, Build lightweight apps, Identify page authors, Convert to Word documents, Create PDF files, Pages on mobile, Frequently asked questions, Get started with Notebooks, How Copilot Notebooks works, Copilot Notebooks or OneNote, Add reference files, Provide custom instructions, Share notebooks, Find all notebooks, Get answers and insights, Create infographics, Get audio overviews, Notebooks on mobile, Capture conversations, Create mind maps, Get started with Create, Create images, Design posters, Create banners, Create infographics, Create with templates, Create official brand kits, Find creations in the Copilot Library, Get started with the app, Mobile app updates, Voice chat with Copilot on mobile, Use Siri on iOS devices, Widgets and Action button on iOS, On Apple CarPlay, Frontier overview, Meet Microsoft Copilot, What you can do in Copilot, Write better prompts, Create images and stories with Copilot.
[Notes] AI technology is still in its early stages of development, and Copilot sometimes makes mistakes, so users should review generated content. For more information about how Copilot accesses and uses organizational data, how Copilot Chat works with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, the Microsoft Copilot transparency note for individuals, and the Microsoft Copilot Chat frequently asked questions, please refer to the relevant official documentation.
The official materials on which this article is based do not provide detailed information on specific pricing, version differences across platforms, feature availability scope, or usage restrictions; this information is not currently available.
