Is Microsoft Copilot free?

There's a free Copilot chat experience, but the in-app features described here — Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Copilot Chat across Microsoft 365 — require a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license, typically added on top of a Microsoft 365 subscription. Availability and pricing vary by plan and region, so check current Microsoft licensing details.

Can Copilot analyze my Excel data?

Yes. Excel Copilot can build charts, formulas, and pivot tables from plain-language requests, clean messy data such as duplicates and inconsistent formats, and highlight trends automatically. A useful pattern is to select the relevant range and ask a question like 'What's driving this number?' to get an explanation instead of only a formula.

Does Copilot replace writing and analysis skills?

No — it accelerates them. Copilot produces strong first drafts, summaries, and layouts quickly, but you still need judgment to check accuracy, refine tone, and decide what matters. The best results come from treating it as a capable teammate: give it clear, specific direction and review its output before you ship anything.

How to Use Microsoft Copilot — Practically, Not Just Theoretically

Q: How do I write good Copilot prompts?

Be specific and outcome-driven. State the result you want (a 5-bullet summary, a 7-slide deck), point Copilot at the source (this document, this data selection, this week's emails), and set the format and length. Examples: 'Summarise this document into 5 bullet points' or 'Turn this report into a 7-slide presentation.' Generic questions produce generic output.

Updated 2026-07-22

Write

Analyze

Present

Microsoft Copilot isn't just a chatbot — it's embedded across Microsoft 365 to help you write, analyze, and present faster. In Word it drafts and rewrites; in Excel it builds formulas and surfaces trends; in PowerPoint it turns documents into decks; in Copilot Chat it searches and summarizes across your emails, files, and meetings. It works best when you give it specific, outcome-driven prompts.

Most people meet Copilot as a chat box and stop there. Its real value is that it's embedded across Microsoft 365 — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and a cross-app chat — where it can act on your actual documents and data. This guide covers what Copilot adds in each app and the specific, outcome-driven prompts that get useful results instead of generic ones.

Key takeaways

Copilot is embedded across Microsoft 365 — its value is acting on your real documents and data, not just chatting.
Word: draft, rewrite, and summarize. Excel: formulas, pivots, cleanup, and trend insights.
PowerPoint: turn documents into structured decks with speaker notes. Chat: search and summarize across apps.
Give specific, outcome-driven prompts: name the result, the source, and the format/length.
Treat Copilot output as a fast first draft you refine, not a finished deliverable.

Copilot across Microsoft 365

One assistant, four surfaces. Tap a branch to see what Copilot does there.

← swipe the diagram →

Word — Write faster and sound sharper.

Key features

Draft documents from a short prompt
Rewrite or shorten text for clarity and tone
Summarise long files into key takeaways

Top uses

→Create proposals or reports in minutes
→Generate follow-up emails or summaries
→Translate or simplify complex text

Pro tip

Summarise this document into 5 bullet points.Treat the draft as a starting point, not the final text.

The prompt formula

Outcome+Source+Format & length

Summarise this document into 5 bullet points for a status email.

How to prompt Copilot well

Copilot works best with specific, outcome-driven prompts — not generic questions. Say what you want produced (a 5-bullet summary, a 7-slide deck, an explanation of a metric), give it the source (this document, this selection, this week's emails), and set the format and length. Vague prompts get vague output; naming the outcome, the input, and the shape of the result is what turns Copilot from a novelty into a genuine time-saver.

FAQ

Copilot is built into Microsoft 365 apps. In Word it drafts, rewrites, and summarizes; in Excel it builds formulas and pivot tables, cleans data, and surfaces trends; in PowerPoint it turns documents into decks with speaker notes; and in Copilot Chat it searches and summarizes across your emails, files, chats, and meetings. It acts on your real content rather than answering in the abstract.

Sources

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