Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant built into Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. It integrates closely with Microsoft's own products.
Use cases
It saves time on everyday office work: summarizing a Word document, explaining a formula in Excel, drafting an email, or putting together a presentation quickly.
Good to know
It's one of the more practical AI assistants if you're already on Microsoft 365, though anything it produces — especially numbers or legal details — is worth checking.
Key features
Microsoft Copilot is offered as a helper that appears in Windows, the Edge browser, Bing and Microsoft 365 apps. It covers jobs such as drafting in Word, explaining formulas and analyzing data in Excel, summarizing mail in Outlook, pulling notes from meetings in Teams and drafting presentations in PowerPoint. There is also a standalone Copilot app and a web version. Some capabilities inside Microsoft 365 may need an extra license, so check Microsoft's page for the current scope.
Getting better results
In Excel, asking a question in plain language about a table, such as "which month did sales drop and what might explain it", can be faster than writing formulas; still compare the numbers in the result with the source cells. In Word, mention the audience and length when you ask for a draft. For meeting summaries, asking separately for decisions and owners makes the output directly usable.
Privacy and alternatives
With a work or school account, Microsoft says it provides enterprise data protection commitments; details depend on your organization's IT settings, so confirm with your administrator. For a personal account, review the privacy settings to see how shared content is handled. If you want a standalone assistant outside Microsoft products, look at ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
Who is it for?
Copilot suits office workers and corporate teams who use Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams every day. For someone who does not use Microsoft products, the benefit may be limited.
Plans and access (checked October 2026)
- Developer: Microsoft.
- A free Copilot is offered, which Microsoft describes as a limited free version subject to available capacity and limits.
- Paid options for individuals are bundled with Microsoft 365: Personal, Family and Premium. These add Copilot inside the desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook apps.
- On Family plans, Copilot features are available only to the subscription owner.
- Not to be confused with GitHub Copilot, which is a separate coding assistant.
These details were checked against the sources below on 17 October 2026. Plans and features change often, so confirm them on the official page before you decide.
Sources
Keep exploring
Comparisons and more: GitHub Copilot vs Cursor · All AI tools · Ready-made prompts. The information on this page is general; features, plans and prices change often, so check the current details on the official Microsoft Copilot page.