Copilot: Effortlessly Summarize Emails Your Way

Key insights

• Copilot Catch-up: Selectively Summarise Email is a new feature in Outlook that uses AI to create clear summaries of emails and long conversations, including attachments. This helps users quickly understand important messages without reading every email.


• Attachment Summarization allows users to get summaries of Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs directly in the Outlook reading pane. This works on web, desktop, and mobile versions, so users do not need to open each file separately.


• Interactive Follow-Up lets users ask questions about the generated summaries. This makes it easier to review key information and find specific details within email threads or attachments.


• User Control means users can customize Copilot by prompting it to focus on certain emails—such as those from a manager or within a specific date range—making catching up more efficient.


• Cross-Platform Convenience ensures that all features work across devices. Users benefit from time-saving tools like intelligent categorization and summarization whether they are on web, desktop, or mobile Outlook apps.


• The Copilot Pro Subscription adds advanced options like filtering emails by sender, priority, project, or date for even deeper control over email management. The new attachment summarization feature started rolling out from mid-May through late August 2025.

Introduction to Copilot Catch-up: Selectively Summarise Email

Microsoft has recently upgraded the Outlook experience with its innovative feature, Copilot Catch-up: Selectively Summarise Email. Introduced as part of Microsoft 365, this tool aims to help users navigate overwhelming inboxes by providing concise, AI-powered summaries of both emails and their attachments. The feature is especially designed for those who find themselves buried under lengthy conversations or returning from time away, as it distills essential information and highlights urgent matters.

The technology, showcased in a recent YouTube video by Darrell Webster Modern Work Mentor, demonstrates how this new capability can transform daily email management. By leveraging artificial intelligence, Copilot Catch-up allows users to quickly determine which messages demand their attention, streamlining the entire process of catching up on emails.

How Does Copilot Catch-up Work?

At its core, Copilot Catch-up uses advanced AI to summarize entire email threads, highlight key points, and extract action items. For example, if a user has missed several messages in a conversation, Copilot will generate a summary that organizes information by project, priority, sender, or even specific date ranges. This tailored approach ensures that users only see what matters most to them.

A notable addition is the attachment summarization capability. Now, users can access summaries of Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs directly within the Outlook reading pane. This means there is no longer a need to open each file individually, saving valuable time and making it easier to stay informed. Furthermore, Copilot supports interactive follow-up, allowing users to ask additional questions about the summarized content for deeper clarity.

Advantages and Tradeoffs of Selective Summarization

One of the main benefits of this feature is its significant time-saving potential. Users can quickly review high-priority emails and action points, which is particularly useful after being away from work or during busy periods. Additionally, the cross-platform nature of Copilot ensures that these summaries are available on the web, desktop, and mobile devices, providing flexibility to users regardless of their preferred device.

However, there are some tradeoffs to consider. While AI-generated summaries can increase productivity and reduce time spent on email, there is a risk that some nuanced information may be missed if it is not highlighted by the algorithm. Users must balance the convenience of quick summaries with the need for thoroughness, especially when dealing with complex or sensitive communications.

New Features and Expanding Capabilities

Recent updates have expanded the reach and functionality of Copilot Catch-up. The feature now includes the ability to summarize attachments, with a simple "Summarise" command accessible via the attachment’s context menu. This rollout, which began in mid-May and is expected to conclude by late August 2025, further enhances the user experience by eliminating extra steps in accessing important information.

Moreover, Copilot for Sales users benefit from enhanced third-party insights, providing richer context and more detailed summaries. The tool is also becoming broadly available across all major platforms, ensuring that more users can take advantage of its capabilities. For those with a Copilot Pro subscription, there are advanced options for filtering and categorizing emails, enabling even more targeted and complex queries.

Basic Usage and Practical Application

Getting started with Copilot Catch-up in Outlook is straightforward. Users simply open the Outlook app and select the Copilot icon. From there, they can enter prompts such as, "Summarize emails from my manager sent between [dates]" or "List all the high-priority emails I received during the last week." This level of customization allows users to focus on what is most relevant to their roles.

To summarize attachments, a user right-clicks or taps the three-dot menu on the file and selects "Summarise." The summary then appears below the email content, making it easy to review key points without leaving the Outlook interface. This seamless integration is a clear example of how Microsoft continues to prioritize user efficiency and productivity.

Conclusion: A Step Forward in Email Productivity

In summary, Microsoft 365 Copilot’s "Catch-up: Selectively Summarise Email" marks a major advancement in intelligent email management. By combining AI-driven insights with practical usability, it empowers users to efficiently process large volumes of communication and attachments. While there are considerations around balancing speed with depth of understanding, the feature’s time-saving advantages and cross-platform support make it a valuable addition for modern professionals.

As more organizations adopt these tools, the challenge will be to ensure that important details are not overlooked while leveraging the efficiency benefits of automated summarization. Ultimately, Copilot Catch-up offers a compelling solution for anyone seeking to stay on top of their inbox in a fast-paced digital world.

Keywords

Copilot email summary selective summarization AI email assistant productivity tools Microsoft Copilot email management