Microsoft 365 Copilot: Chat, Cowork, Workspaces and Projects

Key insights

• The new interface puts Copilot Chat and Cowork in one message box.
• In Chat, a forward slash can surface agents; in Cowork, it can surface skills.
• Copilot Workspaces is the new name for Notebooks, according to the walkthrough.
• Projects are presented for work spanning several conversations and outputs.
• Features are rolling out in stages, so the interface may differ between tenants.

Microsoft 365 Copilot brings Chat and Cowork into one message box and adds Workspaces and Projects to organize work that extends beyond a single prompt. The changes matter to Copilot users deciding where to start a task and how to keep its context and outputs together. Daniel Anderson [MVP] demonstrates the interface and examples in a YouTube walkthrough.

What's new

The walkthrough describes a connected Copilot experience with separate capabilities for different kinds of work. Chat and Cowork share a message box, but their slash-command suggestions differ: the description says Chat can surface agents, while Cowork can surface skills. The same interface also includes Copilot Code, Workspaces and Projects.

These names indicate distinct ways to organize or carry out work, rather than one generic chat mode. A user can choose a model and effort level, and the model picker is in a different place in Chat than in Cowork. The material does not specify the available models, effort settings or exact menu locations, so users should check the controls visible in their own tenant.

Copilot Workspaces is described as the new name for Notebooks. The walkthrough’s examples include bringing documents together, asking questions about those documents, sharing a workspace with colleagues, and creating a Copilot Page. It also describes Pages as live in email and editing documents together. These examples suggest a place to work with a set of related materials, rather than treating every prompt as a separate task.

Projects are aimed at work that spans several conversations and outputs over time. The description says a project can include instructions and project context, as well as Cowork tasks. That makes Projects a candidate for ongoing work where keeping material and instructions together matters. It is not presented as interchangeable with an agent: the walkthrough explicitly considers when to use a project and when to create an agent.

Who it is for and what you need

The interface changes are relevant to people using Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, Cowork, Workspaces or Projects, especially those managing work across multiple conversations or documents. The source material does not list required roles, licenses, subscription plans, prerequisites, regions or administrator settings. It therefore does not establish which users can access each capability.

Rollout is described as staged, and the description warns that what appears in one tenant may differ from what appears in another. It does not give a rollout schedule, a general availability status, or a way for an administrator to force the experience on. Users and support teams should verify what is actually present in their tenant before documenting a new standard process.

The walkthrough uses a fictional customer-onboarding scenario called Harbour Desk. It is an example created for the demonstration, not evidence of a Microsoft-provided template or a real customer deployment. Treat the example as a way to understand the described workflow, not as a statement about supported onboarding features.

How it works

The source describes several paths through the interface, but does not provide a complete sequence of clicks or exact settings. These steps summarize the choices it names without assuming that every tenant has the same controls.

1. Start in the combined Chat and Cowork message box. Choose the mode that fits the task; use the slash suggestions to look for agents in Chat or skills in Cowork.
2. When working in Chat or Cowork, choose a model and effort level if those controls are available. Check the interface carefully because the model picker is described as being in different locations in the two modes.
3. For work based on a group of documents, use a Workspace. The described tasks include asking questions about its documents, sharing it with colleagues, and creating a Copilot Page.
4. For a longer effort involving several conversations and outputs, use a Project. Add project instructions and context, then use Chat or Cowork tasks within that project as appropriate.
5. For a task that needs an agent rather than an ongoing project space, consider creating an agent. The source identifies this as a choice, but does not give a decision rule or detailed setup steps.

Copilot Code is another capability mentioned in the walkthrough. Its example builds a working app from one prompt, and the description says the command /cost can check what it cost. No pricing, cost calculation method, availability requirements or safeguards are specified in the supplied material, so the example should not be treated as a pricing guide.

Limitations and open questions

The available details come from a video description and chapter outline, not a full transcript. They establish the capabilities the walkthrough covers, but not every interface control, exact workflow, supported file type or product limitation. The official Microsoft documentation linked below concerns the transition from Copilot Notebooks to Copilot Workspaces; the supplied material does not include its full guidance.

There is also no confirmed licensing or rollout information here. The description’s staged-rollout warning is the clearest availability caveat: controls and features may differ across tenants. It does not say whether the changes are preview features, what regions are included, or whether an admin can enable or disable any specific capability.

For practical adoption, first check whether Chat, Cowork, Workspaces and Projects appear in your tenant, then test which one fits the work at hand. Keep agent creation distinct from setting up a Project: the source flags them as alternatives for different needs but does not fully define the boundary. Copilot Code’s cost command is worth verifying in context before relying on it for budgeting.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: Copilot Notebooks to Copilot Workspaces
• Daniel Anderson [MVP] walkthrough of the Microsoft 365 Copilot interface

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Copilot Workspace and a Project?

The walkthrough describes Workspaces as a way to bring documents together and work on them, including with colleagues. Projects are for work spanning several conversations and outputs, with instructions and project context.

Is Copilot Workspaces the same as Copilot Notebooks?

The walkthrough calls Workspaces the new name for Notebooks, and Microsoft Support has documentation about the transition. The supplied material does not provide further migration details.

Do I need a specific Microsoft 365 Copilot license for these features?

The available source material does not state the required licenses or plans. Check the capabilities available in your tenant and consult current Microsoft licensing information.

Are the new Copilot interface features available in every tenant?

No such universal availability is established here. The description says features are rolling out in stages and that the experience may differ by tenant.