Microsoft 365 Copilot: get started with work tasks

Key insights

• Use the Copilot home experience for work that draws on multiple sources; use Copilot in an app to work with the item open there.
• A prompt that describes your role and goals can help Copilot suggest useful tasks.
• Custom instructions can shape response style, such as using simple language or leading with recommendations.
• You can ask Copilot to remember preferences, review saved memories, and delete ones that are no longer relevant.
• Adding specific files, emails, or meetings helps direct Copilot to the sources you want it to use.

Microsoft 365 Copilot can help users move work forward by using work context, app-specific capabilities, and personalized instructions. It matters to employees who have a Copilot license and want to apply it to tasks beyond meeting summaries or basic questions. Lisa Crosbie [MVP] demonstrates a set of starting points in a YouTube video, including how to choose a Copilot experience, personalize responses, and point Copilot to relevant work materials.

What's new

This is a guide to using the Copilot experience described in the demonstration, not an announcement of a new feature. Its central idea is that Copilot can be used as a general work assistant in its home chat, or alongside a specific email, document, spreadsheet, or presentation in a Microsoft 365 app. The right starting point depends on whether the task spans several sources or centers on an item already open.

Crosbie describes Work IQ as the data and context Copilot can use in the user’s work environment, along with skills for working inside apps. In the demonstration, that context includes information the signed-in user can access, such as files, email, chats, meetings, calendars, and people they work with. She presents this as more than attaching a single file, because it can help Copilot relate information to the user’s work.

The distinction between the main chat and app experiences is practical. Use the main Copilot experience to ask a question or request work that may draw on different sources. Use Copilot inside an app when the task is tied to the email, document, spreadsheet, or presentation you are working on. The examples include drafting and rewriting in Word, working with data in Excel, and creating or adjusting content in PowerPoint.

Who it is for and what you need

The demonstration is aimed at people who have a premium Copilot license at work, including users who have had access for some time but are unsure how to use it. It does not identify a specific Microsoft 365 plan, prerequisite license, region, or rollout stage. It also does not explain how administrators assign licenses or configure the service, so those details should be checked separately for an organization.

Crosbie shows the main experience in a web browser at copilot.cloud.microsoft and says users can also open it through a Copilot taskbar icon. She notes that the demonstrated environment is a demo system, so its data and results do not represent a typical organization. The examples rely on access to relevant work information; the demonstration does not establish what sources are enabled in every tenant.

Work context does not mean that Copilot should be given more access than a user already has. In the demonstration, Copilot works with information available to the signed-in user. That makes the user’s existing access and the quality of the referenced material relevant to the result.

How it works

1. Choose where to begin. Open the main Copilot experience for a task that may involve multiple sources, or open Copilot in the Microsoft 365 app where you are working on a specific item.

2. If you are unsure what to ask, describe your role and work goals. Crosbie suggests a prompt along the lines of: “My role is [role]. My main goals at work are [A], [B] and [C]. Based on the capabilities you have available to me, suggest practical ways you can help me achieve these goals.” Treat the result as a starting point for follow-up questions.

3. Give the request enough context to define a task. Rather than using Copilot only as a search box, explain what you are trying to accomplish and what output would help. For example, the demonstration frames a budget request around reviewing a prior plan and proposing a reasonable increase with supporting rationale.

4. Point Copilot to the source material when the task depends on particular files or conversations. In the example, the plus button opens an “Add content” menu, with recent items and ways to browse people, files, meetings, and email. This can help when several versions or sources might otherwise make a broad search ambiguous.

5. Personalize responses from Settings. The demonstrated path is Settings, then Personalization, then Manage for custom instructions. Options shown include asking for clear, simple language, using or avoiding bullet points, and getting straight to the point. Save the customizations to apply them.

6. Use saved memories for preferences that should carry into later work. You can explicitly ask Copilot to remember information such as your email tone or terminology. Review saved memories in personalization settings and delete ones that no longer apply.

Conversations can retain context across follow-up prompts, which is useful when refining an answer. If the thread becomes confused or goes off track, Crosbie recommends starting a new conversation rather than continuing to correct a tangled exchange. Conversation history remains available for returning to earlier work.

Limitations and open questions

The demonstration does not provide a licensing comparison between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot, list eligible plans, or confirm availability by region. It also does not verify feature behavior across different organizational configurations. The article therefore cannot establish that every user with a Copilot icon has the same license or capabilities.

Results depend on the context available and how clearly the task and its sources are identified. Crosbie contrasts a simple search for a past budget with a more specific request that identifies the planning task and asks for a supported recommendation. She also cautions that the demo environment is clean and contains a small set of documents, unlike a workplace with multiple versions and collaborators.

Custom instructions and memories are different: instructions shape how Copilot responds, while a memory stores a detail it may use later. Both can be changed or removed in the demonstrated personalization controls. The walkthrough does not cover administrative controls, data retention, or troubleshooting when a license or feature is missing.

Sources

• Lisa Crosbie [MVP] demonstration of getting started with Copilot

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start with Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Start in the main Copilot experience for work that may use several sources. Use Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook when your task is centered on the item open there.

How do I personalize Microsoft 365 Copilot?

The demonstrated path is Settings > Personalization > Manage for custom instructions. You can also ask Copilot to remember preferences and review or delete saved memories in personalization settings.

How can I make Copilot use the right work files?

Describe the task and add relevant content through the plus button’s “Add content” menu. It offers recent items and ways to browse files, people, meetings, and email.

What Microsoft 365 license do I need for these features?

The demonstration is for people with a premium Copilot license at work, but it does not name a specific plan or prerequisite license. Check your organization’s licensing details for eligibility.