In this article
- What is a Copilot prompt?
- Is it Copilot Chat or Microsoft 365 Copilot?
- What is the Goal, Context, Source, Expectations formula?
- What should I ask Copilot in each app?
- Why does Copilot give vague or generic answers?
- What about permissions and privacy?
- When is Copilot the wrong tool?
- How to prompt Copilot: questions people ask
The short answer
To prompt Microsoft Copilot, state your goal, give the context, name the source file or thread to use, and describe what a good answer looks like. Work app by app: summarise threads in Outlook, draft from files in Word, question tables in Excel, and turn documents into slides in PowerPoint.
Copilot has an unfair advantage and an unfair reputation. The advantage is that it can see your emails, files and meetings. The reputation is that it gives bland answers. Both come from the same place: if you do not tell it where to look and what you want, it plays safe.
Here is how to prompt Microsoft Copilot so it earns its licence, with one prompt for each app you probably have open right now.
What is a Copilot prompt?
A Copilot prompt is the instruction you give Microsoft Copilot, either in the chat window or inside an app such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint or Teams. Copilot can use your work content, such as documents, emails and meeting transcripts, as well as the web, so a good prompt says which of those to draw on.
Is it Copilot Chat or Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Two things share the name and people mix them up. Check which one you have, because the prompts you can write depend on it.
| Copilot Chat | Microsoft 365 Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A chat assistant that may be included with your work account | The paid add-on that works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams |
| Sees your files and email? | Only what you paste or attach | Yes, what you already have permission to see |
| Prompt style | Self-contained: paste the material | Point at the file, meeting or thread |
If you are not sure which you have, ask your IT team, and check the current terms because Microsoft revises them often.
What is the Goal, Context, Source, Expectations formula?
Microsoft suggests a simple four-part shape for Copilot prompts. It works because it covers exactly what Copilot cannot guess.
| Part | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | What do you want? | Draft a reply to the supplier |
| Context | Why, and for whom? | They have missed two deliveries and we want to keep them |
| Source | Where should Copilot look? | The email thread from Tuesday and the contract in our Suppliers folder |
| Expectations | What does good look like? | Firm but friendly, under 120 words, end with a proposed date |
Draft a reply to Alan at Hartley Packaging. They have missed two deliveries this month and we want to keep them as a supplier. Use the email thread titled 'Delivery update' and the delivery terms in our contract. Firm but friendly, under 120 words, and end by proposing a call on Thursday.
What should I ask Copilot in each app?
In Outlook: clear the inbox backlog
Summarise this email thread in five bullet points. Then list any question addressed to me and anything with a deadline. Draft a short reply that answers the questions I can answer from the thread and flags the ones I cannot.
In Word: first drafts from your own files
Write a first draft of a one-page proposal for the Henley office refit. Base it on the meeting notes in 'Henley kickoff' and the pricing in 'Refit quote v3'. Use our usual headings: Summary, Scope, Timeline, Cost. Leave [CHECK] next to anything you have inferred.
In Excel: ask it about your numbers
Look at this table of monthly sales by region. Tell me which three regions have grown fastest over the last six months, which one is flat, and any month that looks unusual. Then add a column that shows each region's share of the total.
Excel works best when your data is a clean table with headers. If it is a patchwork of merged cells, tidy that first. Copilot is clever, not psychic.
In PowerPoint: a deck from a document
Create a ten-slide deck from the attached report for a board audience. One message per slide, written as a full-sentence headline. Put the recommendation on slide two. Keep the text short and suggest a chart where the report has numbers.
In Teams: after the meeting
Summarise today's meeting. List the decisions made, the actions with who owns each, and any disagreement that was left open. Keep it to one screen.
Why does Copilot give vague or generic answers?
Because the prompt gave it nothing specific to work from. Three habits fix most of it.
- Name the file or thread. In many apps you can type a slash and pick a document, or attach it, so Copilot reads that one instead of searching broadly.
- State the audience. A message to the board and a message to the warehouse are different.
- Ask it to mark guesses. "Put [CHECK] next to anything you inferred" turns invented detail into a review list.
| If Copilot... | Try |
|---|---|
| Gives a generic draft | Add: Base this only on [file]. Do not use general knowledge. |
| Misses the point of a thread | Ask: What is the one decision this thread is waiting for? |
| Produces slides full of text | Say: One idea per slide, headline in a full sentence, no more than 20 words of body. |
| Cannot find a document | Attach it directly or give the exact title and folder. |
What about permissions and privacy?
When is Copilot the wrong tool?
When your work does not live in Microsoft 365, or when you need long careful writing from a blank page, another assistant may do better. We compare them honestly in ChatGPT vs Copilot for business and Claude vs ChatGPT. If Copilot is your tool, the guides to how to use Copilot effectively and learning advanced Copilot are the next step.
How to prompt Copilot: questions people ask
What is the best way to prompt Microsoft Copilot?
Use four parts: your goal, the context, the source file or thread to use, and your expectations for the output. Naming the source matters most, because it stops Copilot giving a generic answer.
What is the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Copilot Chat is a chat assistant that may come with your work account and works from what you paste or attach. Microsoft 365 Copilot is the paid add-on that works inside your apps and can use your files, email and meetings that you have permission to see.
Why is Copilot giving me generic answers?
Usually the prompt did not point at specific content or say who the output is for. Name the file or thread, state the audience and ask Copilot to mark anything it inferred.
Is Microsoft Copilot safe for confidential business data?
It works within your existing permissions and Microsoft's commercial data protections, so tidy up over-shared files first and agree what staff may ask. See our AI Policy Workshop.
Can I use Copilot prompts in Excel and PowerPoint?
Yes. In Excel, keep your data in a clean table with headers and ask about trends or new columns. In PowerPoint, ask it to build a deck from a document with one message per slide.
Where can I get Copilot training?
We run a Microsoft Copilot Deep Dive and general Copilot training in the UK for teams.
Keep reading
Make your Copilot licences pay for themselves
Many businesses buy Copilot, then watch usage drop after week two. Our Copilot training puts prompts in your team's hands for the work they really do.
- Copilot Training UK Open to teams across the country.
- AI Policy Workshop Agree what staff may ask Copilot.
- Basic AI Training For colleagues new to AI.
- Microsoft Copilot Deep Dive A half day across the Microsoft 365 apps.
Harry Lang
Harry Lang founded The Oxford AI School in Witney, Oxfordshire. He trains UK businesses and teams to use AI well, writes the Marketing Unfiltered newsletter, and is the author of Learn To Fly With AI.