Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word significantly boosts work. With these five tips, learn how to use the tool to create, edit, and manage content.

With Microsoft 365 Copilot, Word users can streamline their work in many ways. Read our five tips for using Copilot effectively in text creation, editing, and content management.

1. Content drafting from existing information

Copilot offers an efficient way to create content by leveraging existing documents. This feature is handy when composing new text from previous sources without time-consuming manual data transfer.

You can ask Copilot to include information from up to three Word or PowerPoint files and create a draft of a new document based on them.

Practical tip: If you have multiple documents about which you need information, you can write a prompt to Copilot like “Draft a report using documents X, Y, and Z.” This saves time and helps you produce a cohesive whole quickly.

2. Compress and process PDF files effortlessly

Working with PDF files can be challenging, but Copilot smooths this process. You can summarize the content of a PDF file or compare two PDF files directly in Word. This function is especially helpful in situations where you have contract documents that you need to summarize or compare different versions of.

Practical tip: Use Copilot’s PDF features to analyze customer contracts. Ask, for example, “Summarize the contract” or “Compare two PDF documents.” This saves time from manual comparison and helps focus on the key differences.

3. Bing search and data collection directly in Word

Sometimes, background information or facts need to be looked up during the writing process. Copilot’s integrated Bing search allows you to search for information directly from Word without leaving the document. This enables uninterrupted writing and data acquisition on one platform.

Practical tip: When you need more detailed information, you can ask Copilot directly, for example, “What are the most important market trends in 2024?” Copilot searches for the answer and brings it directly to Word, saving you time and getting current information into the workspace.

4. Detailed analysis and summarization of discussions and meetings

If you’re working on extensive meeting notes or project discussions, Copilot can help you condense and structure the information so it’s easy to understand. Copilot can also combine text-based discussions with meeting notes to find all relevant information in one condensed summary.

Practical tip: When you have a large number of meeting notes, you can ask Copilot to summarize the main points of the conversation by typing “Summarize the last meeting.” This feature is excellent for project monitoring and reporting, as it allows you to present the most important information compactly.

5. Referencing and integrating content into wider documents

With Copilot, you can reference larger blocks of content and use up to 75,000 words as a source in a document. This provides flexibility, especially when writing extensive project plans or reports. You can add information from different sources within the organization, and Copilot integrates it seamlessly into the document.

Practical tip: Take advantage of the possibility of a wider reference when working on a document that requires comprehensive background information. For example, you can write, “Add background information about document X to the presentation draft,” Copilot will fill out the section you requested with extensive content. This reduces manual information searching and guarantees that everything you need can be found in one place.

Learn to master the use of Copilot by experimenting

Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word brings efficiency and flexibility to content creation. Using Copilot versatilely, you can save time, structure information more clearly, and create more professional documents. With these five tips, you can use Copilot’s best features and get significant advantages in your writing work.

Do you want to make the most of Copilot? Read more about our Copilot training.