Test Community Network logoThe 365 Copilot Guide
All tiers
Ask & create

Ask, talk, draft and rewrite

Start here if you are new to Copilot. These are the everyday capabilities that help you think, write, explain, summarise and create without needing to understand agents, automation or governance first.

Typical products and features

  • Copilot Chat
  • Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps
  • Voice where available

Best-fit users

  • Anyone getting started with Copilot

Extra cost risk: Usually low; exact availability depends on licence and tenant configuration

Watch-outs

  • Start with what you want to accomplish, then check whether your organisation permits the use and the information involved.
  • Use the AI Redlines for boundaries that should not be delegated to AI.
  • Licensing, privacy and governance detail is available separately for users who need it.

Example use cases (9)

Ask & createLow risk

Have a voice conversation with Copilot

Use voice to ask questions, think out loud, explore ideas or discuss work without typing, where voice is available.

AI required

Where: Copilot voice-enabled experiences

Ask & createLow to medium - summaries can omit detail risk

Summarise content

Ask Copilot to shorten a long document, email thread or other content into the key points, actions or themes you need.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat / Microsoft 365 apps

Ask & createLow - check important facts and decisions risk

Ask questions and explore ideas

Ask Copilot to explain something, suggest options, brainstorm approaches or help you think through a problem.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat

Ask & createLow to medium - meaning can change during rewriting risk

Rewrite or improve text

Paste or reference text and ask Copilot to make it clearer, shorter, more formal, friendlier or easier to read.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat / Word / Outlook

Ask & createLow to medium - generated content needs review risk

Draft new content

Ask Copilot to create a first draft of an email, document, FAQ, report, briefing or other piece of content from your instructions.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat / Word / Outlook

Ask & createMedium risk

Build a project note space

Keep sources, notes and draft actions for a qualification update

AI required

Where: Copilot Notebooks

Ask & createLow risk

Convert chat output into a working page

Create an editable action plan from a Copilot answer

AI required

Where: Copilot Pages

Ask & createLow risk

Create an outline or plan

Give Copilot an objective and ask it to turn the idea into a structured outline, agenda, plan or set of next steps.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat / Word / Pages

Ask & createLow - use as challenge, not authority risk

Challenge an idea or plan

Ask Copilot to look for weaknesses, assumptions, missing questions, risks or alternative approaches in a draft idea or plan.

AI required

Where: Copilot Chat

Disclaimer: Always follow your organisation's internal guidance and policies regarding AI usage. The suggestions in this guide have been created to the best of accuracy, but Microsoft licensing, pricing and feature availability change frequently — treat them as a planning baseline, not a procurement quote.
Work with documents: Read, compare, consolidate and complete documents