Microsoft 365 Copilot
AskZyro PickMicrosoft's workplace AI assistant for drafting documents, analysing spreadsheets, managing email, summarising Teams meetings and finding information across Microsoft 365.
Best for
Businesses already working extensively in Microsoft 365.
Skip it if
Your documents, email and meetings mainly live outside Microsoft's ecosystem.
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Independently researched · Pricing checked 31 July 2026 · 14-minute read
The 30-second verdict
Microsoft 365 Copilot is one of the most capable workplace AI tools available, but its real value depends heavily on how much of your organisation already lives inside Microsoft 365.
It can draft and rewrite documents in Word, analyse data in Excel, build presentations in PowerPoint, summarise email threads in Outlook and produce recaps and action points from Teams meetings. It can also search across the files, messages and meetings that each user has permission to access.
Read our full verdict ↓Collapse ↑
That integration is its biggest advantage. Instead of continually uploading files to a separate chatbot, employees can ask questions and create content from within the applications they already use.
However, Microsoft 365 Copilot is not a magic switch for productivity. Licensing can be complicated, results still require checking, and organisations with messy permissions may find that Copilot makes previously overshared information easier to discover.
For businesses committed to Microsoft 365, it is an excellent AI layer across everyday work. For individuals and smaller teams using a mixture of platforms, ChatGPT, Claude or a specialised meeting assistant may provide better value.
1.0
Output quality
1.0
Ease of use
1.0
Value for money
Reviewed by AskZyro Editorial Team · 31 July 2026
Awaiting image
Product screenshot — Microsoft 365 Copilot in use — coming soon.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant built into Microsoft's workplace applications and services. Depending on the licence and administrator settings, it can appear in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, OneDrive, SharePoint, Planner, Forms, Whiteboard, Clipchamp and Viva. The main difference between Microsoft 365 Copilot and a standalone AI chatbot is access to workplace context. Copilot can use information from Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 services, subject to the individual user's permissions. That might include documents, email, calendar entries, meeting transcripts and organisational information. Microsoft refers to this contextual layer as Work IQ. It is designed to help Copilot understand not only the question being asked but also the files, people and workflows connected to the user's work. This makes prompts such as summarising the latest documents relating to a project, drafting a progress update using the week's emails and meeting notes, identifying decisions from a Teams meeting, turning a Word report into a presentation, finding reasons for sales decline in a spreadsheet, or writing a reply to an email using previous discussions possible. The exact information Copilot can use depends on licensing, administrator configuration and what the person asking the question is permitted to access. Copilot in Teams is a component of Microsoft 365 Copilot rather than a separate standalone product. It can summarise meetings, identify decisions, suggest action items and answer questions about what was discussed. During a supported meeting, users can ask what they missed, what decisions were made, what the action points are, who agreed to handle each task, where participants disagree, and what questions remain unanswered. After the meeting, when a transcript is available, users can continue asking Copilot about the meeting from the Teams chat or recap page. Copilot can use the meeting transcript, the meeting chat, relevant chat messages from up to 24 hours before the meeting, and associated meeting information available through Teams. Microsoft also provides Researcher and Analyst agents. Researcher is intended for multi-step workplace research, bringing together information from the web and authorised company sources. Analyst is designed for deeper data analysis, reasoning across datasets and producing calculations. Organisations can also extend Copilot using custom agents for answering policy questions, finding HR information, preparing account briefings or automating repeated business workflows.
What you can do with Microsoft 365 Copilot
Draft and edit Word documents
Create first drafts from prompts, rewrite passages, shorten or expand text and summarise longer documents for reports, proposals, briefing notes, policy drafts and project updates.
Analyse data in Excel
Explore spreadsheet data without requiring complex formula knowledge by identifying trends, explaining tables, suggesting formulas, producing charts and comparing periods.
Create presentations in PowerPoint
Generate presentations from prompts or existing documents, rewrite slide content, add speaker notes, reorganise presentations and create supporting imagery.
Summarise and draft email in Outlook
Summarise email threads, extract questions and requested actions, draft responses, adjust tone or length and prepare meeting invitations.
Search across workplace information
Locate information across connected Microsoft services by asking questions in natural language about files, decisions, deadlines or project context.
Use Researcher and Analyst agents
Conduct multi-step workplace research combining web and company sources or perform deeper data analysis with reasoning across datasets.
Create custom agents and workflows
Build agents to answer policy questions, find HR information, prepare account briefings, retrieve product documentation or automate repeated business workflows.
Summarise Teams meetings
Ask questions during meetings about what was missed, decisions made, action points and disagreements, with late-arrival catch-up summaries.
Review post-meeting recaps
Continue asking Copilot about meetings from the Teams chat or recap page using transcripts, meeting chat and associated information.
Prepare meeting briefings
Use workplace context to prepare for upcoming meetings with relevant documents, previous decisions and participant information.
Key features
AI chat for workplace questions
Copilot Chat provides secure, web-grounded AI chat available to eligible Microsoft 365 users.
Microsoft 365 data grounding
Copilot uses information from Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 services, subject to the user's existing permissions.
Enterprise search
Search across files, messages and meetings that each user has permission to access without remembering exact filenames or folders.
Word drafting and rewriting
Create first drafts from prompts, rewrite passages, shorten or expand text and summarise longer documents.
Excel analysis and formula assistance
Identify trends and anomalies, suggest or create formulas, produce charts, highlight important figures and compare periods.
PowerPoint presentation generation
Generate presentations from prompts or existing documents, rewrite slide content, add speaker notes and create supporting imagery.
Outlook thread summaries and reply drafting
Summarise email threads, extract questions and requested actions, draft responses and adjust tone or length.
Teams meeting summaries
Summarise meetings, identify decisions, suggest action items and answer questions about what was discussed during and after meetings.
Action-item and decision extraction
Automatically identify potential tasks, responsible participants and decisions from meetings and conversations.
Intelligent meeting recaps
Post-meeting recaps using transcript, meeting chat and associated information available through Teams.
OneDrive and SharePoint file assistance
Use SharePoint and OneDrive content the current user has permission to access.
Researcher and Analyst agents
Researcher for multi-step workplace research combining web and company sources; Analyst for deeper data analysis and reasoning.
Custom agents and workflows
Create agents to answer policy questions, find HR information, prepare account briefings or automate repeated business workflows.
Copilot Notebooks
Organise and work with related content across multiple sources in a shared workspace.
Image, infographic and video-generation features
Create visual content within supported Microsoft 365 applications.
Mobile and desktop access
Available across web, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
Microsoft Purview and administrator controls
Sensitivity labels, retention, audit, eDiscovery, data-loss prevention and identity controls.
Support for sensitivity labels and organisational permissions
Respects existing Microsoft 365 permissions and security configurations.
Connections to external business data
Connect with external data sources through supported Microsoft Graph connectors.
Copilot Studio
Platform for creating and managing custom agents and automated workflows.
Pricing
Checked 31 July 2026| Plan | Price | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot Chat | No additional cost for eligible users | Secure web-grounded Copilot chat, uploaded files, access to supported agents | Testing basic chat before purchasing |
| Copilot Business add-on | $18/user/mo promotional annual ($21 regular) | Copilot across Microsoft 365 apps, workplace grounding, agents, analytics | Businesses with existing M365 subscriptions |
| Copilot Business monthly | $25.20/user/mo | Copilot Business add-on with monthly commitment | Monthly flexibility |
| Business Standard with Copilot | $23.50/user/mo annual | Office apps, business email, Teams, cloud storage and Copilot | New or small businesses needing everything |
| Business Premium with Copilot | $32/user/mo annual | Standard features plus additional security, identity and device-management tools | Organisations needing stronger security |
Copilot Chat
No additional cost for eligible users
Best for: Secure web-grounded Copilot chat, uploaded files, access to supported agents
Includes: Testing basic chat before purchasing
Copilot Business add-on
$18/user/mo promotional annual ($21 regular)
Best for: Copilot across Microsoft 365 apps, workplace grounding, agents, analytics
Includes: Businesses with existing M365 subscriptions
Copilot Business monthly
$25.20/user/mo
Best for: Copilot Business add-on with monthly commitment
Includes: Monthly flexibility
Business Standard with Copilot
$23.50/user/mo annual
Best for: Office apps, business email, Teams, cloud storage and Copilot
Includes: New or small businesses needing everything
Business Premium with Copilot
$32/user/mo annual
Best for: Standard features plus additional security, identity and device-management tools
Includes: Organisations needing stronger security
Strengths, limitations & watch-outs
What it does brilliantly
- Excellent Microsoft 365 integration
- Uses relevant workplace context through Microsoft Graph
- Strong Teams meeting workflow with in-meeting questions
- Late-arrival catch-up summaries
- Post-meeting recaps with action and decision extraction
- Broad range of applications across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams
- Enterprise security controls through Microsoft Purview
- No separate meeting bot required for Teams
- Researcher and Analyst agents for advanced research and data analysis
- Custom agents and workflows for extended use
- Copilot Notebooks for organising related content
- Sensitivity labels and organisational permissions support
- Familiar Microsoft interface for existing users
- Central administration for large organisations
- Mobile and desktop access across platforms
- Copilot Chat available at no additional cost for eligible users
- Bundled plans offer good value for smaller organisations
- Strong enterprise compliance and governance features
Where it falls short
- Most useful only inside Microsoft's ecosystem
- Licensing is complicated and depends on multiple factors
- Output still needs checking for accuracy
- Existing permission problems become more visible
- Deployment requires preparation including permission reviews
- May be excessive for simple requirements
- No standard free trial for the complete product
- Teams licence may be required separately from Copilot licence
- Advertised promotional prices may change
- Cannot join Zoom or Google Meet meetings natively
- Speaker attribution can be incorrect
- AI-generated recaps are not formally approved minutes
- Agent governance introduces additional complexity
- Broad rollout without training can waste licences
- Not suitable for Google Workspace-first organisations
- Metered services and agent costs may apply on top of base pricing
What to know before paying
- Businesses using Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Notion and other non-Microsoft platforms may not gain the same level of value.
- Pricing depends on the underlying Microsoft 365 subscription, the Copilot licence, whether Teams is included, annual or monthly commitment, company size, country, enterprise agreements, security requirements and possible charges for agents or metered services.
- Copilot can misunderstand a spreadsheet, overlook context or write a confident summary that does not accurately reflect the source.
- Many organisations have files that are technically available to far more employees than intended. Copilot can make that information easier to locate and combine.
- A successful rollout may require permission reviews, SharePoint and OneDrive clean-up, sensitivity labels, retention policies, employee training, approved-use policies, agent governance and ongoing administrator involvement.
- A user who only wants occasional meeting transcription or help drafting text may receive better value from a specialised or general-purpose AI tool.
- The advertised price may not represent the organisation's total cost.
- Copilot may be unavailable when the meeting is hosted outside the participant's organisation.
- For post-meeting access, a transcript normally needs to be available.
Privacy & data
Microsoft states that Microsoft 365 Copilot operates within the Microsoft 365 service boundary and applies the user's existing identity and access permissions. Prompts, responses and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train the underlying foundation language models.
Copilot can work with Microsoft 365 security and compliance systems, including features relating to sensitivity labels, retention, audit, eDiscovery, data-loss prevention, Microsoft Purview, and identity and access controls. The exact controls available depend on the organisation's Microsoft licences and configuration.
Copilot does not see every company file. It is supposed to retrieve information the current user is authorised to access. The important caveat is that an organisation's existing permissions may already be too broad. A file stored in an open SharePoint site or incorrectly shared folder could appear in a Copilot response because the user technically has access to it. Organisations should review permissions and oversharing before a wide deployment.
Employees should not assume their workplace Copilot activity is private from their organisation. Depending on company policies, licensing and administrator configuration, activity may be subject to logging, auditing, retention, legal discovery and compliance controls. Users should treat Microsoft 365 Copilot as a company system rather than a personal private chatbot.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed for organisational use and offers enterprise data protection, but employees must still follow their employer's data-handling policies. Highly sensitive data may require particular labels, restrictions or approval. External agents, connectors and generated files can create additional routes through which information is shared, so each integration should be reviewed.
Commercial use
Microsoft 365 Copilot is designed for business and enterprise use. Companies can use it to assist with commercial documents, presentations, analysis, internal research and customer communication, subject to their Microsoft agreement and applicable laws.
Businesses remain responsible for reviewing generated content and ensuring that it does not infringe third-party rights, reveal confidential information, make unsupported claims, contain inaccurate advice, breach regulatory requirements or misrepresent AI-generated work as professionally verified.
Human review is particularly important before publishing marketing claims, issuing formal policies, communicating legal positions or making decisions about employees and customers.
Alternatives to Microsoft 365 Copilot
| If you need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible general-purpose AI | ChatGPT | Broader standalone assistant with extensive writing, research and analysis capabilities |
| Google Workspace users | Google Gemini | Native integration with Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet |
| Long documents and careful writing | Claude | Strong document analysis and natural long-form output |
| Straightforward meeting notes | Fathom | Specialised meeting recorder with an accessible free plan |
| Live transcription | Otter.ai | Dedicated transcripts and searchable meeting conversations |
| Meeting intelligence and integrations | Fireflies.ai | Works across multiple meeting platforms and business applications |
| Polished personal meeting notes | Granola | Combines a user's notes with an AI-generated transcript |
| Teams working in Notion | Notion AI | AI writing, search and knowledge assistance inside a Notion workspace |
If you need…
Flexible general-purpose AI
Choose
Why
Broader standalone assistant with extensive writing, research and analysis capabilities
If you need…
Google Workspace users
Choose
Why
Native integration with Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Meet
If you need…
Long documents and careful writing
Choose
Claude
Why
Strong document analysis and natural long-form output
If you need…
Straightforward meeting notes
Choose
Why
Specialised meeting recorder with an accessible free plan
If you need…
Live transcription
Choose
Why
Dedicated transcripts and searchable meeting conversations
If you need…
Meeting intelligence and integrations
Choose
Why
Works across multiple meeting platforms and business applications
If you need…
Polished personal meeting notes
Choose
Why
Combines a user's notes with an AI-generated transcript
If you need…
Teams working in Notion
Choose
Notion AI
Why
AI writing, search and knowledge assistance inside a Notion workspace
More productivity tools to consider:
Fathom
Productivity
AI meeting assistant for automatic transcripts, summaries, action items and searchable conversation insights.
Fireflies.ai
Productivity
AI meeting assistant for transcription, summaries, conversation intelligence and automated workflows in more than 100 languages.
Granola
Productivity
Bot-free AI meeting notepad that turns rough notes and conversation context into clear summaries, actions and follow-ups.
Otter.ai
Productivity
AI meeting assistant for live transcription, automated summaries, searchable conversations and action items.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot the same as Microsoft Copilot?+
No. Microsoft Copilot is a broader name used across Microsoft's AI products. Microsoft 365 Copilot is the workplace version connected to Microsoft 365 applications and organisational information.
Is Teams Copilot the same as Microsoft 365 Copilot?+
Copilot in Teams is a component of Microsoft 365 Copilot. It is not normally a separate standalone product.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot free?+
The complete product is paid. Copilot Chat is available at no additional cost to eligible Microsoft 365 users, but it does not provide every application and workplace-data feature of the paid licence.
How much does Microsoft 365 Copilot cost?+
Microsoft displayed a promotional annual price of $18 per user per month for Copilot Business when this guide was checked. The regular annual price was shown as $21. Pricing varies by market, plan and commitment.
Can I buy Copilot without Microsoft 365?+
The full Microsoft 365 Copilot workplace product generally requires an eligible underlying Microsoft 365 subscription. Microsoft also provides consumer Copilot products with different features and terms.
Does Microsoft 365 Copilot include Teams?+
A Teams licence may be required separately. This depends on the customer's underlying Microsoft 365 package and region.
Can Copilot take meeting notes?+
Yes. It can create meeting summaries, identify decisions and suggest action items in supported Teams meetings. The results should be reviewed before being treated as official minutes.
Does Copilot record meetings?+
Recording, transcription and Copilot are related but distinct Teams settings. Copilot can work during certain meetings without retaining data afterwards, while continued post-meeting access generally requires a transcript.
Can Copilot transcribe a meeting without recording it?+
Teams can provide transcription separately from a video recording in supported configurations. The meeting organiser and organisation's policies determine which features are enabled.
Can people use Copilot after a Teams meeting?+
Yes, when the necessary transcript and permissions are available. Users can ask questions from the meeting chat or recap.
Does Copilot tell participants it is being used?+
Teams provides meeting controls and indicators around transcription, recording and Copilot availability. Organisations should still establish clear meeting-consent and AI-use policies.
Can Copilot join Zoom or Google Meet?+
Microsoft 365 Copilot's native meeting features are primarily designed for Teams. A cross-platform meeting assistant such as Fathom, Otter or Fireflies may be more appropriate for mixed meeting platforms.
Can Copilot identify who said what?+
It can associate statements with speakers using Teams meeting information and the transcript, but speaker attribution can be wrong and should be checked when it matters.
Can Copilot create action items?+
Yes. It can suggest actions and owners from a meeting or conversation. These are AI interpretations and should be confirmed by the participants.
Can Copilot send email automatically?+
Copilot can draft email and assist with workflow automation. Whether an agent can take actions automatically depends on its configuration, permissions and organisational policies.
Can Copilot create PowerPoint presentations?+
Yes. It can create a presentation from a prompt or source document, rewrite content and help restructure slides.
Can Copilot analyse Excel spreadsheets?+
Yes. It can explain data, suggest formulas, identify trends and create charts. The workbook should be properly structured, and all important results need checking.
Can Copilot read SharePoint files?+
It can use SharePoint content the current user has permission to access, subject to Microsoft 365 configuration and indexing.
Can Copilot search my email?+
It can use eligible Outlook and Microsoft 365 information to help locate or summarise relevant email, subject to the user's permissions and licence.
Can Copilot access another employee's files?+
Only when the person using Copilot already has permission to access those files. Incorrect or overly broad permissions remain a significant governance risk.
Does Microsoft use company data to train its AI models?+
Microsoft says prompts, responses and Microsoft Graph data used by Microsoft 365 Copilot are not used to train the underlying foundation language models.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot GDPR compliant?+
Microsoft provides tools and contractual commitments intended to support organisations with GDPR compliance. Using Copilot does not automatically make every processing activity compliant; the organisation remains responsible for its lawful basis, notices, retention and data-handling practices.
Is Copilot suitable for confidential meetings?+
It can be used within an appropriately configured enterprise environment, but the organisation must consider participant consent, transcription policies, sensitivity, retention, permissions and applicable law.
Does Copilot make mistakes?+
Yes. It can hallucinate, omit information, misread data and produce incorrect summaries. Important outputs require human verification.
Can Microsoft 365 Copilot replace employees?+
It is better understood as a productivity assistant. It can accelerate portions of administrative, analytical and creative work, but it lacks human accountability, organisational judgement and reliable factual accuracy.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot better than ChatGPT?+
Copilot is usually stronger when the task depends on Microsoft 365 information and applications. ChatGPT is often more flexible for general writing, research, brainstorming and work spanning several platforms.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot better than Google Gemini?+
Copilot is the more natural choice for Microsoft 365 organisations. Gemini is generally the more natural choice for businesses centred on Google Workspace.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot worth it?+
It can be worth the price for employees who spend significant time in Microsoft documents, email, spreadsheets and Teams meetings. It is harder to justify when use is occasional or company information is distributed across non-Microsoft tools.
Can a business purchase licences for only some employees?+
Businesses can normally assign Copilot licences to selected eligible users rather than licensing everyone immediately. This makes a pilot deployment a sensible starting point.
What should a company do before introducing Copilot?+
Review SharePoint and OneDrive permissions, define acceptable-use rules, identify suitable users, check licensing, configure retention and compliance controls, provide training and decide how benefits will be measured.
Reviewed by AskZyro Editorial Team
We assess AI tools for output quality, ease of use, pricing, practical value and limitations. Where possible, we test tools directly and verify product and pricing details with the provider.
Last reviewed: 31 July 2026
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