Copilot in Word can help you draft content, reshape existing text, and understand a document—but what you can use depends on your license, app, organization settings, and rollout. Here are eight practical ways to use it, plus the limits worth knowing before you rely on its output.
What Copilot can do in Word
1. Draft from a prompt
Ask Copilot for a brief, outline, or first draft, and specify the audience, purpose, tone, format, or length. You can also provide notes or reference files as starting material, then keep, discard, or refine the result. For example, ask it to draft a project brief for a particular audience and include the goals and constraints you provide. Microsoft’s Word overview explains its drafting features.
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2. Follow an existing document’s structure
Copilot can use a template or an existing document’s format and structure as a model for new content. This is useful when a report or proposal needs to follow an established layout. Provide the relevant source material and check that the new draft follows the structure you intended. Microsoft’s drafting guidance describes working from source material and existing formats.
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Ask Copilot to expand the document you are working in with a section, paragraph, checklist, or table. The Edit with Copilot experience works in the current document; it does not create a separate new Word file. Microsoft’s Edit with Copilot guide covers in-document editing and its availability.
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4. Rewrite selected text
Select a passage and ask for a different tone, a more concise version, or another rewrite. Review the proposed wording before inserting or replacing your original; a rewrite can change emphasis or meaning as well as style. Microsoft’s selected-text guide describes the rewrite workflow.
5. Reorganize content or turn it into a table
Ask Copilot to reorganize material or format it in a supported way. For example, you can request a table based on selected text, then decide whether to use, insert, or regenerate the result. Check that the structure preserves the relationships between items and that no important detail was dropped. Microsoft’s editing guidance covers supported transformations.
6. Summarize a long document
Ask Copilot for the key points or a summary in chat. Depending on your settings and license, a summary may also appear when you open a document. Treat a summary as a navigation aid: check the original when a detail, qualification, or exception matters. Microsoft’s FAQ explains document summaries.
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Ask for a detail, an explanation of a section, action items, or open questions. Microsoft says responses can include references to where the information appears in the document. Follow those references back to the source text before acting on an answer. Example prompts include “Summarize this document in five bullets” and “What action items does it identify?” Microsoft’s FAQ describes asking questions about a document.
8. Create and revise content in place
In the newer Edit with Copilot experience, Copilot can create, refine, format, and restructure content directly in the document. This goes beyond asking for text in a separate chat response: the work happens in the open document, with controls for reviewing edits. Microsoft describes the experience as rolling out, and availability depends on license eligibility. Check Microsoft’s guidance for the feature’s current availability and behavior.
Why the features you see may differ
Word Copilot requires an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription and/or Microsoft Copilot license. Feature visibility can also depend on platform, app version, organization settings, and rollout; Edit with Copilot has its own license and rollout conditions. If Copilot is missing, check the account and subscription you are using, your organization’s settings, and whether Word is up to date. Microsoft’s overview and Edit with Copilot guide describe access conditions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Copilot cannot do in Word
Microsoft lists several tasks Copilot does not support. Use Word’s built-in features for these instead:
- Create a separate new Word file.
- Provide an exact word count.
- Create native Word charts.
- Directly move, resize, or edit existing media.
For shared documents, Edit with Copilot may show suggested changes for review before they are applied in some circumstances. The behavior depends on the editing mode and Track Changes controls, so check the options shown in your own version before accepting changes. Microsoft’s list of Copilot capabilities and limits covers unsupported tasks.
How to check Copilot’s work
Use generated content as a draft, not as verified fact. Microsoft advises users to review, edit, and verify AI-generated content before relying on it. Check details that could cause problems if wrong, including figures, names, citations, policy statements, and sensitive information. Microsoft Support’s FAQ gives the same guidance.
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