If you use Microsoft Outlook for email you already have access to one of the most capable AI email assistants available — built directly into your inbox. Microsoft Copilot integrates seamlessly with Outlook, helping you draft emails, summarise long threads and manage your inbox more efficiently. This guide shows you exactly how to use it.
What is Microsoft Copilot in Outlook?
Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant — powered by the same technology as ChatGPT. Unlike standalone AI tools, Copilot works directly inside Outlook — meaning you get AI assistance without ever leaving your inbox.
The integration is available to:
- Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers with Copilot Pro — approximately £19/month ($24.99/month)
- Microsoft 365 Business subscribers with Copilot — approximately £25-30/month ($30-35/month) per user
- Limited free features available to all Outlook users
How to Access Copilot in Outlook
On desktop:
- Open Outlook and sign in with your Microsoft account
- Click New Email to compose
- Look for the Copilot icon — a small sparkle symbol in the compose toolbar
- Click it to access Copilot features
On Outlook web:
- Go to outlook.com and sign in
- Click New mail
- Look for the Copilot icon in the compose window toolbar
On mobile:
- Open the Outlook app on iOS or Android
- Tap New email
- Look for the Copilot icon in the compose toolbar
Feature 1 — Draft With Copilot
The most immediately useful Copilot feature in Outlook. When composing a new email:
- Click New Email
- Click the Copilot icon and select Draft with Copilot
- Describe what you need in plain language
- Copilot drafts the email directly in your compose window
- Edit and personalise before sending
Example prompts:
“Write a professional email to my team announcing a change to our weekly meeting from Tuesday to Thursday. Friendly and clear.”
“Write an email to a supplier chasing a late delivery that was due last week. Firm but professional.”
“Write a follow up email after a job interview for a marketing manager role. Enthusiastic and grateful. Under 150 words.”
Tone and length controls — Copilot lets you adjust the tone (direct, formal, casual, enthusiastic) and length (short, medium, long) before generating. This gives you more control than most AI email tools.
Feature 2 — Coaching by Copilot
This is one of Outlook Copilot’s most distinctive features. Rather than replacing your writing it analyses what you’ve written and gives you specific feedback.
- Write your email draft yourself
- Click the Copilot icon and select Coaching by Copilot
- Copilot analyses your email and gives feedback on:
- Tone — is it appropriate for the recipient and situation?
- Clarity — is the message clear and easy to understand?
- Reader sentiment — how is the recipient likely to feel reading this?
- Specific suggestions for improvement
This is particularly valuable for sensitive emails — a difficult message to a colleague, a complaint to a supplier, a request to a senior stakeholder — where getting the tone exactly right matters.
Feature 3 — Summarise Email Threads
Long email threads are one of the biggest time drains in any inbox. Copilot summarises any thread in seconds.
- Open a long email thread
- Look for Summary by Copilot at the top of the thread
- Click it for an instant summary of the key points, decisions made and action items
This is particularly useful for:
- Catching up on threads you’ve been copied into
- Understanding the history of a conversation before replying
- Extracting action items from lengthy discussions
- Quickly reviewing email chains before a meeting
Feature 4 — Copilot Sidebar
The Copilot sidebar in Outlook lets you ask questions about your emails and calendar in natural language — essentially a search and assistant function across your entire Microsoft 365 account.
Open the sidebar and ask:
“What emails do I have outstanding that need a reply?”
“Summarise everything I’ve received from [company] this month.”
“What meetings do I have tomorrow and are there any preparation materials in my emails?”
“Did anyone send me the agenda for next week’s team meeting?”
Copilot searches across your emails and calendar to give you direct answers — significantly faster than manual searching.
Feature 5 — Meeting Preparation
One of Copilot’s most practical features for busy professionals is meeting preparation. Before any meeting in your calendar Copilot can:
- Summarise relevant email threads related to the meeting topic
- Pull together key information from previous communications with the same people
- Suggest talking points based on the meeting context
- Identify any outstanding action items from previous meetings
This turns a five minute Copilot session before any meeting into a genuine preparation advantage.
Copilot in Outlook vs Gemini in Gmail
The most common comparison — and worth addressing directly.
Copilot wins for:
- Microsoft 365 integration — pulling context from Teams, SharePoint and other Microsoft tools
- Coaching by Copilot — the tone and sentiment feedback feature has no direct Gemini equivalent
- Meeting preparation — Copilot’s calendar and email integration for meeting prep is excellent
- Enterprise security — Microsoft’s compliance and data protection for business users
Gemini wins for:
- Google Workspace integration — if you use Google Docs, Sheets and Drive alongside Gmail
- Real time web information — Gemini’s Google Search integration gives it current information access
- Slightly more natural writing quality for some users
The honest verdict — if your organisation runs on Microsoft 365 use Copilot in Outlook. If your organisation uses Google Workspace use Gemini in Gmail. The ecosystem integration advantage outweighs the capability differences for most users.
For users who want the highest quality email drafting regardless of ecosystem — writing in Claude and pasting into Outlook or Gmail still produces the best results for important emails.
Privacy and Data
Microsoft has strong enterprise data protection credentials — particularly for Microsoft 365 Business users. Business Copilot data is not used to train AI models and is protected under Microsoft’s enterprise compliance framework.
For personal Microsoft accounts the data practices are less restrictive — check Microsoft’s privacy settings if this concerns you.
For maximum email privacy Lumo by Proton with Proton Mail offers end to end encrypted email with AI assistance — though without the Outlook specific integration.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
Be specific in your prompts — include who you’re writing to, what you need to communicate and what tone is appropriate. Vague prompts produce generic emails.
Use tone controls — Copilot’s tone adjustment options are genuinely useful. Take 10 seconds to set the right tone before generating rather than editing afterwards.
Always personalise — Copilot provides a strong starting point but your specific knowledge of the recipient makes every email better. Always read through and add personal touches before sending.
Use Coaching on important emails — for any email that matters run it through Coaching by Copilot before sending. The tone and sentiment feedback catches things you might miss.
Combine with Grammarly — run final drafts through Grammarly for a last proofread on important emails.
Recommended Products on Amazon
For Outlook power users:
- Logitech MX Keys Wireless Keyboard — a quality keyboard makes managing high email volumes significantly more comfortable
- Monitor for Home Office — more screen space makes managing Outlook alongside other Microsoft 365 tools much more efficient
- Electric Standing Desk — alternate between sitting and standing during long email sessions for better energy and focus
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