March 3/20/25 Tech Tips

What you need to know about copilot and new features at your fingertips.

Copilot Overview

Copilot is an intelligent, AI-powered tool developed by Microsoft. It's designed to assist, inform, and inspire users—whether that's answering questions, brainstorming ideas, writing content, or solving problems. Think of it as your versatile, ever-curious digital sidekick ready to make your life a little easier and a lot more interesting. Copilot is widely used to enhance productivity, creativity, and efficiency across various tasks. It serves as a powerful writing assistant, helping users draft professional emails, detailed reports, and other documents with clarity and precision. Additionally, Copilot handles repetitive tasks such as formatting documents, generating formulas, or scheduling meetings, allowing users to focus on more strategic activities. It also excels in providing insights and summaries, offering quick overviews of lengthy documents, email threads, or datasets, and ensuring users stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.

Where is Copilot?

The Copilot website is the easiest way to access Copilot. You are instantly greeted with a screen ready and able to help. You can simply type in your command or if you click the microphone a near-human voice greets you ready for you to say a command. There are also autogenerated prompts under the "search bar" detailing the most used prompts. If you were to click the Copilot icon Copilot will even suggest topics on people's minds recently.

Copilot via your Windows device is very similar to the website. It has basically the same capabilities like summarizing documents, creating images, answering questions, and looking through an uploaded document. Both website and Windows extensions do allow you to change the theme from day to night as well!

It should come as no surprise that you can also download the Copilot app to your Android or Apple phones. Once again the app allows for a similar experience as the website and Windows extension.

Saving the best for last (at least in my opinion) we have the Copilot extension when using Microsoft Edge. To use this feature simply click into Edge and find the Copilot icon in the top right corner of your browser window. The reason this version of Edge is so beneficial to users is Copilot has the ability to summarize or answer questions about a window you are currently sitting in. It really comes in handy for those lengthy articles no one has time to read.

Differences Between Copilot and Other AI

Generative AI tools, like Copilot, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini, are converging on features such as voice input and image analysis. However, Copilot still has unique advantages, including conversational voice interaction, integration with Microsoft Office apps and the Edge browser, and seamless productivity enhancements like integration with other office applications. While Gemini offers similar tools in Google Docs, Chrome lacks an equivalent to Copilot's Edge features.

Copilot Subscription

While all the things listed above are free and easy to use it is important to note the things you can get if you have an M365 subscription. Copilot can be integrated into Microsoft apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams. Check out some features you get with the paid subscription.

When Copilot is integrated into apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, it acts as a powerful assistant to enhance productivity and creativity. Here's a glimpse of what it can do:

Word

• Generate text, like drafts of documents or creative pieces, based on your prompts.

• Rewrite or improve your text for clarity, conciseness, or tone.

• Summarize long documents or highlight key points.

• Provide suggestions for formatting or structuring your documents.

Excel

• Analyze data and create summaries or visualizations.

• Write complex formulas and automate repetitive tasks.

• Provide insights, trends, or patterns based on your data.

• Build pivot tables or charts with ease.

Outlook

• Draft email responses based on the context of received emails.

• Summarize long email threads to help you quickly catch up.

• Help organize your calendar by scheduling meetings or prioritizing tasks.

• Suggest email content that matches your tone and intent.

Teams

• Summarize meetings in real-time or provide key takeaways afterward.

• Assist in creating agendas or follow-up notes.

• Help with brainstorming during group chats or meetings.

• Offer insights during discussions by surfacing relevant information.

In summation, Copilot can be used across multiple devices and browsers. Copilot makes your life easier and far less frustrating. Check out one of the tips listed above to further your knowledge of Copilot.

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