# Microsoft Copilot one-page setup guide

Last refreshed: 10 June 2026

## Best fit

Copilot is usually the best first assistant when the business already lives in Microsoft 365: Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive and SharePoint.

## First-week setup

1. Confirm which Copilot access people have: free Copilot, Copilot Pro, Microsoft 365 Copilot, or Copilot Chat for work.
2. Pick one familiar place to start, usually Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel or Copilot Chat.
3. Use a simple prompt shape: goal, context, source material and expected output.
4. Agree the business data rule before staff paste customer, staff or commercial information.
5. Save two or three reusable prompts for common weekly work.

## Good first uses

- Summarise a long email thread into decisions and actions.
- Turn meeting notes into actions, owners and missing decisions.
- Draft a first Word document from bullet points.
- Ask for a clearer version of a policy, customer update or internal note.

## Watch-outs

- Features vary by licence, app, admin setting and account type.
- Work-mode answers depend on the files and permissions Copilot can access.
- Excel works best when data is clean, labelled and structured.
- Always check facts, tone and private information before sending.

## Official references

- Microsoft 365 Copilot help: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot
- Prompt guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/get-started-writing-prompts-in-microsoft-365-copilot
- Copilot Chat FAQ: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/frequently-asked-questions-about-microsoft-365-copilot-chat

## Practical first prompt

Summarise the source below into decisions, actions, owners and missing information. Keep it factual. If the source does not say something, mark it as unknown rather than guessing.