Copilot in Microsoft 365 for Beginners [2026 Update]

Name: Copilot in Microsoft 365 for Beginners [2026 Update]
Rating: 4.5 (17 reviews)

Boost Your Productivity: Harness the Power of Copilot to Automate Tasks and Focus on Strategic Success.

Created bySimon Sez IT

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

Locate where Copilot appears in-app and online to access AI assistance across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Differentiate between Microsoft Copilot Chat and in-app tools to choose the right AI partner for each specific task.
Write effective prompts using repeatable patterns to get accurate and professional results every time, including use of Agent mode.
Convert meeting notes and rough drafts into structured reports, proposals, and briefs within Microsoft Word.
Solve formula issues and analyze datasets in Excel to identify trends and anomalies quickly.
Build tailored PowerPoint presentations and templates that align with your specific audience and branding.
Organize your inbox by summarizing long email threads and drafting polished replies in Outlook.
Capture decisions and generate comprehensive meeting recaps with clear action items in Microsoft Teams.
Research topics and analyze images using the Edge sidebar to save time on gathering information.
Design surveys in Forms and transform extensive notes in OneNote into concise study guides or outlines.
Automate complex multi-step workflows using Copilot Agent Mode to generate dashboards, reports, presentations, and action plans from a single prompt.

Course content

9 sections • 74 lectures • 5h 58m total length

Course Introduction6:37
Explore how Copilot, the Microsoft 365 AI assistant, integrates with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneNote, and Loop, with DALL-E image generation and free access for small to medium organizations.
WATCH ME: Essential Information for a Successful Training Experience2:11
watch this video to learn essential information for a successful training experience. downloadable exercise files and instructor files accompany the course; unzip them, and adjust video quality and playback speed.
DOWNLOAD ME: Course Instructor Files0:23
DOWNLOAD ME: Course Exercise Files0:23
Overview of Microsoft 365 and Copilot Ecosystem4:33
Explore the three Copilot versions—free Copilot, Copilot Pro for individuals at $20/month with GPT-4 Turbo and Microsoft 365 app integration, and Copilot for Microsoft 365 for organizations at $30.
Overview of Microsoft Copilot Plans2:30
Visit the adoption center to watch videos, learn preparation steps, and discover how Copilot works. Join the Copilot community, explore role-based resources, prompts, and app-specific guides such as Excel.
How to Find Copilot In-app and Online5:10
Practice setup for Copilot in Microsoft 365 by confirming your Copilot license and login, and reviewing the Adoption Center Resource Library's prompt writing guidance before proceeding.
Adoption Center Resource Library6:38
Value of AI Assistance in Daily Workflows0:54

What Copilot Chat Is and How to Access It2:06
Set up Copilot by saving the workbook to the OneDrive linked to your Copilot license, turning autosave on, and converting data to a named Excel table such as Mega Sales.
Key Differences from In-App Copilot1:46
Discover how Copilot formats columns, rows, and cells in a Microsoft 365 table. Learn to apply table styles, autofit columns, and set short date and accounting formats.
Demonstration: Writing Prompts, Brainstorming & Event Planning3:17
Learn how Copilot builds and inserts formula columns in a table, adds total sales and operating margin columns in percentage format, and uses total rows to summarize data.
Course Exercise3:06
Copilot applies conditional formatting to tables via prompts, highlighting units sold above 1000 in yellow. Edit rules, bold top profits, data bars for margins, and bold red bottom sales.
Section Quiz

Where Copilot Appears in Word4:49
Create a presentation from scratch in PowerPoint with Copilot, detailing yoga history and poses in at least 15 slides, saved to OneDrive with designer refinements.
Typical Use Cases and Limitations3:54
Leverage Copilot to modify slide text, change backgrounds, and organize slides by adding collapsible sections, while navigating prompts and its current limitations.
Creating First Drafts From Prompts3:41
Turn a word document into a PowerPoint with Copilot by pasting a link or selecting a file, generate a slide outline, and redesign with designer and imagery.
Adjusting Tone, Length and Structure5:45
Learn to use Copilot with your company branded templates in PowerPoint by deleting slides, prompting for a bee-focused presentation, and preserving theme colors, fonts, and imagery consistency.
Editing, Rewriting and Refinement6:30
Practice Copilot in PowerPoint by creating a ten-slide presentation on Henry VIII's wives with designer formatting, then base another on the social media strategy file, deleting slides and adding sections.
Improving Clarity and Professionalism3:23
Simplifying or Expanding Content4:15
Summarising Long Documents2:44
Extracting Key Points and Action Items3:47
Converting Notes into Structured Documents6:11
Creating Reports, Proposals and Briefs5:41
Prompt Patterns for Repeatable Results7:38
Course Exercise7:21
Section Quiz

Overview of Copilot in Excel and Purpose3:11
Draft and refine documents in word using Copilot, generate formatted content with headings and bullets, and adjust tone from professional to casual before saving to OneDrive.
Understanding Data: Asking Questions About Datasets6:41
Explore how Copilot in Microsoft 365 enhances editing and rewriting of documents by turning bullet points into tables, offering tone options, and generating class or meeting templates.
Identifying Trends, Patterns and Anomalies6:23
Discover how Copilot in Microsoft 365 summarizes long documents into concise bullet points with a references section, expands on key points, and answers document-based questions.
Data Analysis: Generating Summaries and Explanations8:13
Use Copilot in Microsoft 365 to draft a photosynthesis document, revise to a casual tone, add a 'too long didn’t read' summary, and answer what light dependent reactions produce.
Data Analysis: Creating Charts and Pivot Charts8:42
Formatting Columns, Rows and Cells9:38
Applying Conditional Formatting7:59
Exploring Insights8:48
Creating Calculated Columns Part 110:13
Resolving Formula Issues with Copilot10:58
Creating Calculated Columns Part 27:30
Advanced Scenarios: Preparing Data for Reports6:37
Advanced Scenarios: Translating Business Questions into Data Insights6:30
Advanced Scenarios: Validating Copilot Output7:44
Course Exercise5:24
Section Quiz

Overview of Copilot in PowerPoint: Supporting Slide Creation3:35
Switch to the new outlook to unlock copilot’s full email drafting and rewriting features, explore the summarize tool, and use drafts and coaching by copilot from the message tab.
Create a Presentation from a Prompt3:33
Learn to draft professional emails with Copilot in Outlook by composing detailed prompts, setting tone and length, and generating drafts for scenarios like requesting leave.
Create Slides from Ideas or Documents4:38
Learn how to use Copilot in Outlook to summarize a customer email and draft a tailored reply, adjusting tone and length, with prompts, greetings, and revisions.
Controlling Structure and Flow5:23
Explore how Copilot coach helps craft better emails by suggesting courteous tone, avoiding defensiveness, and including empathy and policy details to retain customers.
Refining Slides and Content: Rewriting Slide Text5:53
Draft an outlook email about team weekend away in Wales with a packing list. Include wet weather and water activities, meet at 8 a.m. October 12, and bring packed lunch.
Creating PowerPoint Templates6:25
Improving Slide Sequencing7:10
Creating Summaries and Executive Views3:35
Advanced Presentation Workflows: Turning Reports into Presentations6:14
Advanced Presentation Workflows: Iterating Presentations for Different Audiences7:35
Advanced Presentation Workflows: Using Copilot for a Review and Improvement Tool6:48
Course Exercise9:11
Course Quiz

Using Copilot in Outlook: Drafting, Summarising and Replying to Emails2:53
Explore Copilot in Teams, drafting messages, rewriting content, and generating ideas from prompts and saved prompts. Capture meeting notes and actions, recap discussions, and brainstorm with Whiteboard and loop components.
Scheduling and Organising Meetings4:09
Create a five-day adults-only Greece itinerary in OneNote with Copilot, featuring Athens, Delphi, and Santorini. Generate a pre-travel checklist and note top Athens attractions to aid planning.
Where Copilot Shows Up in Teams3:39
Discover how to use Copilot inside Microsoft Loop to draft page content, create tables, and build loop components that stay synchronized across apps and pages.
Meeting Recap and Action Items2:13
Generate images with Copilot in Bing and describe them for alt text. Create YouTube thumbnail images, like a robot standing in front of an Excel spreadsheet, then save for use.
Generating Summaries and Decisions2:43
Demonstrate using Copilot in OneNote to build a red velvet cake recipe with manual checkboxes, then compare Copilot and Copilot Pro in Loop and share a features table in Teams.
Course Exercise6:27
Section Quiz

Using Copilot in Microsoft Edge Sidebar2:54
Celebrate finishing the copilot in Microsoft 365 for beginners course, exploring copilot across Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and Loop, with data analysis, drafting, notes, and reusable components.
Summarizing Web Content, Comparing Products, and Creating Lists3:32
Copilot Vision: Image-based Queries and Analysis4:14
Course Exercise3:46
Section Quiz

Requirements

Access to Copilot and Microsoft 365 applications is beneficial to follow along.
No prior experience needed, the course is for complete beginners.

Description

**This course includes downloadable course instructor files and exercise files to work with and follow along.**

Copilot in Microsoft 365 for Beginners teaches you to use AI to boost productivity and efficiency across your Microsoft Office applications. This course highlights the powerful Agent Mode, which allows you to automate complex, multi-step tasks with a single prompt. You will see this in action as you create a comprehensive AI deployment plan in Word, build a full KPI dashboard with calculated columns in Excel, and generate professional six-slide onboarding presentations in PowerPoint. You will explore how to use Copilot to summarize information, research topics, and communicate faster in a professional environment.

The training shows you exactly where Copilot appears and how to write clear prompts for these advanced, real-world tasks. In addition to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you will learn to draft reports, analyze data trends, and create impactful presentations with ease. The training also covers using AI in Outlook to manage emails, Teams for meeting recaps, and OneNote for organizing notes. You will even use Edge to research products and Forms to generate survey questions.

Upon completion of this training, you will save time on repetitive tasks and focus more on strategic work. You will learn how to use powerful in-app AI tools and features to optimize your daily workflow. The course also provides prompt best practices and trusted resources to keep building skills after the session ends. Whether you are creating documents from rough notes or building insightful dashboards, you will learn to incorporate AI efficiently.

Note: This course is for people who have purchased Copilot for Microsoft 365 Applications, not Copilot for Bing or Copilot Pro.

In the course, you will be able to:

Locate where Copilot appears in-app and online to access AI assistance across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Differentiate between Microsoft Copilot Chat and in-app tools to choose the right AI partner for each specific task.
Write effective prompts using repeatable patterns to achieve accurate, professional results every time, including using Agent mode.
Convert meeting notes and rough drafts into structured reports, proposals, and briefs within Microsoft Word.
Solve formula issues and analyze datasets in Excel to quickly identify trends and anomalies.
Build tailored PowerPoint presentations and templates that align with your specific audience and branding.
Organize your inbox by summarizing long email threads and drafting polished replies in Outlook.
Capture decisions and generate comprehensive meeting recaps with clear action items in Microsoft Teams.
Research topics and analyze images using the Edge sidebar to save time on gathering information.
Design surveys in Forms and transform extensive notes in OneNote into concise study guides or outlines.
Automate complex multi-step workflows using Copilot Agent Mode to generate dashboards, reports, presentations, and action plans from a single prompt.

This course includes:

6hours of video tutorials
71 individual video lectures
Course and exercise files to follow along
Certificate of completion

Who this course is for:

Anyone who wants to learn Microsoft Copilot and its integration with Microsoft 365 suite of applications.
Professionals who want to be more productive by using AI tools.

Copilot in Microsoft 365 for Beginners [2026 Update]

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction9 lectures • 29min

Copilot Chat4 lectures • 10min

Copilot in Microsoft Word13 lectures • 1hr 6min

Copilot in Microsoft Excel15 lectures • 1hr 55min

Copilot in Microsoft PowerPoint12 lectures • 1hr 10min

Copilot in Outlook and Teams6 lectures • 22min

Copilot in Edge (with Vision)4 lectures • 14min

Copilot in Forms & OneNote5 lectures • 16min

Conclusion6 lectures • 17min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: