How to Turn Copilot in Microsoft Word into a Useful Writing Partner

Copilot in Word lets you tap into the power of AI to take you from a blank page to a finished draft. But beyond just writing from scratch, many people also use Copilot to analyze and transform their documents.

Writing and rewriting manuscripts

Copilot can help you create a new document from scratch or work on an existing one. Click the Copilot icon in the left margin of your document and in the Draft with Copilot window , provide a simple prompt or describe a complex request.

How to Turn Copilot in Microsoft Word into a Useful Writing Partner
Using Draft with Copilot in Word

Tip : In a document with existing content, you can also use the Inspire Me button to have Copilot automatically write for you based on content already in your document.

Once Copilot has created the content, you can keep it, discard it, or recreate it to provide a different version. Click and > to navigate through Copilot's suggestions. Of course, you can also change your starting prompt at any point. Additionally, in the Copilot compose box, you can add instructions to change the tone or style of the response, such as making it shorter or changing the feel to be more casual.

How to Turn Copilot in Microsoft Word into a Useful Writing Partner
Automatic Rewrite in Copilot for Word

If you've already written some content, you can ask Copilot to help improve it. Highlight the text, then in the left margin next to the selected text, click the Copilot icon and select Auto Rewrite to have Copilot provide rewrite options.

You can tap Regenerate to get a new set of responses or add instructions to get what you're really looking for. Once Copilot displays the rewritten text options, use the arrows to navigate through the different versions and select the one you like.

Note : If you have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscription at work, you'll also have the option to reference files in Draft with Copilot. You can bring in up to three of your existing files as inputs to base your Copilot draft content.

Convert existing content

Just like with Auto Rewrite , you can highlight the content you've written (or perhaps created via Copilot), then in the left margin next to the selected text, click the Copilot icon and select Visualize as a Table .

How to Turn Copilot in Microsoft Word into a Useful Writing Partner
Visualize as a Table option in Copilot for Word

Copilot will convert the selected text into a table. You can fine-tune the table by entering details in the Copilot edit box about what needs to be adjusted in the table, such as adding blank columns or replacing rows with columns.

Document analysis and summary

You can ask questions about the document, such as asking Copilot to summarize the document to quickly grasp the essence of the document or checking if the document contains meaningful calls to action. After Copilot responds to the prompt, you can also see the references that cite where Copilot got the information in your document.

How to Turn Copilot in Microsoft Word into a Useful Writing Partner
Copilot Chat in Microsoft Word

You can ask Copilot to generate ideas, tables, or lists that can be copied and inserted into your document. You can also ask open-ended questions and the app will try to provide you with answers. If those answers aren't in your document, Copilot will create content for you.

You can open the Copilot pane via the Copilot icon in the Home tab of the ribbon. In the Copilot edit box, you also have a View prompts option that opens the Copilot Prompts Gallery to give you suggestions for the myriad of things you can use Copilot for in Word.

You can toggle back and forth to condense the key information you’re looking for and also convert the document into any way you want. With each prompt, Copilot will rescan the document and generate a response. You can get better results by providing more context and details about what you want.

For summaries, Copilot is currently limited to around 80,000 words. If you have a longer document, you may want to break it up and summarize it in multiple parts.

Copilot in Word is not just about writing better, it can also help you research, brainstorm new ideas, and extract insights from your documents. However, because AI-generated content can sometimes be inaccurate (a phenomenon known as AI illusion ), always review and verify the output of that content before hitting send on that email or submitting that homework assignment.

Sign up and earn $1000 a day ⋙

Leave a Comment

Word now supports summarizing super long documents

Word now supports summarizing super long documents

Microsoft has officially announced a very useful new feature for Word users, allowing for easier processing of long documents with the help of AI.

Microsoft adds GPT-4 Turbo LLM to free version of Copilot

Microsoft adds GPT-4 Turbo LLM to free version of Copilot

The year 2023 saw Microsoft betting heavily on artificial intelligence and its partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.

10 things you can do with Microsoft Copilot

10 things you can do with Microsoft Copilot

Until you see all the things you can do with Copilot, you won't realize how impressive and useful Microsoft Copilot really is.

What to do when Copilot is not found on Windows 11?

What to do when Copilot is not found on Windows 11?

According to Microsoft, Copilot is the future of Windows. But what if you want to try it but can't find Copilot? The following article will show you some tricks if Copilot doesn't appear on your Windows 11.

4 best Copilot plugins today

4 best Copilot plugins today

Similar to how ChatGPT introduced plugins in the past to enhance its functionality, Microsoft Copilot now has a number of plugins that greatly increase what you can do with the tool.

How Copilot in PowerPoint Helps You Finish Any Presentation

How Copilot in PowerPoint Helps You Finish Any Presentation

PowerPoint Copilot takes the manual work out of your hands so you can focus on delivering content.

Microsoft releases Copilot native app for Windows 11 with a series of new useful features

Microsoft releases Copilot native app for Windows 11 with a series of new useful features

Microsoft has issued a statement confirming it has completely removed “all traces” of the “suspicious” Copilot application that some users found silently installed on their systems.

Microsoft may integrate Copilot into File Explorer in Windows 11

Microsoft may integrate Copilot into File Explorer in Windows 11

Microsoft is betting big on artificial intelligence and a partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.

Microsoft is about to let users create their own version of the Copilot chatbot, similar to GPT

Microsoft is about to let users create their own version of the Copilot chatbot, similar to GPT

Called Copilot GPT, the feature will allow users to “customize Copilot's behavior on a topic that they are particularly interested in.”

How to add a new Copilot tab to Microsoft Edge browser

How to add a new Copilot tab to Microsoft Edge browser

In Edge on Windows, you can set Copilot as the default experience for new tabs. This feature is turned off by default, and many Edge users prefer it that way.

Copilot Cant Succeed If Microsoft Cant Convince Windows 10 Users

Copilot Cant Succeed If Microsoft Cant Convince Windows 10 Users

Despite the company's efforts to make Copilot the standard Generative AI for customer support, the average Windows user may not even know what Copilot is.

Microsoft confirms Windows Copilot application is completely harmless and does not steal user data

Microsoft confirms Windows Copilot application is completely harmless and does not steal user data

Microsoft's eagerness to roll out Copilot has also gotten the company into trouble.

Dont Miss These 8 Little-Known Microsoft Copilot Features!

Dont Miss These 8 Little-Known Microsoft Copilot Features!

At first glance, Microsoft Copilot looks similar to ChatGPT but lacks many features. However, after spending some time using it, you will discover that it has a surprising number of lesser-known features that are worth checking out.

Microsoft wants users to use Copilot as soon as their PC boots up

Microsoft wants users to use Copilot as soon as their PC boots up

The year 2023 saw Microsoft betting heavily on artificial intelligence and its partnership with OpenAI to make Copilot a reality.

How to view Chromebook CPU information

How to view Chromebook CPU information

This article will guide you how to view CPU information, check CPU speed directly on your Chromebook.

8 Cool Things You Can Do With an Old Android Tablet

8 Cool Things You Can Do With an Old Android Tablet

If you don't want to sell or give away your old tablet, you can use it in 5 ways: as a high-quality photo frame, music player, e-book & magazine reader, housework assistant, and as a secondary screen.

How to get beautiful nails quickly

How to get beautiful nails quickly

You want to have a beautiful, shiny, healthy nail quickly. The simple tips for beautiful nails below will be useful for you.

Color inspiration secrets only designers know

Color inspiration secrets only designers know

This article will list color-inspired tips, shared by top designers from the Creative Market community, so you can get the perfect color combination every time.

Everything you need to replace your laptop with a phone

Everything you need to replace your laptop with a phone

Can you really replace your laptop with your phone? Yes, but you'll need the right accessories to turn your phone into a laptop.

ChatGPT will soon be able to see everything happening on your screen

ChatGPT will soon be able to see everything happening on your screen

One important thing in the full event video was that the upcoming ChatGPT app feature was demoed but no real details were shared. That is, ChatGPT's ability to see everything that's happening on the user's device screen.

AI is learning to fool humans despite being trained to be honest

AI is learning to fool humans despite being trained to be honest

Many top AIs, despite being trained to be honest, learn to deceive through training and systematically induce users into false beliefs, a new study finds.

How to change questions on ChatGPT

How to change questions on ChatGPT

ChatGPT now has a question change option so users can edit the question or content they are exchanging with ChatGPT.

How to spot fake QR codes and keep your data safe

How to spot fake QR codes and keep your data safe

QR codes seem pretty harmless until you scan a bad one and get something nasty thrown at you. If you want to keep your phone and data safe, there are a few ways you can spot a fake QR code.

Qualcomm Launches X85 5G Modem With a Series of Notable Improvements

Qualcomm Launches X85 5G Modem With a Series of Notable Improvements

On stage at MWC 2025, Qualcomm made a splash when it introduced its eighth generation of 5G modem called the X85, which is expected to be used in flagship smartphones launching later this year.

New technology allows phones to change color flexibly

New technology allows phones to change color flexibly

You have a trendy “Ultramarine” iPhone 16, but one fine day you suddenly feel bored with that color; what will you do?

Microsoft integrates DeepSeek into the PC Copilot+ platform

Microsoft integrates DeepSeek into the PC Copilot+ platform

In January, Microsoft announced plans to bring NPU-optimized versions of the DeepSeek-R1 model directly to Copilot+ computers running on Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors.

Difference between IF and Switch functions in Excel

Difference between IF and Switch functions in Excel

The IF statement is a common logical function in Excel. The SWITCH statement is less well known, but you can use it instead of the IF statement in some situations.

How to add a spotlight effect behind your subject using Adobe Camera Raw

How to add a spotlight effect behind your subject using Adobe Camera Raw

Adding a spotlight behind your subject is a great way to separate your subject from the background. A spotlight can add depth to your portraits.

How to increase Outlook attachment size limit

How to increase Outlook attachment size limit

Outlook and other email services have limits on the size of email attachments. Here's how to increase the Outlook attachment size limit.