How to activate copilot in outlook to assist with drafting email responses or drafting new emails

In Outlook, Copilot can draft new emails, help reply to existing threads, and coach or refine text. Activation and use depend on which Outlook experience is in use.

Classic Outlook (desktop)

1. Select Home > New Email to start a new message.
2. In the new message window, select the Copilot icon on the toolbar.
3. Choose Draft with Copilot from the dropdown.
4. In the Copilot box, type a prompt describing what to write, for example:
   • “Let the team know we decided to use clay shingles and to go ahead so we meet the deadline.”
5. Select Generate.
6. Review the draft and, if needed:
   • Select Adjust to change tone or length.
   • Edit the blue prompt text and select Generate again.
   • Select Regenerate to start over.
7. When satisfied, select Keep, then edit further if needed and select Send.

If Copilot is not available in classic Outlook, an IT admin must enable or license it.

New Outlook (general Copilot capabilities)

In new Outlook, Copilot can:

• Draft with Copilot: Generate full-length email drafts from prompts based on thread context and organizational information. Type /, select Draft with Copilot, and enter the prompt in the dialog.
• Summarize: Summarize long email threads.
• Triage and prioritize: Help prioritize the inbox and perform triage actions (pin, flag, archive, delete, mark read/unread).
• Create and view rules: Use Copilot chat to create or view Outlook rules using natural language.

Outlook for mobile (iOS and Android)

1. Open Outlook on the mobile device and select New Mail.
2. Tap the Copilot icon in the toolbar.
3. Choose one of:
   • Draft with Copilot: to create a message from scratch.
   • Coaching by Copilot: to refine a message already written.
4. For Draft with Copilot:
   • Enter a prompt (for example, “Let the team know we will be moving forward with the current marketing plan to meet our project deadline.”).
   • Tap the arrow to generate a draft.
   • Use Options to adjust tone and length.
   • Choose Keep It to use the draft, Discard to start over, or Regenerate for a new version.
   • Edit as needed and tap Send.
5. For Coaching by Copilot:
   • Compose a message of at least 100 characters.
   • Select Coaching by Copilot in the toolbar.
   • Review Copilot’s suggestions to refine and enhance the message.

Editing existing text with Copilot

• In Outlook (including mobile), select text in an email draft.
• Select or tap the Copilot icon next to the selected text.
• Choose one of the available options to modify or improve the selection.

Using Copilot with a screen reader (new Outlook)

1. In new Outlook, press Tab until “Copilot button” is announced, then press Enter to open the Copilot chat pane.
2. Type a prompt or question in the Message Copilot edit field (for example, ask Copilot to draft or summarize email content) and press Enter.
3. Use Tab and arrow keys to navigate the response.
4. To close the pane, press Tab until “Close button” is announced, then press Enter.

References:

• Draft an email message with Copilot in Outlook
• Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Outlook
• Use Copilot in Outlook with a screen reader