(Credit: Microsoft)
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has prompted many companies to release their own AI chatbots. One such company is Microsoft, and their platform is Copilot. Available directly in Windows and macOS, on the web, as a sidebar in the Edge browser, and as a mobile app, Copilot will answer questions and perform tasks, potentially proving just as helpful as OpenAI's own AI tool.
What can Copilot do for you? It can generate emails, reports, stories, and even code. The AI is able to analyze uploaded images, PDFs, text files, and Microsoft Office documents. Copilot’s image creator can create a logo, drawing, photo, or other image based on your text. An option called Copilot Vision can even view and answer questions about what you see on your PC or through your mobile phone.
The basic version of Copilot is free. Microsoft used to offer a paid flavor called Copilot Pro. But with the introduction of Microsoft 365 Premium in 2025, the company discontinued Copilot Pro and added the enhanced AI skills to this latest (and more expensive) Office suite. At this point, Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium all integrate Copilot into the various applications. That means you can tap into Copilot to help you create, edit, and analyze your work in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook.
Is Copilot better than ChatGPT? Both chatbots continue to grow and advance, and they have a lot in common. Plus, Google Gemini has become an increasingly powerful and effective generative AI tool. But since Copilot is integrated into Windows, and other Microsoft products, and is also available as a standalone app, why not see what it can do?
How to Access Microsoft Copilot
You can access Copilot directly in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Just click the Copilot icon on the Taskbar, and it opens in a floating window that you can resize and move around the screen. There’s also a Copilot app for macOS. To use Copilot on the web, head to the Copilot website. You can fire up any browser, however, Microsoft Edge offers a unique sidebar if you click the Copilot icon in the upper right. Further, you can run Copilot on your mobile device by installing the official app for iOS or Android.
Once you've accessed the chatbot, you're free to submit your request at the Copilot prompt. It may even asks you questions of its own or suggest a follow-up query to keep the conversation going. You can select a suggested question and see where the conversation goes. To segue to a different topic, just start a new chat. Now, here are ten things to try with Copilot.
1. Choose Your Mode
Copilot offers a variety of modes that determine how the AI responds to your query. The modes differ slightly among the web, desktop, and mobile. But in general, they include Smart, Smart Plus, Quick Response, Think Deeper, Deep Research, Study and Learn, and Search:
- Smart Mode automatically chooses how to respond based on your request—sometimes serving up a quick and simple answer and other times offering a more in-depth response after “thinking” about it.
- Smart Plus Mode is designed for more complex questions that do require longer and more deliberate reasoning.
- Quick Response provides the shortest and simplest answer in the quickest amount of time.
- Think Deeper tackles questions that require multi-step reasoning, thereby taking a bit longer to generate a response.
- Deep Research scours the web to compile sources to answer your question and then delivers a comprehensive report, a process that can take 10-20 minutes.
- Study and Learn Mode uses guides to try to help you understand the topic rather than just providing an easy answer.
- Search Mode performs a quick web search to fashion its response.
To try one, start a new chat, hit the down arrow next to Smart (the default mode), and then select which you want. If in doubt, stick with Smart Mode, but consider Think Deeper or even Deep Research if you want an in-depth and comprehensive answer (and don’t mind waiting for it).
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)2. Analyze an Uploaded File
You can ask Copilot to analyze and answer questions about a file you upload. This skill supports images (JPG, PNG, WebP), photos, PDFs, Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), HTML files, and text files.
To try this on the Copilot website or desktop app, click the plus icon, select Add images or files, and then choose the file you wish to use. On the mobile app, tap the plus icon, then choose Camera to take a new photo, Photos to upload an existing one from your library, or Files to pick a file stored on your device. You can then submit the file and see how Copilot responds.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)3. Create and Edit Images
Whether you need a logo for your business or artwork for a project, Copilot offers a few different ways to generate images. The simplest method is directly through the main screen of the website or app. Select the plus icon and select Generate image. At the prompt, describe the type of image you want. In response, Copilot should generate the image you seek.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)If you want to change or add certain elements, submit your modifications at the prompt. Copilot will generate another image that hopefully better matches what you had in mind.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)4. Generate a Podcast
Another cool skill offered by Copilot is podcast generation. By suggesting a specific subject, you can ask the AI to create a podcast hosted by two AI chatbots. This means you’re able to listen to the topic discussed anywhere and anytime. To give this a whirl, select the plus icon at the main Copilot screen and select Create a podcast. Describe the topic you want discussed, submit your request, and let the podcast be generated. You can then play it through the website, or app. You can even share the podcast with others via email, a text, or social media.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)5. Work With Your Own Data
Beyond tapping into public information on the web or from its own database, Copilot can also work with your own files by linking to external services, like OneDrive, Outlook, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Contacts. You can then reference any emails, appointments, contacts, or documents stored on any connected service.
To get started, select the plus icon and choose Use Connectors. Turn on the services you wish to connect and use. The first time you do this, you’ll be asked to sign in to your various accounts. After the connections are established, you can then submit a query that references any emails, appointments, or other content from one of the services. For example, you might tell it to summarize the last email you received in Outlook from your airline company.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)6. Have a Voice Conversation
In the Copilot desktop and mobile apps or at the website, you can enjoy a voice conversation with Microsoft's AI. Tap the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen, and Copilot will greet you by name. Speak your question or request and wait for Copilot to chime in. You can then carry on a back-and-forth conversation solely by voice. When you’re done, tap the X to return to the main screen, which shows you a transcript of your conversation. To change the voice, select the Settings icon on the voice toolbar and choose the one you want to try.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)7. Use Copilot Vision to Analyze What You See
With Copilot Vision, Microsoft’s AI can analyze and answer questions about what you see on your computer screen or through your mobile phone’s camera. To try this on your desktop, open the file, app, or web page you want to explore. Launch the Copilot desktop app, click the eyeglasses icon, and then select the Share button next to the item you wish to analyze.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)The Copilot toolbar pops up with the AI greeting you. You can then ask it any questions related to whatever content appears on the screen. After you close the Copilot toolbar, you’ll see a transcript of your conversation.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)To use Copilot Vision on your phone, open the app and tap the eyeglasses icon. Aim your phone’s camera at the object you want to explore. The AI will chime in by voice, allowing you to ask any questions about the item on view.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)8. Use Copilot in Microsoft 365
If you subscribe to Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium, you can chat with Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the other programs. With Word, you’re able to create, edit, and summarize documents. In Excel, you can create, revise, and analyze formulas, charts, and other data. With PowerPoint, you can set up, modify, and summarize your presentations. And in classic Outlook, you can draft, revise, and summarize an email.
To get started, open a program. We’ll use Word as an example. Go to File > Options > Copilot and check the box to activate Copilot if it’s not already enabled. Now, when you open a new document in Word, a prompt will appear asking you to describe what you’d like to draft with Copilot. Describe the text you want to generate and click the arrow to submit your request. Copilot will create a draft for your review. You can then keep it, regenerate it, discard it, or add further instructions.
At any point, click the Copilot icon on the Ribbon. In the side panel, you’re able to chat with the AI and submit specific questions or requests. You can tell it to rewrite certain text, analyze your document for grammatical errors or other mistakes, or summarize the entire document.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)9. Use Copilot in Microsoft Edge
Though you’re able to tap into Copilot from any browser, using it in Microsoft Edge offers greater convenience. In Edge on the desktop, click the Chat icon in the upper right. Copilot opens in the right sidebar for you to ask questions, generate content, or just chat. Expanding on the Copilot Vision tool, the AI automatically sees the page displayed in your browser. Open any page you wish to investigate and you can then ask the AI to summarize it or answer specific questions about it.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)10. Control Your Privacy
Like most AIs, Copilot likes to gather as much data about you as possible, ostensibly to personalize your conversations but potentially to help with its own training. If you don’t want Microsoft using your chats for its own purposes, you’ll need to open the privacy settings in the app. Choose your profile image, then select Settings > Privacy (desktop) or Account > Privacy (mobile)
At the Privacy page, turn off Model training on text and Model training on voice. You may also want to turn off Personalization and memory and Ad Personalization. If you’ve shared any personal information with Copilot in the past, and no longer want it to be retained, you can delete the details from its memory.
(Credit: Microsoft/PCMag)