How to use Copilot: free setup, Copilot in Word and Excel, and 15 prompts

Copilot runs in 11 places, and your account decides which ones you get

As of October 2026, Microsoft documents Copilot in 11 places for home users. Six of them are free: copilot.com, Copilot in Edge, and the apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. The other five are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, and they need a Microsoft 365 subscription. Even then, only the person who owns the subscription gets Copilot inside those apps, according to Microsoft Support.

Sign-in options come from Microsoft's getting started guide, and prices from its Microsoft 365 plans page, both read in October 2026. If you write code, the Copilot you want is probably GitHub Copilot. It runs in code editors and on GitHub, and GitHub's plan page lists a free plan "limited to 2000 completions per month." The rest of this guide covers Microsoft Copilot, the assistant.

How do you start using Copilot?

You start by opening copilot.com and typing. Microsoft's own wording is "Sign in isn't required," so you can test it in under a minute. Without an account you get general chat, writing help, summaries and answers from the web.

Sign in once you plan to keep using it. A personal account adds chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice, per Microsoft's page comparing the free and paid versions. On the web, Mac and phone, that account can be a Microsoft account, an Apple ID or a Google account. The Windows app is stricter. It only takes a Microsoft account.

Work or school accounts are a different product. They open Copilot at m365.cloud.microsoft/chat, under rules your employer sets, and Microsoft keeps personal and work data apart even if you sign in with both. If Copilot at work looks unlike Copilot at home, that's why.

Then type a task. Microsoft's advice is short: "Be clear, concise, and specific about what you want." Ask a follow-up when the first answer misses. Copilot keeps the conversation, so "shorter, and drop the second point" works fine.

Can you use Copilot for free?

Yes. Chat, image creation and file uploads are free, within limits. Microsoft's pricing page calls it a "limited free version of Copilot subject to available capacity and limits." It doesn't say how many messages that means. When you hit the limit, Microsoft says you can upgrade or come back later.

You can't buy Copilot Pro any more. Microsoft's Copilot Pro page says it's "no longer available for purchase," and support for existing subscribers ended on 1 August 2026. Microsoft 365 Premium is the plan Microsoft points those subscribers to.

How to write prompts Copilot answers well

A good Copilot prompt names the task, the context, the limits and the format. Most weak answers come from a topic with no task attached. "Marketing plan" gets you a generic essay. "Draft a one page plan for a bakery's first month on Instagram" gets you something you can use.

Task. One verb: draft, rewrite, summarize, compare, explain. Context. Who it's for and what you already know. Limits. Length, tone, facts that can't change. Format. A table, five bullets, an email with a subject line.

Copy-paste skeleton: Your task is to [verb] [subject]. Context: [audience, goal, what I know]. Limits: [length, tone, facts to keep]. Format: [table/email/bullets]. If you search the web, link every source you use.

Copilot answers with web results when a question needs them. Ask for links, then open two. Prompt engineering for beginners covers the general technique in more depth.

15 Copilot prompts to copy

Replace the brackets and keep the ones that work for you. The Word, Excel and Outlook prompts need Microsoft 365; the rest run on free Copilot.

Everyday chat

1. Explain [topic] to someone who has never heard of it. One example, then the three mistakes beginners make. No jargon.
2. I have [time] a day for four weeks to learn [skill]. Build a plan with daily practice and one small finished project at the end.
3. Compare [option A] and [option B] for [my situation] in a table: cost, effort, risk. Then pick one and argue against your pick.
4. Search the web for the current price of [product]. Use the vendor's own pages only and link each one.

Files you upload

1. Read the attached PDF. List the five points that matter most, quote the exact line for each, and flag anything that costs money.
2. Compare these two files and make a table of every place they disagree, with the wording from each.
3. Summarize this spreadsheet: what changed month to month, the biggest jump, and anything that looks like an error.

Writing

1. Rewrite this so it sounds like a person wrote it. Keep every fact. Under 150 words. Draft: [paste].
2. Tell me the three weakest sentences in this draft and why. Do not rewrite them. Draft: [paste].
3. Write a polite but firm reply saying no to [request]. Offer one alternative and a date.

Word, Excel and Outlook

1. In Word: Draft a two page proposal for [project] using the outline below. Keep my headings. Outline: [paste].
2. In Word: Summarize this document in five bullets and list any open questions it leaves.
3. In Excel: Add a column that shows each row's change from last month as a percentage, then highlight the three biggest drops.
4. In Outlook: Summarize this thread. Who is waiting on me, for what, and by when?

Images

1. A product photo of [object] on a black plinth, soft white rim light, charcoal background, shot from slightly above.

How do you use Copilot in Word, Excel and Outlook?

You use Copilot in Word by opening a document and selecting the Copilot button in the corner of the page. Microsoft's Word guide says the chat pane opens with Edit mode on, so Copilot can change the document directly. Pick "Chat only" when you want an answer without edits.

In Word, Copilot drafts from a prompt, an outline or a file you reference. It rewrites a passage you select, changes its tone, and summarizes the whole document. Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote work the same way: open the Copilot pane in the app and type what you want done to the file or email in front of you.

You need the right account. Copilot only appears in the desktop apps for the owner of a Personal, Family or Premium subscription, signed in with that Microsoft account. Other people on a Family plan can use Copilot chat at microsoft365.com, but not inside the desktop apps.

Don't want it? Microsoft's turn-off guide says to go to File, then Options, then Copilot on Windows and clear Enable Copilot. On a Mac it's the app menu, then Preferences, then Authoring and Proofing Tools, then Copilot. Restart the app after either change.

How many files can you upload to Copilot?

You can upload up to 20 files in one Copilot conversation, each up to 50 MB. Microsoft's upload guide lists PDF, DOCX, XLSX and PPTX documents, PNG and JPEG images, and TXT, JSON, CSV and MD text files. Select the plus icon, then Add images or files, and ask your question once the file shows as an attachment.

Microsoft keeps uploaded files for no longer than 18 months and then deletes them. Ask follow-ups in the same chat. A new chat won't see a file you attached to the old one.

Which Copilot features are gone?

Three consumer features ended on 18 August 2026: Group Chat, Podcasts and Deep Research. Microsoft's app changes page confirms all three, so older guides that walk you through them are out of date. Group Chat threads didn't carry over to the updated app.

Two more changes trip people up. Copilot Tasks moved to Copilot Cowork, which is a Premium or Pro feature in preview, and Personal and Family subscribers lost it. Copilot also left WhatsApp on 15 January 2026, because Microsoft had to comply with WhatsApp's revised platform policies (TechCrunch). Use copilot.com or the app instead.

How do you keep your Copilot chats private?

Copilot has two training switches, and you'll find them in your profile menu under Privacy. Microsoft's privacy controls page names them Training on conversation activity and Training on voice conversations. In the mobile app the path is the menu, your profile icon, then Account, then Privacy.

Turning them off keeps your future chats out of model training. It doesn't cover everything. Microsoft's own line is that the setting "will not exclude your conversations from being used for other general product or system improvements." The same page explains how to delete single chats or your whole history.

When is another assistant the better tool?

Copilot wins when your work already lives in Word, Excel and Outlook, because it reads the file or the thread you have open. For a long draft that has to sound like you, or a dense contract, test the same prompt in another assistant first. How to use Claude and how to use ChatGPT cover the two most common picks.

Comparing assistants usually means one account and one bill each. Whizi's Pro plan puts ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini side by side in one chat history, so one prompt gets three answers. It's the wrong choice if you want Copilot inside Word and Outlook, which only Microsoft 365 provides.