Copilot in Outlook is your writing assistant for email. It can summarize long threads, draft replies, polish tone, and pull-out action items so you don’t have to read every line or start from a blank page. Typical tasks include “Draft a response to this thread” and “Summarize the key decisions,” directly from the email you’re looking at.

The tips shared in this article is based on the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on (Business or Enterprise).

I know my current Copilot blogs have a lot of text and not many videos right now. That’s because I want to share practical prompts and examples you can use straight away. Where possible, I’m adding official Microsoft videos as extra resources to help you learn visually. In the future, I’ll create some custom videos, especially when I cover additional creative topics for PowerPoint and SharePoint. 😊

Where you’ll see Copilot in Outlook

  • Summarize a conversation: Copilot condenses long threads into the main points and decisions.
  • Compose a reply from scratch: Give Copilot your points, tone (friendly/formal), and it drafts the email for you.
  • Polish, shorten, or re‑phrase: Copilot rewrites your text to fit the audience (customer, colleague, executive) and the purpose (update, request, announcement).
  • Turn emails into comms: Summarize an announcement email, extract key bullets, and create a draft post for your internal community.

Four simple ingredients of a great prompt

When you ask Copilot for help, include these four ingredients: Task, Persona/Tone, Context, and Format. Example: “Draft a friendly reply (tone) that thanks the client (persona), confirms the delivery date (context: from this thread), and ends with three bullet‑point next steps (format).”

Quick Start: A 60‑second workflow

  1. Open the long email thread and click Summarize to see the highlights.
  2. Hit Draft with Copilot and say what you want to achieve (thank, confirm, ask for info). Add any facts Copilot should include.
  3. Choose a tone (friendly, professional) and a format (bullets, short paragraph).
  4. Review, tweak, and send. (You’re still the editor.)

Prompt Gallery for Outlook

Tips before you start

  • Mention people or dates: “From Rudi Botes, last Friday.”
  • Ask for short outputs: “Keep it under 120 words.”
  • Specify the format: “3 bullets and a one‑line call to action.”
  • State the audience and tone (customer, partner, exec; friendly, formal).
  • Take a look at the Coaching option below:

A) Inbox triage & thread summaries

  • “Summarize this email thread into 5 bullet points. Include decisions, owners, and deadlines.”
  • “What changed since the last reply? Explain in 3 bullets.”
  • “Extract action items and who they’re assigned to from this conversation.”
  • “Give me a one‑paragraph summary I can paste into Teams.”

B) Drafting replies (start from zero, no tech skills needed)

  • “Draft a professional reply that thanks the sender, confirms we received the attachment, and asks for the updated timeline. Keep it friendly.”
  • “Write a concise response that declines politely and suggests a meeting next week. 3 sentences.”
  • “Create a reply that lists the three requested documents, confirms we’ll deliver by Friday, and adds a short closing.”

C) Tone, polish, and clarity

  • “Rewrite my draft to sound friendly and confident, remove jargon, and shorten by 20%.”
  • “Make this suitable for a customer: neutral tone, clear next steps, no internal acronyms.”
  • “Turn this into 4 bullet points with a motivating final line.”

D) Turn emails into internal communications (posts, notices)

  • “Summarize this announcement email and extract the most important bullet points so I can draft an intranet post.”
  • “Draft a short internal news post about the new tool based on recent emails. Audience: employees. Tone: engaging. Format: headline + 3 bullets.”
  • “Suggest two versions (formal and fun) of the same announcement.”

E) Scheduling & coordination

  • “Draft a reply proposing three 30‑minute time slots next week, with a Teams meeting link placeholder.”
  • “Write a message that confirms the agenda and asks for any additions by Wednesday.”

F) Attachments & references

  • “List the attachments mentioned in this thread and suggest a tidy way to reference them in my reply.”
  • “Create a reply that summarizes the attached report in 5 bullets and invites questions.”

G) Follow‑ups & nudges

  • “Draft a polite follow‑up asking for the signed NDA, referencing our last email on Monday.”
  • “Write a gentle reminder with a positive tone: deadline is Friday, and we’re happy to help.”

H) Translate or adapt for audience

  • “Rewrite this message for a non‑technical audience. Remove buzzwords and explain acronyms.”
  • “Translate to simple English and keep it under 100 words.”

I) Quality check before sending

  • “Review my draft: highlight risky claims, missing dates, or unclear asks. Suggest fixes.”
  • “Does this sound empathetic and professional? If not, adjust tone accordingly.”

Practical examples (end‑to‑end)

Example 1: Thread too long, need a reply fast

  • Prompt: “Summarize this conversation into the top 3 decisions and any open questions.” → Read summary.
  • Prompt: “Draft a friendly reply that answers the open questions, confirms we’ll share the plan by Thursday, and closes with thanks.” → Edit → Send.

Example 2: Turn an announcement email into an intranet post

  • Prompt: “Summarize the announcement email and extract the most important bullet points to understand the value of the new tool.”
  • Prompt: “Draft an engaging internal post for employees based on those bullets. Format: headline + 3 bullets + one‑line CTA.”

Guardrails: Keep it safe, simple, and accurate

  • You are the editor. Copilot drafts; you check facts, recipients, and attachments before sending.
  • Right info to the right people. Avoid oversharing, don’t include internal details when replying to external contacts. (Ask Copilot to neutralize internal jargon or remove sensitive pieces.)
  • Be specific. Clear prompts with context produce better results than vague requests.
  • Iterate. If the draft isn’t perfect, ask Copilot to shorten, simplify, or change tone, two quick tweaks usually get it there.

Troubleshooting & “Prompt Coach” moves

  • If Copilot misses a detail, add it explicitly: “Include the confirmed delivery date (10 Feb).”
  • If tone feels off, say: “Make it warmer but still professional, no slang.”
  • If the reply is too long, instruct: “Cut to 100 words, 3 bullets, clear ask in the last line.”
  • If you’re stuck, ask Copilot to act as a Prompt Coach: “Evaluate my prompt for clarity and missing context; suggest a better version.”

Wrap‑up

Copilot in Outlook isn’t about “AI magic”—it’s about clear instructions that help you work faster with fewer mistakes. Start with the prompt formula (Task + Persona/Tone + Context + Format), try two or three of the prompt templates above, and refine as you go. With every prompt you write, you’ll learn and get better.

Microsoft Resources:

Other Copilot related blogs I’ve written:

“Build confidence, boost creativity, and let Copilot do the heavy lifting. Your journey from beginner to brilliant starts with one good prompt.”

Spoiler Alert!! I use Copilot to create my Blog Thumbnails and help fact check my articles / shorten / summarise paragraphs where needed. I also use Napkin.AI to create any infographics I use. Of course I can create my own images, and I ROCK at PowerPoint, but with Copilot I can do SO MUCH MORE, SO MUCH FASTER! I’ve always wanted an assistant, now I do. #WinningAtLife

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Do you need help with your #Microsoft365 #Copilot journey? Contact me.

Please DO NOT contact me to publish blogs on your behalf, advertise on my site, endorse your product or solve a problem you have (that could have been solved by posting on an online forum). As part of the #Micosoft365 #Copilot #Community, we work really hard on content and support that we give back to you, for free – because we really do care. You are always welcome to leave (relevant) comments on my blogs / videos, and I’ll respond, as this way, others also get value from it. 

Stay awesome, keep learning, help others.