How to Use Copilot in Teams (Beginner's Guide)

Copilot in Teams is an assistant that has read the whole meeting or chat so you don't have to. Join late and ask what you missed. Open a 200-message thread and ask for the decisions. Here's how to get started, and what to watch out for.

Copilot in Teams needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence from your organisation. If you have it, you'll see a Copilot button at the top right of chats and in meetings. No button means no licence yet.

1. In the meeting, click Copilot in the toolbar.
2. A panel opens on the right. Type a question or pick a suggestion.

Try these:

• "What have I missed?" — a recap of everything so far.
• "What questions have been asked?"
• "List the action items and who owns them."
• "What are the different opinions on the budget?"
• "Suggest some follow-up questions."

Copilot only knows what's been said, so it works best when transcription is on. If it isn't, Teams will offer to start it, or the organiser can allow Copilot without a transcript in the meeting options.

Open the meeting chat and click Recap. You get an AI summary, the main topics with timestamps, and a list of tasks. Click Copilot here to ask more detailed questions, for example "What did Priya say about the deadline?"

1. Open the chat and click Copilot at the top right.
2. Ask for a summary: "Summarise the last 7 days" or "What decisions were made?"
3. Ask for specifics: "Has anyone shared the invoice?" or "What's the latest on the venue?"

Copilot links its answers back to the messages it used, so you can check them.

Click the Copilot icon in the message box (it looks like a small spark). Type a rough version and choose Rewrite, or ask it to make your message shorter, more formal or friendlier. Review it before you send.

• Check names and numbers. Copilot summarises what it heard, and transcripts mishear words.
• Ask narrow questions. "What did we decide about pricing?" beats "summarise".
• Tell people. Transcripts and recaps are visible to everyone in the meeting, so there are no secrets, but a heads-up is polite.

No Copilot button. You don't have the licence, or your admin hasn't turned it on. Ask IT.

"Copilot isn't available because transcription is off." Click Start transcription, or ask the organiser to allow Copilot without one in Meeting options.

It can't see earlier messages. Copilot only reads chats you have access to, and only as far back as your organisation keeps them.

Click Copilot in a meeting or chat, ask plainly what you want to know, and check the answer against the messages it links to. It won't replace reading the important stuff, but it will save you reading everything.