What’s New with Microsoft Copilot?

10 Key Features Your Team Should Know

Microsoft Copilot is starting to take appear in a lot more helpful ways inside Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365. While Microsoft is quick to release new features, they aren’t making many announcements about what those new features are. So we’re here to round up some of the newest features that you and your teams should be embracing. 

1. Split Text Data in Excel 

Messy lead lists, trade show exports, and CRM imports often arrive with names, cities, and states crammed into one column. Copilot can help clean that data quickly without requiring users to remember Excel formulas. 

Steps:

1. Open the file in Excel workbook format, not CSV. 
2. Click the Copilot icon inside Excel. 
3. Prompt Copilot: “Split this column into first name, last name, city, and state.” 
4. Review the new columns Copilot creates. 
5. Watch for formatting issues, such as missing spaces in city names. 
6. Ask Copilot to correct errors: “Fix city names that are missing spaces.” 
7. Review before importing the data into your CRM.

    

2. Create Formulas with Plain Language Prompts in Excel

This is a simple but useful way to help sales, finance, or operations teams work faster. Instead of manually writing formulas, users can ask Copilot to create calculated columns.

Steps:

1. Open a sales spreadsheet in Excel. 
2. Identify the headings of the columns you want to run a formula with.
3. Open Copilot inside Excel. 
4. Sample Prompt: “Add a revenue column that multiplies units by unit price for each row and fill it down.” 
5. Review the new column with the calculations filled in for you. 
6. You can also ask Copilot to format prices and revenue in U.S. dollars.
7. Spot-check the math before using the report.

    

3. Use Excel Agent to Analyze Large Data Sets 

Excel Agent is useful when a task goes beyond one quick formula. Copilot is capable of reviewing spreadsheets of data to create tables, charts, and summary tabs. Excel agents are tools that help with data analysis, formula generation, trend identification, and summaries.

Steps: 

1. Go to Microsoft365.com or Office.com. 
2. Open Copilot and choose the Excel agent. 
3. Upload your spreadsheet. 
4. Sample Prompt: “Summarize this data and create tables and graphs showing the countries with the greatest improvements.” 
5. Answer any follow-up questions. 
6. Let Copilot generate the workbook. 
7. Review each tab for accuracy and usefulness.
   
   

4. Extract Financial Data from a PDF into Excel 

Many useful reports are trapped in PDFs. Copilot can help extract structured data into Excel so teams can run their own analysis. 

Steps:

1. Open Copilot in Microsoft 365. 
2. Select the Excel agent. 
3. Upload your PDF report. 
4. Sample Prompt: “Extract the P&L and cash flow estimates from this report and present them in Excel.
5. Clarify whether you want actuals, forecasts, or both. 
6. Ask for source notes so you can trace where the data came from. 
7. Open the generated spreadsheet and verify the numbers.
   
   

5. Analyze Sales Performance by Product and Region 

Sales managers need quick insight from exported data. Copilot can turn raw sales rows into useful summary tabs. 

Steps:

1. Open your sales export in Excel. 
2. Launch Copilot. 
3. Sample Prompt: “Analyze this data and add one tab showing top sales by product line and another tab analyzing sales by geographic region.” 
4. Let Copilot create the tabs. 
5. Review the product-line summary. 
6. Review the regional analysis. 
7. Use the output as a starting point for pipeline, territory, or product discussions.
   
   

6. Schedule a Meeting with Copilot 

Scheduling is one of those small tasks that quietly drains time. Copilot can search calendars and suggest meeting times without manually comparing availability. 

Steps: 

1. Open Copilot in your Microsoft 365 work account. 
2. Use the Work context so Copilot can reference Microsoft 365 data. 
3. Sample Prompt: “Find 30 minutes next week for Ted and Nathan to meet about AI workshop demo account access.” 
4. Review the available time options. 
5. Select the best option. 
6. Click to send the meeting invite. 
7. Confirm the invite appears on your Outlook calendar.
   
   

7. Find Next Steps in Your Projects with Copilot Email Searches

Copilot can help summarize project status from email threads, which is especially useful when a vendor conversation, renewal, or internal project has multiple messages. 

Steps:

1. Open Copilot in Microsoft 365.
2. Sample Prompt: “What are my next steps with [person/company]?” 
3. Let Copilot search relevant Outlook messages. 
4. Review the summarized next steps. 
5. Click to send the meeting invite. 
6. Use the summary to follow up or assign action items.
   
   

8. Create a Word Document with the Word Agent 

Word Agent can help create first drafts from a prompt, website, or internal source. This is useful for sales emails, policy drafts, summaries, and internal templates. 

Steps:

1. Open Copilot in your browser. 
2. Select the Word agent. 
3. Prompt: “Create a brief 200-word email template for our sales team about our AI Jumpstart program.” 
4. Include the source page or reference material. 
5. Answer Copilot’s follow-up questions about goal, audience, and tone. 
6. Let Copilot create the document. 
7. Open it in OneDrive and edit before sharing.
   
   

9. Edit a Word Document with Copilot  

Copilot can help revise existing documents, such as webinar invites, abstracts, or sales messaging. It may not behave perfectly every time, but it can still speed up editing. 

Steps:

1. Open the document in the Word desktop app. 
2. Click the Copilot button. 
3. Give specific instructions, such as: “Update this abstract for our upcoming webinar.” 
4. Provide links or source material. 
5. Review Copilot’s suggested rewrite. 
6. Paste or apply the revised text. 
7. Check tone, accuracy, formatting, and event details before publishing.
    

10. Create and Edit PowerPoint Slides

Many Copilot power-users advise using the Agent version of PowerPoint for creating content from scratch, and to use the Copilot button found in your PowerPoint app for editing purposes. Copilot is extremely useful in creating a first draft and helping to revise slides quickly. 

Steps:

1. Open Copilot in Microsoft 365. 
2. Choose the PowerPoint agent. 
3. Prompt Copilot to create a slide deck, including topic, audience, and desired length. 
4. Answer follow-up questions about tone and design. 
5. Open the generated deck. 
6. Use Copilot inside PowerPoint to rewrite, condense, or convert text into a list. 
7. Carefully review images and facts before presenting.