Microsoft 365 Copilot Prompts: A Trainer's Library by App
The short answer: a good Copilot prompt says what you want (the goal), and then, if it helps, why (context), how the answer should look (expectations) and what to use (source). That's Microsoft's own 4-part model, and only the goal is required. Below are 30 prompts sorted by app, marked where they need the paid licence, with links to the deeper pages.
Naming note: Microsoft 365 Copilot is now called Microsoft Copilot. Where a prompt is Microsoft's own, I say so. The rest are mine.
Goal, context, expectations, source
1Goal
What you want. The only part Microsoft says is required. Summarise, draft, compare, find.
2Context
Why you want it and who it's for. Who's reading changes the answer.
3Expectations
Format, length, tone. A table, 5 bullets, under 120 words, friendly.
4Source
Which email, file or meeting to use. Microsoft's tip: later parts of a prompt get more weight, so put the source last.
Microsoft's own example with goal, context and expectations: Draft an outline of a training manual about time management. Our audience is professionals who work in a hybrid environment and constantly need to attend virtual meetings and meet deadlines. The tone of the document will be friendly and suggestive.
2 more rules from the same guidance. Tell Copilot what to do rather than what not to do (if-then instructions work well). And expect a back-and-forth. The first answer is a first draft.
Copilot prompts for Outlook
Summarize my emails from the last week related to [project or customer name].
Flag all unread emails from my manager.
Draft a reply that acknowledges the sender's main points and responds clearly.
Tell Anna we can deliver on 14 October, not the 7th, and offer a 15-minute call this week. Under 5 sentences, warm.
Schedule a 30-minute Teams meeting with Barbara about the Q1 sales report.
Scheduling by chat handles up to 2 other people. For the full set by job (catch up, triage, reply), see Copilot prompts for Outlook.
Copilot prompts for Teams meetings
These need the paid licence. During the meeting they're private to you. After it, Copilot needs a transcript.
Where do we disagree on this topic?
What questions can I ask to move the meeting forward?
Create a table with the ideas discussed and their pros and cons.
Recap meeting summarizing key takeaways and action items as separate sections, including who's responsible for each.
List all open questions raised during the meeting that have not yet been answered or resolved.
Minutes, action items and follow-up emails get their own page: Copilot prompts for meeting notes.
Copilot prompts for Word
Summarize this document
Make this section sound concise and professional for an executive audience.
Turn this text into a table with columns for task, owner, due date, and status.
What parts of this document may be unclear to a customer?
Draft a 1-page project brief for the finance team based on /[file]. Background, budget, risks, next steps. Friendly, no jargon.
The / is how you point Copilot at a file, email or meeting. Using your work files needs the paid licence.
Copilot prompts for Excel
Add a column that calculates the profit margin for each product.
Create a PivotTable with the sum of sales, with month in rows and category in columns.
Explain the formula in the selected cell.
Create a line chart showing change over time. Show data labels and gridlines.
Which 3 regions grew the least this quarter compared with last quarter? Use the Region, Q2 Sales and Q3 Sales columns.
Microsoft's own tip for Excel: name the columns you want analysed. Prompts by job (cleaning, formulas, pivots, charts) are in Copilot prompts for Excel.
Copilot prompts for PowerPoint
Create an onboarding presentation based on this /[document].
Add speaker notes to this slide.
What are some potential questions that I might be asked by the audience who I present this to?
Cut this deck to 8 slides. Merge anything that repeats and move the detail into the speaker notes.
Step by step for the first one: create a PowerPoint from a Word document.
Copilot Chat prompts for your workday
Help me plan for today's meetings and create a table with goals for each one.
Triage my meetings tomorrow and suggest where I might get time back.
What's the latest from Sam?
Review recent email messages and Teams chats. Summarize important updates, direct mentions, and assigned actions in bullet points.
Compare these 2 supplier proposals in a table: price, delivery time, contract length and risks. End with the one you'd pick and why.
Create a training course outline to onboard partners to Project X.
Anything that uses your emails, chats and files needs the paid licence. Free Copilot Chat works on the web plus what you upload.
Prompts by role, and making them stick
1Performance reviews
Self-evaluations, manager reviews and peer feedback, with the HR guardrails that matter in Europe. Copilot prompts for performance reviews.
2Executive assistants
Inbox, calendar and meeting prep for someone else's week. How executive assistants use Copilot.
3Project managers
Status reports, Planner and follow-ups. Copilot for project managers.
4Stop repeating yourself
If you type "British English, bottom line first" into every prompt, put it in Copilot custom instructions once.
Microsoft keeps its own library too. The Prompt Gallery holds Microsoft's suggested prompts plus the ones you and your team save. Anyone can browse Microsoft's prompts on the web, and you sign in to try them.
What to check on any answer
1Same prompt, different answer
Microsoft says the same prompt can give different responses. So a prompt that worked once is a good start, not a guarantee.
2Review before you send
Microsoft's words: review and validate responses for accuracy. Names, numbers and dates first.
3Switching topics
Copilot is limited to your current conversation, so give it the details there. And Microsoft's hint for switching tasks: type new topic first.
Questions about Copilot prompts
What are good prompts for Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Prompts with a clear goal, plus context, expectations and a source when they help. For example, in Word: Make this section sound concise and professional for an executive audience. Above are 30 prompts by app.
What is Microsoft's framework for Copilot prompts?
Microsoft says a prompt can include 4 parts: the goal, context, expectations and source. Only the goal is required.
Where can I find Microsoft's official Copilot prompts?
In the Prompt Gallery in Copilot, which holds Microsoft-curated prompts and the prompts you and your team save. Microsoft's prompts can also be browsed on the web, and you sign in to try them.
Do Copilot prompts work without a paid licence?
Many do. Free Copilot Chat works on the web and files you upload, and in Outlook it can work with your inbox and calendar. Prompts that use your chats, emails and company files need the Microsoft Copilot licence.
Why does the same Copilot prompt give different answers?
Microsoft says using the same prompt multiple times can result in different responses. Add expectations like format and length to make answers more consistent.
Want your team writing prompts like this?
I run live online Copilot workshops for groups of up to 20 people, from 1.5 to 4 hours. Reading a prompt library is step 1. Trying the prompts on your own inbox and files is where it sticks.