Copilot in Word: Write, Edit, and Summarize

Microsoft Word is where most knowledge workers spend a significant portion of their day. Copilot in Word transforms how you create, edit, and process documents by handling the heavy lifting of drafting, rewriting, and summarizing content.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you will know how to use Copilot to draft documents from scratch, rewrite and edit existing text, summarize long documents, and transform content between formats.

Drafting Documents from Scratch

The most powerful feature of Copilot in Word is generating first drafts. Instead of staring at a blank page, you can describe what you need and let Copilot produce a starting point.

How to Draft with Copilot

1. Open a new or existing Word document
2. Click the Copilot icon in the ribbon or type / in the document to trigger the Copilot prompt
3. Describe what you want to create
4. Review and refine the generated content

Effective Drafting Prompts

The quality of your draft depends entirely on the specificity of your prompt. Compare these two approaches:

Weak prompt: "Write a proposal"

Strong prompt: "Draft a 2-page project proposal for migrating our customer database from MySQL to PostgreSQL. Include sections for project overview, business justification, timeline (3 months), resource requirements (2 developers, 1 DBA), risk assessment, and estimated budget of $150,000. Use a professional but accessible tone."

The second prompt gives Copilot clear guidance on length, structure, specific details, and tone, resulting in a much more useful first draft.

Drafting from Reference Files

With Microsoft 365 Copilot, you can reference existing files in your prompts:

• "Draft an executive summary based on /Q3 Financial Report.xlsx"
• "Create a project plan using the requirements in /Product Requirements Document.docx"
• "Write a blog post based on the key findings from /Customer Survey Results 2026.pptx"

Use the / character followed by the file name to reference documents from your OneDrive or SharePoint.

Rewriting and Editing Text

Copilot can transform existing text to match your needs.

Changing Tone

Select the text you want to modify and ask Copilot to adjust the tone:

• "Make this paragraph more formal for a board presentation"
• "Rewrite this in a conversational tone suitable for a company newsletter"
• "Make this section more concise — reduce it by half while keeping all key points"
• "Simplify this technical explanation for a non-technical audience"

Restructuring Content

Copilot can reorganize your content:

• "Convert these paragraphs into a bulleted executive summary"
• "Reorganize this section to lead with the recommendations, then provide supporting evidence"
• "Turn this list of features into a comparison table with columns for Feature, Benefit, and Priority"

Grammar and Style Improvements

Beyond basic spell-check, Copilot can elevate your writing:

• "Review this document for clarity and suggest improvements"
• "Make the transitions between paragraphs smoother"
• "Ensure consistent use of past tense throughout this report"

Summarizing Documents

One of the most time-saving features is document summarization. This is especially valuable for long reports, meeting notes, and policy documents.

Quick Summaries

Open a long document and click the Copilot icon. Ask:

• "Summarize this document in 5 bullet points"
• "What are the key decisions and action items in this document?"
• "Create an executive summary of this report in 200 words"

Targeted Summaries

You can focus Copilot on specific aspects:

• "Summarize only the financial data in this document"
• "What does this contract say about termination clauses and liability?"
• "List all deadlines and milestones mentioned in this project plan"

Asking Questions About Documents

You can interrogate your documents naturally:

• "What budget was approved for Q4?"
• "How many team members are assigned to Phase 2?"
• "What risks were identified in the assessment?"

Copilot will search through the document and provide answers with references to the relevant sections.

Practical Document Templates

Here are prompts for common document types that you can use immediately:

Meeting Minutes

"Create meeting minutes from the following notes: [paste your rough notes]. Format with sections for Attendees, Agenda Items Discussed, Key Decisions Made, Action Items with owners and deadlines, and Next Meeting Date."

Standard Operating Procedure

"Write a standard operating procedure for [process name]. Include sections for Purpose, Scope, Responsibilities, Step-by-Step Procedure with numbered steps, Quality Checks, and Document Revision History. Keep the language clear and direct."

Project Status Update

"Draft a weekly project status update email. Project: [name]. This week's accomplishments: [list]. Next week's priorities: [list]. Risks/blockers: [list]. Format it professionally with clear sections and bullet points."

Business Case

"Draft a business case for [initiative]. Include Problem Statement, Proposed Solution, Expected Benefits with quantified ROI, Implementation Timeline, Resource Requirements, and Risk Mitigation. Target audience is senior leadership."

Tips for Better Results in Word

Work with the Copilot sidebar. Keep the Copilot panel open as you work. You can have an ongoing conversation about your document, asking questions and requesting changes as you go.

Break large requests into steps. Instead of asking for an entire 10-page report at once, ask for the outline first, then expand each section individually. This gives you more control over the output.

Use "Rewrite" on selected text. Select a specific paragraph, right-click, and choose the Copilot rewrite option for targeted improvements without affecting the rest of your document.

Provide examples. If you have a specific style in mind, paste an example and say "Write the next section in this same style and tone."

Key Takeaways

• Use specific, detailed prompts when drafting documents. Include length, structure, tone, and specific details for best results.
• Reference existing files with the / command to generate content based on your actual data and documents.
• Copilot excels at changing tone, restructuring content, and summarizing long documents.
• Break large documents into sections and generate each one individually for more control.
• Always review and refine Copilot's output. Treat every generation as a first draft that benefits from your expertise.