# Think Deeper

> A Copilot Chat mode that takes up to around ten seconds to reason more thoroughly through multi-step or ambiguous questions before it answers.

**Category:** Copilot

**Think Deeper trades a few seconds for a more careful answer.** You pick it in the mode selector under the message box in Copilot Chat. Where **Quick response** answers immediately, Think Deeper uses a deeper reasoning model and takes up to around ten seconds to work through planning, debugging or a decision with real trade-offs. Left on Auto, Copilot picks between the two for you.

It is the Copilot counterpart of Claude's [extended thinking](/glossary#extended-thinking). Use it for hard questions, not quick lookups: on a simple question it only makes you wait longer for the same answer. When a task needs a sourced report across many sources, open the [Researcher](/glossary#researcher) agent instead.

## At work

"Should we push this deadline, given the client's last three emails?" is worth Think Deeper, because it weighs a real trade-off. "What's the syntax for VLOOKUP?" stays on Quick response.

## Often confused with

Researcher. Think Deeper is a mode inside the chat that answers in seconds; Researcher is a separate built-in agent you open deliberately when you need a sourced research report.

## Related terms

- Quick response
- Extended thinking
- Researcher
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

## See it in a lesson

[Copilot modes and grounding](/en/learn/copilot/getting-started/modes-and-grounding)

## Further reading

- [Overview of Microsoft Copilot Chat (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/overview): How Quick response, Think deeper and Auto work in Copilot Chat.
- [Get started with Researcher in Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft Support)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/get-started-with-researcher-in-microsoft-365-copilot): How to open and use the Researcher agent when a chat mode is not enough.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary