Microsoft 365 Copilot at work
Learn Microsoft 365 Copilot step by step: chat, Pages, prompting, agents and Copilot Studio. Free, practical lessons built around real work, no sign-up.
Part 1· 4 lessons
Foundations
- What is AI?A plain-language guide to what AI really is, the AI you already use every day, and what is coming next. No jargon, no maths, made for busy professionals.
- How generative AI worksA plain look under the hood: how a language model is trained, what tokens are, why AI sometimes makes things up, and where it shines or fails at work.
- The tool landscapeChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity compared honestly: what each does well, where each falls short, and which work each one suits best.
- AI at work: safety and privacyWhat is safe to share with an AI tool and what is not, what happens to what you type, and GDPR in plain terms, with a short checklist to stay safe.
Part 2· 5 lessons
Getting started with Copilot
- Which Copilot do you have?Work out which Microsoft Copilot licence your organisation gave you, what each tier includes, how to check yours, and what to ask IT for if it isn't enough.
- First steps in CopilotFind Copilot in the apps you already use and in the standalone chat, write a clear first message that gets something useful back, and keep your chats tidy.
- Copilot modes and groundingChoose between Quick response and Think Deeper in Copilot, see how it grounds answers on the web by default, and know what to use when neither mode is enough.
- What are Copilot Pages?Turn a Copilot chat answer into a Page you can keep, edit and co-edit live with colleagues, and learn when a Page is the right home for Copilot output.
- Giving Copilot contextCopilot is already grounded in your mail, files, chats and meetings through Microsoft Graph. Learn to point it at the right context and why oversharing matters.
Part 3· 4 lessons
Prompting
- Why prompting mattersSee how a clear prompt changes Copilot's answer more than any setting: say who it's for, what you want and in what form, and skip all the back-and-forth.
- How to write a great promptWrite strong Copilot prompts with a simple five-part recipe: role, task, context, examples and format, plus a reusable template and four common mistakes.
- IteratingTurn a fair Copilot answer into a strong one with short, targeted follow-ups, one change at a time, and know when to stop steering and start a fresh chat.
- Advanced prompts by goalReady-to-copy Copilot prompt patterns for writing, analysis, research and coding, plus naming your scope so Copilot draws on the right sources for the job.
Part 4· 5 lessons
Working smart
- Context and groundingPicture how Copilot grounds each prompt in what you can access, why a long chat still drifts, and how to restart a drifting chat without losing your work.
- Agent BuilderUse Agent Builder to turn a repeatable task into a no-code Copilot agent with its own instructions and knowledge sources, then share it safely with your team.
- Copilot NotebooksUse a Copilot Notebook when an answer must come only from documents you chose: how notebooks switch off normal grounding, what they generate and their limits.
- Researcher and AnalystPick Copilot's Researcher for cited, multi-source reports and Analyst for spreadsheet analysis with Python you can check, and see where their reach stops.
- ConnectorsHow Copilot connectors bring outside systems into Microsoft Graph, why an admin deploys them tenant-wide, who sees what, and how to ask for the one you need.
Part 5· 4 lessons
Advanced and specialised
- Copilot Studio: build and automateSee what Copilot Studio adds beyond Agent Builder, build a simple agent flow with a trigger and actions, and understand Copilot Credits and the licence needed.
- Copilot in PowerPoint & DesignerBuild a first-draft deck with Copilot in PowerPoint from a prompt or a Word document, add a Microsoft Designer graphic, and know which licence each tool needs.
- Copilot in your everyday apps, deeperGo deeper with Copilot in everyday apps: Python-powered analysis in Excel, email coaching and thread summaries in Outlook, and meeting recaps in Teams.
- Putting it together: Copilot playbooksLearn what a Copilot playbook is, adapt one of four worked examples that chain Copilot features into a repeatable job, and spot when a playbook needs fixing.